“Karate, jujitsu, tae kwon do.”
“He didn’t stick to one teaching?”
“No. Like I said, it was kind of a self-defense class that I enjoyed and continued to participate in. He wanted to keep me interested so he threw in various things. I liked it.”
“You sound like it was in the past. How long has it been since you worked out?”
Her mouth opened wide and she lowered her head a moment. She pulled at the loose-fitting black T-shirt she wore as if he was insulting her. Then it hit him. She thinks I’m calling her fat.
“I didn’t mean that you need to work out. I just meant if it’s been a while, you may have forgotten a lot of the moves,” he rambled on as his brother, Hank, gave him a dirty look.
“I had to quit. But that was before and this is now,” she told him. Dalton couldn’t help but sense some upset in her comment. Perhaps someone told her to quit, or maybe she got lazy. It didn’t seem like a possibility.
“Here you go, Millie. Just stop in or call me if you have any questions.” Hank handed Millie a few fliers with class schedules. “We have two programs starting tomorrow. One is at nine in the morning and is for self-defense and kickboxing.”
She looked at the paper.
“What’s this one at seven in the morning? Mixed martial arts and grappling?” she asked.
“Oh, that’s for the more advanced students. We usually have law enforcement in there and black belts, people training for deployment,” Dalton told her as he walked past her and leaned against the desk. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at her.
“Oh, well that sounds like a good workout,” she replied with an attitude back.
Hank watched as Dalton looked Mil
lie over.
“It’s for experienced fighters and martial artists. You said you did self-defense classes.” He sounded like he was interrogating her and Millie stepped back.
Hank interrupted.
“We would test you first, Millie, to see how much you know and then we can place you in the right program. If we don’t have something for you, we offer one-on-one training, too, and not at a higher price.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“It’s a small town and we’re here for the people. We help to train the deputies in the latest techniques as well as military getting ready for new deployment or ex-military like my brothers and I who want to stay in shape and love to train.”
“Sound good. I’ll think about it and let you know.”
She began to leave.
“Come back tomorrow at nine and we’ll see what you remember. There’ll be a few other women and men here. They’re beginners, too,” Dalton added then got up from the desk and began to walk toward the water cooler.
Millie followed him with her eyes then looked at Hank.
She smiled.
“Thank you, Hank. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at nine.”
* * * *
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Hank asked Dalton after he watched Millie cross the street and head into the boutique.
“Nothing’s wrong with me, why?” Dalton asked.
“You were all over that girl. Shit, Dalton, I know it’s been a while since you had a woman, but don’t you remember how not to bite their heads off or make them run for the hills?”
Hank knew exactly what was up with his brother. Dalton had been immediately attracted to Millie just as he was, but Dalton thought that Millie was another one of the many single women walking into the dojo looking to land a man or mess around. They had had their share of women and Hank knew women well. Millie was different and he couldn’t wait to see her tomorrow.