Chapter 10

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I got turned away by the cinema, West Marine and Panera, and had no intention of working for McDonalds. I had high hopes for the Crumbl Cookies store because it would allow me to bring even more treats for Shay, but they said no too, as did most others. I didn't want to wait on tables, because I would probably mess up orders, and I was quickly running out of options. In fact, the last one I could see was a gym that was changing the signs out front. Was it even open? The Gold's Gym sign was being taken down, and there was a temporary banner saying Northeast BodyFit on it hanging above the doors. I liked the idea of working for a gym, though I had no idea what I could do there, and maybe they were hiring if they were just opening! Would they let me work out there if I got a job?

I cracked the door open and stuck my head inside to hear a loud woman yelling. "No! We don't want the mirrors there, we want our guests to feel good about themselves and not worry about image. Just like the ones we had out west, remember? Come on Owen, I already said that! Just because it was that way before we took over, doesn't mean we leave it that way."

The woman looked like she was in perfect shape, with dark hair and lean muscles that made me envious. That's what I wanted to look like! There was a smaller Asian woman holding her hands, who pulled her back and said something softly to her, which made the dark haired goddess hang her head before nodding.

"Sorry, Owen. But let's get rid of the mirrors unless absolutely necessary. I know it's easier to leave the set up the way it already is, but I'd like to stick to what worked for us before. We were huge in California by making everyone comfortable. So, we can have some mirrors for those that want them, but I have a feeling that more people will be happy to just work out without them."

The man she was talking to, Owen, was a hulking man with a deep tan, muscles on his muscles and a glistening shaved head. "Yeah, I got it. Sorry about the misunderstanding," he said with a surprisingly soft voice. "That won't be a problem."

"Good. I just want to make sure we're ready to open as soon as possible."

"Thanks for the help, Owen. You're doing a great job," the smaller woman said happily.

"Can I help you?" the taller woman asked when she caught sight of me peeking in. "We're not open quite yet." She sounded nicer talking to me, maybe because I looked pretty down at the moment. I'd been riding around for two hours by this point, and I wanted to make sure I could get back to Shay when she got off work.

"H-Hi!" I said, as I stepped in, and cringed when my voice broke a little. "I'm sorry, I was just asking all the businesses around here if they could use any part time work, like on weekends."

"Come here, have a seat." She waved me over to a desk with a couple desks around it, and sat down, pulling the smaller girl into her lap with an adorable squeak. I walked quickly over to them, then sat down nervously on the edge of a nearby chair. "What's your name?"

"I'm Amber, Amber Atkinson."

"Amber. I like that name. I'm Kate, and this is my wife, Gloria." I broke into a smile at the realization that they were married, and then nodded for her to continue. "How old are you?"

I looked down, trying not to get dejected, since my age was a dealbreaker at the other places I'd tried. I knew I could get a job at 14 in Rhode Island, but I'd still need to convince someone I was responsible enough. Just because it was possible, didn't mean they'd give me a shot. "I just turned 14 last month."

"That's pretty young," replied Gloria. Her voice was very sweet, with an adorable accent that put me right at ease. "Why do you want a job?"

Well, that was the first time someone had asked that, so I was already feeling slightly better about my chances. "Umm... My dad, he died when I was ten. My mom hasn't been doing well since then and hasn't been able to work. We're doing ok for now, but I don't know how long that will last. My friend just got a job to help her pay for college, and I thought that was something I could do too. I know I don't look like I could work in a gym, but I'd do whatever you need, and I want to get stronger too. I just bought my first weight set last week, so maybe this would be perfect for me."

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