Clara's cheeks flushed red, and she nodded reluctantly. She had been hoping to keep her personal life separate from her training, but Hailey's direct question left her no choice but to respond.
"Yes," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
"How did you two start dating?" Hailey asked, genuine curiosity mixing with her instructor's instincts.
Clara looked uncomfortable, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she tried to find the right words.
"He sent me funny text messages and said hello to me frequently," she said finally. "You know, the usual stuff. Nothing special."
Hailey's expression was unimpressed, and she couldn't hide her disappointment in the response.
"That sounds like teenager behavior," she said flatly. "Is that really all it takes these days?"
Clara looked puzzled by the criticism, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.
"But why are you asking?" she said, turning the question back on her instructor. "Are you interested in dating someone?"
The question hit closer to home than Clara could have possibly known.
Hailey felt heat rise in her cheeks, and she quickly looked away to avoid the curious gazes of the other women.
"I have a friend who is a writer," she said, her voice sounding forced even to her own ears.
"A writer friend?" Emma asked from across the room.
"Yes, a writer friend," Hailey replied defensively.
"What kind of book?" Sarah piped up.
"About... relationships," Hailey answered. "She asked me to go around and ask people about their dating experiences. For research. She's working on a book about modern relationships."
"Uh-huh," Melanie said, clearly not buying it.
"She's doing research," Hailey insisted.
"Right, research," Clara nodded, smirking.
To cover her embarrassment, Hailey stood up suddenly, her movement sharp and abrupt.
"Who told you to stop the push-ups?" she snapped, her voice returning to its usual authoritative tone. "Continue! All the way up and down! I want to see perfect form!"
The women resumed their exercises, but their whispered conversation continued.
"She's totally asking for herself," Emma muttered to Sarah.
"Obviously," Sarah whispered back. "The 'writer friend' thing is so transparent."
"Do you think she likes someone?" Jessica asked.
"Definitely," Melanie replied quietly. "Look how flustered she got."
"Maybe it's that guy who's always on set," Clara suggested.
"Which guy?" Emma asked.
"The tall one with the dark hair," Clara explained. "The one who always watches her work."
"Eric?" Melanie's eyes widened. "You think she likes Eric?"
"Would explain why she's been so moody lately," Sarah observed.
"Shh, she'll hear us," Jessica warned.
But Hailey was already lost in thought, barely paying attention to their form as her mind wandered to Eric's strange behavior the previous day.
"She's definitely got it bad," Emma murmured.
"Poor thing," Sarah said sympathetically. "First crush is always the hardest."
"First crush?" Clara raised an eyebrow. "How do you know it's her first?"
"Look at her," Melanie said. "She's completely clueless about what to do."
"Maybe we should help her," Jessica suggested.
"How?" Emma asked.
"Give her some advice," Sarah said. "She clearly needs it."
"Did you hear what she called good dating behavior?" Clara laughed. "Funny text messages are 'teenager behavior'."
"What does she expect?" Melanie asked. "Handwritten letters delivered by messenger pigeons?"
"Knowing Hailey, probably," Emma giggled.
Hailey turned around sharply.
"Is there something funny about your form?" she asked suspiciously.
"No, ma'am," they chorused innocently.
"Then why are you laughing?" she asked sharply.
"Just... appreciating the workout," Sarah said with a straight face.
"It's very... stimulating," Clara added.
"Stimulating?" Hailey repeated.
"For our muscles," Melanie clarified quickly.
"Right. Muscles," Emma agreed, trying not to smile.
Hailey narrowed her eyes. She clearly didn't believe them, but she couldn't prove anything.
"Less talking, more working," she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am," they replied.
As soon as she turned away, they started giggling again.
"She's hopeless," Emma whispered.
"Completely hopeless," Sarah agreed.
---
Meanwhile, Eric had escaped the house through the back door.
He stood behind a large oak tree in the garden, cigarette between his fingers. The morning air was fresh, carrying scents of jasmine and roses.
Footsteps approached softly behind him.
"So you ran away from the matchmaking session to smoke out here?" Gianna asked, amusement in her voice.
Eric turned to study her. She seemed different now – more confident, less demure.
"It seems like you're used to it already," he said.
Gianna reached out and took the cigarette from his fingers. She inhaled expertly and exhaled slowly.
"This is my third matchmaking session this week," she said matter-of-factly.
"Third? This week?" Eric asked.
"Mom's determined to see me settled before I turn twenty-five," she explained.
She handed the cigarette back to him. "What about you? How many have you endured this week?"
Eric took the cigarette and dropped it to the ground. He crushed it under his foot with more force than necessary.
"You're the first one," Eric replied.
"Lucky you," Gianna said. "Though something tells me this won't end easily."
"Your mom seems... persistent," he said.
"That's one word for it," Gianna agreed. "She's terrified I'll end up alone and miserable."
"And you? Are you terrified?" Eric asked.
Gianna laughed genuinely. "These days, if you have money, you don't need marriage, do you? I can take care of myself."
Eric's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and couldn't help smiling.
The message was from Hailey: "My main job is a stand-in, but if you want to get some, I'm on stand-by."
"Is that your girlfriend?" Gianna asked, noticing his expression change.
"No," Eric replied quickly, pocketing the phone.
"Don't think I don't know," Gianna said with a knowing smile. "I can tell when someone's interested. You should see your face right now."
"My face is perfectly normal," Eric protested.
"Your face just lit up like a Christmas tree," Gianna countered. "Who is she?"
"It's not what you think," Eric said.
"It's exactly what I think," Gianna replied. "You like her."
"I don't like anyone," Eric insisted.
"Right," Gianna said, clearly not believing him. "That's why you're smiling like an idiot."
"I'm not smiling like an idiot," Eric said, but he was still smiling.
"You're doing it right now," Gianna pointed out.
Just then, Kylie's voice called out from the house.
"Gianna! Come inside! Dessert is ready!"
"Yes, Mom!" Gianna called back sweetly, her voice completely different from the one she had been using with Eric.
The transformation was instant and complete. Like watching an actor slip into character.
She turned back to him with a conspiratorial smile, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"What about this?" she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You hurry to go see your girl, and I'll tell my mom that you had to go do something important for work. That way, we'll both be free from this awkward situation. Deal?"
"You would do that?" Eric asked, surprised.
"Why not?" Gianna shrugged. "We're both victims of parental matchmaking here. Might as well help each other out."
"But won't your mom be upset?" he asked.
"She'll get over it," Gianna said. "Besides, I'd rather she be disappointed than spend another hour pretending to be the perfect daughter-in-law candidate."
"And what about you?" Eric asked. "Won't you get in trouble?"
"Probably," Gianna admitted. "But it's worth it to see you go chase after your mystery woman."
Before Eric could respond, she pulled a small spray bottle from her pocket.
She sprayed it over herself and into her mouth. The scent was strong and perfumed, clearly designed to mask the smell of cigarettes.
"Smart," Eric thought, watching her prepare for her return to the house.
"Thanks for the cigarette," Gianna said with a final smile. "And good luck with your 'stand-in'."
"How did you—" Eric started.
"I read over your shoulder," Gianna admitted shamelessly. "Bad habit of mine."
"That's terrible," Eric said, but he was still smiling.
"I know," Gianna agreed. "But it makes life more interesting."
She started walking back toward the house, then paused.
"Eric?" she called back.
He looked at her. "Yeah?"
"Don't let her get away," she said seriously. "Girls like that don't come around very often."
"What makes you think she's special?" Eric asked.
"Because she made you forget about everything else," Gianna replied. "Including the fact that you're supposed to be charming me right now."
With that, she walked back toward the house. Her posture once again became demure and proper.
Eric watched her go, impressed by her ability to adapt to different situations.
Then he pulled out his phone to look at Hailey's message again.
Eric watched her go, then pulled out his phone to look at Hailey's message again.
The smile returned to his face, and he felt a warmth spread through his chest that had nothing to do with the morning sun.
"Stand-by, huh?" he murmured to himself.
He started walking toward his car, already planning his route to the training facility.
Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all.
In fact, maybe it was going to be very good indeed.