“They are.” Sissy hesitated. “I suppose you met some of them? Maybe one named Krystal?” An unreadable expression flitted across her face.
“Yes. And her friend Andrea.”
“Andrea’s a nice girl. I’m glad she’s here.”
Not Krystal, though, apparently.
“Ah, here’s Laurie. Laurie! Over here!” It was the woman from the pool the day before who’d been leading the water aerobics. She approached slowly, as if unsure what was going to happen once she got there. Casey decided her original assessment held—Laurie was a fit forty-something, her dark hair obviously helped along by a bit of color, and her skin beginning to show signs of age around the eyes and mouth. It probably didn’t help that she was tanner than what would be natural, and probably had been most of her life. Right now the fine lines were accentuated by her obvious anxiety.
“Laurie,” Sissy said, “this is Daisy Gray. If she gets the job, you’ll need to work with her on a schedule. We can’t have her working every hour of the day.”
“Of course. I’ll do whatever I can.”
Casey smiled at her. “I watched a bit of your water aerobics class yesterday. I liked the way you led it.”
Laurie relaxed visibly, her shoulders dropping and her eyebrows traveling upward. “Really?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve taught in the water. Perhaps you could give me some pointers? Get me up to speed?”
Laurie smiled, taking several years off her appearance, just like Del’s smile had the day before in the weight room. “Well, sure, I’d be happy to. Do you have time before your class at one?”
“I’ve got Zumba at eleven, and then I need to grab something to eat.”
“We can eat together.”
“Sounds good.”
Laurie smiled again, and found a place in the middle of the group.
“Okay, ladies!” Sissy clapped her hands, and the chattering ceased. “This is Daisy. She’s doing our classes the next few days, and may be staying on. So give me feedback, to help me know whether to hire her, or not.”
Great, Casey thought wryly. At least there’s no pressure.
“All yours,” Sissy said, and took her place in the middle of the front row.
Casey started the CD, turned on her mic…and froze. Death stood in the back row of the class, waving and smiling and wearing an outfit that would have fit in Flashdance. Leg warmers, headband, the whole works. Casey closed her eyes, but when she opened them, Death was still there.
She would just have to deal.
“Good morning, ladies, my name is Daisy Gray. Let’s start with some slow up and downs.”
She took them through an easy, low-impact session, so she could study them and see where they rated in the proficiency scale. She suggested extra platforms for some, fewer for others, and always gave an alternative exercise for those who might have bad knees. Death had a great time in the back, spinning and jumping and generally being a distraction. By the time class was over, Casey was ready to wring Death’s neck.
Sissy trotted up and grabbed Casey’s hand. “Wonderful class. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. Was it what you were hoping for?”
“Even better.” Sissy clasped her hands. “I think I’ll come back this afternoon for BODYPUMP.”
“Great.”
The women filed out, sweaty but happy, thanking Casey and saying they looked forward to the next day.
When they were all gone, Casey rounded on Death, who was still stretching. “Thanks a whole lot.”
Death paused, halfway in a squat. “What? That was a great class.”
“Could you have been any more distracting? And what is that get-up? Are you auditioning for Fame?”
“Well, I am gonna live forever.”
Casey groaned and drained her water bottle. “From now on, you cannot take my classes.”
“Why not?” It wasn’t Death asking. It was Laurie, who’d apparently been in the locker room.
“Oh. Not you,” Casey said. “Of course you’re welcome to take whatever classes you want.”
Laurie looked around the empty room. “Then who were you talking to?”
Casey waved toward the door. “Someone who just left.”
“Oh. It wasn’t Krystal, was it?”
Oh, boy. Another woman worrying about the bombshell from six AM.
“Nope. So, I’ll see you at noon?”
“I’ll come by to get you.”
“All right. See you then.”
Again time was built in for personal training, so Casey meandered over to the weight room, where several people sweated on the cardio equipment. She walked through the maze of machines, familiarizing herself with what was there so she would be able to put together programs. When she got to the free weights she tried them out to find where she stood—it