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fifteen
Constance had just pulled on the door handle when a touch to her shoulder made her halt. Rhett loomed above, looking stern. “I thought you wanted to hear about Combat.”
Constance pushed a few sweaty strands of hair from her face and decided she’d get out the scissors and cut it short again when she got home. Long hair was just a pain in the ass and served no purpose whatsoever. “It’s late,” she said. “I’m sure you’re tired.”
“I’ve got a few minutes.” Rhett gave a wave to the stragglers from the last class as they headed out into the cold.
“Later, man.” Hobbs held up a hand. “You locking up?” His gaze went from Rhett to her and back again.
“Yep.”
“All right. Night, Red.” Hobbs winked at her. “Great job on those snatches. You seen her snatch yet?”
“Of course.” Rhett’s voice had a tinge of possessiveness to it.
Constance forced a smile. “Thanks.” She liked Steve. That conceited persona he wore was about as real as a clown’s painted smile. He was loud and boisterous but friendly, which kept him from being obnoxious. His energy was big, but thin. Constance sensed that there was a quiet, denser core that he kept tight and tucked away from scrutiny. She’d have to lay hands on him to find out.
Rhett locked the door behind Hobbs. His energy was big in a different way. Constance didn’t even need to touch him tonight to know—he was wide-open. It emanated from his body, even though he stood about a foot from her. Constance wondered if the woman who’d hugged him earlier was the one to amp him up. Unlike Hobbs, Rhett’s persona was typically cool and controlled, and his outward energy matched that, like a quiet, retreating tide that left a long, smooth pattern of wet sand in its wake. His core was where the storm lived. It was his source—a deeper, darker entity that drove him, crashing from the inside out, driving the power in circular ripples that calmed as it broke the surface.
Constance looked out into the dark parking lot. The strip mall across the street flickered with bright, festive lights. Everyone decorated for Christmas right after Thanksgiving these days, but she hadn’t even put her electric candles in the windows. At least she’d taken down Daddy’s scarecrow. “This was already my second workout today,” she said. “And it’s late. I should go.”
Rhett’s eyes narrowed. He silently appraised her. Constance swallowed the tightness in her throat, hoping he couldn’t see what she herself didn’t understand. What was her problem? Why had her mood changed ever since she saw that woman locked in his arms?
“We’re not going to work out.” Rhett took her elbow and gently pulled her away from the door. “I’m just going to show you a few basics. Then you’ll know whether or not you want to try the class.”
“Well—”
“C’mon. You can help me solve a problem at the same time.”
Constance knew she really should just go home. Eat some leftovers and maybe dig out her miniature tree. She could hang her White House ornaments on it and light it up, which would make her feel cozy and cheerful while she binged on some Netflix before bed.
She felt her gym bag slip from her grip and hit the floor. “Okay. Sure.”
They moved over to the area where the gymnastic mats still covered the floor from the Combat class. “Had a friend visit earlier,” Rhett said, like he could read Constance’s mind.
“I saw her.” Constance pictured the pretty brunette with the toned body and long, silky hair. “She looked like she was really good at this.” She nodded toward the mats.
“She is now. When she first tried, she fell flat on her ass.” He laughed. “That was a few years ago. After her husband died. We served together. My last tour in Iraq.”
Constance felt her insides open up in so many different ways it was impossible to decide what she was feeling. It was like getting a bite of something with multiple flavors and not knowing which way the dish would go. Salty? Sweet? Bitter?
“He’s buried in Arlington Cemetery. She comes every year from Ohio to visit.”
Bittersweet.
Constance regarded Rhett carefully, trying to absorb everything he said without words. “You go with her. You take care of her, as best as you can.”
Rhett’s eyes glimmered with surprise. It wasn’t a look Constance was used to seeing on his face. “Yeah. I have to be here for her. I have to do anything I can. Which is why—” he shrugged “—I feel bad I lied to her. She wanted to be with me for Christmas and I just can’t do it. I can’t.” He sighed, and rubbed a hand over his face.
Constance noticed how tired he was around the eyes. She stayed quiet, letting him open on his own.
He cleared his throat. “My mother rented me this cabin for Christmas Eve. Out at this dog rescue. Some kind of rustic getaway. I canceled the reservation. But when Angie suggested she come here and spend Christmas with me, I told her I was staying there. It just popped out of my mouth.”
Constance stopped herself from laughing, because Rhett wouldn’t understand. Had he really had one of Sunny’s cabins booked for the holiday? Talk about a small world. “You don’t want to spend Christmas with her?”
“No.” Rhett drew a deep breath and sighed. “I can’t be... I can’t...” He stopped and drew another deep breath. “I think she wants more from me than I can give.”
His deep, hidden energy rolled out and surrounded her, seeking somewhere to land. Constance let herself be open to it, rather than closing herself off to protect herself, which is what she mostly did these days. “It was a harmless lie,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with lies sometimes. Life isn’t as black and white as we’d like it to be.”
