appeared like a crack in his veneer. “It doesn't matter where it's from. And you don't have to bring me food.”
I tilted my head back and forth. “Yes, I do need to give something back. I demand it. Do we have a deal?”
Feeling a sense of euphoria for the first time in weeks, I stuck my hand out. It had been too long since I had a real win, and I wanted this one more than I thought. Only a few seconds passed before our hands came together. Then I comprehend that I'd likely be touching him tomorrow.
Him.
Mercedy.
Whom I had quietly stalked from behind the Diner windows and tried to ignore all at the same time. When he gripped my hand in his, tiny little fireworks erupted under the skin of my palm and electrified the rest of my body. His hand seemed to swallow mine. I adored the physical response and tried to soak it up. The pooling collection of heat in my belly caused another shiver through me.
Falling was always the best part.
He gave me a short nod, and I couldn't help but wonder if he ever smiled. “Deal,” he said.
“Thank you. I appreciate it. Oh! Do you have any allergies?”
“Nah.” He took a step back, our hands falling apart. “I eat just about anything.”
Like a madwoman, I wanted to rush forward and snatch his hand back. To cradle his in mine. To imagine what that thrumming touch would feel like on my shoulders. My neck. My cheek. Instead, I let my hand drop back to my side.
“You got it, Mercedy.”
His head tilted back in amusement, as if he didn't know what to make of me. He certainly wouldn't be the first. I climbed on top of my bike, one leg bent as I put a foot on the pedal.
“What's your name?” he asked.
“Serafina. You can call me Sera.”
I shoved off, my bike tires humming on the pavement as I pedaled away.
2
Benjamin
My six-year-old daughter Ava snored like a rockstar.
When I pulled the inflatable mattress out from under the front desk, the lights in the gym were already dim. It was 10:00, and I'd managed to finalize everything just an hour after closing. A new record. Everyone else had left, and now we could finally go home.
Ava stirred in my arms when I managed to get her up on my shoulder. Her head lolled around, she smacked her lips, and settled back into sleep. The braid that I had spent almost thirty minutes on this morning had slipped back out, and I cursed it silently. I draped her fuzzy pink blanket around her shoulders and headed out the back door. The alarm beeped as I left it behind, my SUV only a few steps away.
While we drove through the quiet, dark street and into our very small neighborhood on the edge of Pineville, the end of work buzzed through my mind. Bert McMahon had dropped twenty pounds, which was a new record for the old guy. Good for him. Supporting locals in their weight loss goals wasn't where I saw my life going, but hey.
Whatever.
Mackenzie, my employee, reported that one of the treadmills wouldn't lower off its elevation. Needed to fix that in the morning. I mentally put that on my list for tomorrow. The day laid itself out slowly until I pulled into the garage and it whispered closed. One of these days, I needed to hire someone else for all this crap. The only thing I wanted to do was train the fighters coming in.
For just a moment, I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. The silent garage held no sound except a slight whistle when Ava let out a breath. Silence. Blessed, rare, golden, silence. I let myself enjoy it until I started to nod off, so I jerked myself awake and glanced back to Ava. Her head was pressed against the door, her mouth half-open. I stared at her and sighed.
Maybe this life wasn't any better than what she'd had with her Mom. Maybe I just told myself it was, but I was just as big of a mess. What other six-year-old had a blow-up mattress under her Dad's desk?
While I carried Ava to her room, I ignored the mess from breakfast. The forgotten milk on the counter and the pile of laundry in front of the washer. Ava struggled to wake up while I had her go potty and slipped her pajamas on, then tucked her into bed. A little hum came