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“Be knocked around by whom?” she asked, getting angry now.
“My dad.” I placed the outfit onto the coffee table again. “Are you here for a while?”
She nodded.
“Cool,” I said. “Nash is doing better. He’s up and showering right now. Drains got pulled today. He’s in a grumpy ass mood, though, because the driver he selected to run his car didn’t do a good job.”
Aracelli snorted. “He always gets bent out of shape when someone else’s butt is in his car.”
“As I should,” Nash said as he came out of the bedroom. “Nobody else can drive that car like I can.”
I rolled my eyes. “That sounded really conceited.”
“Conceited, sure. But truth? Yeah.” He looked at me. “Finish?”
“I did,” I said. “I’m going to leave you here with your babysitter so I can go try this on, then go practice a few routines.”
He looked thoughtful for a few seconds before saying, “You mind if we tag along?”
I grinned. “Do I mind if I get a ride from you and not have to walk to work? Absolutely.”
“You don’t walk to work. You take the bus,” he countered.
“I walk to the bus stop. Then I walk to the circus. That’s about a two-hour commute because half of it is walking time,” I countered. “I have to go grab a few things from my apartment. I’ll meet you down in the parking garage?”
He nodded, and I jumped up.
Tossing my new creation at him, I said, “Bring this down with you, if you don’t mind?”
Before he could reply yes or no, I was bounding out of the apartment.
I got to my place a few seconds later, taking the stairs two at a time to get there quickly.
Then I changed into tights and a baggy t-shirt, ballet flats, and threw up my hair into the highest ponytail I could manage while keeping the majority of the hair off the back of my head. Then I grabbed a couple of protein bars from the counter.
I met them in the parking garage standing next to Aracelli’s car.
And there were two more Christophersons standing there as well.
Kendall and Tyson.
Tyson I wasn’t surprised to see.
Kendall, his dad, however, did surprise me.
He’d been over multiple times, but he’d been reserved and hesitant. As if he didn’t want me around. Or wasn’t quite sure what to do with me.
I did have that effect on people. I rubbed some wrong, and it took them a while to warm up to me. Others loved me instantly.
“Uh, hi.” I greeted them hesitantly. “Are you all going?”
“I’m going,” Tyson said. “Dad’s going to come, too. But he’s taking his own car.”
My brows went up, but I didn’t question this. Nor was I upset.
I didn’t mind audiences. That was the whole point of a circus.
“Okay then,” I said, clapping twice. “Let’s go.”
We piled into Aracelli’s car, and Kendall got into his.
It took us twenty minutes to get to the circus, and the first person I saw at the guard shack was Autry.
“Hey, Autry!” I waved from the back seat. “How are you today?”
Autry was a gorgeous man.
All mocha skin, bright cognac-colored eyes, and perfectly white smile.
That smile also seemed to show up more and more often the longer he was out of the military.
At one point, he’d been in the SEALs with Coffey.
But something had happened. Something so bad that he’d been medically discharged from the Navy, and he’d come to Coffey for help.
Upon getting to know Autry, it was decided that he’d be our new manager of all things circus.
He kept the shows running on time, he made sure schedules were written and followed, he made sure all the supplies were there. He even fed the animals.
He was an all-around great addition to our circus team, and I wouldn’t know what to do without him at this point.
His eyes widened when he saw Nash sitting in the back seat next to me.
“Is that…” he trailed off.
“So Autry is a huge fan,” I turned to look at Nash. “I’m not sure why.”
He snorted, then leaned over me to offer his hand to Autry.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he shook Autry’s hand.
“It’s an honor to meet you,” he replied before dropping the grip he had on Nash. “I was sorry to see your car lose, and you not in it, Sunday.”
I winced, widening my eyes at Autry.
Autry caught the look and his grin widened.
I needn’t have worried, though.
Autry was an intuitive guy, and expertly steered the conversation away from his team’s poor performance and his lack of being there.
“I have to point this out but… you’re currently sitting next to a psycho,” he said.
I gasped. “Autry!”
Autry continued as if I hadn’t said a word.
“She will literally get into a fight with grown ass men if anyone disrespects you.” Autry grinned. “I hope that you’re ready to defend her, because she’ll definitely be getting you into a fight.”
