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“Yes. It feels good.” I breathed in as he applied pressure to my foot. I always felt great after one of his massages. “That sounds screwy.”
“I’ve started seeing a gorgeous man. He’s a gym junkie and seriously hot, but also sweet and sensitive.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
I could still feel Carson’s arm around my shoulder as he helped me to his car the night I was mugged. His solid presence was so comforting. I never wanted him to leave. And despite his rejection, this unrelenting crush that started from the moment Declan introduced us, had deepened.
“I got a weird vibe coming from Clarice at the mention of Manon,” I said.
“Manon bosses Clarice around. I think she’d love to sack her.”
“She has my sympathy. Manon seems to have my mother around her finger.”
“I guess she’s her grandmother. Between you and me, I think Manon wants Clarice’s job.”
“I’ll have a word with Ethan,” I said.
“She’s in thick with Andrew.”
I frowned. “You’ve seen her with him?”
“We had drinks here the other night to celebrate Pond’s first year, and she got pretty chummy.”
“He’s married, isn’t he?” I asked after my brother’s spa partner, whom I’d only met once.
“He is.”
“She’s only nineteen.”
“The daddy thing’s pretty popular these days. And he’s rich,” he said.
“She loves flaunting it, that’s for sure.”
“Oh, she’s a minx all right.” He giggled while massaging my toes.
“But we’re stuck with her. That’s why I’ve been staying in London more than usual.”
“It is lovely here. I love Bridesmere.”
“So do I.” I sighed. At least Bram had an aversion to being outside of London and his dealers.
With that heavy thought swirling, my spirit sagged.
Chapter 4
Carson
WhileDrakedemonstratedapush-up, his new client watched on, wearing the same hopeful expression I’d seen on men wishing to bulk up to attract women.
Starting from an early age, I had to muscle up to survive the tough gangs at our council estate, which had very little to do with pussy. Although beefing up had that nice payoff, too, I soon discovered.
On seeing me, Drake held up his finger to his client and then came over and hugged me. “Hey there, big man.”
I laughed. He wasn’t exactly puny. In fact, Drake had bulked up considerably since the last time we met. For a twenty-two-year-old, the former troubled teenager had matured not just physically but mentally. In his early days at Reboot, he didn’t hug and seemed uncomfortable with any form of friendly contact.
That’s why Reboot had been so important. Apart from giving them work and focus, the bootcamp had also brought the boys a family of friends and a reliable support network. I witnessed firsthand boys turning their lives around in the few months I worked there.
As a teenager, I was one punch-up away from prison when I joined the army. Only in this case, it wasn’t the army but Reboot that had helped kids like Drake, who’d gone from a brawling street kid to someone with a purpose.
