“Okay, Harper.”Frankie interrupted the direction her thoughts had taken.“Let’s go take these pussies down.”
Harper breathed deeply, the scent of sweat and disinfectant burning her nose.Jace faced her, bouncing gently from foot to foot.He was coming for her, that was the purpose of the exercise, but he grinned at her and Harper found his attempt to put her at ease charming.
The tight grip of his large hands around her biceps startled her, the move so sudden, Harper couldn’t move, frozen to the spot.
Somewhere in the distance, Frankie yelled at her, and she needed to focus on what he was telling her.
Softest part to hardest part.Harper focused on Jace’s face and concentrated on ignoring the physical contact between them.Using the heel of her hand, she jammed her hand up hard under his chin.
Jace took a quick step or two back.“Man, Harper.Frankie is going to need to pay me danger money, girl.I should have worn my mouth guard.”
A laugh escaped and the weight pressing down on her chest lifted slightly.
“Okay, lightweight,” Leon said as he jumped over the ropes of the ring and shoved Jace.“Move out of the way and let a real man have a go.”
Leon winked at her as he ducked and weaved around her, his feet moving so quickly and silently, it was hard to figure out where he was going.Arms were around her middle, his hard chest slamming up against her back before she had a chance to breathe.
Harper looked over to Frankie who said, “You got this.”And she did.Harper, buoyed by Frankie’s confidence and the high of making Jace stumble, delivered a swift elbow to Leon’s ribs.Able to break free of his arms, Harper spun quickly with her leg extended.The sharp pain ricocheted up her leg as her shin hit the back of his knees, but it quickly vanished when she took in Leon’s prostrate form on the mat.
“I did it, Frankie,” she said, shocked.
Frankie was laughing, loudly.“Yeah, you did good, kid.”He turned to look at Leon who was getting up from the mat.“Told you she was a natural.”
“Oh my goodness, sorry,” Harper said, offering Leon a hand.The least she could do was help him up.
“No worries, Rocky,” he replied with a grimace.
It was close to closing and the gym was quiet.A knock on the window of Frankie’s office startled her as she walked past it, heading for the front door.Frankie waved at her to come in.
“Hey, Harper, sorry to grab you before you go, but I wondered if I could talk to you about Anton.”
“Of course, Frankie, what’s up?”
Frankie reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a handwritten assignment with a B+ in red at the top.“Best grade he ever got, and he tells me it’s because of you.”
“Well, that’s very kind of him, but he did all the hard work.I just helped him figure out an approach.”Helping him had been the high point of an already eventful week.She’d loved every minute of it.
“You’re being humble, lady.The kid was a D student all the way.He didn’t just get better on his own.”Frankie leaned back in his chair, spinning it slightly from left to right.
“Sometimes kids just need to figure out how they learn.In a large classroom, it’s a little hard for the teacher to figure it out for every child.”Explaining something to each child in a way he or she could understand had been hard, but definitely the most rewarding part of the job.
Harper walked up the steps of her building feeling happy and sore.Feeling stronger was a gratifying sensation.She couldn’t wait to call Trent to tell him how it had gone.She could feel her face going red as she thought about their last phone call.
“Harper Connelly?”
“Yes?”She turned to see a floral delivery van stopping by the curb, the driver shouting through the window.
“Wait up.I have a delivery for you.”The driver, a gangly young man with slightly greasy hair, had tattoos covering the upper half of each arm.He walked toward her with a huge white floral arrangement.
“I like your tattoos,” she said as he handed her the vase.
“Thanks.Got ’em done at Second Circle.Guy named Trent.Sick artist.I could hook you up if you want.”
Harper hid her smile behind the flowers.“I’m all right.Thanks, though.”
Practically dancing into her apartment, she put the flowers down on the counter and reached for the card.Trent was so thoughtful.He knew how much she’d loved the yellow roses he’d sent her before.
In Memoriam.What the heck?The card had a white rose resting on a silver-and-white bible.So sorry to hear about your loss.Harper looked back at the envelope.It was definitely addressed to Harper Connelly.A wave of nausea washed over her as she turned the envelope and card over, looking for clues.
