My head turns to the tiny hall leading to the master bedroom. “Still sleeping. Apparently she’s a sound sleeper.”
She stares at me trying to avert her eyes from my bare chest but failing miserably. I shift and ask with an amused smile, “Do you want me to go and get her?”
She looks away and nods uncomfortably. As I walk back to the bedroom I fit my grey t-shirt over my head. Leaning over Christina, I whisper into her ear, “Hey you, your aunt is here.”
She rolls over, not bothering to open her eyes. Her hands come up my chest, trailing to my shoulders, and she pulls my face closer. A chuckle escapes me at her lack of force. Her eyes open at the sound and she asks, “What’s so funny?”
“You’re a weakling, that’s what. Did you hear me? Your aunt is here and she seems a little peeved.”
She moans, rolling away from me. “What does she want, Rookie?”
“I’m not sure, but I think she was at the door for a while.”
She moves her hand through her hair and sits up then pulls down her blue t-shirt displaying Nirvana across the front. Movement in the doorway causes both of us to look up as Juno walks into the room. She glances at me and back to Christina.
“Christina, I have things to do today. You might be considerate and answer your door.”
Christina shakes her head, still trying to wake up. “I didn’t hear you. What time is it, anyway?”
Juno looks at her watch. “It’s time you get out of bed and get your shit together.”
Christina glares at her and at me, as if I did the worst thing letting Juno in. My hands go up in surrender. “I know when it’s my cue to leave. I have to get over to Jackson’s, anyway. See you girls tonight.”
I try to slip by Juno but she grabs my arm. She looks back at Christina and tells her, “Don’t you chase Greylan away. We’re lucky to have found him. He’s a hard worker and doesn’t give me shit like some people.”
She releases my arm, allowing me to rush out. I don’t linger to hear Christina’s response. The last thing I need is a lecture from Juno.
I drive to the gym, finally feeling that my life has taken a turn in the right direction.
As I enter, an onslaught of clapping commences throughout the room. I scan the place for Jackson, who’s overseeing a couple of fighters going at it in the ring. He shakes his head and announces loud enough for everyone to hear, “Better quit that crap or it’ll go to his head and he’ll think his shit don’t stink.”
Smiling at the whole thing, I walk to the locker room to change. A few people mutter congratulations as I pass through. It feels great to be on my way back.
I spend the day getting hammered by every possible muscle inducing ache that Jackson can think up. After the fight last night I had an x-ray of my arm and found it wasn’t a fracture, just a rough sprain. Jackson doesn’t seem to care in his pursuit of killing me.
I make it back to the rental, just as three o’clock hits to collapse once again onto the grungy bed. Just before my eyes close I make a promise to myself to find a new place tomorrow. This shit hole has overstayed its welcome.
Hours later I’m trudging through the back door at Juno’s. As I make my way into the hallway, arguing echoes down the dull walls, the same as this morning. Those two are so much alike, they fight like crazy. What could they possibly still be arguing about?
As I near the office, my name comes out of the small room. “Greylan doesn’t deserve that, Christina. You need to tell him.”
Christina’s voice sounds exasperated, like they’ve been going at it all day. “Juno, I’ve already decided, I’m not telling him. He wouldn’t care, anyway. We are just friends, so there’s no reason for me to tell him.”
Juno snaps, “It didn’t look like just friends this morning when he answered the door half naked.” A pause, then her tone changes. “Oh, I get it, is that the new thing you kids are doing now, friends with benefits? Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Someone is gonna get hurt. Keeping things from each other, friends or not, is bad news.”
I hear a shift and movement. Quickly I duck back into the darkened hall. Christina comes out the door but turns to look back in. She states, “I’ll tell him, just not yet.”
She leaves before Juno can respond and walks down the hall toward the bar. Curiosity takes hold, wondering what she doesn’t want to tell me. But I trust her. Hell, it’s probably something I don’t want to know. She doesn’t owe me anything. We’re friends, and at this point that’s all I can give her.
I wait a few more minutes and open the outer door again as if I just came in. After walking to the office, I lean in. “Hi, Juno. How are you?”
She rolls her eyes, looks at her computer screen, then turns back around in exasperation. “Next time put some clothes on, why don’t you?”
My lips turn up. “Will do. See you later.”
Christina looks up when I get to the bar and smiles, but it’s forced. She seems uncomfortable. Whatever it is she doesn’t want to tell me is killing her. I decide to give her the night before she breaks. This should be fun.
As soon as the coolers are stocked, I help her with the bottles. We replace empty ones and wipe down others.
“Grey, why don’t you like Parker?” she asks.
A frown forms at her choice of topic but I answer it anyway. “It’s a little complicated. He’s with my sister, which I hate, but what I dislike even more is that he’s a fighter. I know what that’s like, the life and the girls, and how it can go to your head. My sister doesn’t deserve that.”
She continues what she’s doing without looking up. “But she seems to have a good head on her shoulders. Do you think she made a bad choice?”
I stop fitting a pour spout into a new bottle and look up at her. My head shakes at her insistence not to look at me.
“It’s not that she made a bad choice. No, I’m pretty sure she did okay, actually. He might be a good guy.” My voice cracks. “Two years before I left, our mom died of cancer. I promised her that I would take care of Trinity. I guess maybe some of it is my own guilt because I wasn’t able to keep my promise. I was supposed to be the one taking care of her but she found someone else to do it.”
“But you don’t actually hate him.”
I place the bottle back and a knock on the front door echoes through the room. I look over at our first customer and back to Christina. She’s staring at me, waiting for a response.
“No, I don’t hate him, but I’m still gonna beat his ass for dating my sister.”
She smiles and looks away. Something big is bugging her. Maybe tonight might not be so fun after all.
The bar fills quickly. I check on her often throughout the night to gauge her mood. Whatever is bothering her isn’t affecting her interactions with the regulars. I envy her ability to be able to turn her emotions off. On more than one occasion I’ve let the badgering and taunting of others get to me. Parker is a perfect example.
***
The night winds down, and as Christina locks the door I can tell she can’t hold it in any longer. She crosses the room and stands at the bar, her hands bracing her body for support.
The words rush out. “Grey, Jonathan is here in town.” She takes a deep breath. “He wants me back and I don’t know what to do.”
She seems to deflate with the admission. I walk around the bar and grab her hand leading her to a bar chair. She rests her head in her hands against the bar. It’s so cute that she tried so hard to keep it in all night. Trying to make light, I ask, “Is this why you wanted to play twenty questions before we opened?”
She nods, looking even more miserable.
“I don’t understand. Why did you ask me about Parker?”
She seems to sink further if that’s possible. “I don’t want you to hate me, or him. I just, I just don’t know what to do.”
I lean into the chair beside her and rub my rough chin. My finger moves under her chin, forcing her to look at me. “Christina, it doesn’t matter how I feel about the g
uy. You will always be my friend, no matter what.”
I lean back into the chair, releasing her chin. “As far as what you should do, I’m the last person you should ask. I suck at relationships.”
She shakes her head in her hands and moans. “Ohhhh, I have a headache from all of this. He showed up on Juno’s doorstep looking for me this morning. That’s why she came over. I refused to see him all day but now I’m not so sure. Six years is a long time. Maybe I owe it to him to hear what he has to say. Maybe I owe it to myself.”
I sit quietly listening to her struggle with this decision. The longest relationship I’ve ever had was six months. It was wasted time as far as I’m concerned. Her name was Celina and she latched onto me as my fighting career took off. The wild part is that she had broken up with me the day before the big fight five years ago. My last fight in the amateur circuit. I should have been upset at the time but it was more of a relief than anything else. I’ve thought about it often over the last five years, though. If she had been at Brutus’ that night, I probably wouldn’t have made it into that alley, but that girl, the redhead that I still picture often, would probably have been raped or worse.
“Christina, all I can tell you is that I support you in whatever you decide.”
She looks up, seeming refreshed slightly. “Really?”
I grab her hand and squeeze. “Of course, but no more friends with benefits.”
She punches my shoulder as hard as she can. “You shit. You heard my conversation with Juno.”
I rub my arm in mock injury. “Ow, have you been working out? That right hook is something else.”
She bursts out in laughter and shakes her head at me. I’m bummed about the sex that I won’t be having with her now, but my friendship with Christina is more important than anything else at this point.
Chapter 12
The next morning I wake in a sweat just as the sun is rising. My body thrashes to the edge of the bed as images of my fist connecting with Theodore James’ face flash before my eyes. It’s always the same. That moment plays over and over in my head, the second that I took the most valuable thing away from someone, his life. I roll over, coming down from the nightmare. My back is sore from the worn, lumpy mattress. If I wasn’t convinced before, the lack of sleep I’ve had just sealed the deal. I shower and head out in search of a one bedroom apartment. A new place won’t take the nightmares away; I deserve that for as long as I live. But it might help with the quality of the sleep I do get.
Juno’s is ten minutes from the rental and Jackson’s is ten in the opposite direction. I decide to stay within the vicinity and turn up Dover Street, which will take me to a tad bit nicer area. At least there won’t be as many solicitors on the corners.
I turn into a drive fronted with stone pillars displaying ‘Lara’s Landing’. A banner running the length of the sign advertises apartments for rent. I drive further and spot a cluster of brick three story buildings. It looks a whole lot better than the shit hole I’m currently in.
An hour later, I have signed the paperwork for a year-long lease. Grasping a set of keys, I make my way to the north side of the complex and find my new home, a first floor one bedroom that is only a few years old. It actually still smells new when I walk through the door. It’s probably the fresh coat of paint. As I explore the empty rooms, a sense of contentment settles over me. I’m getting it all back together. I can only hope things continue to improve.
The phone rings in my back pocket. I pull it out to see Jackson’s name displayed across the screen. I push the button. “Hey, Jax.”
“Pace, you comin’ in today?” I can hear conflict in Jackson’s voice.
“Yeah, I had a few things to do first. What’s up?”
“I got you another fight.”
“Really, where and when?”
“In a week or so. We have a lot to get done. I’ll tell you about it when you come by today.”
That doesn’t sound too promising, but instead of harassing Jackson, I say goodbye and hang up. I glance around the empty rooms with the weight of what to fill them with clouding my mind. I palm the phone again to dial Christina. A woman is definitely what I need right now. I’d call Trinity, but an invisible wall divides us right now, by the name of Parker Harris. Probably more for me than for her, but my uneasiness grows the more I hear about him in the news. Last week he won a bout with his one loss, Jesus Reyes, a rematch. It’s been in the back of my thoughts since I read about the win. The fact that Reyes is still fighting makes me want to find out exactly what happened between him and Jimmy.
“Hello.” Christina’s voice brings me out of my thoughts.
“Hey you. How are you?”
Her voice is short and frustrated. “Fine, I guess.”
“Do you want to get a coffee before I go to Jackson’s?”
“Um, yeah, that sounds good. When?”
“An hour?”
“I’ll meet you across from Juno’s.”
“See you then.”
I hang up knowing that she’s in no mood to go pick out furniture. I can tell she just needs someone to listen right now. The last thing I want to do is give my two cents on her situation. This dude, Jonathan, obviously has some shit going on if he can’t keep a hold of a woman like Christina. She’s low maintenance and always tells it like it is. But I had resolved last night to support her in whatever she decides. I can tell it’s not over for her. The best I can do as her friend is be there to listen and that’s what I intend on doing.
I grab my keys and head back to the truck, which is another reminder of Parker. The next thing on my list, get a vehicle that has nothing to do with the douche bag that my sister is so attached to.
I stop at a rent-to-own place and order furniture for the whole apartment. Hopefully I can talk Christina into being there for the delivery. By the time I enter the small coffee shop on the corner I can tell Christina has been there a while. She glances at me, tired looking with purple stains under her eyes. She takes a sip of her coffee and attempts a smile as my body lowers into the chair across from her. I frown. “Are you all right?”
She places her head in her hand with her elbow resting on the table.
“Just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night. Jonathan and I talked for most of the night.”
My mouth spreads in a tight line as she continues.
“We hashed out everything that has happened about a hundred times. I’m just tired of it all.”
I hesitate before asking, “Did you come to any consensus?”
A small smile spreads over her lips. “He was heartbroken when he found out about you. But after that, he was relentless in getting me back.”
“Hmm, you didn’t need to tell him about me if you didn’t want to. We’re just friends, Christina.”
“I know, but I figured he needed to know. I don’t want to start anything with any secrets or lies.”
I nod in acknowledgement. I’ve found in the short time we’ve known each other that she’s one of the most truthful people I have ever met.
“Anyway, I told him we would take it very slow this time. The last thing I want is to be heartbroken all over again.”
“I’m glad for you, Christina. I was going to ask what you’re up to in a few hours but it seems you need to get some sleep.”
She looks at me with an amused grin. “Why? What is it you need?”
“Well, I rented an apartment today. I have a shitload of furniture being delivered later this afternoon.”
She waves it off. “Sleep is overrated. I’ll wait for the delivery. I might even break in your bed once it gets there.”
“Have at it. You’ll be the only one for a while at least.” A smile spreads over my lips.
“Greylan Pace, you know the ladies’ll be knocking down your door in no time.”
I smirk but don’t respond. Instead I hand her the key and plug the address into the GPS on her phone.
“I need to get to Jackson’s - are you sure about this?�
�
“Yep, no problem. Just wake me up in time for work, okay?”
I stand and kiss her on the forehead. “See you later. Sweet dreams.”
Chapter 13
I walk briskly into Jackson’s. Immediately I spot the solid man in his usual spot, hanging on the ropes of the ring with a toothpick in the corner of his mouth. My eyes automatically scan the room for anyone else of interest, i.e., Parker Harris. Parker wouldn’t come here to train but this routine has come to be ingrained into my habits each day. If I were to really admit the reason, it’s how unpredictable he is. I lived with the guy for a couple of days and still know very little about him.
As I approach, Jackson glances down at an imaginary watch on his arm. “It’s about fucking time. One might think you don’t give a shit about fighting anymore.” I don’t give him any words, just shake my head as I pass the ring to head for the locker room. Jackson calls out to my retreating figure, “Make sure you leave all that pussy shit in there. You’re gonna work your ass off today.”
I stash my bag and street clothes in the locker. The harder I work, the better I feel about everything else in my life. It usually takes my mind off of the terrible accident that haunts me, at least for a little while.
Jackson directs me into the ring and calls over a burly man about a foot taller than me. His large frame and shaved head are intimidating, matching the permanent scowl across his face.
Jackson calls out, “Pace, you wanted to climb the ladder, huh? This here is Maleko, straight from Oahu. Don’t go easy on him because he won’t give you a break.”
No Regrets (No Regrets #1) Page 9
