“Nah,” she said with a laugh. “Honestly, I don’t know how you put up with that all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that I’m up to ten thousand followers thanks to TayJar taking over Fitnessgram, but I still value my privacy.”

“Are we really known as TayJar on Instagram?”

“Why don’t you open your own IG account and find out for yourself?”

“Not gonna happen,” he said. She’d been pestering him to join the social media platform for days.

Jamar studied her as she scooped ice cream into her mouth. Her eyes closed briefly, a look of pure contentment washing over her.

“What made you choose fitness consulting?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“Your profession? Of all the things you could have been, why did you decide to torture poor, innocent people who are only trying to get in shape?”

“That is so not fair. You make me sound like some obnoxious taskmaster.”

“Have you listened to yourself when we’re in that gym?”

She pinched his arm. “That’s enthusiasm. And to answer your question, my dad is the reason I became a fitness consultant.” The light in her eyes dimmed. “Although he would probably have a heart attack if I told him that.”

They moved to the side to avoid a group of teenagers who were all looking down at their phones.

“Why would knowing he’s the inspiration behind your career give your dad a heart attack?”

“Because the Colonel thinks I should go to college, earn my degree, and get a real job.”

“So being a trainer isn’t a real job?”

She shook her head. “Not to my family.”

“I’ve got about a dozen trainers I’ve worked with in the past who would beg to differ.”

“You totally freak me out when you talk that way. My mom is the only other person I know who uses that phrase. She ‘begs to differ’ all the time.”

And that was the last time she would hear him say it. He sure as hell didn’t want her thinking about her mom when she was with him.

“Anyway,” Taylor continued. “Maybe if I owned my own gym, my family would take my career seriously. As it now stands, I’m wasting my time with this ‘little fitness thing.’”

“Ouch.” Jamar winced.

“I know, right? Holidays are a blast in the Powell household.” She scooped up more ice cream, but the spoon didn’t find its way to her mouth. “The funny thing is, I only became interested in fitness because I was so fascinated by all the soldiers doing PT every morning. I used to love watching them, the way they all moved in unison as they performed jumping jacks and push-ups and doing that two-mile run around the base.”