He enjoyed spending time with her. Way more than he should. Her fun personality and witty sense of humor made their workouts fun. Somehow, she could always get him to laugh at the most mundane things. Even when she was only complaining about the workout itself, grumbling that she was sweating like a sinner in church or accusing him of being the devil reincarnated.

He glanced up to see Preslee swinging through the gym’s entrance door, and just like that, his irritation melted away. She wore a white tank top covered by a lightweight workout jacket, dark leggings, and a pair of navy-blue sneakers. The fitted outfit clung to her curves and accentuated her shapely figure in a way that had his gut clenching.

She stopped in front of him, smiling brightly. “Hi, Adam.”

“Hey, stranger. Long time, no see.” He hadn’t meant to say that, but he couldn’t seem to stop it from tumbling out of his mouth. It had felt like forever. He wondered if she felt that way.

She giggled. “It hasn’t been that long. I just saw you on Friday.”

Okay, so that was a hard no. Not seeing him for two days apparently hadn’t affected her the same. Wonderful. How much more proof did he need that Preslee only had eyes for Josh?

He tapped the clipboard in his hands. “You know what today is, right?”

The horror in her expression made him smile. “Oh God. Do I have to?”

“Yep,” he said, toting her over to the large scale near the bathrooms. “Hop on.”

Reluctantly, she did as he asked, but her tightly closed eyes spoke volumes. Preslee hated getting weighed in.

But after adjusting the sliding bars and giving his paper a cursory glance, he beamed a smile at her. One she couldn’t see because her eyes were still closed. “It’s been only a little over a week, and you’re already down eight pounds.”

Her eyes flew open. Unblinking, she stared at her current weight. Almost numbly, she asked, “W-what? How is that possible?”

He chuckled. “You put in the work. That’s how it’s possible.” He gave her a high five. “I’m proud of you. I knew you could do it.”

Excitement lit her face. “Not without you, I couldn’t have.”

While his ego appreciated the compliment, he wasn’t about to let her believe that. “No, this was all you. You didn’t need me to get the results you wanted. I’m just a tool that can help, but I can’t make anyone stick to their fitness or diet plan. You have to want it enough to follow through. You did that.”

Pink bloomed on her cheeks as she stepped off the scale. “Thanks. That’s nice of you to say.”