There were tears in his eyes. “I’ve never been so happy in all my life.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
One month later, Jessica was feeling settled in her new life. Winter would be over soon, and she’d already planned to spend part of the summer back in Oklahoma with her family. When she’d first booked the flight back, she’d been desperate to go. But now, she’d fallen into a good routine, had gotten to know her students, and was feeling much better about her life in Georgia. She still missed home, but she found that she thought about it less and less as the days flew by.
Hilton’s trial date still hadn’t been set, but he’d been denied bail, so she felt safe for now at least. And she’d also started taking Krav Maga self-defence classes. She wasn’t very good at it, but she’d already learned a few skills that made her feel a tiny bit safer should she ever need them.
She’d stayed late at school to work on lesson plans for the coming week and now was running late to get to her Krav Maga lesson across town. She hurried to the studio and got changed in the bathroom. By the time she made it to class, it’d already started, so she scurried in as quietly as she could manage and stood in the back.
The instructor was new. He had his back to her and was describing a move to the listening group. He wore a white tank top and blue shorts, and his muscled shoulders rippled as he demonstrated the movement. She couldn’t help admiring him. His golden hair was perfectly mussed, and his deep voice resonated throughout the room.
He reminded her of… Tyler. Just as that thought entered her mind, he turned to face her, and his eyes fixed on hers. He didn’t show any recognition, but kept moving about the room, speaking to the group. Then he asked for volunteers. Several people raised their hands, but he ignored them all and pointed directly at Jessica. Her arms were crossed, and she made an “oh” shape with her mouth. She was never that girl — the one who volunteered to show off in front of the group. She was the stand-in-the-back girl, the one who didn’t want anyone to look her way.
Every eye in the class was on her. Every person had twisted or spun around to face her. She faltered, reached one hand for her mouth hesitantly, then made her way forward to the front of the classroom. She stood beside Tyler, mute.
“We have a volunteer, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming forward, Jessica.” He said her name, the first indication that he even knew her. It was as though he were pretending the two of them had never met. Well, two could play that game.
She offered a wobbly smile. “No problem.”
The move involved her trying to attack him from behind. He stood in front of her with his back turned to her. She rubbed her hands down the sides of her yoga pants, then sprang forward. He immediately grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder to the floor in front of him, all the while feigning strikes to her groin and torso.
She ended up on her back, peering up at him with both hands guarding her face in panic. He reached out a hand. She took it tentatively, and he pulled her to her feet. Still making no effort to connect or flirt with her, he treated her like he would any other member of the class. As she made her way to the back of the group, she couldn’t help feeling hurt and disappointed.
It’s not that she expected him to be in love with her. Well, not entirely. She’d hoped he might be a little more torn up about the separation, but he hadn’t called her once since that day, and now he was treating her like a virtual stranger. For the rest of the lesson, there was a heavy weight in her chest. She hated this.
After it was over, she walked to the locker room to shower and change back into her teaching clothes. It would be cold outside, she needed her coat and she’d forgotten it in the locker room, so back she went. By the time she emerged, everyone was gone. Everyone except one person. Tyler.
He sat on a chair in the reception area, talking to another woman who looked like an instructor for one of the aerobics classes the gym put on multiple times per day. The woman was tall and glamorous, with perfect hair and makeup, and her workout clothes fit her lithe figure like a glove. As Jessica approached them, the woman threw her head back and laughed, letting her blonde hair cascade down her back. Tyler must’ve said something hilarious, or at least she was pretending he had. What was he doing there, anyway? This was her gym. When did he join? And why was he teaching a class? Wasn’t he supposed to be training to be a deputy?
She stormed past him, doing her best not to make eye contact. When she got outside, she pulled her coat tightly around her as a cold wind whistled up the stairs that led from the road up to the gym’s front door and whipped around her, carrying sharp shards of frozen rain.
“Jess!”
His voice was soft. She almost didn’t catch her name on his lips over the sound of the wind.
“Jess! Wait!”
She spun around, her face thunderous. How dare he treat her like that and then expect her to be her usual sunshine-y self? She stood, waiting for him to catch up to her, with arms folded over her chest, her gym bag hanging from one shoulder like an anchor in the storm. Her eyes blinked against the frozen rain as she fought back tears.
When he reached her, he smiled warmly. “Hi.”
“What is it, Tyler? What do you want?” Her tone was brusque, and it clearly startled him.
“I wanted to say hi. That’s all. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know… Am I okay? I worked a long day at school, then came to my favourite class after work only to be completely surprised and then snubbed by my ex. I guess I’m fine. How about you?”
His nostrils flared. “I didn’t snub you.”
“You barely acknowledged me. In fact, you didn’t acknowledge me at all. You said my name. I suppose I should be grateful for that small offering.”
His eyes widened. “I’ve never seen you like this before.”
“Well, this is me when I’m angry.”
His tone softened. “Why are you angry, Jess?”
“You ignored me…” She almost sobbed around the word, but held her ground.
