“What are you talking about?”
“While you were in your room, Dave dropped by and left a ton of information about how to have a healthy pregnancy.” He sat down at the end of the table, beside her. “Turns out it’s really important to exercise while you’re pregnant.”
“That pamphlet was probably written by someone trying to sell gym memberships.”
He stabbed a shrimp with his fork and pointed it at her. “You’re just trying to get out of exercising.”
“Because I hate it. I don’t believe in sweating.” She took a bite of shrimp. “Wow! This tastes like Heaven!”
“Thanks,” he said. “But, you live in Texas. How can you not believe in sweating?”
“That’s what air conditioning is for.”
“Exercise can give you more energy, help you sleep, help you have an easier delivery and recovery, and help prevent pre-eclampsia—whatever that is—and gestational diabetes.” With amazing agility, he ticked the points off, one mechanical finger at a time. “You don’t want to get insulin shots multiple times a day, do you?”
The room swam at the idea of daily shots. Did he know she was secretly needle-phobic? Yet she had to find an excuse to avoid working out with Cole. She knew for an absolute fact she couldn’t handle seeing him without a shirt. Not when his t-shirt-covered chest took her thoughts where they shouldn’t go.
“I don’t have time to exercise.” She pushed her salad around on her plate.
“You can get up an hour early and exercise with me.”
Aha! The perfect solution!
“I’m not a morning person,” she said, triumphantly.
“How could I forget? You were a real grouch when you woke up this morning.”
“Only because you were smiling and talking in a happy voice.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Okay. No morning exercise for you.”
“I’m afraid not.” She pulled her lips down as if she were disappointed.
“I guess you’ll have to do your exercise in the evening.”
“Fine, I’ll do it.” Without his supervision, she could probably get by with a few minutes walking on a treadmill. Then, she could stay in the gym a little longer, playing on her phone.
He took a bite of shrimp and chewed, lost in thought. Just as she sipped her water, he spoke again.
“I’ll exercise with you.”
She sucked in a surprised breath, choking on the liquid.
“Are you okay?”
Eyes watering, she continued to cough. “I’m fine,” she wheezed.
“We’ll start off easy,” he said, forking a piece of lettuce. “Twenty minutes of cardio, and then some yoga.”
“Great,” she mumbled, picturing Cole, shirtless, his muscles flexing as he stretched into various yoga poses.
She was fairly certain waterboarding would be a preferable form of torture.
CHAPTER 15
Cole had ripped off the proverbial bandage, and it could’ve been worse. He reasoned if they were going to be living in the same house for months, Brooke might as well get used to seeing his arm implant. He had no intention of wearing long sleeves in his own home like he did whenever he was in public. She’d responded reasonably well at first, displaying only mild curiosity. But during the exercise session, it was obvious she was uncomfortable with his appearance. She’d mostly kept her eyes glued to her treadmill display. The few times he’d caught her glancing his direction, she’d quickly averted her eyes, deep red spreading all the way down her neck on to the part of her chest exposed by her tank top.
Not that he’d been staring at her chest or anything. Though he had noticed she looked really nice in her exercise outfit. He kept stealing peeks at her shapely legs. Did pregnancy make her extra curvy? It would be interesting to watch the gradual change as the baby grew. With any luck, she would continue to work out with him each evening, so he could observe the transformation and eventually get her accustomed to his arm’s strange appearance.
So far, things were progressing better than he’d hoped. The Hayward Home director hadn’t even blinked upon learning that Brooke got divorced and remarried without their knowledge. In light of Cole’s proposed donation, Hayward Home had enthusiastically agreed that their policy excluding divorcees from professional positions was more of a general guideline that certainly wouldn’t apply in Brooke’s case. Especially since Brooke was now legally married, the director had reasoned, while drooling over the check in his hand.
Likewise, his press conference had gone smoothly, the reporters mollified when he described a whirlwind romance and shared select photos from the wedding ceremony. The host of Millionaire Matchup was present, as well, to congratulate Cole and Brooke and announce that the next season would begin filming that week, as planned, with a new bachelor. The identity of the new millionaire would remain a secret for now, though fans could visit the website for clues. The reporters were excited to get a double scoop, and none protested at his firm but gentle suggestion they not hassle his bride.
Cole’s workday, on the other hand, had been anything but smooth. He cringed when Phillip walked in his office at four fifteen, wearing a guilt-ridden expression.
“What is it, this time?” Cole asked.
“You know that Economic Development Committee meeting that was supposed to be today, but got rescheduled for next week?”
“Let me guess. It’s back on for tonight?”
“Yes. And the Macy Road property is on the agenda.”
Cole groaned. He’d been looking forward to picking Brooke up from work. But this property had been sitting idle for too long.
“Can O’Reilly or Hutto cover it?”
