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“What, you mean like a giant gnome?” I ask, bristling.
She snorts out a laugh. “That wasn’t what I was thinking at all.”
“Yeah, yeah they do,” I mutter, reconsidering my choice to bring her here after all.
Pushing open the door to the staff room, we head inside to be welcomed by a wall of muscle in the form of Riley, Troy and AJ. The three men help me to run this gym alongside Baxter, as well as back me up when the family heads want us to deal with the local riff-raff. Riley is the first to get up from the large sectional in the corner of the staff room.
“Hey man, you good?” he asks, bumping my fist in greeting before turning his attention to Lia and Toby.
“Hello, lad,” he says, crouching down in front of Toby and holding his fist up.
Toby immediately curls his fingers, gently bumping Riley’s hand right back.
“You’re not as big as Baxter,” Toby observes.
Riley laughs. “No one is as big as Baxter,” he agrees amiably, rising upwards to hold his hand out to Lia.
“Hi,” she says, shaking it.
“This is Riley,” I explain, his blonde hair almost as long as Lia’s, reaching his shoulders. He normally wears it up in a man bun, but every now and again he keeps it down. The guy looks like he’d be better suited in an episode of Vikings than teaching boxercise in my gym.
“And this is Troy,” I add, as our weights expert unfurls himself from the couch and gives Toby and Lia a terse nod. “Don’t mind him. He doesn’t say much.”
“We’ve already met,” Lia says softly as she gives him a tight smile.
“You have?” I ask, feeling both bemused and a little bit territorial as AJ throws me a look from the couch. Pretty sure he’s trying to hide a smirk as he pushes to his feet, the bastard.
“At Bandits, the night Toby had a stomach upset,” she explains, her smile faltering .
“You didn’t say anything,” I remark, looking at Troy who glides his dark eyes from Lia to meet mine.
“It didn’t occur to me that I should,” he shrugs.
“And I’m AJ, the one with the manners,” AJ says, throwing a glare over his shoulder at Troy. “Nice to meet you both.”
He grins at Lia and she smiles back. A little more uncertain now as he stares at her in that curious way he seems to do with anyone he meets for the first time. The shortest of the three, standing at six foot, his dark hair is a mess of curls on his head, offsetting his pale green-blue eyes.
“Do you all eat your vegetables? Is that why you’re so tall?” Toby asks, peering up at the three men. To him they must seem like giants, so I lean down and draw him into my arms, picking him up.
“There, now you’re just as tall,” I say, and he grins.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Troy throw me a look as he shifts in his seat. I don’t know if it’s because kids make him uncomfortable or if he’s got something else on his mind, but I ignore it. For now.
“Anyway, I wanted to introduce you because Lia and Toby are staying with me and Daise for a while, so you’ll probably see us out and about together.”
“Awesome,” AJ says, eying me, and I’m not sure I like the conniving smile he gives me. “Have you shown Lia and Toby your collection of Funko Pops yet?”
Ah, fuck.
Riley covers a laugh with a cough, and even Troy lifts his lips in a smirk.
“You actually collect Funko Pops?” Lia asks me, her eyes widening with surprise. “So that’s where the toy you gave Toby came from.”
“I used to collect Funko Pops when I was a kid,” I reply, glaring at Riley who’s grin just widens.
“Funny, coz I’m pretty sure you received a delivery here a month ago of ten new ones.”
“Motherfucker!” I whisper under my breath, my damn cheeks heating.
