Romance in Color

by Synithia Williams

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’ve slept like eight hours in two days, and you haven’t had a day off in over a week. Call them back and tell them to find someone else.”

  She tilted her head and sighed. “The hospice is short-staffed with nurses. There isn’t anyone else.”

  He growled. “Their being shorthanded isn’t your problem. You don’t have any problems. You have me.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. “I have money—lots of it. I have connections, too. I can get you a better job. You need to come to Boston with me. Let me take care of you.”

  Her eyes glistened, and a slow but sad smile spread across her face. “You’re a good boy, Cameron. Always have been. But it’s never been my goal to have you—or any man—take care of me.” She patted his cheek. “Now, I have to take a shower and get ready for work.”

  For a minute, he stood there stunned. How could she look so miserable but refuse his offer to help?

  “Hey!” He followed her. “It’s not like I’d be taking care of you forever.” Although he would if she’d let him. “Just let me help you get on your feet someplace where you’ll be happier.”

  She stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down at him. One hand on the railing, the other on her hip, he felt infinitely smaller than her and like a kid again. “I’m happy here. My job matters.” She glanced at the crooked pictures climbing the wall beside her. “My family and friends matter. Three-hundred-plus days a year I’m happy here. You just aren’t around to see it.”

  The zing hurt, but he had a feeling she wasn’t saying the whole truth. Whether he was here or not, she still spent too many hours as a hospice nurse, and when she wasn’t at work, she was in a house she refused to update in a neighborhood that was rundown, dealing with her sisters’ dramas.

  “It’s just so damn depressing!” he yelled. “Why would anybody want to live like this?”

  She sort of swayed like the words packed a punch, and he hung his head in shame. “I’m sorry,” he said. Frustrated or not, he shouldn’t have raised his voice.

  When he looked up again, she was gone.

  Nice going, idiot. He started up the stairs after her, but then decided to give her space. On his way down, he stopped to straighten his baby picture. He shook his head at the goofy jumper he’d been wearing. Fluffy rabbits on mint green fabric. If he ever had a son, he’d never dress him like that. If he ever had a son …

  His vision blurred. Twice he’d thought he was pretty damn close. Twice he’d been burned. At twenty-seven, he still had plenty of time for marriage and family. But if he didn’t get a better handle on what made women tick, he’d be doomed.

  Another photo caught his eye. His dad. The nickname didn’t even resonate with the young, surly face in the picture, but that was who Cam had been told the man was. Maybe it was a lie. He’d never met or heard from the man who’d left town shortly after Cam’s mother announced her pregnancy. Why was this stupid picture still here?

  His chest tightened. All these years, he’d figured his celebrity would’ve dragged the man out of hiding … but nothing. Maybe he was dead like Nay Nay suspected. It’s just so damn depressing. He wanted to yell it again, but he knew better.

  After his mother left for work without another word to him, he wandered around the house making a list of all the things that needed to be updated, repaired, and replaced. If she wasn’t ready to move, then she was going to stop living like this.

  His phone buzzed in his front pocket, and he smiled when he saw the name. Tanya before noon? That would help right his day. Unless she was calling to tell him last night had been a mistake.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey. I have another proposition for you.”

  He grinned. “Clothes or no clothes?”

  “Actually, T-shirts. Jillian has a friend who owns a T-shirt printing business, and he’s going to make shirts we can sell at the gym to raise money.”

  Not exactly what he’d had in mind. “And you need me for this how?”

  “I need you to sign one hundred of the T-shirts, so we can charge more for those. Please.”

  First the membership drive. Now T-shirts. “Are you ever going to call me about something not related to the gym?”

  “Like what?” she asked slow and low and awfully sexy.

  “You know what.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t know. You’ll have to wait and see. The gym is my first priority. Sign those shirts for me, and you might be surprised at how much I call.”

  Oh, yeah? How soon could he sign ’em?

  Chapter Seven

  Tanya reached beneath the upper edge of her helmet and pushed back a stream of sweat before Coach yelled, “Set!” and she assumed her crouched position.

  Read the inner. Read the safeties. Get it done. The pep talk wasn’t necessary for this elementary blocking drill, but her brain was on autopilot, plowing through the pre-snap mental checklist. In a game situation, she would only have seven seconds max to make decisions that could spell victory or defeat. Her ability to focus was a huge asset. And finally it was back after almost a week of being scattered by worry over the gym and want for Cam.

  “Go!” Coach roared, and Tanya exploded off the line of scrimmage straight into the numbers on a defensive linewoman’s chest.

  “Nice!” Coach clapped. “Major progress, ladies. I like it!”

  Yeah, well she loved it. Things were coming together. She was going to have Cam on her terms and get the closure she didn’t get last time, and she was going to save the gym. Win!

  “Hey!”

  She turned around to see MJ. “We need to talk.”

  Shit. She nodded and then scanned the field for Jillian. Had she told MJ about Tanya’s knew perspective on Cam?

  The horn blew, and everyone moved to the next practice spot. This was going to drive her crazy.

  As she threw blocks at the second team so MJ and the offense could run routes, she tried to make eye contact with Jillian. But it wasn’t like she could open her mouth and say anything with MJ standing over her shoulder.

  Just concentrate.

  “Blue eighty! Blue eighty!” MJ yelled. “Hut … ”

  Tanya jumped across the line, leveling Reese before the woman had a chance to react.

  “False start!” someone yelled.

  Yeah, it was, because she wasn’t focused. Again. She extended a hand to help Reese up. “Sorry about that.”

  The rest of practice, she worked so hard her whole body hurt. And when she stepped out of the shower wrapped in a towel, MJ was waiting for her.

  “Jillian told me … ”

  “Of course she did!” Tanya huffed. “What’d she do? Call you in the wee hours? Unbelievable. Where the hell is … ”

  “Why are you so worked up about it? It’s a good idea. I just said you shouldn’t place the order until you’ve checked with Cam about the wording to make sure you’re not infringing on the NFL’s legal rights somehow. You know how bootlegged T-shirts aren’t licensed and get people in big trouble? I just don’t want to see anyone sued.”

  Tanya blinked a few times. “Oh. Right.”

  “Wait.” MJ wrinkled her face. “What did you think I was talking about?”

  “Jace ran away from home last night and ended up at our place.” Jillian was standing behind MJ. She flashed a quick smile at Tanya when MJ looked away.

  “Oh my God! Why? Is he okay?”

  They filled MJ in—leaving the part about Cam out—and by the time they worked back around to the T-shirt topic, Tanya played it calm and cool. She would tell MJ what was or wasn’t going on with Cam, but not on the heels of that crazy exchange.

  “You really think it might be illegal?” Tanya asked. “I mean why would Jillian’s guy agree to make the shirts if it was a copyright infringement?”

  MJ scoffed. “Have you seen some of Jillian’s friends?”

  Jillian swatted at her. “But in this case it’s probably true.”

&nb
sp; “Great!” Tanya slammed her locker extra hard. “Every idea I have hits a wall.” A week into this mess, and she should’ve had a feasible plan in place for more than sleeping with Cam. She growled and hit her locker again. “I need to talk to my dad.”

  Forty-five minutes later, she walked into the gym with Jillian and MJ behind her.

  “Damn. It’s dead in here.” Jillian said. “I thought word about Cam was supposed to be packing them in.”

  “It’s late,” MJ said. “Maybe it was busier a few hours ago.”

  “Yeah, well, to raise thirty grand, we don’t have an hour to spare.”

  She pulled out her phone and typed a text to Cam: If you aren’t too busy, maybe you could stop by the gym. I’m here.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father shuffle into his office. “I’ll be right back.”

  She found him hunched over his desk. A calculator sat to the right of a pile of papers. Bills. She frowned. He’d spent his whole life making life better for other people. Now, she had to make life better for him.

  “Pop?”

  He looked up and smiled, but it was weak and faded in a flash. “How’s my girl?”

  “Worried.”

  He waved off her worry. “How was practice?”

  She perched on a stack of boxes near the door. “Don’t change the subject. We’re going to talk about the gym first, and then I’ll tell you about practice.”

  He nodded.

  “Nobody’s out there. Was it busier earlier?”

  “It’s been slow all the way around.”

  Damn it! “We’ve got to do something to bring more people into the gym, and we’ve got to do something to put more cash in the account. My ideas aren’t panning out, but I’m going to keep trying. If I can’t come up with anything workable, you’re going to have to take the money from Tag or Cam. Both men have offered multiple times, and both men have money to give.” He opened his mouth to protest, and she silenced him with a raised hand. “I know you don’t like that. I don’t like it either—for lots of reasons—but I don’t like the idea of you losing the gym more.”

  “There’s a buyer,” he said.

  She lost her balance and almost spilled to the floor, catching herself on the doorjamb. “What?”

  “The same people who wanted to buy your mother’s building came in today. Me and Terrell met with them, and they offered to pay enough to settle the debt and leave me with extra.”

  “No!” She was hit with a twinge of jealousy wrapped in worry over the fact that it had been Terrell at the meeting instead of her. Back in middle school, when her parents had split, it hadn’t been her brothers stepping up with every excuse under the sun to keep the family intact. It had been her. She was the protector. And job or no job, she should’ve been here when Pop met with the investors. “You said ‘no’ right?”

  He just looked at her.

  “Pop!”

  “I said I’d think about it. I got less than ninety days, Tanya. What are the chances I’m gonna raise thirty grand on my own? Selling gets me out of debt.”

  “It also gets you out of gym ownership.” She shook her head. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t be seriously considering it. And if he was, it was only because she hadn’t done enough to fix it. “You’ve got to give me a little more time. Please.” She folded her hands in prayer. “I’ll have an honest-to-God money making plan to you by the end of the day tomorrow. Do not sell. You hear me? Do not sell.”

  “Tomorrow, Tanya. That’s the best I can do. I don’t want these guys to think I’m not serious.” His fingers shook as he lifted a key off his desk and held it out to her. “Could you lock up? I need to get out of here.”

  The stress was going to kill him.

  Fifteen minutes later she’d burned off some of the debilitating fear and frustration with a dead-sprint on the exercise bike.

  “Candy bar sale,” Jillian said from the bike beside her. “Kids do it all the time.”

  “And make thirty grand?” Tanya shook her head. “What about a 50/50?”

  “We’d have to sell sixty grand to make thirty,” MJ said from the bike on Tanya’s other side. “That would probably take too long. We need to think bolder.”

  “Maybe we can get a car donated and sell chances,” Jillian said.

  MJ nodded. “Tag’s hospital raises a lot of money every year by having an auction that includes cars and exotic trips and jewelry. It’s huge. But you have to know people who are willing to donate those things.”

  Tanya didn’t know anybody with merchandise like that. Where was she going to get items with high-dollar value for free?

  Cam walked in, smile on his face. He had no idea what he was walking into.

  “What’s he doing here?” MJ asked.

  Tanya cringed. “I asked him to come when I thought selling gym memberships was my only problem.”

  She dialed back the resistance on the bike and settled on a slower pace for cool down. He made his way to her, looking mighty fine in sweatpants, running shoes, and his fitted ski jacket. He stopped off to talk to the few guys who were lifting weights, which gave her more time to admire him. The way he towered over the normal-sized men. The way his smile lit up the room. The way each flash of his eyes in her direction told her he was completely aware of her.

  Her pulse jumped and her heart raced. So much for cooling down. But, hey, for a few blissful seconds the gym dilemma wasn’t the top thought on her mind.

  “Ladies,” he said, when he was within earshot. He wiggled his hand in the air like he was signing something. “I got my right hand ready.”

  Jillian burst out laughing.

  If Tanya could’ve kicked her while maintaining her speed and dignity, she would have. That woman needed a sock in her mouth.

  “What’s so funny?” MJ asked.

  Tanya cleared her throat. “Nothing.” She focused on Cam. “Actually, Pop just told me he got an offer to sell the gym, and he looks like he’s really considering it.”

  “No!” Cam said.

  “Yes.”

  “Where are those T-shirts? Let me get to signing.”

  “We need something bigger.”

  “Something bigger than me?”

  God, her brain went totally gutter in the middle of the gym crisis. Why did she even assume he was big down there just because he was big everywhere else? She started pedaling faster.

  “Foot-long sub sales?” Jillian offered, giggling.

  This time Tanya turned her head and gave her a death stare.

  Then she looked at Cam. “You want to throw a few punches? I need to blow off some steam.”

  • • •

  It had been a lot of years since Cam had been in the ring with Tanya. He was bigger and stronger now, which worried him. So he would hold back. But would she? The determination in her eyes said no. This headgear and these gloves might not be enough to protect him.

  “Ready?” She hopped around her end of the ring.

  He couldn’t help but notice her breasts straining and bouncing against her T-shirt.

  Look at her eyes, idiot. This was one woman who couldn’t be underestimated, especially in a boxing ring.

  “Ready,” he said.

  She puckered up and gave him an air kiss. “Good luck.”

  He needed it, because now he was staring at her lips. Shit. That woman could kiss. On the stairs. In the hall. Hotter than hell. He swiped at the beads of sweat sliding down his forehead. Did they not have central air in here?

  A solid pop to his right jawline woke him up and had him focusing on her smiling face—her whole face.

  “A little bit slow today, superstar.”

  A cheer and some laughter echoed. Great! They had an audience. Of course they had an audience. He always had an audience. He didn’t want one now.

  “Hey.” She bounced back, keeping her hands loose. “I was thinking, what about a celebrity boxing match?”

  “Uh, no.” Hell, he couldn’t even keep up with
her in the ring.

  “Back her into the corner!” some guy yelled.

  What? Cam took his eyes off her for only a split second.

  She popped him again and smiled. “Yeah, that’s probably a terrible idea. I mean who wants to pay to see you get your ass kicked?”

  She danced around him, eyes blazing. Focus, man.

  He managed a jab to her gut before she moved away.

  “Thatta way!” the guy cheered.

  She approached again. Cam swung. At the last minute, she spun, and his fist hung in midair. More dancing. Little hops. And a rush of laughter. He loved when she had fun. There was nothing more beautiful in the whole world.

  She popped him again. Right in the flank.

  The guy booed. Cam may have, too, because this didn’t seem fair.

  “You know, it’s okay to hit a girl in here,” she said. “I don’t want you getting hung up on political correctness and looking like a fool in front of your … ” she glanced at the guy who was watching them, “fan. Singular.”

  Smart ass. He lunged, and she dodged.

  “Come on,” she said. “Show me what you’ve got, superstar.”

  Oh, he’d show her all right. Just not in here. Later, they were going to finish what they started. He would find someplace where they wouldn’t be interrupted by roommates or family members, someplace where they could …

  She bounced to the left and clobbered him. His brain rattled.

  The guy gave a disgusted sound, and then walked away.

  His one fan had bailed.

  Time to stop the insanity. “Okay!” His louder than normal voice halted Tanya in her tracks, but a second later, she was bouncing again.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  “Just me announcing that the match can finally begin. I think you’re good and warmed up.” He grinned. “In fact,” he bobbed his brows, “you’re looking super-hot to me.”

  Her feet slowed, and her eyes narrowed. “How ‘bout from now on you keep your thoughts to yourself? This is a boxing ring, not group therapy.”

  Yep, he’d unnerved her, and he was just getting started.

  “I’m being courteous,” he said, shuffling closer and lowering his voice. “I like to let my opponents get a feel for my size before we really get down and dirty.” He bit into his cheek to keep from laughing.