Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
What I found in there made me frown. The clothes I wore around the house were all things I deemed too old and ratty to wear in public. Now, all of a sudden, I was sharing my living space with the hottest guy on earth. Even though I’d only seen him in tees or tanks and shorts, it all looked fresh and new, not stretched out and full of holes, like my crap.
I wasn’t sure why I felt self-conscious about this, but I really needed to get over it. I couldn’t afford to buy a whole new wardrobe, just to impress my roommate.
I ended up trading the gray T-shirt I’d worn all day for a clean, white tee I normally reserved for work. Then I took off my sneakers and swapped my jeans for the least worn-out pair of sweatpants I could find.
Phil accompanied me on the way back down the hall. I had to concentrate, so I didn’t trip over him as he wound between my legs. I started to head to the kitchen, but Ever intercepted me. He handed me a beer, which he’d poured into a glass, and a small bowl containing… something brown.
I murmured a thank you, and he smiled at me. He had the straightest, whitest teeth I’d ever seen. They were almost distracting. “I know you already ate,” he said, “but just in case you’re feeling snacky, I dished up some of my homemade savory granola. It’s got nuts, whole grains, and oats, toasted up with a sprinkling of zaatar seasoning.”
“It’s… what?”
“Savory granola. I always get a bit snacky in the evening, so I came up with this recipe. I actually want to find someplace local to manufacture it, so I can sell bags of it in my café.”
“What café?”
“The one I’m building on the ground floor of EverFit. I want it to be someplace people can grab a smoothie after their workout, or a healthy snack or quick lunch. The consultant I was working with suggested selling grab-and-go items, like the granola, to increase profits. The café will be open to the public, and I’m hoping it’ll provide a good secondary revenue stream.”
As I took a seat on one of the dove gray club chairs and Ever returned to the couch, I said, “This whole project sounds complicated.”
“It is, way more than my gym back in L.A. ever was. With that, all I did was buy an existing gym, paint the walls, and upgrade the equipment.” He took a sip of wine before continuing, “But this is an opportunity to build exactly what I want from scratch.”
“Did you always know you wanted to run a business?”
“No. I joined the Marine Corps right after high school, and as it turned out, that really wasn’t my thing. After my four years were up, I knew I wanted to be my own boss, so I started taking business classes at a community college. But I dropped out when I started working as a bodyguard, because I had to be available for my clients around the clock.”
“Yeah, it’s not easy to juggle work and school, even with a regular job.”
“It sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
“I’m working toward a bachelor’s degree,” I said. “Both classes I needed this semester where filled, but I’ll start up again in January.”
“What’s the ultimate goal?”
“I want to become a counselor.”
“Nice. What made you choose that career?”
“It’s a long story.” I turned the conversation back to him with, “Why did you decide to sell your gym in L.A.?”
“There were a lot of reasons. For one thing, the guy who ended up buying me out offered me more money than I’d ever dreamed of. I ended up sinking every penny into my new fitness center, along with the money I made from selling my house and most of my savings.”
“Did you consider using that money to retire?”
“Briefly.”
“What stopped you?”
“I was afraid the money would run out in a few years,” he said, “and by then no one would remember who I was, so I’d have to start over.”
“But you said it was a large sum.”
“Yeah. It was just under four million dollars.”
I paused with a chunk of granola pinched between two fingers and muttered, “Holy shit.”
“I know. I never imagined I’d have that kind of money.”
“You really didn’t think that would be enough to retire?”
“I was afraid I’d lose it somehow. What if I made some bad investments?” Ever looked away, and after a moment he admitted, “I’ve always been afraid of ending up like my dad. When I was in high school, he fell for a get-rich-quick real estate scam. After that, he turned to gambling to try to win back what he’d lost. Obviously that only made it worse, and we ended up losing everything, including our house. It was all so chaotic that my brother and sister decided to go live with our aunt in New Mexico, but I chose to stay with my mother. She ended up leaving my dad, and he disappeared for a while. At that point, Mom and I ended up in a homeless shelter.”