forehead, the damp hair that clung to the back of my neck, and the red glow of my face when I finished.
It was like thinking about a different person. And I still looked in the mirror and saw that guy, still accidentally grabbed the wrong size clothing in the store, still compared myself to my brothers and every man in this room right now.
I’d had enough. My focus had deserted me, and I wiped my equipment down, leaving it ready for the next guy to use along with a silent wish that he’d have the focus to get to the end of his workout. Talking to Adrian about Shayne had messed up my head, but I couldn’t allow that to take from my routine.
One day. I’d allow myself one day of moping. But no more tomorrow.
Mind made up, I walked back to the changing room, and hit the showers, hoping to wash my melancholia away. The warm water cascaded down my back and over my ass, and the sharp citrus scent of my soap sharpened my senses, reinvigorating me.
By the time I left the gym, my bag over my shoulder, things in my world were pretty good again. I’d finished more of my workout than I’d left, and I was slowly learning not to beat myself up for a misstep or two in my month. I swung my bag into the trunk of my car then glanced across the street.
The smoothie bar I liked looked quiet, and a healthy pick-me-up sounded about right.
I joined the line and didn’t even need to study their menu once I caught sight of the barista behind the counter. She smiled as she greeted me. Her gaze was only ever admiring.
“Good workout?”
I shrugged and smiled. She didn’t need to know all the details. “Not bad. How’s your day going?” I quickly deflected the conversation back to her, because talking about other people was always easier, and far more interesting.
“You having your usual today or mixing it up a little?” She reached for a cup as she spoke.
“Am I that predictable that I have a ‘usual?’” I grinned a little wider.
“All my best customers do.” Her dimple flashed in response to my grin, and I dialed my happiness down a notch.
I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea about my level of interest. “Uh, so yeah, my usual, I guess.” The truth was, I only had a usual with her. Any time someone else was working, I ordered one of the other options because there were all kinds of interesting taste combinations on the board.
“Sure!” She filled the blender with a mixture of fruit and spinach, juice and Greek yogurt. “Extra strawberries?” Her dimple flashed again and I attempted to look disinterested as I studied the display of energy bars.
“Sure.”
She blended my smoothie with ice and set it on the counter. And just as I flashed my card over the reader, my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I reached behind me and worked it out of my ass pocket. Kairo’s name showed on the screen, which was weird because he usually had a shift today, and he never called from work.
“Oh, excuse me. I need to take this.” I nodded my thanks as I took my drink and wandered away from the counter, but her face fell right before I turned away.
I pushed through the door with my shoulder, and the electronic beep above me let me know I’d left the store. “Hey, dude. Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Kairo sounded a little distracted.
“You sure about that?” I chuckled a little.
“Yeah… Yeah.” Papers rustled in the background. “Sorry, Leo. As soon as I pressed to call you, someone shoved a file in my hand. You know how it is.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, but I didn’t. No one ever shoved a file in my hand. They only filled my inbox with increasing numbers of emails. They were just as distracting in their own way, though, pinging right to my attention. “So, what’s up?”
Kairo laughed. “A brother can’t just call one of his younger brothers without something being wrong?”
“Not usually in the middle of the workday.” I crossed the street back toward my car.
He laughed again. “You got me, I guess.”
I heard a creak like Kairo had sat down in the world’s oldest office chair.
“I just wanted to run something by you, if that’s okay? You got some time now?”
“Okay.” I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Sure. Shoot.” I took a sip of my drink then wiped the