bit of an uncertain smile. She’d be thinking about a lot of stuff today, he was sure. Hopefully those thoughts would be pleasant. When he saw her this afternoon, he’d make sure of it.
Red, short for Red Skull, the only name he’d ever offered, was a biker enthusiast, fitness trainer, and former PT who still filled in for vacationing therapists at the county rehab center. He also owned a gym within thirty minutes of where Rory lived.
Since many of his clients were service veterans in wheelchairs, the gym included some of the same equipment that was at the rehab center. Which meant Rory could do a lot of his conditioning in Red’s more regular-feeling gym.
All of that, including the guy’s personality, made Red the perfect adaptive fitness trainer for Rory.
“You’re giving it extra effort today, my man,” Red said, spotting him on the parallel bars. Rory had braces strapped on his legs to keep them straight and locked as he grunted through getting from one end of the bars to the other.
“Not that you’re ever a slacker,” the trainer continued. “Except at the beginning, when you were whining about some dumbass problem with your legs.”
Rory shot the personal trainer a strained though amused look. “Let’s see you do pull ups with a chair strapped to your ass.”
Red spread his hands out with a grin, then smoothly reached for Rory’s hips as he wobbled. “Nope, got it,” he bit out.
“Know you do,” Red said, while keeping close, his steel-grey eyes sharp. “Gotta look like you’re paying me to do something.”
Standing cardio was important for lower body circulation, internal organ function, as well as giving his hip and upper torso muscles a workout, but it was never fun. When he’d first started to do it, it was hell. And not just during the PT sessions. The lure of painkillers to ease the aftermath was a whole other battle. Most everyone in a chair dealt with certain levels of pain, but some days could be worse than others.
However, today’s pain was a welcome reminder that he’d used some muscles last night he hadn’t used in a while. Since Red didn’t miss much, he caught the difference in Rory’s attitude over it.
“Uh-oh. I know that look. Part caveman, hear me roar, part dork-in-love. Did you finally lay it out there for that sweet little girl you work with?”
Rory just shot him a grin, though the effort cost him his grip on the bar. Red was there, though, getting him back on track and focused. He saved further conversation until Rory made it to the end and got unstrapped, back in the chair.
“Take a breath.” Red handed him a bottle of water, knowing Rory would need it before moving to the next station. The standing cardio machine was an automated contraption that would straighten his body, hold it upright with the aid of secure straps as Rory worked his arms and chest.
He wouldn’t need a spotter for that, so Red excused himself a minute to check on several of his other clients. The rest of the gym looked like any other, though Red spaced out his equipment wider and everything here was disabled friendly. Rory hid a smile at the cat-eyed blonde who fastened her gaze hungrily on Red as he leaned over where she was stretched out on the weight bench. Guy got plenty of attention from his able-bodied clientele, but that was a given, the way he sported the shaved head biker look, all the tattoos and muscles. While Red wasn’t married, he’d told Rory he was occasionally tempted to put on a cheap wedding ring, just to keep the come-ons to a minimum.
“Except I’m not sure I want to know which ones wouldn’t consider that a dealbreaker,” he’d said with a grimace. “I’d rather think the best of my customers, you know?”
Now he came back to Rory, giving him a narrow look at Rory’s grin. “Shut up,” he said. “And how about you spill?”
“What do you mean? You already know who I’m jacked up about.”
Red snorted. “Not that. We’ve been working together a while, man. I know when you’ve got something on your mind. Any way I can help?”
Rory had been considering whether to broach it with Red, so he guessed there was no reason to put it off. “I need to get myself in shape for something new.”
“Gotcha. What’s the goal?”
When he hesitated, Red gave him a shrewd look. “First day, what’d I say were the two things that concern a