The Fit and Fabulous Wellness Center really was something special. When I first heard that someone opened a gym, I was picturing a room with weight benches and dumbbells, but this gym was more of a spa. Yes, there was a room with weight benches and dumbbells, but there was also a room with weight and Pilate’s machines, one with cardio machines, a yoga studio, a spin classroom, and a cardio dance room. I could already tell that my favorite area was going to be the sauna and Jacuzzi pool. Well, that and the juice bar, which also sold smoothies.
When I arrived at the workout facility, I asked to speak to the owner. When I explained who I was, I was offered a tour and a free three-month membership, which I graciously accepted. They wanted me to have the full spa experience for my articles, so they even offered me an hour with a masseuse and ten free sessions in the tanning bed, which were normally an extra charge beyond the monthly membership fee.
I wasn’t sure I’d use the tanning bed, but the hour with the masseuse was exactly the sort of thing I’d need after an hour or two working out. I did wonder how a small town like Foxtail Lake was going to support such a large and elaborate enterprise. I supposed they’d attract some of the residents living in nearby towns, but the distance most people would be willing to drive to workout would be limited, especially in the winter.
“So tell me about the classes,” I asked as we neared the end of the tour. “Do you have a schedule that you can print for me?”
“I do. I’ll get it for you before you leave. The schedule is posted every month since there are always variations based on trainer availability. Your free introductory membership includes unlimited classes since we want you to be able to write about the full spectrum of our offerings. We offer tiered memberships. The basic membership gives you access to the machines and free weights, the gold membership gives you access to twenty classes a month, and the platinum membership includes unlimited classes as well as unlimited access to the sauna and Jacuzzi area. The tanning beds have their own membership structure from single-use to unlimited passes, and the masseuse is paid by the hour.”
“It all sounds fabulous, and I’ll do my best to do justice to your enterprise with the columns I plan to write. I am wondering about the membership numbers that you’ll need to keep something like this afloat and the limited number of residents in our little town. I assume you ran the numbers before you decided to open.”
“Yes, we did. I understand your concern. To be honest, if not for the Larchmont Resort, this little town would never be able to support a wellness center such as this.”
“Larchmont Resort?” I asked. I’d never heard of such a place.
“Larchmont bought up the land on the north end of town just a quarter of a mile from our facility. They have plans to begin construction within the next year on a large project that will feature timeshares as well as a huge hotel and weekly condos. They wanted a workout and spa facility to offer to their guests and residents, so they contracted with us.”
“Has this project been approved?” I personally attended most of the town council meetings, and this project hadn’t been brought before the council since I’d been back in town.
“Mr. Larchmont has verbal approval from the acting mayor, but I believe the council as a whole will have the chance to vote on it in a month or two. Mr. Larchmont wanted to make sure the plans for the project were finalized before he presented it to the council.”
“Who is the acting mayor now that Mayor White has passed?”
“Councilman Lewiston is filling in as mayor until the election.”
“Of course. I guess I had heard that. So what is going to happen to the wellness center if the council doesn’t approve the project?” I asked.
She looked shocked by my question. “Why wouldn’t they approve it? The project is a high-end deal. It will be good for the community. I really can’t see anyone not welcoming Larchmont to the area.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. There were a lot of folks in this town who wanted to keep the small-town feel that the town had always had. It wasn’t my place to argue with the woman providing the tour who was just an employee, so I gave her a brief smile and changed the subject. “I hope it all works out for you. This place really is fantastic. I have a dog training class to get to right now, but I’m sure you’ll see me on Monday or Tuesday next week.”
“We look forward to having you get started.”
Once I left the health club, I headed toward the shelter. Cass and I both volunteered for playtime on Tuesdays and Fridays from four to six. I arrived an hour and a half early on those same days to put the dogs assigned to me through a basic training routine. I’d never trained a dog before I began to volunteer at the shelter, but by this point, I had to say that I was pretty darn proficient. Naomi had even begun having me help with the advanced training classes from time to time. Who knew that the girl who’d never even owned a dog would nail it as a trainer.
When I arrived at the pen of the first dog I planned to work with, I found it empty. I turned to the trainer next to me. “Do you know where Roxy is?”
“She was adopted.”
I smiled. “Good for her. I’ve been hoping she’d find a forever home.” Roxy was a very energetic shepherd mix who hadn’t been trained as a puppy and was a real handful by the time Naomi got her. Initially, I figured she would end up as one of those hard to adopt dogs who lived out their lives in the shelter, but I’d been working with her for almost two months, and at this point, she actually responded to all the basic commands.
“I think Naomi replaced Roxy with Nala in your schedule.”
I nodded and headed toward Nala’s pen. She was an energetic pit bull mix who was cute and funny, and I was sure she was going to make a wonderful companion dog if she could learn to come when called and we could break her of her habits of eating everything in sight, including furniture, and jumping up on everyone she greeted.
“Hey, pretty girl,” I greeted as I approached Nala’s pen. “How about we work on your recall?”
She smiled. Okay, there are those who don’t think dogs can smile, but I can assure you that Nala could.
“Let me just get the leash on you.” I looked her directly in the eyes as I prepared to open the gate to her pen. “Sit.” She did. “Wait.” I unlatched the handle. So far, so good. I knew that Naomi had been working with Nala for the past couple of weeks, and it really showed.
I opened the gate and stepped inside the pen. I attached the leash to her collar and then told her to heel as we headed out to the lawn area. Of course, heel was a behavior she’d yet to master, so she pretty much pulled me after her until I managed to dig in my heels and get control of the situation.
The next hour went by pleasantly. Nala still had a way to go before Naomi would deem her ready for adoption, but she was a smart dog, and I knew with regular workouts, she was going to be really special.
“Roxy got adopted,” I said to Cass when he showed up.
“Good for her. I was pulling for her.”
I greeted his dog, Milo, who was both Cass’s best friend and his partner. Milo had been trained as a police dog, and when he was on duty, he was on high alert at all times, but when he was off duty, he was a playful goof just like any other high-energy dog.
“I’m working with Nala now. She’s really come a long way since she’s been here. I’m pulling for her, and all my trainees, but I really hope we can help Nala work through her behavior issues so someone will want to adopt her.”
“She’ll get there,” he assured me. “She’s a big dog, and there are a lot of folks who are hesitant to adopt a big dog with behavior problems, but she’ll figure it out. Who are we supposed to exercise today?”
“The most recent arrivals. Naomi wants them to get a lot of playtime so they’ll begin to relax. Since transitioning from a home with a family to the shelter is rough on a lot of them, she wants to be sure they begin to feel comfortable here as soon as possible.”