“You’re not in Kansas anymore Dorothy,” I mumbled to myself. The place was as alien as a distant planet.
Squaring my shoulders, I stepped in and looked around for Nate, my heart in my throat the entire time. Of course, he wasn’t there. Do not give up, I told myself as my heart fell. I’d never be able to tell Jeanna that I’d chickened out and left without seeing him.
Taking a deep breath that stung the back of my throat, I approached an older man, one of the few men who didn’t seem to be exercising, just watching everyone else. He had an unlit cigar stuck in the corner of his mouth that he moved to the other side when he saw me approach.
His eyebrows shot up for a moment as he examined me. I’m sure he was thinking I’d gotten lost and was going to point out that the yoga class was two blocks over.
“Excuse me,” I said as my heart raced. “Do you know if Nate Clark is here?”
The cigar moved from side to side a couple of times as he continued to stare at me. Then, as if coming to a decision, he turned and pointed to the back boxing ring.
I turned and almost gasped. Nate, shirtless Nate, was trading punches with someone. He wore that headgear that boxers wore, black trunks, and laced up high top boxing shoes. My heart jumped. The alien world had just gotten stranger and a lot hotter.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded my thanks to the cigar stranger and made my way to the back. As I got closer, I could hear the sound of leather hitting flesh and a man in the corner yelling instructions. It took me only a moment to realize he was yelling at the man fighting Nate.
The two of them circled each other for a moment, Nate, threw a punch, then stepped back. The other guy threw a punch that Nate slipped and followed up with a counter-punch to the guy’s side.
“No, no,” the man in the corner yelled as he reached over and pulled a string, making the bell go off.”
“I’ve told you, Johnson, if you do that against Alverez he will take you apart.”
The other boxer stood there, taking deep breaths as he listened to the corner man point out a dozen different problems.
“That’s enough,” the man in the corner said. “Thanks, Nate, you available on Tuesday,”
Nate pulled his mouth guard out and nodded. “Sure, after school.”
“Good, see you then. Maybe Johnson will have his head out of his butt by then.”
“Thanks, man,” the other boxer said as he pounded Nate’s gloves.
“Sure, and don’t let Charlie get to you. You still hit like a pissed off mule,”
The other boxer laughed as he made his way back to his coach.
I continued to stand there like a short stump in a deep swamp. Useless and unseen.
Nate had his back to me as he reached up and pulled off his headgear. I had a hard time swallowing as I watched his back muscles ripple. Then using his teeth, he pulled at the laces of his gloves as he turned to leave. It was at that moment that he saw me.
My heart jumped while his eyes popped open in surprise.
“What are you doing here?” he asked as he glanced over my shoulder to see if I was alone or not.
“I … um … wanted to talk,” I managed to get out.
His brow narrowed in confusion for a brief moment. “Sure, is everything all right? Jimmy?”
“No … I mean yes, everything is fine, I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. I was in the area and saw your truck and I’ve always wanted …”
Nate stepped through the ropes and jumped down, landing next to me. Suddenly, I couldn’t remember what I always wanted to do. Or what I wanted to talk to him about. All I could think about was the pure male power radiating off of him.
“Sure,” Nate said as he smiled down at me. “Can you hang around for a minute? Let me catch a quick shower and I’ll be right back.”
My heart flopped. Wait for him here? In the gym? Suddenly, it didn’t seem like such a smart idea. There was enough testosterone floating around the gym to drown a horse. I could already feel most of the eyes in the place traveling over me. What if I did the wrong thing? got in someone’s way. These people took this stuff seriously.
Nate saw my obvious hesitation and smiled. “Come on, you can wait in the office.”
Pointing with his gloved hand, he led me to a small office set off to the side. Large windows allowed the occupant to observe the entire gym while providing a buffer from the constant racket outside. An old wooden desk that looked like it had been built out of a solid block of wood occupied a good portion of the space. Behind the desk, on the wall, where a dozen pictures of men holding up their fists in boxing poses.
“Stay here, I promise I’ll be right back. No one will bother you, I swear,” Nate said. The look of concern he gave me made my insides soften a little. He was worried that I was going to leave. He did want to talk to me, I hadn’t interrupted him or ruined his day.
Sighing, I smiled and nodded. He smiled back then hurried out of the office.
Looking around, I wondered about this new, strange world I had walked into. So many different sounds, colors, and most definitely smells. They were all unusual, not bad, just different.
Leaning over the desk, I started to check out the pictures on the wall. Most in black and white. They looked like publicity photos but with muscles, hard jaws, and an intense determination to their eyes. I continued to scan them until I came to one that made me gasp.
Nate, a few years younger, in the middle of a boxing ring with both of his hands in the air. A large golden belt around his middle. A look of pure joy on his face. Like it was the first time he’d been happy in a dozen years.
My heart fluttered as I examined the picture. He looked so strong, so in the moment. Like he knew he was in the right place at the right time.
“That’s Nate, winning the Northwest Regional Golden Gloves, two years ago,” a voice said from behind me.
I jumped and quickly turned around. It was cigar man again, looking at me as if I was an alien from outer space invading his world.
“Um … Nate said I could wait for him in here,” I began as I desperately tried to figure out where I should go and what I should say.
The man smiled slightly and nodded. “I’m Jake Tanner, his uncle,” he said as he went behind the desk and pulled a drawer open so he could remove some papers. He didn’t look like Nate, was my first thought. No family resemblance.
A big man, with wide shoulders and the beginning of a paunch. In his late forties probably. His nose looked like it had been broken more than once and he had a nasty scar on his right eyebrow. He was also the only family Nate had, I reminded myself.
“Hello, I’m Elle, a friend of Nate’s from school.”
He stared at me for a moment, the unlit cigar shifting from side to side occasionally, then he nodded. “I figured.”
My heart jumped again. Had Nate been talking about me with his Uncle? Why? What had he said? Get a grip, I told myself as I forced myself to calm down. Do not overreact, do not jump to the wrong conclusions. Slow down.
“Have a seat, Miss Watson,” Nate’s Uncle said as he indicated a wooden chair across from him. “Nate will be a few minutes. Take a load off and let's talk.”
Suddenly, my world came to a screeching halt. This sounded serious. What had I done to upset him? Swallowing hard, I sat down and looked at him, waiting.
He studied me for a long moment as if trying to determine what to say. Then he seemed to come to some kind of resolution and sighed heavily.
I held my breath, afraid of what I was going to hear.
“So, you’re the girl that beat Nate in putt-putt golf,” he said with a large smile.
My insides relaxed, “He told you about that?” I asked.
He smiled and nodded. “It was the first time I’ve seen him really happy in a long time. Thank you for that. It does him good to get beaten at something every so often. Keeps him humble.”
“Nate Clark, humble? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that,” I said before I could stop myself. It mi
ght not be the right thing to say to his uncle.
Mr. Tanner threw his head back and laughed, the cigar bouncing up and down with each bellow. “I think I’m going to like you, Elle, you’re good for him. Heaven knows he deserves it.”
My insides settled on an even keel as my world returned to semi-normal. His uncle didn’t hate me. And Nate talked about me with other people. I wasn’t just a wisp of wind in his world.
Chapter Ten
Elle
Smiling back at Mr. Tanner, I frantically tried to think of something to say. This was my chance to find out about Nate. Heaven knew, he’d never tell me anything. A desperate need built up inside of me to find out something. Anything.
“Is Nate really that good?” I asked, nodding at the picture on the wall.
Mr. Tanner scoffed, “Yes he is. Went to Nationals. But lost to the kid who is probably going to be world champ in the next few years. Yes, he’s good. But don’t you ever tell him I said so. You hear?”
I smiled, as I nodded my assurance.
“Unfortunately,” Mr. Tanner continued. “He’s good, but he’ll never be great.”
My brow narrowed in confusion. “Why?” I asked.
He got a faraway look for a second then shrugged his shoulders. “Nate’s a great technician. One of the best for someone his age. But he doesn’t have the artistic touch. Not in the ring.”
I continued to stare at him, it was like he was talking a different language. Technician, art. Those were not words I associated with boxing.
He noticed my confusion and said, “Let’s just say, he thinks too much. Plus, he’s missing one vital ingredient.”
“What’s that?” I asked as I leaned forward.
“A touch of mean,” the older man said. “All the great ones have it, but not Nate. It’s just not in him. Heaven knows, he’s got more than enough reasons. But it’s just not in him. Too much of his mother got passed along. She was just like my Mary, her sister. One of the sweetest people you will ever meet. Nate takes after her. That’s why he’ll never be great. Not at boxing.”
My heart cracked a little as I wished I could have met her. What would she have thought of me? What kind of woman could produce such a person as Nate? His uncle was right, I realized, Nate wasn’t mean. He might tease, but it wasn’t vicious.
“So, how’d you guys meet?” he asked me.
I smiled to myself, Nate hadn’t told his uncle about our arrangement. That could mean a dozen different things. Either he was embarrassed. Or he didn’t think it was important enough to mention. Or, maybe, just maybe, he saw it as something else. An opportunity.
“He helped my brother with some bullies,” I answered.
Mr. Tanner nodded his head, “Sounds like Nate.”
“What sounds like me,” Nate said as he walked through the door. The butterflies in my stomach took flight and my heart jumped into overdrive. He looked delicious. Tight black T-shirt, dark, wet hair, that looked like it desperately needed my fingers running through it. And best of all, a smile just for me that made my world feel special.
Nate stepped up behind my chair and rested a hand on my shoulder. It took everything I had not to lean into his hand and sink into oblivion.
“What is this old coot telling you?” Nate continued. “Because don’t believe a word he says.”
“We were discussing your many failings,” Uncle Jake said with a laugh.
Nate chuckled. I immediately saw where Nate got his teasing ability from. He and his uncle must go at each other all the time.
“Did Charlie pay you?” Uncle Jake asked Nate.
“Yes, one fifty, like we agreed, for three rounds. He wants me again on Tuesday.” Nate saw my confused expression and said, “Sparring, I get paid to help guys train for a fight.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” I asked as I looked at him again, as if for the first time. I noticed a faint bruise on his cheekbone and wondered if it hurt.
Nate smiled as if I’d asked a stupid question.
“No, not really.”
“It can be,” Uncle Jake said, disputing his nephew. “But we limit how often, and Nate knows how to protect himself.”
I frowned, these people talked about getting hurt as if it were just part of everyday life. As if it was just one of those things. Suddenly, I didn’t like this world so much. The thought of Nate getting hurt sent a cold chill down my spine. No, that should not be allowed to happen.
“Hey, you hungry?” Nate asked me, “I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving,” Jake said. “You eat more than men twice your size.”
Nate laughed, “Ignore him,” he said to me, “he’s just jealous of my boyish figure and knows he needs to go on a diet.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know I earned these extra pounds. It has taken me forty-six years to get them and I’m not letting them go. Not without a fight.”
Nate laughed as he placed his hand on my lower back to show me out of the office. My body sparked where his hand touched. It took a lot of effort to remember my manners.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Tanner,” I said while my mind fought to concentrate on something other than the strong hand touching me.
“Nice to meet you, Elle,” he replied with a smile. “And Nate. Don’t forget, you’re opening in the morning.”
“Yes sir,” he said with slumped shoulders, but his eyes continued to twinkle. He wasn’t really upset.
“A diner okay?” he asked as we walked down the stairs. “There is a great one across the street.”
“Sure,” I said, suddenly wondering how a trip to the library had ended up with Nate and I going to dinner again. See, sometimes the world was a pretty cool place.
Nate held the door for me as we entered the diner. The cute waitress’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw Nate. A smile a mile wide and full of hidden meaning broke out until she saw me. Then it quickly sank back down to a disappointed frown.
“Hi Nate,” she said as she tried to turn on the charm.
He nodded and said, “Hi Joleen.”
My insides turned over until I realized that he wasn’t even paying attention to her. Instead, he was looking at me, as if actually concerned that I liked the place or not.
A new first, I realized. A boy I was with was hot enough to attract someone like her, but he still focused on me. A sense of pure power washed over me. I could get used to this, I realized.
After we were seated across from each other in one of the back booths. The waitress took our order, all the while, shooting Nate meaningful glances. I swear I was getting ready to rip her face apart when she finally finished taking our orders. - two cheeseburgers, an order of fries and two milks for Nate - a salad for me. We settled back and looked at each other.
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Nate asked.
Suddenly my stomach turned over in full fear. What had I wanted to talk to him about? What possible excuse could I have for interrupting him at his work? Of going into his uncle’s place, chasing after him like a lost puppy. God, I sounded so lame. So, of course, I said the first thing that popped into my mind.
“Um … I was wondering if you wanted to come to dinner tomorrow night?”
Wow, where had that come from?
“I … um … sort of owe you.” I continued, desperately searching for some reason to be so stupid. “For taking me out last week. Besides, my mother has sort of been suggesting it. And I really want you to meet my Nana. She’s really a great cook. Of course, if you’ve got other plans, I understand. I mean, meeting my family was not part of the agreement. Especially not this early. So you don’t have to.”
Why was I babbling?
Nate stared back at me for a long moment then finally nodded his head. “You know, meeting parents wasn’t really part of our deal.”
My heart sank. Right, the plan. Everything revolved around that darn plan. I had to force myself to not frown.
“Okay,” he said, surprising me. “I can’t say I’m lookin
g forward to it. Your mom reminds me of a lioness with a toothache. Not someone you want to upset. But fine, I can come.”
I laughed. He was right about Mom. “She’ll be nice, I promise.”
He smiled and cocked an eyebrow as if he didn’t believe me.
“So, tell me about your Nana, it sounds like she’s important to you.”
I paused for a moment as I tried to figure out how to describe my Nana.
“There’s a famous picture, seen all over the world, from the sixties. A teenage girl, young, beautiful. Flowers woven in her hair. Dancing in Haight Ashbury Park. Free, innocent. That is my Nana.”
Nate nodded as if he knew the picture I was describing.
“I mean literally, that was her in the picture. Sixteen, she’d run away from home. Joined a bunch of hippies. Ended up living in a commune up by Point Reyes. Had my mom a few years later. Moved down to San Jose and opened an organic bakery. Used to deliver to Google before Google was Google. Knew Wozniak before Apple took off. She’s got a hundred stories about Silicon Valley in the early days.”
Nate smiled, “She sounds great.”
“She is,” I said as my heart filled with love for the one person in this world who was okay with me being me.
“What have you told your mother?” he asked as the waitress delivered our food.
I hesitated until she had left, no way was I sharing details of our life with her.
“Nothing,” I said in answer.
“So, she doesn’t know that this is all fake, just to fool Jimmy?”
My stomach lurched as I desperately fought to keep a shocked expression off my face.
“No,” I managed to say as I studied my salad. I knew that if I looked up at him he’d see the pain his words had just caused. It’s not his fault, I reminded myself. This was all my idea. He was the one doing us a favor, remember that Elle, never forget that this isn’t real.
Suddenly, the world didn’t seem so wonderful.
“I was asking,” Nate continued. “Because I don’t want to misinterpret any adoring looks you might throw at me across the dining room table. You know, for Jimmy and your mom’s sake.
My Brother's Bodyguard (Hometown Heros #1) Page 8
