Black Dog: Bannon's Gym, Book 1 by Cat Grant

Author:Cat Grant
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2014-03-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Five months later

The Friday lunch crowd cleared out early, drawn outside by the warm weather. I stood behind the counter, wiping my hands on my apron and aiming a squint through the front window.

“What say we close the joint down and go to the beach?” I said.

Gloria shot me a sour look. “Ha-ha.”

“I’m serious.” It was early August, but like most California coastal towns, we’d spent most of the summer blanketed in fog. I didn’t want to waste a glimmer of this glorious sun.

“Do what you want. My bikini days are over.” She glanced at Tom. “How about you, cutie face?”

Tom grinned and started clearing off the counter. “I won’t say no to an afternoon off. But I’d rather go to the gym.”

Of course he would. He’d been spending every free evening and Sunday there for the past five months. I coached him in boxing three nights a week, while Danny and a couple of the guys from the jiu-jitsu class supervised his martial arts training. Between that, jogging, weight training and the high-protein diet I’d put him on, he’d gained a good ten pounds of solid muscle.

He cleaned the dirty dishes off the counter, wiped it down and started busing tables. Lugging around that heavy tub didn’t make him huff and puff anymore. He’d just worked his way to the front when his phone chirped. He cast around a nervous glance—as if we’d ever chewed him out for taking a phone call—then dug his phone out of his pocket.

“Hey, Danny. What’s up?”

I sipped at my coffee, more to hide my smile than anything else. Gloria and I traded looks, and she smiled too.

“Sounds great, but I’ll have to ask Eddie,” Tom said. “I’ll call you right back.” Well, not right back—he finished busing the tables first.

“What’s going on?” I asked as he ambled back up to the counter.

“Um, there’s a jiu-jitsu competition at the university gym this Saturday.” Funny how he talked like I didn’t already know. Danny’d had a poster for the event hanging in his office for a month and a half. “Dale was supposed to help out, but he had to cancel. So Danny was wondering if I could fill in.”

I made a show of thinking it over, drumming my fingers on the counter. “I guess we can spare you for one day. What do you think?” I asked Gloria.

“Fine with me.” She went over to the front door and propped it open, letting in the warm breeze. God, it was criminal having to stay inside on a day like this. Gloria gave me her famous side eye before parking herself in the doorway and lighting up. “Go out and enjoy the weather, you two,” she said, blowing her smoke outside. “Just make sure you’re back in time for dinner.”

She didn’t have to tell us twice. I followed Tom in back, where he dumped the dishes in the sink, then we hung up our aprons and headed out.

I sighed the moment the sun hit my back, warming my muscles through my ratty old Iron Maiden T-shirt.

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