Page 11 of Hate It with You

“Put on a front like that. You do it with everyone, especially Beth. You were almost insufferable this summer whenever she was around.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I continue to busy myself with a few loose pens on the desk, hoping he’ll move on and let things be.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve been like this since middle school and⁠—”

“Don’t. You know I don’t like talking about that.” Leo stops at the snap in my voice.

“I’m just saying you don’t have to put on a front. You can be yourself. Beth might be more receptive if you did.”

I look at Leo pointedly. “In my experience, most people prefer the mask to what really lies beneath. I’m sure Beth is the same way. She is a dark romance reader after all.” I wink at him, and he rolls his eyes.

“Whatever, just think about it. I probably know her better than you do at this point.” His cocky tone has me clenching my fists.

“Don’t you have vegetables to chop?” I say, shooing him from behind the counter.

“Yes, I do. Unlike this place, my restaurant actually has customers.” He grabs his stuff and smiles at me.

“Good luck today,” he says as he tips his invisible hat to me and exits out to the parking lot.

My eyes scan the gym around me, but I’m not surprised when only one person is working out in the corner. My regular, Jared, has stayed loyal to me so far, and I’m just hoping he doesn’t find the large corporation gym that opened up down the block. Their doors opened to the public at the beginning of the year, and I wasn’t expecting that hit to my business. I’ve already lost half my members and haven’t been able to sign up anyone new in the past four months.

Grabbing a spray bottle and a rag, I start my cleaning for the day, hoping it’ll help work out more of my jitters. It usually helps, though the anticipation of seeing Beth for the first time in months has me more on edge than usual.

I start at the entrance, to the right of the front desk, where two large windows frame the front door, wiping down the door handles first. Working my way to the four cardio machines I have positioned at the entrance, I wipe them down, making sure to wipe the seat on the stationary bike twice.

The ring sits in the middle of the gym. Beside it, opposite the front desk, hangs two punching bags that I get daily use out of. On the other side of the ring, opposite the cardio machines, I have a few benches and free weights. Making my way over there, I wipe down the benches, doing my best not to disturb Jared’s workout.

I usually keep the lights low, with the walls and equipment all black, except for the ring. The base is painted red, with my logo graffitied in black on all sides. I commissioned a local artist to paint the gym's name, “Fight Club,” in black-and-white letters. To this day, it’s still the best decision I’ve made for the place.

It’s a small gym, meant for fighting and training, and it can only hold so much. Part of me wishes we hadn’t lost so many memberships, but what hurts more is how many personal training clients I’ve lost the past few months. I don’t know if it’s some new fad or what, but clients who were once interested in training like a fighter are now more interested in group classes than anything else. Something only the big gyms can offer, given that fighting training is usually done one-on-one.

I’m sure the business will do fine. Eventually, people will tire of the invisible fees, overpopulated classes, and lack of bench availability. I’ll have my clients back soon enough.

Making my way back to the front desk, I wave bye to Jared as he exits when my phone rings. Picking it up off the desk, I don’t recognize the number as I hit the Answer call button.

“Hello?” I ask.

“Hey, is this the landlord for Rosethorne Books? I got your number from Beth.” The male voice on the other line speaks, his voice grating in my ears as my blood begins to heat.

Who the fuck is this and why isn’t Beth calling me herself?

“Yeah, why are you calling?” I bite out, not caring for the envy that creeps into my voice.

There’s a pause on the other line before he speaks again, his tone shifting into something harsh and authoritative. “Beth’s place needs some repairs. Actually, a lot of repairs. As you’re her landlord, I’d like to request that you get someone out here to fix the issues immediately.”

Still no introduction. Irritation storms throughout my veins, as my head continues to spin in regard to why this man is calling on her behalf.

“I’ll have someone come out today.” I was planning on stopping by after Beth’s grand opening, but this conversation has me moving up my timeline. If shit needs fixed, I might as well get it over with. Besides, I’d like to find out who the fuck this guy is. He’s definitely not on the lease she signed.

“Great, thanks,” he says before he hangs up. I don’t blame him, considering I usually have better customer service skills than I exhibited, but my skin is crawling with anticipation about who this man is.

I don’t exactly have a well-formulated plan, and given the fact that Beth isn’t my biggest fan, I know tonight is going to be shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have put off telling her for this long. Though if I learned anything from our lake house interactions, it’s that Beth loves a cat-and-mouse game. So I certainly couldn’t have her moving out before she opened her bookstore. After today, she won’t have a choice but to stay through the lease agreement.

Once Jake arrives for his shift, I head upstairs to get ready for Beth’s grand opening. I’m sure to be quiet and avoid any run-ins I could have with her. She’ll be surprised to see me, but I know Theo and Sienna are going, so hopefully she’ll just think I tagged along. Either way, I’ll wait until she’s locked the doors for the evening to give her the news.

My only hope is that she doesn’t try to get out of the lease agreement. Since she moved in, the loneliness I usually feel going to bed every night has been pleasantly interrupted by Beth.

The sounds of her music in the evening blast from her side of the wall, flowing into my apartment. The band she plays on repeat happens to be one of my favorites. The thought of going to bed each night and not seeing her car in the parking lot fills my chest with an ache I don’t intend on analyzing at the moment.