Page 13 of The Knockout Rule

“All of them?”

He tapped his finger against his glass. The large ring on his pinky clinked against the crystal. “Now, yes. When I started out, I couldn’t be choosy. Money talks, and I like nice things.” His gaze roamed around his luxurious jet. “After business took off, I cut some clients. Now I only sign those I’d be happy spending a night drinking with.”

“A night drinking.” She whistled. “Those are some high standards.”

He unleashed another devilish smirk. “How about I show you just how high my standards are? Have dinner with me in Vegas.”

Preston didn’t give up easily, and no part of Isla perked up at the offer. He was nice enough, but you couldn’t force chemistry. And part of his life revolved around boxing. “Thanks, but the answer’s still no.”

He sipped his drink, a wrinkle sinking between his brows. “Your father said you’re doing online dating. Is that why? You’ve met someone?”

She wanted to throttle her father again for gossiping about her, but the online dating excuse was an easy out. A way to shake Preston and leave his ego intact, especially since they’d be spending plenty of time together over the coming weeks. After the way she’d treated Brick, she didn’t need more awkwardness. “I actually did. Never thought I’d do the internet dating thing, but…when in Rome.”

She wasn’t in Rome. She had no clue why she’d said that nonsense. She certainly hadn’t set up an online dating account, let alone found a match.

Preston leaned forward, eager again. “Guess we’ll see how that plays out, won’t we?”

The cocky glint in his eye was trouble. She should disabuse him of his hope, drill home that she preferred for their relationship to stay professional, but she was still unsettled by her botched start with Brick. Something about their interaction—his reaction to her sarcasm—felt off.

“About Brick,” she said. “Does he usually get upset if people joke about his intelligence?”

Preston squinted. “Like how smart he is? No. If anything, he gets pissed they think he’s dumb. But promoters gotta promote, and brute boxers sell.”

“What do you mean how smart he is?” By intelligence, she’d meant lack of smarts, not an abundance of brains.

“Doesn’t your dad talk about him?”

“I don’t talk to my dad about boxing.”

Preston frowned but thankfully stuck to the subject at hand. “Brick’s the most intelligent person I’ve ever met. Takes all these linguistics courses, speaks eight languages, reads the kinds of books that put me to sleep in three seconds.” He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “No clue why he bothers with all that stuff, but the guy’s impressive.”

Preston’s honesty was surprising and sweet, and Isla’s attention shifted back to the curtain separating them from Brick.

Brick had shut down the second she’d asked if he had a cat named Smart. He’d then played the role of dumb jock, saying he’d use his phone to spell his name, storminess in his gray eyes. Jesus, she’d royally messed this up, and his team certainly earned their paychecks, building him into an illiterate brute. An image she’d happily accepted. Now she had more to atone for than her rudeness.

5

Isla glanced at her bedside clock, then back at her laptop, her fingers frozen on the keyboard. She had to meet Brick in twenty minutes. She wasn’t sure if she was more unnerved by that impending meeting or the dating profile she was about to put live. Telling Preston she’d met someone online would hopefully shake his advances, but if she wanted her father to quit playing cupid, a man in the flesh would be needed. She was even a little excited to flex her atrophied flirting muscles.

Heather’s chiding about men not popping out of books like Jumanji had hit its mark. Isla missed dating and had put zero effort into meeting someone. She missed having a warm body beside her. A partner who understood why she preferred reading poetry over binging Netflix. Someone she could spoil and love. A confidant to discuss her complicated feelings surrounding her father: how much she loved him, her fear for the future, how she wanted their time together to be upbeat and positive, because he really was doing well, working, living, being his usual stubborn self.

The best way to meet someone special was to hop into the dating pool. The distraction would also make it easier to give her father the space he wanted, and being here, away from her fledgling business, she actually had the time to chat online. A first for her in a long while. Still, taking the final step wasn’t easy.

She picked up her phone and called Heather.

Her best friend, who’d be none too pleased about the early wake-up call, answered after four rings. “Why are you calling me at kill-your-best-friend o’clock?”

Isla smiled. “Brick has an insane workout schedule and does two physio sessions a day.”

“I still have no clue why you agreed to this.” Heather’s voice was rough with sleep. A yawn carried through the line. “Your business opens in less than two months.”

“I told you, I couldn’t say no to my father. He paid for my gym equipment.” It wasn’t a complete lie. She owed him for that generosity and so much more. But she didn’t breathe a word about his Parkinson’s. If she broached the topic, voiced how stressed she was this soon after learning about his illness, she wasn’t sure she’d be strong enough to bottle it back up and be the positive support he needed.

“Yeah, well, I still think you’re nuts,” Heather said. “And I’m exhausted. Call me later.”

“Tell me again why downloading this dating app is a good idea?”

A muffled crash sounded. “I am no longer tired. Please let me vet your profile.”