I thought about Sam and the sexy picture now burning a hole in my pocket and my imagination. “I think I can skip it, just this once.”
Chapter Four
Benji was less than five inches away from my face, counting off push-ups. He was so close that with each lift of my body, I was sure he was getting sprayed with my sweat. I closed my eyes and prayed he couldn’t smell the alcohol that was almost certainly mixed with the perspiration.
“You got this, Joanna, just four more,” he urged.
My arms were visibly shaking. “I don’t think I can do this, Benji,” I said through clenched teeth.
He shook his head. “I don’t understand? You killed it on Bruiseday Tuesday. Do you remember what the towel you got last class said?”
“Buff bride,” I answered.
“That’s right. It didn’t say lazy bride or full of excuses bride. It said buff bride. Do you want to be a buff bride, Jo?”
“I do,” I mumbled.
“I can’t hear you.”
“I do.”
Benji turned to the mat next to us. “Becca, can you hear your friend?”
Becca was struggling with her remit of one hundred crunches. She sat up. “No, Benji.”
Benji blew his whistle and then asked again, “Joanna, do you want to be a buff bride?”
“I DO!”
He patted my back and stood up. “Nice work. Keep it up, and the next time you enthusiastically shout out I do you’ll be at your wedding and your goal weight.”
I finished the push-ups and took a swig of water. The room was spinning. Using the wall as a crutch, I stood up, the tequila shots from last night still sloshing around in my stomach.
After I had decided to miss Boot Camp in the morning, Merritt and I had stayed at the Cubbyhole until almost 2:00 am. She ran into her ex-girlfriend, Natalie, who bought us a few rounds of shots while we all caught up. Natalie was a heavy partier too. It was the reason she and Merritt ultimately broke up. In all these years, it seemed little had changed. Every time we tried to leave, Natalie ordered a few more drinks, and we both ended up stumbling out of the bar much later than we planned.
Even so, Sam still wasn’t home when I got back to our apartment. I kicked off my shoes and ended up passing out in my clothes, completely forgetting to switch off my morning alarm. Just two and a half hours later, my phone was buzzing and vibrating, the words Benji’s Boot Camp scrolling across the screen. I pulled the phone close to my face and moaned. My head was pounding, and my mouth was bone dry. It had been a while since I’d been this hungover, my tolerance having taken a steep nosedive during these last few months of trying to reign it in.
Peeking over the covers, I saw Sam sleeping soundly beside me. I rolled back over, buried my head under the pillow, and tried to fall back asleep. Ten minutes later, I was still awake. The guilt of missing Benji’s Boot Camp slowly started to creep in, and once it fully took hold, I couldn’t seem to shake it. Plus, I promised Sam I’d behave with Merritt and didn’t want the lecture he was sure to give me if he found out how late I’d stayed out drinking with her.
Sam let out a low, deep snore and sank deeper into the comforter. He was out cold. I reasoned that if I left now, I could be back before he ever realized I’d been gone. We could still spend the morning in bed, and he’d be none the wiser about my antics last night. I tiptoed out of the apartment and got to the gym just as the doors were closing.
Sixty torturous minutes later, Becca found me refilling my thermos by the water fountain. She popped open a Tupperware of hard-boiled eggs and took a bite out of one. I felt my face turn a grayish shade of green. Becca caught sight of me and stopped chewing.
“I know, every day, we eat the same things. Egg whites, grilled chicken, kale. I have a serious case of déjà food.”
I laughed. “No, it’s not that,” I said, lowering my voice. “I’m hungover.”
She put her hands over her mouth. “You are? You never drink.”
“Oh, I drink. I just cut back considerably when I started Boot Camp. As you can see, Benji and tequila don’t mix.”
“God, what would Benji say if he knew? His star student.”
“What’s his line? ‘A hangover is your body’s way of reminding you that you’re an idiot.’ And you know what, he’d be right. I’m feeling every ounce of that idiocy right now.”
“Well, it was for a good cause, right? You and Sam were long overdue for a night out on the town.”
“Sam was stuck at the office. I went out with my sister.”
Becca slowly closed the lid to the Tupperware. “You and Sam didn’t go out last night?”
“No. With taking today and tomorrow off, he was there pretty late finishing up some stuff. Why?”
“I must’ve misunderstood something Evan said—no biggie. What’s on tap for today?”
“We’re meeting my sister and her family at Norma’s for brunch, and after that, she’s coming with me for my first wedding dress fitting.”
Becca clapped her hands together. “So exciting!”
“I just hope the dress fits.”
Becca took my hand and spun me around. “Look at that rockin’ bod—it’ll fit.”
I snuck back into our apartment and crept down the hallway, expecting to find Sam still sound asleep in our bed. Instead, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, putting on his socks and shoes.
I set my water bottle down on the dresser. “What are you doing? Why are you getting dressed?”
“I have to go to the office.”
I took a few steps toward him. “I thought you took the rest of the week off?”
“I’m drowning in work, Joanna. We’re about to close a deal I’ve been on since October.” He looked up. “Were you and Merritt out drinking last night?”
I sat down next to him on the corner of the bed. “Merritt ran into an old girlfriend at the Cubbyhole. We ended up staying out later than I planned.”
“Jo, you promised.”
“I went to Boot Camp this morning. I couldn’t have gone if I was that hungover.” I laid my head on his shoulder. “Do you really have to go to the office? Can’t somebody else fill in for you, just this once?”
He stood up and turned around, so we were standing face-to-face. “Please, give me just a few more days to wrap things up.”
“But we have brunch plans with Merritt and Naomi. You still haven’t met your soon-to-be nephew.”
He took my hands into his. “You have your first dress fitting today, right?”
I nodded.
“I wasn’t going with you guys to the wedding salon anyway.” He brushed a piece of hair out of my face. “How ’bout this? Why don’t you have brunch like you planned and then go to the fitting. By the time you’re done with all that, I should be finishing up my calls and can meet up with everyone for dinner. We talked about all this. I’m paying my dues now, so that when we have a family I’ll be in a position with more flexibility. I’m doing all of this for us. You know that, right?”
I leaned into his chest. “I know. I just miss you.”