A Fool's Gold Wedding - Susan Mallery Page 0,15
patted her steering wheel. “If this was a manual transmission, I’d have to wait for my legs to stop shaking so I could use the clutch and drive home.”
He grinned. “You’re deliberately trying to scare me.”
“I’m warning you—there’s a difference.” She turned onto the street. “But go ahead and be all smug and confident. Later, when you’re whimpering, I’ll resist the need to say I told you so.”
“I don’t whimper.”
She smiled at him. “We’ll see.”
She drove the short distance to CDS, then parked. “So this is what we locals call the bodyguard school. The owners are all former military special forces. They provide specialty training for professional bodyguards. They also offer outdoor activities for corporate retreats. For the locals they have martial arts classes and pretty intense exercise classes. If CrossFit and your worst workout nightmare had a baby, it would be this class.”
“If you say so.”
Joaquin got out of the car and stretched. Abby did her best not to stare at him, instead telling herself it would be interesting to see what he was like after the workout. Total humiliation had a way of bringing out a man’s character.
They walked inside. Consuelo, their petite, fit instructor, walked over to Abby.
“Who’s the guy?”
“Joaquin, this is Consuelo. She’s married to my uncle Kent. Consuelo, this is Joaquin. Melissa’s fiancé’s brother.”
Consuelo held out her hand. “Every time I think I’ve figured out everyone in the family, they bring in someone new. Nice to meet you.”
Joaquin nodded.
Consuelo raised her eyebrows. “Do we like him or should I grind him into dust?”
Joaquin looked startled at the question. Abby considered her answer. “After the wedding, he’s going to be one of us, so no scars, but he was kind of dismissive when I warned him about the class.”
Consuelo’s eyes narrowed. “Got it.”
“Why did you say that?” Joaquin asked as Consuelo headed toward the mats.
“Because it’s true. You implied you’d be fine.” She batted her eyes at him. “Let’s find out if you were lying.”
“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are.”
There were about ten students, ranging in age and fitness level. Abby had started taking the classes when she’d moved back after college. Her goal was to get to the point where she could do everything asked of her without fainting or throwing up. As it was, she was a forty-percenter. When Consuelo asked for ten, Abby gave her four. She was already better than the three she’d been able to do when she’d first started.
Consuelo blew on a whistle. “All right, people, listen up. We’re going to start slow before we get into it. Ten laps at moderate speed, ten burpees, then climb the ropes and ring the bell. When you’re finished, line up in front of me and we’ll start class.”
Joaquin’s eyes widened. “That’s the warm-up?”
Abby held in a smile. She pointed to the far wall. “Water’s on the table. The big yellow trash can is where you throw up. Don’t use one of the other trash cans. Consuelo doesn’t like that.”
“Good to know.”
Forty-five minutes later, Abby was dripping sweat and worried that she would never walk again. Her leg muscles were twitching and she was flat on her back on a mat. What was going to happen when she tried to stand up? On the bright side, Joaquin was just as wiped out. He’d started out enthusiastically, but Consuelo had worked him until he’d collapsed. Abby had always had a soft spot for her aunt.
Now Consuelo passed out water bottles. She paused in front of Joaquin. “Not bad for a rookie. Give me a couple of months and I could really make something of you.” She handed him the water. “Running is all fine and good, but you should be working out with weights. Right now you’re strong because you’re young and male, but that goes away. If you don’t want to end up some shriveled old man, you need to have a plan. Find a trainer. Get a program going.”
Joaquin managed to nod his head and take the water bottle. “Thanks,” he gasped. “Good idea. How’d you know I was a runner?”
“The muscles in your legs. You have speed. Your form is crap, but you don’t run enough for it to be a big deal.” She handed Abby a bottle of water, then winked and walked away.
Joaquin looked after her. “Who is she?”
She knew he meant other than her aunt. “I’m not totally sure. She used to work for the government. She was like a spy or something. There are