Within This Frame Read Online Free Page B

that one of the reasons you didn’t want to be with me anymore? I wasn’t exciting enough for you.”
    A shadow of something swept across his features. Lance’s jaw tightened, and then his expression was clear once more. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
    “You don’t know where it is.”
    “I’m sure I can find it,” he called over his shoulder as he sauntered from the room. In the hallway, he turned to face her. “How many bedrooms are in this place anyway?”
    Maggie strode for the door. “Oh, you know.” She slammed the door shut, smiling as she imagined it hitting his face.
    ***
    Lane Gym, owned and operated by Nora Lane, was one of the most reputable workout centers in Dubuque, Iowa. The city was close to, if not over, sixty-thousand strong, which said something. Nora was a controlling and high strung perfectionist, which worked well for being successful.
    As Maggie stepped inside the white building with matching walls and flooring, she was besieged by the appearance of muscled, sweaty beings working out with weights or exercise equipment, and the sound of upbeat music. The air was cool, high-powered ceiling fans propelling it around. Beyond the main room, there were two smaller rooms where classes were given. Maggie looked at the windowed wall that faced the parking lot, wondering how people could be okay with others staring at them as they worked out.
    She preferred to mortify herself within the privacy of her own home.
    Maggie stopped at the front desk, smiling at the receptionist. “Is Nora in?”
    Julie, a college student with a tiny body and a huge smile, looked up. Her straight brown hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and a pink top and shorts that looked more fitting for a doll graced her body.
    Smile brightening her brown eyes, she said, “Hey, Maggie! She’s doing a yoga class right now, but it should be done in about five minutes, if you want to wait.”
    “Sure. I’ll wait.”
    “Your parents are here.” Julie pointed a finger.
    Maggie faced the rows of treadmills, elliptical machines, exercise bikes, and weight machines, catching sight of her mom and dad. Both retired Math teachers, they spent an hour each weekday at Lane Gym, followed by lunch with a fellow retired couple, book reading, and relaxing at their home. Maggie was the only family member who struggled with her weight, to her eternal exasperation. Of course, she was also the least physically active—and she enjoyed her desserts, carbohydrates, and fried foods more than the other Smileys.
    “Thanks. I’ll say hello.”
    She walked over to them, stopping near her father as he was closest.
    “Hey, Dad,” she greeted, waving at her mom on the treadmill. Jennifer Smiley waved back and faced forward.
    Gray-haired and sporting wire-rimmed glasses, at five feet six, Leon Smiley wasn’t much taller than Maggie. He picked up a set of free weights and did chest curls.
    “Maggie, what brings you here? Did you decide to conform to your sister’s ways like the rest of us?” A smile trailed his words. Perspiration lined his craggy face and dampened his black shirt.
    “That would make Nora much too happy.”
    “I’m not sure anything could make her too happy,” he halfway joked, one bushy eyebrow lifted.
    Maggie nodded, biting her lower lip to keep all news of Lance Denton from passing them. It was obvious her father and mother didn’t know, or they would have contacted her about it. They would ultimately keep their opinions to themselves, but Maggie wouldn’t have to hear them to know they wouldn’t be in Lance’s favor.
    Cautious with the idea of Lance and Maggie dating as teenagers, they’d been friendly but somewhat reserved with Lance anytime they were around him. When everything fell apart, they were there to helplessly witness her shattered pieces lying among the debris of her heart. As much as they wanted to help her, they couldn’t.
    No one could mend a broken heart—no one but the one who’d broken it.
    Her mom