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“Uh-huh.” Hobbs turned back to Tabitha. “You want some water?”
“Please.”
Clementine was holding Tabitha’s water bottle, collected from the spot on the floor where she’d worked out. All her equipment had been cleaned and put away. The floor, once littered with barbells, boxes and chalk was now spotless. The other woman who’d done the workout was in the far corner, stowing away the mop and bucket. She must’ve cleaned up all of Tabitha’s stuff. Tabitha wondered how long she’d been on the ground, with Trinity on her chest. She felt guilty for not cleaning up her own equipment, but also grateful to everyone here, helping in some way. Clementine handed her the bottle and Tabitha took a long draw from the straw. The water opened up her throat and washed away the faint, prickly traces of panic that remained.
“Good girl,” Hobbs said to Trinity, who sat nearby. “That was the damnedest thing.” His eyes sparkled with appreciation. “Soon as your attack started, she was on top of your chest. Ran over and settled right in.”
Tabitha reached out and petted Trinity’s ear. The feel of her fur wiped away the last specks of panic. “It’s called Deep Pressure Therapy. Pete helped me train Trinity to drape over my chest in the right situations.”
“Pete?” Clementine stepped closer, her face relaxing. She settled on one knee and offered a smile. “Trinity is one of Pete’s? Funny. My daughter works at the animal shelter. Pete goes there a lot.”
“Really?” Tabitha looked Clementine over. “You don’t seem old enough to have a daughter who works.”
Clementine shrugged. “She’s sixteen.”
“If I ever have kids, I hope I look like you when my daughter is sixteen,” Zoe piped in.
“No kidding,” Tabitha agreed, glad for the distraction.
Clementine laughed and batted their comments away. “Hey,” she said, steering the conversation back to Tabitha. “I’m sorry about those fireworks. Those had to be illegal. They scared me, and I don’t mind loud noises.”
“The world is always going to have explosions.” Tabitha repeated something her therapist had said. “The way I deal with them will define me.” Her words came out breathless, so she stopped talking. She stayed seated for a little while longer. Eventually Clementine rose and Zoe collected her gear. The woman who’d cleaned up Tabitha’s stuff appeared by her side.
“Thanks so much for doing that,” Tabitha said. “I really appreciate it.”
“It was nothing.” She shrugged. “My name’s Fariba, by the way.”
“Tabitha. Nice to meet you.”
“Same. You going to be okay?” Fariba had pretty eyes and a tentative smile.
Tabitha nodded. “Thanks again.”
“You guys can take off,” Hobbs said. “I’ll stay put.”
“G’night, everyone.” Fariba collected her things and waved a hand as she headed for the door.
“Take it easy, Tabitha.” Zoe offered her fist and Tabitha bumped it. “See you soon.”
“Coming tomorrow?” Clementine gave a tentative smile.
“Probably. Thanks.” Once they were gone, Tabitha turned to Hobbs, who’d released her hand but guarded the side that Trinity wasn’t covering. “You probably have somewhere to be. I’m sorry. Give me just one more minute.”
“I’ve got all night, Tabby,” Hobbs said, the humor returning full force to his voice. “Take your time.”
Tabby. Nobody called her that but Auntie El. Tabitha usually discouraged the nickname because it made her sound like an alley cat. “Don’t you have a fireworks show to get to?” Tabitha felt herself gaining strength, all the atoms that made up her body normalizing between the steadying forces of Trinity on one side and Hobbs on the other.
“Nope.” Hobbs shook his head. “There’s a reason I’m coaching tonight. Rhett wanted to cancel. I offered to cover.”
Tabitha wanted to know why he’d be one of the few Americans who didn’t want to run around blowing things up on Independence Day, especially given his party personality, but she didn’t want to pry. Then again, Hobbs had just seen her at her worst. “Why not? You seem like the kind of guy who’d be into noisy celebrations.”
Hobbs laughed. “I know, right?” His easy grin fell away. “I just don’t like this day. It’s dumb.”
Tabitha felt like there was more, but let it rest. She decided to test her legs. As she rose, Hobbs jumped up and offered his hand. She didn’t need him for support, but she let him grasp her gently by the fingers anyway. She liked the feel of his sandpaper palms, gritty from so much barbell and gymnastics. He peered into her eyes. “Can you drive? You’re welcome to hang out here for a while. I’m going to do paperwork.” He nodded toward the office.
“I’ll be okay.”
“Alright.” Hobbs released her. “Good job today on your workout. You’re moving weight really easily. I expect big things.”
Don’t get your hopes up. The words rose but stopped at her lips. “Thanks,” Tabitha said instead. “For everything.” She nodded toward the bay, where she’d opened her eyes and found Hobbs staring down at her.
“Anytime, Tabby.” Then he gave a wave and disappeared into the office, not one joke or flexing or clowning to be had.
Tabitha headed to her car with Trinity, feeling hollowed out but suddenly starving for Auntie El’s chocolate brownies. This night had been unexpected, but the funny part was, she wasn’t exactly sorry for it, either.
