Page 17 of Head Over Wheels
Jace notices my quick pick and laughs. “So you’re a salad lover?”
“This salad is just the perfect salad, isn’t it? It’s got greens, sure, but also potatoes and egg and olives. Not to mention the tuna on top. I make this all the time at home, and it’s so nice when I get to eat it without all the prep work.” Yes, that’s me, still talking about salad.
“You’re right. It’s a banger of a salad. Good thing I love a good bowl too.” He dives in with his fork.
I’m getting in my head again, wondering if this is a date. Or is he still secretly with Deb and he just likes hanging out? In which case, this is definitely weird, right? But maybe he just feels bad for me after the elevator experience yesterday. Maybe Elevate is telling him to be extra nice so I don’t leave bad reviews after the conference. I could do this worrying all day. Instead, I take a deep breath and just go for it.
“Jace?”
He looks up from his bowl. “Hmm?”
“Are you and Deb still together?” My cheeks get hot, and I put my fork down.
“Deb? No, if I was still with Deb, what would I be doing here with you?” He tilts his head and purses his full lips.
Should I give him the laundry list of scenarios I’ve been concocting? I decide against it. “I don’t know, I just wanted to ask. You still seem really close.”
He nods at me. “Yeah, we are pretty close. We actually split up months ago, but we wanted to wait before announcing it so that we both had time to get over it before the press descended. It was an amicable split though. In the end, we work better as friends. The attraction wasn’t really there.”
Wow, okay. So they really have been split up for months now…good to know. File that under, yay, he’s had some time to move on. I realize he’s staring at me, waiting for a response. “I can understand that.”
“I’m pretty interested in you, Ella. Ever since we met in the elevator, I’ve felt this pull to you. I’m hoping you feel it too.”
My whole body warms up at his words. I can’t imagine what colour my face is now. “I do. After seeing you with Deb yesterday, I wasn’t sure. That’s why I asked. I would never want to get in the middle of another relationship.”
Jace leans forward, and his blue eyes meet mine. “I would never put you in that position. My relationship with Deb is in the past. I want to get to know you better. Will you give me a chance?”
There is no way I’m going to be able to eat anything right now. My stomach is doing somersaults and my throat is so dry. Jace Altman wants to get to know me better? What kind of parallel universe is this? And what about Jeff? I push that thought aside for now—I mean, this isn’t a commitment ceremony. I don’t have to make all the decisions right now.
“I’d like that too.”
His grin makes my heart soar a little.
“Do you mind if we keep this quiet until we figure out what’s happening between us?”
My heart immediately sinks at his words. Is he trying to hide me from Deb? From someone else? He must see the look on my face because before I say anything, he tries to explain.
“It’s just that there’s a lot of media interest around us as Elevate instructors, and it will be so much easier for both of us if we can explore the idea of a relationship in privacy. Once we know this is what we want, I promise you, we’ll go fully public if that’s what you want. But I will warn you that your life will absolutely change.”
I process what he’s saying. “Yeah, I can see that. Okay, let’s keep it quiet for now, and see where it goes.”
He grins at me and grabs my hand on the table. “I’m really looking forward to the rest of this weekend, Ella.”
CHAPTER 13
Do I have everything? I check my belt bag for my key card before I close the door to my room. After our talk, Jace and I finished our lunches, and I left so we’d both have time to prep for the next class. Jace was teaching a strength class, and I was going to check out a tread walk. When I’d originally received the program for this weekend, I had smartly stacked my harder classes earlier so that as the day progressed my workouts would be less strenuous. I’ve always been better at working out before lunchtime. As soon as midday hits, my energy drops by fifty percent.
All this stuff with Jace has my head whirling. And then there’s the complication of Jeff’s emotions as well. It’s definitely a good time for me to have forty-five minutes to work it all out on the tread. Just as I’m entering the staircase, my phone pings.
Hey, want to hang out between classes?
The text is from Jeff, and my stomach twists. Does he know I’ve spent the last hour with Jace? Does it even matter? At this point I’m just getting to know both of them. I’m still not sure if I really like Jace or if I just love his online persona. He’s larger than life, and every time I think of him, I lowkey swoon. I definitely don’t feel that same level of attraction to Jeff, but he’s a nice guy. Probably the type of guy I should be focussing my efforts and time on. And we only have an hour between classes. How much trouble can I get myself into?
Sure! Sounds fun. I’ll meet you in the lobby.
He texts back to say, ‘sounds good,’ and I put my phone away. I need to hustle if I’m going to avoid having a treadmill in the front row.
Raj is running the class, and by the time we’re halfway through, we’re definitely all sporting the glazed donut look. He’s been cranking up that incline and cheering us on, and the class energy is high. People are whooping and laughing at all his jokes. I’m glad I picked this class as I really enjoy his positivity, and in person, it really sings. My legs are tired from all the extra working out. Raj cues us to bring the incline back down to zero for the final minute, and the hugest cheer goes up across the room. If I was at home, I would have found this class much harder, but there’s something inspiring about being surrounded by a group of people who all have the same goal as you. It feels like we’re all in this together.