The Bashful Bookworm

Chapter 1

Verna leaned forward in the passenger seat and gave Travis a smoldering, lingering kiss. His hand snaked up into her shirt and she groaned regretfully, smiling against his lips. He muttered her name...

"Verna!" Stacey penetrated her dream.

"Shut up, Stacey, I'm snogging-" she opened her eyes and her smile faded. Stacey.

Stacey grinned, "I saw that smile. I know who you were snogging," she teased.

Verna groaned in horror.

Stacey sat on the side of the bed and uncovered Verna's face. "I'm moving in with Bubba next week, sis, what are you going to do?" Verna wrinkled her nose. "At least talk to the guy, create a rapport or whatever you literary types call it."

Her sister rose an eyebrow, ''Er- what guy?"

Stacey almost stabbed Verna's eye out with a toothbrush as she reached out to grab a pillow to smother her sister with.

"Hey, careful!"

"Oops. Sorry." She dropped the pillow. "But you know what guy I'm talking about."

Verna kept the clueless expression.

"Travis, you beautiful pea brain!"

Verna blushed. "Oh, him."

Stacey bulldozed on. "How long shall we salivate across the gym floor at the hunk who is so obviously single? I feel much cooler if I salivate at home where Bubba can mop up my mess for me, thank you very much."

Verna laughed. "Now who's being the pea brain?"

"Come on Verna!" Stacey tugged on Verna's night shirt. "Tomorrow at the gym, we talk to him."

"I like the way you are saying 'we' when you know you will ditch me at the first opportune moment."

"No, I won't! I swear."

"Yeah," Verna answered wryly. "Okay, fine. We'll talk to him tomorrow."

Stacey grinned at her younger sister again. "Great."

The next day at work, Verna got herself so engrossed in a debate with her colleagues about a book she was editing that she arrived at the gym to find her financier sister already on a treadmill, her blonde hair swinging behind her like a pendulum. Waving on her way to the changing rooms, a small part of her hoped that Stacey had already forgotten the whole plan.

She took her time changing from her suit to gym apparel but her sister wasted no time after salutations. Stacey had certainly not forgotten.

"Ready?" she glanced below, at the gym's main floor space. Jumping off the treadmill, she grabbed her twenty-six year old sister's arm heading toward the stairs.

Stacey had made the plan the night before and briefed Verna on how they were to get Travis to pay attention to her. Thursday was the night that most gym instructors dedicated to one-on-one training. Only Blair seemed to be free so Stacey and Verna went to talk to him.

"Hey Sexy and Vivacious," he said when he saw them.

Stacey clenched a threatening fist at the nicknames, but smiled at him. "Hey B. I wanted to talk to you about more kick boxing techniques and Verna wants to talk about weights, so which of your clients is whiz enough to help my little sister out?" She paused slightly. "And cute enough to hold her attention since all the trainers are busy?"

Taken by surprise, Blair stared at her before bursting out laughing. "You don't leave me with much of a choice then. I'd say try Travis- the dark haired guy over there," he said pointing to a man a few stations over.

Verna hesitated then glanced in his direction. "You sure he won't be too much for me?"

Blair laughed again and gave her a slight push in Travis' direction. "Don't worry. He's a regular gentleman with the ladies and he's a lifter like no other."

Stacey smiled at her sister's acting and waved her goodbye.