One to Love (One to Hold 4)

I’d kissed her long and hard, covering her soft mouth with mine. Her hair was up in a high ponytail again, and the ends grazed her shoulders in soft bends. It made her look younger than she was, and I spanned her lower back with my hand as I traced a curl off her shoulder, not really wanting her to go. “Drive safe, okay?”

“I’m sorry to leave like this. I don’t want you to think I’m running away after last night.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” I teased, loving her worried face. “Now, that’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

“Slayde!” She pinched my arm, and I laughed an Ow! “I’ve been thinking about what you said. With the bird.”

Her eyes fluttered down, and I remembered the time I’d thought they were like little birds. I only wanted to shelter her, keep her safe.

“I don’t think you should carry that guilt anymore,” she continued. “You were just a kid. You panicked.”

Lifting my hands, I held her cheeks, forcing her to look at me. “Such a mom, finding a reason why the bad things I’ve done aren’t really as bad as they feel in my mind.”

She shook her head, breaking free of my grasp. “I’m not saying it wasn’t bad, but it was a long time ago. You were sorry then, and you’re sorry now. I think you can set yourself free from that one.”

Her lips were close to my face, and I couldn’t resist gliding my thumb over them. “I’ll miss you while you’re gone. Have fun with Lane.”

She smiled and kissed my thumb. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

* * *

Now I was back at the gym, finishing up my cleaning duties, thinking about what she said. Maybe she was right, and I could be absolved of that one crime. But that was only one.

“You done for the day?” Rook stuck his head out of his office and nodded for me to come there. “I need to talk to you about the next several weeks.”

Walking into the now-familiar office, I took a seat. “Yeah? What’s up?”

“I’ve got a deal with one of the cargo-ship captains. It’s a trans-Atlantic line. They dock here once or twice a year. The crew gets free memberships when they’re in port, and they ship stuff for me when I need them to.”

My eyebrows rose. “Okay. Why are you telling me this?”

“Every time they come back, more and more of their guys show up wanting to work out. It’s a fucking zoo for a week—longer if they get held up in port.”

“Goes with the motto, yes? Where the wild things are?” I grinned, but he wasn’t laughing.

“Don’t be a smartass. It’ll affect your job, too. These guys mean more cleanups, longer hours... I’m telling you because I need you to be a trainer while they’re here.”

That caused me to sit back. “I’ve never trained anybody.”

“You’ve been training Kenny. It’s basically the same thing. Watching form, making sure they’re lifting correctly, doing full sets, not lounging on the equipment, putting shit back when they finish.”

“Sounds like a few extra tasks in there besides training.”

“It is, and for ten days, with a bunch of seamen who barely speak the language and don’t know gym etiquette, it matters. I’ll work with you tomorrow then you’ll know what to do. You also get a raise. Trainers make a lot more an hour than janitors.”

Shrugging, I stood. “Sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.”

* * *

My work was done, and I was sitting on the shore by early afternoon, thinking about Kenny. Not so long ago I’d spent every night alone. Now, it had been a while since I’d picked up my enormous paperback and checked in with the French kid. It had also been a while since I’d checked in with Doc.

I wanted to do both of those, but first, I called her.

“How’s it going with your son?” I asked when her soft voice filled the other end of the line.

“Oh, Slayde, he’s breaking my heart.” I was pretty sure she was kidding, but the sound of her in distress cramped my stomach. It had since that very first night.

“What’s going on?” I asked.