Page 21 of Protecting Love
He squinted at his son. “It’s not why I bought it.”
“I don’t care why you did. I love it here.”
“Then I’m glad. Now go change and be ready to go down when I am.”
He finished up, turned the dishwasher on, changed his clothes, grabbed his phone and they rode the elevator down together.
When they got to the gym, it was pretty quiet.
“Doesn’t look like it’s the place to be on Friday night,” Ian said.
“Which is good. I like it when it’s quieter. I’m assuming you’re good on your own? If you don’t mind, I could use a spotter at some point.”
His son smiled. “Yeah, I can do that. You can spot me too, right?”
“Of course.”
Ten minutes later, he was on his back, pressing the weights up over his head, back to his chest and up again and praying to hell his kid could help if he needed it and wasn’t just acting cool.
“Dad,” Ian said when he helped put the weights back. “That woman is watching you.”
He sat up and moved to some more weights to add. “Don’t stare.”
“I’m not. But she is. Maybe you should go talk to her.”
He wouldn’t turn and look. He didn’t need to.
He saw who his son was talking about. Someone he’d seen in here before and she’d been watching him then too.
They’d even nodded or greeted each other before.
He knew damn well she wanted to chat, but he wanted no part of it.
He was here to work out, not to mingle.
And now she’d know he had a kid.
When he climbed back on the bench though, he caught the woman’s soft smile rather than a decision to look away.
He wasn’t interested.
Besides, that woman didn’t have blonde hair, legs up to her ears and wasn’t named after a city in France.
5
MASK FIRMLY IN PLACE
“Is Paris Westerly in?”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No. Is she here?”
Paris heard the exchange from down the hall. Her office door was still open, interview notes spread across her desk. She’d just wrapped up first-round interviews for the two open positions, taking them on herself so London wouldn’t have to.
London would be back within the hour.
“Can I get your name, please?” Molly asked.
