The Riverview Gymnasium wasn't very sophisticated. It had two levels, one of which had a swimming pool, and today was apparently the day to exercise. The place was packed. Kenzie had been lucky to seize an empty treadmill. She held onto the support handles just in case she lost her footing, and kept her eyes on the monitor to ascertain how many calories she'd burned. She was determined to get back down to at least a size 12 from her almost size 18 figure. She'd been going to the gym as often as she could, but with her job as a detective, not to mention her personal life consisting of a long-distance boyfriend and best friend and her parents (one of which was having a midlife crisis), it wasn't always easy to escape to the workout environment.
So when Kenzie's cell phone rang while she was panting away her pounds, she sighed in exasperation. She loved her job, but sometimes she wanted some time to herself as well. It had to be job-related; no one else ever really called her except her parents. Everyone else talked to her through email and instant messenger.
Reluctantly, she got off the treadmill and checked her cell phone nestled inside her jacket pocket. She was wrong - it wasn't work, it was her mother.
"Hello?"
"Hi Kenzie! What are you doing?"
"I'm at the gym, Mom. I'm trying to lose weight."
"Why? You're beautiful the way you are!"
"Thanks Mom, but I'm hoping to get back down to a size 12."
"Well, be careful! I don't want you to get hurt. I'm always hearing about people falling down while they're on treadmills."
Kenzie tried not to groan. Her mother was becoming even more overprotective than usual. She was going through a midlife crisis, so she was acting pretty strange these days. She'd already talked Kenzie's father into letting her adopt a dachshund puppy, and now she was hitting him up for a hot tub. It seemed she wanted to do whatever she could to retain her youth. She hadn't said as much, but Kenzie was also aware that Constance knew she wasn't getting any younger and didn't have any grandkids yet, so she was hoping to turn back the clock in some ways. Because she didn't have any grandkids to protect, she exerted all that force onto her only child.
Kenzie herself knew that she wasn't getting any younger either. She wanted a family someday, but that was a discussion she wasn't quite ready to bring up with her boyfriend, Logan, yet. They'd only been going out for a few months, and he was busy in college studying to become a private investigator. Starting a family was something he wouldn't have the time for. Plus Kenzie's case load could get pretty heavy at times too. She never knew when a new case might pop up, or where it might be.
Constance kept babbling on about the dangers of gyms and gym equipment, so Kenzie looked out a nearby window. She saw someone walking their dog, which began chasing a squirrel. One good thing about her mother's midlife crisis - she'd gotten Flossy, the adorable black and brown dachshund they'd found for sale in Appaloosa Plains. This had shown Kenzie how much she really loved animals (which was no surprise, she was a strong believer in animal rights and intended to join SETA someday), and right then and there, she realized something:
She wanted a dog. Or at least some type of pet. She loved wolves the most, but it was illegal to keep them as pets, plus it was more than likely that the wolf would be quick to devour her as its meal. Kenzie knew that her best bet for getting a pet was going to the same place her parents did - Appaloosa Plains, where many of the people made their living off breeding animals. She also realized that she'd never seen the town in person, and that she could use a vacation. Her last vacation had turned into a very confusing, high-profile case. Surely a trip to Appaloosa Plains to adopt a furry companion would be fun and relaxing, right?
"Kenzie? Are you still there?" her mother's voice chirped.
"Yeah, I'm here. Hey Mom, you know what?"
"What?"
"I think I'm going to go to Appaloosa Plains and adopt a pet."
"Today?"
"Why not? It's not very far. I could be there later in the evening."
"What kind of pet do you want?"
"I don't know yet, but I was hoping to get some sort of dog. Or a turtle."
"Are you sure you should be leaving now? It'll get dark before you get there since fall's here."
"I'll be fine, I've driven at night hundreds of times. I just have to go home and grab a few things."
"Do you want me to come over and help you?"
"No thanks, I'm fine. Besides, you need to get ready for work, don't you?"
"I'm off today. Hey, isn't Appaloosa Plains where Austin lives?"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"I just wondered. Maybe you should stop by and tell him hi."
"I suppose I could do that. We're still friends."
"Good. That's one boy I trust. I haven't even met this new guy of yours, so I have no idea what he's like."
"Be patient, Mom. I'll see if I can talk him into spending Thanksgiving with us."
"What about his family?"
"They're not very close. They always wanted him to be a cop, but he never wanted that. In a way, he's the black sheep of the family."
"Well, you have good judgment of people, so I'm sure he's fine. But the big question is, am I going to see my only daughter get married before I die?"
Kenzie squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. She wanted to go home and scream now, but since her parents lived just down the street, her mother would undoubtedly hear it. Or at least Flossy would, and she'd start barking, causing Constance to wonder what was going on.
"Mom, please. You're not going to die anytime soon. I really don't want to get into this right now."
"Well, I hope I get to see you get married and give me some grandkids. I need something new and exciting in my life."
"What about Flossy?"
"Well of course I have Flossy, and she really keeps me on my toes, but a puppy isn't the same thing as a grandchild."
"You can spoil puppies just as easy."
"But you can't see your own child's genes passed on to them."
"Okay Mom. Listen, I want to get to Appaloosa Plains before it gets too late. I'll talk to you about this later. Tell Dad hi for me."
"All right, be careful!"
"I will. Bye."
Kenzie hung up the phone and looked around. No one seemed to have noticed that she wasn't exercising and was instead talking on her cell phone. Of course, everyone knew her as one of the best detectives around, so they probably didn't care what she did. They probably assumed she was talking about another case.
Giving the now occupied treadmill one last glance, she grabbed her gym bag and headed outside. Then, she got into her car and drove home.
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