United State of Love by Sue Fortin Page B

Satisfied, she placed them by the door ready for action.
    The gym was quiet. When Zoe protested she didn't have any sports clothes with her, Anna produced the bag from the boot of her car. ‘All your stuff's in here. Nathan got it for me the other day,’ she said, grinning triumphantly. ‘And before you say anything about Emily, she's booked into the crèche, which Nathan has checked out, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about or any reason to duck out. Come on, girly, we're getting you sorted.’
    Picking up the car seat with Emily still strapped in, Anna strode off across the car park, leaving Zoe little alternative but to follow obediently.
    Anna called back over her shoulder. ‘Anyway, I could do with your advice about something. Come on.’
    Anna had been grateful to get out of the house a couple of times in the week. There had definitely been a shift in dynamics since Mark had wrangled what seemed to be a pretty much open invitation to stay. She didn't want to seem paranoid but, as she explained to Zoe while they strode side by side on the treadmills, it was like Mark and Luke had their own little club now, one that she was excluded from.
    ‘Luke's bound to be a bit like that,’ puffed Zoe, turning the speed setting down. ‘For the past year all he has really wanted is to have a relationship with his dad. Now Mark's here, he has finally got it. The only thing that would top that is you and Mark getting back together. It's only natural he doesn't want to upset Mark. Luke knows that you will always be there for him and that's why you're getting the brunt of everything. It's a familiarity thing.’
    ‘I know you're right,’ sighed Anna, taking her lead from Zoe and slowing the speed down, ‘and I do try to put Luke first in all this but it's very difficult. I wish Mark wasn't living under the same roof as us though. It's not like I've even got the space really. I feel quite claustrophobic at times.’
    ‘And he hasn't said how long he's staying for?’ asked Zoe, as she pressed the red stop button and wiped her face with her towel.
    ‘No. I just wish he could stay somewhere else. Things may start to get a bit more complicated at home now.’
    ‘Oh yeah? What's this then?’ Zoe eyed her sister-in-law with interest. ‘Come on spill the beans.’
    ‘Well, I have sort of met someone,’ began Anna. ‘Hang on, let me get off this thing. I can't concentrate.’
    ‘What do you mean “sort of”? You either have or you haven't.’
    ‘Okay, I have met someone, but he's a client.’
    ‘What, through your new job?’ They wandered over to the water fountain so Anna could refill her bottle. ‘You kept this quiet. Come on then, I want all the details.’
    Within the quieter weights and exercise room, which fortunately was empty, and whilst laying on the floor holding Zoe's ankles while she did sit-ups, Anna relayed her two encounters with Tex.
    ‘So there you have it,’ finished Anna. ‘We might bump into each other briefly on Friday evening.’
    ‘Well, good for you,’ said Zoe warmly as she lay flat out on her back. ‘I have to stop, my stomach muscles are hurting already. Oh, that's better. Look people meet each other through work all the time. I can't see a problem. Besides, it's about time you started going out and finding someone. I mean, I've done my best over the past year to fix you up with eligible bachelors.’
    ‘I think you need to work on your matchmaking skills a bit more. Some of the men you lined up for me, well, they were just terrible.’ Anna laughed at the look of mock indignation on Zoe's face. ‘What about at that barbecue for your birthday last year? You introduced me to Evan. I mean, where did you find him? His idea of stimulating conversation was to recount the past twenty Eurovision Song Contest winners, complete with songs title and total points.’ Anna eased herself backwards over the blue exercise ball.
    ‘Sorry, that was Nathan's idea actually. A friend of a