Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 62095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
In the meantime, I scrolled down to the recipe I’d use for dinner tonight. I mean, I never followed a recipe religiously, but I liked the inspiration. And if someone told me I could eat grilled chicken with the crispy skin, they were my friend for life.
The skin is where you get your boost of collagen, he’d told me.
Ethan returned and stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Did you settle on a dinner?”
“Yes! The grilled chicken with lentil salad,” I said.
“That’s a good one.” He nodded. “So, remember—always eat when you’re hungry, stop eating when you’re not hungry, drink plenty of water, and call or text whenever you need help. Especially in the beginning, we tend to need more support, and I’d rather you blow up my phone with texts than try to handle every craving or hesitation by yourself.”
How could someone so supportive possibly be the man Gray had described? I just didn’t see it. In less than twenty-four hours, Ethan had removed most of my worries about this lifestyle change.
“I really appreciate this,” I said honestly. “I know it’s a service I’m paying for, but I didn’t think you’d go all in like you have. It makes a big difference.”
He smiled. “My big secret is that I genuinely care about people’s physical and mental health. But don’t tell anyone.”
I laughed softly. “Your secret is safe with me, Coach.”
His smile morphed into a wolfish little grin, and I could tell he liked his nickname.
He was awfully handsome and, yeah, sexy too. But there was something about him… I got the feeling he was trying to hide the things I was most drawn to. Such as his age and all the signs that showed he’d left his thirties behind.
“So I’ll see you Friday morning, yeah?”
I nodded. “I’ll be there at nine.” It’d been one of the few available time slots, though it suited me fine. Working primarily from home allowed me to be flexible with appointments.
“Perfect. Good job today. I’ll text you tonight,” he said.
I’d thought about that earlier, and I couldn’t help but ask, “Do you get any time off, or do you spend every evening talking to clients?”
He chuckled. “It’s not that much work. I only take on four or five full-time clients like you, and a few texts here and there don’t bother me one bit. I like following their progress.” He shrugged. “I had one client a few months ago who treated the evening texts like his private journal, and it gave me a good insight. It was easier for me to tailor his workout plan when I knew his mental state.”
Goddammit, he kept saying all the right things.
Could Gray be wrong?
I decided right then and there to snoop. Chloe had to know the man somewhat too.
CHAPTER 3
Natalie Nolan
Igot my chance on Thursday when my sister invited me over for dinner. It would only be her, Aiden, one of the twins, and me.
I showed up at seven, ready to be nosy about the Quinn family.
“Mom!” Gideon yelled from upstairs. “When’s dinner ready?”
“Five minutes!” Chloe hollered back.
I helped with the salad, ’cause Chloe and I were Southern gals, and she liked to mix in dressing and croutons and cheese and…basically anything I had to be careful around. Well, the Parmesan was all right.
“Are you sure this will be okay, doll?” she asked. “I can make you something else if—”
“This is perfect,” I assured her. I didn’t want her to change a thing. She was feeding Gideon, and he ate for an entire army.
Or hockey team.
All my nephews except Gage played or had played.
“How’s Gideon coping with Gabriel being in Chicago?” I asked. I was curious about the twins’ next step in life.
I’d cheered so loudly that my neighbors had banged on the wall when I’d found out that Chicago had drafted Gabriel. He was moving there after the summer, and he’d finish high school there too.
“I think I’m the one suffering the most,” Chloe huffed. “They’ve already made plans to see each other as much as possible, and Gideon will go to college there as well. He’s lookin’ into sports medicine and rehabilitation fields.”
Oh, but that was wonderful. “Given how good Gabriel is, surely it won’t be a problem in the future to get Gideon a job wherever Gabriel ends up.”
“That’s their plan,” Chloe sighed. “Just leave old Mama behind…”
I laughed and gave her a playful shove.
“Why can’t Camassia have an NHL team?” she blurted out. “I’d like that way more.”
Oh jeez.
“When Gabriel comes home from this training camp nonsense, I’m going to invite Abel over for dinner,” she went on. “He’s a good boy. He picked Vancouver—that’s only forty-five minutes away.”
Erhm. The twins had practically grown up with Abel since he was so close to Gray, so if they weren’t already inspired to aim for a team close to home, chances were they wanted to explore other areas. Besides, Abel had a few years on the twins. He’d proven himself in the league, and he’d waited for the right call. It wasn’t like the players could choose freely, less so rookies. If I wasn’t mistaken, Abel had played in Pittsburgh before. That was hardly around the corner.