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“You can grab a seat over there while you fill them out, if you’d like,” Avalon urged. “Once you’re done, I’ll go over all the specifics of the available class times and the options you have for other services we provide that you might be interested in.”
“Okay. Just give me a minute to get this done then,” I replied.
After snatching up a pen, I moved toward the seating area just inside the front door and sat down. I was grateful for the task, since it took my mind off of Kane and the strange but not unwelcome new feelings that being around him evoked.
When I finished a few minutes later, I returned to Avalon’s desk, where she did just as she promised and went over all of the options I had for taking more classes. As it turned out, Harper Security Ops offered classes throughout the day to accommodate the schedules of everyone who would be interested in using their services.
In addition, Avalon had shared how things would work when it came to weapons training, but for the time being, she knew that I was content to stick with the self-defense classes.
And finally, she did share that they offered private classes in the event that I believed I’d benefit better from having one-on-one instruction instead of being in the group setting. While there was a part of me that believed a one-on-one session would be beneficial simply because I’d have that concentrated attention from an instructor, there was the other part of me that believed it might not be a good idea.
I mean, how would that have even worked?
Avalon said it was a private class that would give me one-on-one instruction. Who would that be with? Would it be Jake one time and Kane the next? Would it be with the other guys Avalon had mentioned earlier in the day that I had yet to meet?
Or would I have been with the same person? Did I get to choose who I worked with? Most of all, if I wound up working with Kane, would I even be able to handle that?
Realizing just how important it was that I got the training I needed, I made a decision right there on the spot to decline any private classes. It was just too risky, and I didn’t need to take any chances with this.
But since I believed I needed as much instruction as I could get, I didn’t hesitate to jump at the chance for more group classes.
“Looks like I’ll be back again tomorrow morning,” I told her as I put my wallet back inside my purse.
“That sounds great, Ellery. We’re looking forward to working with you and helping you achieve your goals. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she returned.
With that, I said goodbye and walked out of the building.
Then I drove back to the tiny home community and made my way to the Steel Hideaway house I was staying in. I wanted to be able to say I did something particularly fun and exciting, and I guess to some extent, it was for me. But all I did was some online shopping since I didn’t have much clothing at my disposal, and I added my new self-defense classes to my calendar.
When I wasn’t busy doing anything else, though, I found my thoughts were stuck on one of two different things. Either I was wondering how Patrick reacted when I didn’t ever come home last night, or I was recalling the sweet looks that Kane had given me today.
Suffice it to say that neither one of those things was good for my mental state.
Because one of them left me feeling terrified while the other left me feeling longing. And it was because of the one that I knew I’d never be able to explore the other.
Nothing made me feel sadder than that.
FIVE
Kane
It was the tap on my arm that had me loosening my hold.
Breathing heavily, I fell to my back and threw my arms over my head. Jake rolled to the side and settled on his back, too. He was just as out of breath as I was. Maybe more so.
We’d come in to work a little earlier this morning to spar. I enjoyed it for what it was; Jake needed it to survive.
Or, I guess he needed it to stay on even keel. The guy had his demons to deal with, and sparring helped him to keep it all in check.
“You got lucky this time,” he said, breath heaving. “I took it easy on you.”
I started laughing. “Yeah. Okay. Keep telling yourself that,” I fired back.
Jake’s head rolled to the opposite side, so he could glance up at the clock on the wall. “If we had more time before class started, I’d prove it to you,” he declared.
Doing an ab curl, I sat up, draped my arms over my bent knees, and haggled him. “I guess you got saved by the bell, didn’t you?”
A rush of air left his lungs as he got up. “You wish. And if you’re so confident, let’s go for a rematch after class.”
