I studied him for a few seconds before I burst into a loud laugh that echoed against every hard surface in sight.
“I see your point, but if you take it that badly, I’ll just call for an Uber.”
“Smart woman,” he said. “Go ahead and ask your question, Vanessa.”
“Okay.” I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I fell in step beside him. Talking to Emmett was so easy and natural, and I wanted to know more about him.
“Why did you choose mixed martial arts?” I asked. “The match I saw with Kat was insane and intense, and really fun, but you seem like such a quiet, calm guy, so I’m curious.”
He didn’t hesitate with his answer. “I see you’ve been talking to local media,” he said and laughed. “It’s a question I get often. They call me the Soft Spoken Warrior like it’s a compliment.”
“It is. Isn’t it?”
“Ehh… I don’t know. I started karate when I was a kid, mostly because I grew up in a shithole neighborhood. I was a runt and needed to be able to defend myself. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. When my time in the military was up, I had more training than I knew what to do with, also an in with a local fight academy.”
“House of Ashby,” I said proudly.
“Exactly. I boxed for a year or two, won a few belts, but I realized my passion was in training other fighters, helping them improve their mental toughness for that competitive edge. Sadie gave me a shot, and here I am, playing chauffer for a pretty new friend.”
Well that made me blush, but he rushed in to apologize.
“I hope I didn’t overstep,” he said.
By then, we’d reached his car. The walk had sped by faster than I had expected and I was becoming drawn to Emmett, his humor and sensitivity.
“Oh, no,” I said, gathering my wits. “Thanks, actually. And I appreciate the ride, especially in this beauty.”
I gave his black Tesla a loving rub as I made my way to the passenger side. I could tell his ride was his pride and joy.
“Thank you,” he said. “Glad you like it. I’d been looking to get one of these since they came out.”
“Nice guy. Gentle giant. And a warrior for the environment? You trying to win a Nobel, Emmett?”
I was beginning to feel we were old friends.
“Nope,” he said, grinning. “But I do like this car and sentry mode means I’ll never be caught by surprise again.”
A reminder that he’d been attacked a few weeks earlier. Sounded like it had left a bitter taste in his mouth. “It wasn’t your fault, Emmett.”
“I know, but I still don’t like that it happened. I’m a fighter, Vanessa. In the ring and also for the goddamn U.S. of A. A soldier. It never should have happened. Period.”
“Ah, I see,” I said. “You’re not just a solider and a fighter, you’re also a superhero who should be able to see into the future and stop a deranged criminal? Got it.”
“Smart ass,” he said, and I liked the easy banter between us.
“Not normally, but I’m finding my inner smart ass,” I said, realizing I was becoming proud of this emerging part of myself.
“Good. Keep her, I kind of like her.”
“You know what, Emmett? Me too.”
He walked around the car and got in.
When he smiled at me like that, it was hard to remember we were friends.
Just friends.
I finished a hard workout and stood under the high pressure shower for a good ten minutes longer than usual, letting the hot steamy jets pound my tired muscles. I turned off the water, grabbed a towel to wrap around my hair and stepped out of the shower to the insistent ringing of my front doorbell.
“What the…” Can’t I have a few minutes peace of mind, I grumbled, making a sarong out of a bath towel as a ran to shut down that bell. Someone was going to get an earful I promised myself as I flung open the front door.
“Kat! What are you doing here?”
“I told you I’d be over as soon as I finished my workout.” I’d never seen Kat in anything less than a red carpet out and here I was half-naked and my face devoid of all makeup.
“You look like that and you still work out? If you weren’t so damn nice, I’d hate you. A lot.” Kat’s blunt words never failed to put a smile on my face, and I took a step back and waved her inside.
“It’s not like I have a lot else to do right now,” I answered, “other than take care of you, of course.” She rolled her eyes and followed me down the hall and into the living room. “If it makes you feel better, I spent half an hour debating on whether or not to use the weight room or go to an actual gym.”
Her blue eyes widened in surprise and then she let out a loud, boisterous laugh that showed signs she was finally returning to the bubbly, outspoken woman she’d been before she was shot. “Why?”
I shrugged, unsure how to explain it without seeming like a grieving weirdo, but I realized this was Kat. She’d been kind to me from the moment we met. If she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, I shouldn’t be either.
“This house is great. It’s my dream home, but some days it feels like a prison. I just want to get out and live some life outside the walls. But the cheap part of me says why should I pay for a gym membership when I have a perfectly good gym here at home. Does that make sense?”
Kat nodded. “Other than the whole working out part, it makes perfect sense.”
My shoulders relaxed at her words, and I said, “Coffee?”
“Nope,” Kat said. “We’re going out.”
“We are?” I looked down at the towel wrapped around my torso and remembered the yoga pants and oversized Navy t-shirt I had planned to wear for the rest of the day. “Like out out or running errands out?”
“Put on something dazzling but comfortable. I’m sick of being stuck at home or confined to my office for just a few hours a day. I want to get out, breathe in some fresh air.”
Twenty minutes later we stepped out of her car in front of The Siren Resort & Casino in Mayhem. “Is this the fresh air you were talking about?” I said as we walked into the private luxury mall.
Kat shrugged, looking totally unapologetic as her smile spread. “This place has pure oxygen constantly pumped into it. Can’t get fresher than that.”
“I mean technically you could get actual fresh air from outside, but this is all right too.”
Kat rolled her blue eyes. “Yes, but outside doesn’t have shopping or a brand new seafood restaurant where we can eat before heading to Wicked Wedding to meet Maisie.”
What followed was an over the top shop fest that lasted until lunch. We juggled our shopping bags, and I put my arm in hers and said, “Let’s go stuff ourselves with seafood. Where is this place you told me about?”
The Ashby name was gold in Mayhem because we didn’t have to wait more than sixty seconds to get a seat at the packed new restaurant.
“This place is gorgeous,” she said when were seated. “You’d think the whole sea motif would be tacky or overdone, but it’s not. At all.”
It was the nicest restaurant I’d ever been in. The kind of place with tons of gold flatware, most of which I had no idea how to use. “It’s great, but isn’t this kind of fancy for a mid-week lunch?”