Finding Home Read online

  Finding Home

  By Jamey Moody

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 211

  Chapter 315

  Chapter 421

  Chapter 531

  Chapter 638

  Chapter 746

  Chapter 853

  Chapter 965

  Chapter 1073

  Chapter 1182

  Chapter 1291

  Chapter 13102

  Chapter 14111

  Chapter 15118

  Chapter 16124

  Chapter 18132

  Chapter 19142,

  Chapter 20154

  Chapter 21165

  Chapter 22175

  Chapter 23184

  Chapter 24192

  Epilogue200

  Chapter 1

  Somedays you’re the windshield, somedays you’re the bug. At this moment, Frankie Dean felt like the bug. She was going through the mail of Your Way, the fitness center she owned with her two best friends.

  “Whatcha got there?” asked Desi. Desdemona Shaw had been Frankie’s best friend since kindergarten 40 years ago and one of her partners in the gym. She had short dark hair with hazel eyes that were full of mischief.

  “The mail,” replied Frankie flatly.

  “Duh, I know it’s the mail. What are you looking at so intensely?”

  Frankie handed Desi the wedding invitation she had been holding.

  Desi read it and exclaimed, “What the hell! You have got to be kidding me! She invited you to her

  wedding?”

  “No, she invited all of us, I guess. It’s addressed to the gym,” Frankie said showing Desi the envelope.

  “I can’t fucking believe her!” Desi said with fire in her eyes. “Are you all right?” she asked looking at Frankie.

  Frankie sighed and said, “Yes, I’m okay. It was a punch to the gut but, I’m over it already.” Frankie ran her hand through her short brown hair then continued sorting the mail.

  “Are you sure? I’d like to go kick her ass!”

  “I’m sure. I promise, I’m over her but, it still pisses me off that I was so stupid. I know better than to date someone that’s never been with a woman. It’s happened to me twice now and I’m never doing it again!”

  “It seems like it’s only been a minute since you broke up.”

  “It’s been six months. She’d been seeing him for a month before she told me.”

  “Typical, they find out what sex is supposed to be like and lose their fucking minds. Now that she knows she’ll be telling him what to do but, you just wait, she’ll be crawling back.”

  “Stop, Des, it wasn’t like that,” Frankie said, her green eyes softening. “Now that it’s been six months and I can look at it from a distance, I think Laura really just needed a friend at the time and was lonely. Then I came along and well, you know what happened.”

  “Yeah, I know. You were kind to her as you are to everyone. I wonder what she would do if we showed up at the wedding?”

  “We’re not going to the wedding. In her own way I’m sure she was just trying to be nice.”

  “What wedding are we not going to?” Stella asked walking into the office. Stella Morris was the third partner in the gym and at 52 looked like a fitness model. Her auburn hair was pulled into a pony tail as she was just finishing teaching a yoga class for beginners.

  “Laura sent the gym an invitation to her wedding to the guy she cheated on Frankie with,” Desi said, filling Stella in.

  “Easy Des,” Stella said while placing her arm around Frankie’s shoulder. She met Frankie’s eyes with her own soft brown ones full of compassion. “Wow, sorry Frankie, I’m sure that had to sting.”

  “I’m all right, really, you two,” Frankie said looking at them both. “I’m happy for her.”

  “Of course you are because that’s the kind of person you are,” Stella said.

  “Anyway, it’s been six months, I’ve moved on and that’s that,” Frankie said handing each of them their mail.

  “Moved on? You haven’t had one date since you broke up,” said Desi.

  “Exactly, taking a break is a good thing,” answered Frankie.

  “Maybe for Ross and Rachel but, how is it a good thing for a beautiful, kind, successful, hot lesbian like you?” asked Desi.

  “You happen to be a beautiful, kind, successful, hot lesbian, too and I don’t see you dating anyone,” countered Frankie.

  “Oh you two, it doesn’t do any good to compare your lesbian hotness,” Stella said chuckling. “Besides, Frankie has a strength class in 10 minutes. Go throw some weight around - it always makes me feel better.”

  “Yep, I’d better go set up,” Frankie said walking toward the door. “See y’all later.”

  “Was that your last class today?” Desi asked Stella.

  “Yep, I’m done. Nat has the evening dance class, aren’t you doing the evening spin class?”

  “Yes, I haven’t seen Natalie this afternoon, have you?” Natalie Stevens was their all-around instructor that taught the classes that Stella, Frankie, and Desi didn’t cover. She had been with them since almost the beginning. In the 10 years that they had been open, Your Way had become one of the premier fitness centers in town. They specialized in making everyone feel welcome no matter their fitness level, experience, or coordination. There was something for everyone at Your Way.

  “She opened this morning, had the afternoon off, and is coming back for that last dance class. That girl would work all day and evening if we’d let her,” said Stella.

  “That’s why I haven’t seen her. Frankie and I are closing tonight so I didn’t get here until afternoon. Do you think we should go to Laura’s wedding?”

  “Why would we do that? I know Frankie says she’s over her but still, that woman hurt our friend. And I don’t care if she didn’t mean to.”

  “I agree. I just don’t get it. Frankie is the best girlfriend anyone could have. Laura’s crazy for letting her go. I guess I thought she’d see that if we were there.”

  “It doesn’t matter, she’s out of Frankie’s life and ours too. I’m going home. I’ve had enough of this place today.”

  “I expect folks to come by for tours tomorrow, our special with three free one-on-one sessions expires in two days,” Desi said, reminding Stella.

  “Got it. I’ll be ready. See you tomorrow.”

  ***

  Olivia King stepped off the scale and sighed. She then got in the shower to get ready for work. That number kept rolling through her mind over and over, it reminded her of a slot machine and when it stopped, she wasn’t a winner.

  As she looked at herself in the mirror she decided today was the day. She’d been hiding all winter and now it was April. One thing she did like about living in Dallas was the weather; not too cold but hot in the summer. She couldn’t imagine wearing shorts the way she looked now. She’d had enough.

  She finished drying her shoulder length dark blonde hair and pulled her best friend Sofia’s name up on her phone, tapped it and waited. This was a good hair day, so at least she had that.

  “Good morning,” Sofia answered cheerily.

  “Hey, I need a favor.”

  “Okay, OK. Did you get that? OK, your initials,” Sofia said chuckling.

  “For the millionth time, that is not funny,” Olivia responded, rolling her eyes in the mirror.

  “Yes it is! Anyway, what do you need?”

  “I need you to come with me after work and take a tour of that fitness gym that’s running the special,” Olivia explained.

  “What gym?

  “The gym I’ve told you about the last two weeks,” Olivia said sighing. “Do you ever listen to anything I say?”

  “Yes, I just needed a reminder. I seem t
o recall you mentioning something about it.”

  “Good. I’ll pick you up after work.”

  “Wait, I have plans after work,” Sofia said quickly.

  “You owe me. I’ll be by after work,” Olivia said firmly.

  “Owe you, why do I owe you?”

  “Two weeks ago you begged me to go to that wine bar with you so you could ogle the bartender... who you later disappeared with leaving me there. Or how about this past Saturday when you drug me to karaoke with your co-workers so you could sneak out early with your boss’ assistant and no one would notice.”

  “I’ll be ready, what do I need to wear?”

  “Your work clothes are fine, we’re just taking a tour, not working out.”

  “Yippee, I can hardly wait,” Sofia said sarcastically.

  Later that day as Sofia got in Olivia’s car she said, “Tell me again why you’re doing this.”

  “Have you looked at me lately? I’m tired of carrying around this extra weight.”

  “You might need to lose a few pounds but, you don’t look bad,” said Sofia.

  “Gee thanks. I’m never going to get a girlfriend if I don’t do something, so I’m joining a gym and losing this weight.” Olivia said matter-of-factly.

  “You don’t expect me to join with you, do you?”

  “No. I just wanted you to go with me for the tour.”

  They walked through the door of Your Way and Frankie greeted them.

  “Welcome to Your Way, I’m Frankie, would you let me show you around?”

  Sofia eyed Frankie up and down and whispered to Olivia, “I’d let her do more than show me around.”

  Olivia ignored her and reached out her hand, “Hi, I’m Olivia and this is my friend Sofia.”

  “Hi Olivia,” Frankie said, taking her hand. She looked into the most beautiful brown eyes she’d ever seen. Suddenly realizing she’d been holding Olivia’s hand a little longer than she should, Frankie turned to Sofia and said, “Hi Sofia.”

  “We’d like to take a tour and were interested in the special you’re running,” said Olivia. What a beautiful woman she thought, her hand tingling where Frankie had held it.

  “Great, right this way. We named the gym Your Way because that’s exactly what we want you to do, make it yours. Fitness isn’t one size fits all, everyone is unique so your plan has to fit you. What do you like to do? We have several different classes, group and individual sessions, as well as sports too.”

  “Actually, I’m not really sure. That’s why I wanted the tour,” explained Olivia.

  “With the special you get three one-on-one training sessions so I’m sure we can find something you like. And you’re welcome to try all the classes to see which you like best or take a different one every time you come in depending on how you feel.”

  “I know what I’d like to feel,” Sofia whispered as they walked to the treadmills.

  “Would you stop,” Olivia whispered glaring at her friend.

  “This area is for the treadmills. If you’ll notice, there are TV’s at every machine and you can watch whatever you want as you exercise. Right back here is the free weight area. We have plenty of weights, bars, benches and squat racks. Have you ever lifted weights before?” Frankie asked them.

  “Not really,” Olivia answered.

  “No problem. We’ll make sure you know how to use these safely so you can get the most from your workout,” Frankie said, smiling at Olivia.

  At the end of the free weight section was a wall of windows looking into a workout room. “This is where several of our classes are held,” Frankie said as Desi walked out of the room.

  “This is Desi Shaw, one of the owners,” Frankie said introducing her. “Des, meet Olivia and Sofia. They’re taking a tour.”

  “Hi Olivia, Sofia,” Desi said nodding at each of them. “This is one of two workout spaces that we hold classes in. We have spin classes, kickboxing, HIIT workouts, boot camps, dance, and yoga. When there isn’t a class you’re welcome to work out in the room with the other equipment.”

  “Dance?” asked Olivia.

  “We have dance fitness classes. They are so much fun. I can’t dance to save myself but, I feel like I can when I’m teaching or participating in dance fitness class,” said Frankie.

  “It’s all true, I’ve seen her dance,” Desi said chuckling. “But really, you have to try it at least once. It’s a lot of fun. And if there is some other activity that we don’t offer, tell us about it, we’ll see what we can do.”

  Desi noticed Frankie looking at the front door intently and turned to see what was happening. In walked Laura, Frankie’s ex. Before Desi could stop her she reached the group.

  “Excuse me, could I talk to you a minute, Frankie?” Laura asked nervously.

  Frankie could feel her face reddening. She hadn’t seen Laura in six months and certainly didn’t think she’d ever walk back into Your Way. She looked at Olivia and Sofia and smiled.

  “Would you excuse me for just a minute? Desi will show the workout room and I’ll be right back,” Frankie said trying to be professional.

  “No problem,” said Olivia smiling back. She could see that something was going on between Frankie and the woman that just walked in and she noticed how tense Desi had become.

  As they walked away Desi realized she was staring a hole through Laura’s back and snapped out of it. “Sorry about that,” she said to Olivia and Sofia.

  “That was tense,” said Sofia. “I don’t think you like her much.”

  “Not one of my favorite people,” Desi said, taking a deep breath. “That was unprofessional of me, I’m so sorry. Please, let me show you our workout room. And don’t think our gym is full of drama because that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

  “Drama can be fun,” Sofia said thinking she liked this place.

  They looked around the workout room that had mirrors on one wall and equipment on the other. There were spin bikes, weighted balls, jump ropes, foam rollers, and just about any kind of equipment to customize a workout.

  As they walked out of the room Desi explained there was another workout space just like it across a hallway that led to the back of the building. When they entered the hallway Frankie caught up with them.

  “Do you have any questions? Did Desi explain all the classes and extra equipment in the room?” she asked hurriedly.

  “She did,” Olivia said, turning around, their eyes meeting. Frankie’s green eyes showed a flicker of pain and just as quickly it was gone. Olivia felt the strongest urge to reach out and take her hand but, the moment passed.

  As they made their way down the hall, she pointed out the restrooms and dressing rooms. “We’ll stop in the dressing room on our way back to the front but I wanted to show you the gym first,” she said, walking through double doors and holding them open.

  They walked into a gym with basketball hoops and volleyball nets. The court was split so one end was for volleyball and the other for basketball.

  “We have a volleyball league and a basketball league at different times during the year. Right now it’s set up for both games but we can have two volleyball games or two basketball games going at the same time. You’re welcome to shoot baskets or work on volleyball skills when there isn’t a game going on,” explained Frankie.

  “Wow, this is nice! I didn’t expect there to be a gym,” said Sofia. “Why do they call workout places gyms anyway?”

  “Great question that I don’t really have an answer to,” said Desi. “It seems that fitness centers, health clubs, and gyms are synonymous.”

  “I think I call it a gym because that’s where I started. When I was a kid, we went to the gym to play volleyball and basketball indoors,” said Frankie.

  “Me too,” added Olivia.

  “Did you play sports?” asked Frankie.

  “Yeah, I did in high school but, I haven’t in years.”

  “I think that’s why we have the leagues because Frankie and I still like to play games a
nd you have to have people to make up a team,” Desi said.

  “Maybe you’ll get back into it and play with us,” Frankie said to Olivia.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. I’ve got to get some of this weight off before I can even think about that,” Olivia answered.

  “I keep telling her she looks fine,” said Sofia.

  Frankie smiled and said, “There are lots of reasons to work out and losing weight is certainly one of them but, I like to look at it in a different way.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Olivia.

  “Exercising has been proven not only to improve physical health but, it also improves mental and emotional health. You hear a lot about self-care these days and I think exercising should be included in that. I want a workout to be joyful. Don’t get me wrong, it is work, but after just a few minutes your mood will elevate,” explained Frankie.

  “Wow, you’re passionate about this,” said Sofia.

  “I know. Sometimes I can get a little carried away but, I want you to get all you can out of every class. I want you to have that joy,” said Frankie, eyes sparkling.

  Olivia was mesmerized by how passionately Frankie spoke. It made her want to join the gym and start her first workout but, it also made her want to get to know Frankie better. Those green eyes were so bright when she was speaking that way Olivia got lost in them.

  “Oh, I forgot to mention that we have training plans too. We can train you one-on-one after identifying your goals or we can make a training plan for you to do on your own. There is always someone here to answer questions or assist you with equipment or whatever you need,” said Frankie.

  Olivia glared at Sofia before she could whisper something else.

  Instead, Sofia looked at Frankie then Desi and said, “Wow, you’ve convinced me and I wasn’t planning on joining.”

  “You weren’t?” Frankie said looking at Sofia confused.

  “No, I’m here to support my best friend.”

  “Oh, I get it. I don’t like to go into places by myself for the first time either. We want you to feel comfortable and safe. I’ll give you my number so the next time you’re by yourself, text me and I’ll come out and walk in with you,” Frankie said with the kindest eyes looking directly at Olivia.