by J. A. Owenby
I nodded. I could do this, right?
The first few kids kicked and punched the bag. Their giggles carried through the room as they got back in line.
“I just kicked a girl!”
“Me too! I’d be in big trouble if my mom knew.”
“Boys, pay attention,” Jared said and glanced at me. His hazel eyes danced as a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.
The rest of the class went smoothly, and I let out a sigh of relief as I put all the equipment back. Jared introduced me to a few parents, and I waved goodbye to the kids as they slipped their shoes on and bounded out the door with their parents.
“You did great,” Jared said.
“They’re super cute in their little gis,” I replied, smiling.
“I told you this would be good for you.”
“I hope so. I just don’t want to let you down. You and Tiffany have been so kind to me. I just want to do a good job for you.”
“I know. And you will.”
“I told you they were adorable little munchkins,” Tiffany said as she hopped down the stairs and joined us on the dojo floor.
“Ha! You’re barely taller than those little munchkins, T!” Jared said and laughed.
“Yeah?” she asked as she got into a stance. “Need a little ass-kickin’, big brother?”
“You wish.” Jared settled into a stance himself. “Lacey, you might want to get off the floor,” he said as a crooked grin spread across his face.
I hurried onto the carpeted area and sat down to watch. I figured these two were going to cut loose, and I’d never seen any sparring before. So far in training, it was all technique and individual moves, but these two were about to show me what it was all about.
Tiffany stepped toward Jared and delivered a punch to his gut. He grunted as he stepped back and blocked her kick with his arm. His leg moved quickly as he drove a hit to the back of her knee and dropped her to the floor.
“Nice one,” she said as she hopped back up.
She ducked his punch and moved in for one of her own, but pulled back at the last second. Jared never saw her leg coming as she swept his out from underneath him. He landed on his back as she grabbed his arm and forced him to roll over on his stomach. She twisted his arm and folded it up on his back.
“Lacey, he can’t move. See how I wrapped his arm? He has no power to get up—it doesn’t matter what size I am.”
My eyes widened. Tiffany laughed and hopped off him.
“I’m going light on you, T,” Jared said. “I’m trying to set a good example for Lacey.”
“You’re so full of shit,” she said as Jared popped her in the stomach.
I gasped as she stumbled backward and then smiled at him. “That didn’t even hurt,” she said.
Jared grabbed her and pulled her in, but in one swift motion, Tiffany swung her body over his back and landed on the other side of him.
“So, you’re playing like that, huh?” he said.
“Yup, whatcha gonna do about it?” Tiffany replied.
Jared responded with a wide kick to her side. In another move, he had her pinned on the floor.
“Aww, man!” she yelled. “I didn’t even see that coming. Are you getting faster, old man?”
I laughed as they continued sparring and flinging mild insults at each other. I was amazed to see them in action; they were each powerful and strong in their own way.
I wanted that. I wanted to experience the respect and understanding I saw between them. But most of all, I wanted to know that no one had the power to ever hurt me again.
“Whew! That felt good,” Tiffany said as they finished and she reached for her face towel.
“What did you think?” Jared asked, all smiles.
“Can I learn all that?” I replied.
“Hell yeah,” Tiffany said. “Since you’re training one-on-one, you’ll learn even faster. You’ll be able to handle any situation that comes at you.”
“How long? How long until I can defend myself if someone comes after me?” I asked.
“If you work hard and spar with us, I’d say six to nine months,” Tiffany said. “You won’t be black-belt level, but Jared and I will teach you things we don’t show in class. You’ll have shortcuts to knock someone out, and as you show that you can handle it, you’ll eventually even learn how to kill someone.”
“Not that we recommend it,” Jared said as he narrowed his eyes at Tiffany.
“No, but if it’s your life or theirs, then you need to know,” she said.
“What she’s saying is that if that bastard ever comes after you again, you can take him out for good if you have to,” Jared said.
I gasped at the thought of killing someone. That’s not what I wanted, but I understood what Jared was saying. If Xander showed up and it came down to it, I could end it for good and never hide in fear again.
“Let’s do it then,” I said as I stood up.
“You got it,” Jared said as he and Tiffany grinned at each other.
“I need to clean everything up and then get home,” I said.
“You can clean up tonight or come in around ten tomorrow morning. That’ll give you an hour before any classes start.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, go get some sleep. We have a lot of training to do tomorrow. Oh, and bring food. You can keep lunch and snacks upstairs in my fridge. I’ll show you around up there tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “Thank you both. For everything.”
* * *
It was nine thirty by the time I got back to the apartment. I was surprised to see Emma still awake.
“Hey,” I said as I closed the door behind me.
“Hi! How’d your first kids’ class go?” Emma asked as she muted the TV.
“Good—the kids are really sweet, and it’s fun to watch them. But the coolest thing was after class.”
Emma swiveled her whole body around on the couch to face me, giving me her undivided attention.
“Jared and Tiffany were fighting,” I said. “I mean, I think they call it sparring. They’re really good. Tiffany is smaller than I am and she tossed him on the ground. They said they can teach me how to do that. Do you know what that would mean? No one could kidnap me or—or—hurt me again. I’d know how to take care of myself.”
“Will you show me as you learn? I mean, here at home?”
“Well, yeah, I guess that would be okay. I don’t really know anything yet.”
“But you will. Every night I work at the hospital, I have to walk through a dark parking garage.”
“I don’t like that,” I said and crossed my arms.
“So, you’ll do it? You’ll teach me some things here on the side?”
“Yeah, but don’t tell anyone, okay? I don’t know if there’s some rule against it or whatever.”
“Scout’s honor,” Emma said, grinning from ear to ear.
Chapter 16
The next several days passed in a blur. Jared showed me his apartment and the office. Even though I planned on doing most of the work downstairs, I would still need to go upstairs to eat and grab paperwork and files.
Jared definitely had a bachelor pad, but it was surprisingly spotless. Apparently his training carried over into his housekeeping. That was a good thing.
I was exhausted by the end of the week and ready for the weekend. My body hurt from the training. Jared and Tiffany had stepped it up a notch after my commitment. I was okay with that, but after the months of no real physical activity, I felt like an eighteen-wheeler had run over me, backed up, and then run over me again. I hoped the workouts were enough that I’d sleep through the night, but tomorrow was the Fourth of July, and someone was always setting off fireworks early.
“Hey, what are you doing for the Fourth?” Tiffany asked after training.
“No plans. I’ll probably just sit on the patio and watch the fireworks.”
“Hey Jared!” Tiffany yelled up the stairs.
“Yea
h?” Jared said as he walked down the steps and into the dojo.
“We should bring Lacey tomorrow night.”
Jared stopped for a moment and then smiled. “I think you’re right, T.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“We’re going to a friend’s barbecue on the lake. You should come with us.”
“Isn’t it rude to just invite me?”
“Nah, he lets us bring whoever we want. We’ve been friends since T and I moved here. He trains here too. He’s a black belt.”
I nodded as though his description told me who the guy was. “Well, thank you for the invite, but I wouldn’t know anyone except the two of you, and I haven’t really been very social since I’ve been back.”
“Perfect! This will be a great place to start,” Tiffany replied.
“Can I bring Emma? You guys haven’t met her yet, and I think she’d enjoy it. I’d be more comfortable too.” Emma going with me also meant that I’d stay out of the alcohol.
“Yeah, we have room in the car, right T?”
“Yup, bring her.”
“I’ll talk to her tonight and let you know tomorrow. Is that okay?”
“Sweeeeeet!” Tiffany said and grinned. “We have so much fun there. You’ll even get to see Jared drunk,” she said and laughed.
“I don’t get drunk,” Jared retorted.
“He does,” Tiffany said. “He rarely drinks, but he does at Glen’s parties. He’s pretty hilarious most of the time.”
“A happy drunk?” I asked and cocked my head.
“That’s right,” he said and winked at me.
I couldn’t believe I felt comfortable enough making a joke about the day I met him. I didn’t remember much of it, but I did remember him commenting about me being a happy drunk.
“Okay, I’m out of here,” I said. “See you guys tomorrow.”
“Night,” they replied.
* * *
The living room lamp was on when I got home. Emma was curled up on the sofa with a box of Kleenex.
“Hey, are you okay?” I asked as I dumped my backpack by the front door.
“Yeah. I’m fine. It’s this stupid movie,” she said and sniffed.
“What movie is it? Is it really sad?”
“No, it’s just a Disney movie. The Little Mermaid.”
“Emma, you’re crying at a Disney movie? Are you sure there’s nothing else wrong?”
“I don’t know. I’m just having one of those days. I don’t want to bother you with it, though. I’ll be fine.”
“No, you can’t do that. I’ll just worry.”
“Are you sure?” Emma asked and sniffled.
“Yeah. What’s going on?” I sat next to her on the couch.
“It’s just been a crappy day. When I got to work, I locked my keys in the car and had to pay someone to come out and get them for me. Then I forgot my lunch, so I was stuck grabbing a candy bar and bag of chips from the vending machine. It’s just been one stupid thing after another. But, I guess, honestly, I’ve been worried sick about you since you’ve been home. I think it’s finally just hit me, ya know? I’ve had to stay strong for you, but this is the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. Now, at least over the last few weeks, you seem to be doing a little better, and I just fell apart. I sometimes see a little glimmer of my friend again.” She hiccupped through her tears.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
“It’s just been really hard on this side of things, too.”
“I honestly don’t know how I’d feel if it had been you. Devastated, most likely.”
“I’ll be okay. The better you get and the more you heal, the better I’ll be too.”
“Alright, but don’t keep everything all bottled up inside. That’s not fair to you. You have to talk to me, or at least to someone.”
“I don’t want to put more on you, Lacey. That’s not right.”
“Well, I’m handling this conversation just fine, so it’s a start.” I leaned over and hugged Emma. “We’ll get there, right?”
Emma nodded as she dabbed the Kleenex on her cheeks.
“I have interesting news,” I said.
“Yeah? I could use something interesting,” Emma said.
“Jared and Tiffany invited us to a barbecue on the lake tomorrow for the Fourth.”
“Oh man, that sounds like so much fun, but I have to work.”
I groaned and flopped backward into the couch. “Call in sick,” I said.
“I can’t. Especially since I’m so new. I need to make sure I show up for all my shifts.”
“Dammit.”
“You should go, though,” she said.
“Emma,” I said and shook my head. “I don’t think I can deal with a party. I thought if you were with me I’d be okay. I haven’t spent much time with Jared and Tiffany outside the dojo. Tiffany said Jared will get drunk, and . . . I don’t know. Just thinking about it totally stresses me out.”
“If you trust Tiffany and Jared to train you, you should trust them to go to a barbecue. I think it would be really good for you. Just go for a few hours, and then if you’re feeling out of place or really uncomfortable, call Daddy to pick you up.”
“Really?” I asked and scrunched up my nose. “I’m not sure I’d feel any better calling your dad.”
“Please, it’s not like they’re going to be doing much tomorrow. And he’d probably really like to see you. Call him and take him out for ice cream or something.”
I pondered the idea for a moment. “You’re right. I haven’t seen your dad in a while. It might be fun. Will you ask him if he’s okay with it?”
“Sure, I’ll call him now.”
I bit my lip as she picked up the receiver and dialed her parents’ phone number.
“Hi, Daddy,” she said. “Lacey’s been invited to a barbecue tomorrow night, and I was wondering, if she starts feeling uncomfortable, do you think you might be willing to pick her up and bring her home?”
Emma paused and then covered the mouthpiece. “I told you he’d be all right with it,” she whispered.
I smiled. “Tell him thank you.”
“Lacey says thank you,” Emma said into the phone. “She thinks she’ll be okay, but we wanted to give her a backup plan. This is her first social outing since she’s been back. You’re the best. Tell Mom hi. Love you.”
Emma hung up the phone and smiled. “You’re going to have a good time. I know it.”
“I hope so,” I said as a line of worry creased my forehead.
Chapter 17
At five the next evening, I poked my head through the door of the dojo and then walked in. I heard someone coming down the stairs.
“T’s coming. She’s always late,” Jared said as he pulled a T-shirt over his head. “Glad you’re coming with us.”
I bit my lip in order not to gawk. I’d never seen Jared out of his gi, much less without a shirt. His stomach muscles rippled right into his button-fly Levi’s. I tried not to stare as he pulled the shirt down, but he filled out every inch of it. That gi didn’t do a damned thing for him.
I flushed as I busied myself with something in my backpack. I’d never considered Jared anything other than a friend, and I wanted to keep it that way. But apparently my body wanted something different.
The thought left as soon as it appeared. I hadn’t had sex since Xander and losing the baby. That realization was enough to rein in my hormones almost instantly.
Tiffany came downstairs and joined us, and Jared locked the dojo as we left. Tiffany unlocked the car doors, and Jared got in the backseat. Thank God it had been overcast all day so the heat of the car wasn’t as stifling as usual.
I slid into the passenger seat and tried to calm my nerves. I wasn’t sure how I was going to deal with a lot of strangers at the barbecue.
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked.
“Just off Lake Ouachita,” Tiffany said. “It’s not that far. You’ll know the area since you grew up here
.”
I adjusted my sunglasses as I stared out the window. We had about four more hours before it got dark. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I was with friends. I’d spent almost all my waking hours at the dojo, either working or training. I’d started trusting Tiffany and Jared more. There seemed to be a mutual respect developing among the regulars. I saw it in the students, too. Part of my drive to train was to feel like part of the group. I wanted to belong somewhere, to have friends and a life that was good for me.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to a ranch house with a red-and-white brick exterior. I helped grab the food we’d brought and followed them up the sidewalk to the front door. Jared rang the doorbell. I could hear music thumping inside as we waited for someone to answer.
The door flung open as a tall, dark-haired guy answered.
“Jared!”
“Nick!”
I stepped back as the two hugged and smacked each other on the back. Nick held the door and ushered us inside.
I scanned the living room as I followed everyone inside. The large brick fireplace gave a cozy feel, or maybe it was the calico cat curled up in the recliner.
“Nick, this is Lacey,” Jared said. “And you already know Tiffany.”
“Come here, you!” Nick said as he reached down and wrapped Tiffany in a big hug. She squealed as he lifted her off her feet.
“Lacey, wow. It’s truly my pleasure,” Nick said as his face lit up.
“Off-limits there, bro,” Jared said and patted him on the back. Nick rolled his eyes, punched Jared in the shoulder, and laughed.
“How the hell are ya?” Tiffany asked Nick. “It’s been months. How long are you in town for?”
“Yeah, man. I had no idea you were going to be here,” Jared said.
“Yup, I’m on summer break from college,” Nick replied.
“You still at UCA?” Jared asked.
“One more year left to go.”
I listened as I stood next to Jared. I hoped I wouldn’t feel this awkward the entire night.
“Y’all come on in and get comfortable,” Nick said. “I’ll take the food from you, T.”
