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The rest of the day, although I had to work, was filled with love and happiness and cake. Bobby had a chocolate bouquet delivered to my office, Casey and Izzy brought lunch and we picnicked in the gardens, then the rest of the guys made a huge production out of bringing over cake and balloons so Jimmy could serenade me and declare his love –his gift to me.
Now it’s Friday – girls night out. Long overdue, and totally deserved.
I’ve lost all the weight I set out to lose when I started training, and my old clothes are fitting better than they ever did. I get to wear something from myoldwardrobe. I get to feel like I have no responsibilities for a few hours.
To feel young and free, the way I haven’t since before my dad got sick.
With a sigh as every tiny second drags on because it knows I’m excited to get out of here, I look at my computer and almost groan out loud. Four-thirty. Too early to leave. Too late to start something new for the day.
The shredding room is looking awfully inviting right about now. I can sit, shred, sing, and hopefully count those minutes down a little faster.
Usually I work a little longer on training days and drive straight to the gym, but today I just want to escape and leave now. I’d rather sit with Iz and watch the guys train for an hour than sit here staring at my clock.
Tiny little ants of excitement crawl beneath my skin until eventually, I just shrug and switch the computer monitor off. It’s not like I haven’t done a million hours of overtime in the last few years.
I stand and collect my things. Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I brush past my next desk neighbor. “See you Monday, Jen.”
She looks up at me through thick glasses and grins. “Have fun tonight, Kit. Don’t get into any fights.”
I swing out the door and onto the deck outside our second story office, skip down the stairs with a smile on my face, and toss myself into the car with a flourish.
Freedom never tasted so good.
Freedom with a side of wind and gray clouds, but I’m not letting them dampen my mood. It’s only weeks out from Christmas and the sky is getting ready to dump on us, but I’ll be in a gym, then the club, before it gets ugly. There’ll be warm bodies in both places. Then my bed will have the warmest, cuddliest body of all waiting for me.
I never realized how nice my life could be, and it’s all because of a large guy with a really comfortable chest who likes to touch me every moment that we’re in the same room.
I switch on my car and turn the heating up, rub my hands together, and puff warm breath into them to fight off the chill in the air. Putting the car in gear, I pull out of the parking space and head to town.
Bobby tells me every morning over breakfast what he’s working on that day, so I know he’s busy with Aiden today while they work on his ground technique. I won’t disturb them when I arrive – no matter how tempting it is to see his face.
Driving slowly down Main Street, I tap the steering wheel to the beat of my music. When I pass Jonah’s store, I make a mental list of things we’ve run out of. Milk. Always milk. Toilet paper. Bread. All the things needed for survival.
Another glance at the clock convinces me to just stop now, so I make an illegal turn that would have Bobby shaking his head, and pull into the parking lot.
I rush through the wind and burst into the warm store. Sprinting through the fridge section to grab the milk and avoid frostbite, I skid to a stop in the magazine aisle as a familiar face smiles out at me.
Bobby’s grin teases me from the men’s health magazine cover. Bare chested, wet hair that’s definitely product and not actual sweat, purple shorts, and all sorts of muscles and tattoos.
I smile so ridiculously; my fat cheek squishes my eyes half closed. He’s so pretty.‘Bobby Kincaid; How to prepare for the world stage. How to shred fat but keep the muscle. How to maintain a private life while living in the spotlight.’
My heart hammers and my belly swirls with nervous energy. I’m not fighting in a few weeks, but Ifeellike I am. I feel nervous for him, but a good nervous. Excited. Adrenaline fueled.
I stroke his pretty face and blow him a ridiculous kiss, before picking up the magazine from the rack and tossing it into the cart. I’m going to frame this cover, then I’ll read about his private life and how to shred the fat.
I doubt the world knows about his bad food obsession.
My cart crashes back against my hip and sends me jumping a foot into the air with surprise. My eyes snap up and lock with Rita’s…Shit.I spend exactly one-point-three seconds wondering if Aunt Renee, her mom, has been approached by the insurance lawyers yet, but Rita answers for me. “Hey, nark bitch.”
Well shit, so she knows everything, then.
“Hey Rita, sorry I can’t stay, I’m late for an appointment.” I attempt to turn my cart, but she grabs my arm in a surprisingly strong grip for such a skinny girl. In fact, she seems much skinnier than I ever remember. Her flesh pulls in around the bones, her cheeks sunken.
She’s twenty-two, but looks more than thirty.
“We know that you snitched on my mom.” She squeezes my arm. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, sending the cops to our house?” Her dark eyes narrow in a glare and send my pulse racing. She’s my younger,smallercousin, and I’ve never been afraid of her before, but she’s beyond fucking angry right now.
“Look, I have to go.” I yank my arm from her grasp. “If you want information, you’ll have to speak to your mom or the lawyers. It’s got nothing to do with me.” I slide past and rush toward the registers.
