Another fifteen shivery minutes later, and Hannah arrived at the Tri-County Mall. She had a standing appointment to meet Andrea so that they could do their workout routine before class started. She pulled up by the back door at Heavenly Bodies, greeted Andrea, who was just pulling into a parking space, and they went in together.

The only good thing about exercising early in the morning was the absence of noise. The incessant beat of the workout music, the buzz of conversation, the clatter of weights, and the occasional grunt and groan were silenced. The only sound was her own labored breathing as she went through her exercise routine.

Never a big fan of muscle aches and pains, Hannah found this morning’s workout particularly grueling. Perhaps it was because Andrea performed every bend and stretch so effortlessly. She even made her mile on the machine Hannah had nicknamed the Walk to Nowhere look like fun.

“So how’s Moishe’s feeder working out?” Andrea asked, not a whit out of breath despite the fact she was currently duplicating the rigors of cross-country skiing.

“Fine,” Hannah answered, choosing a one-syllable word so that her sister couldn’t hear her pant. They could talk about the fact that Moishe’s feeder was working a little too well later, when she could breathe.

“How long has it been now? Two days?”

“Yes.”

“And he hasn’t pried the tops off yet?”

“No.”

“Well, give him time. He’s defeated every other attempt you’ve made to regulate his food.”

“Right.” Even though she’d uttered only one syllable, Hannah gasped a bit. Luckily, Andrea didn’t seem to notice. Perhaps it was because she’d increased the resistance on her skiing simulator. Hannah could see the little graphic that showed her sister skiing up a thirty percent slope. That was twenty-eight percent steeper than anything Hannah had attempted.

Andrea was silent, and Hannah was grateful. It gave her time to catch her breath. This twenty-minute workout wouldn’t be so bad if she had half the morning to do it. Unfortunately, they were pressed for time. Ronni Ward would be arriving soon for their Classic Body Sculpting class, and that wasn’t a pleasant thought.

“You’re through, Hannah,” Andrea announced, stepping off her ski simulator and taking a seat on what looked like a stationary bike.

“I am?” Hannah slowed to a halt. She’d been so busy thinking about how much she disliked Ronni, the last five minutes of her workout had practically flown past. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and then turned to her sister. “We’ve got twenty-five minutes until class. Do you want me to get you something cold to drink?”

“That sounds good.” Andrea gave a little sigh. “Class used to be fun, but now I’m dreading it. I really wish that Ronni was out of the picture.”

“Me, too. Do you want to skip class today?”