“I’m supposed to weigh myself in the morning. Everyone knows a person weighs less before they’ve eaten. God, Adam. You’re not a very good personal trainer if you don’t even know that much.”

He closed his eyes and counted silently to ten. Then he opened them and tried again. “For the record, I do know that. But it doesn’t matter. You’re the one who wanted to use the scale to measure your fitness goals, and we’re just trying to establish a baseline. Even if it’s a little higher, an extra pound or two isn’t going to make a difference.” Though it technically might be an extra pound or two that she wouldn’t have to lose later. Kurt wasn’t the only one who could cheat.

“Sorry, but no.”

He firmed his tone. “You have to.”

She shook her head again. “No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do. You need to have a starting point.”

“I will. In the morning.”

He sighed again. “Fine. How about a compromise? Step on the scale, and I’ll deduct two pounds from whatever number appears.”

She blinked at him through horror-filled eyes. “You’re kidding, right? I’m not showing you how much I weigh! That wasn’t part of the deal.”

Adam rubbed his temples. Damn it, this woman was more trouble than a box of puppies. “Preslee, this is ridiculous. I’m not here to judge or make fun of you. I don’t care what you weigh.”

“Then I don’t need to get on the scale.”

He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck, irritation riding him hard. “Come on. I’m trying to do my job, and you’re making it difficult. How would you like it if someone came into the shop to buy something but refused to give you any information about what they needed?”

She rolled her eyes. “You mean someone like you?”

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the best example. Because he had done that. And Preslee had been a good sport about it…even if she wasn’t doing so now. “All right, enough. Just get on the scale already.”

“No.”

He seriously considered pulling his hair out, but instead, he tried to appeal to her rational side. “Listen, I don’t care about your numbers. What I care about is you being able to see your progress. Not only will it motivate you, but those weeks where you don’t think you’ve lost, you’ll see for yourself that you did. Those moments make a difference.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Fine,” she agreed, finally moving toward the bathroom scale. “Let’s get this over with then.”

Adam breathed out a sigh of relief. Thank God.