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“Sure you don’t need an extra day?” He’d fully expected the boxing coach to call in sick. Wayne was getting on in years, after all, even if he didn’t want to admit it.
“I heard Bella Fiore started yesterday. I wanted to meet her, make sure she stays on top of her stand-up game. Don’t worry—I won’t use any heavy machinery today.” He headed off.
Kyle watched from his office, tensing as the former heavyweight boxer introduced himself to Bella, shaking hands and talking enthusiastically with her.
He forced himself to look away. He didn’t know why he was being so nosy. It wasn’t as if Wayne would ever do anything to make anyone feel unwelcome. He was really a sweet guy despite his hulking frame and nickname, “Crusher.”
In fact, if there was anyone he had to worry about, it was Bella. Thinking about how she’d dealt with that jerk at the bar last night, he should probably warn the boxing coach about her. He should probably warn all the guys....
What are you, their mom? Everyone knew the potential consequences of flirting with coworkers. It would be embarrassing and condescending for everyone if he had to reiterate the policy.
As the week went on, though, he became convinced he’d have to sit down with Bella and talk to her about her conduct. Besides being a very attractive woman and the first new female employee at Payette’s in over a year, she was effusive to a fault.
She was too eager to please, dropping whatever she was doing to help a client or trainer. She’d step right up to clients that weren’t hers and correct their techniques and forms without being asked. She boldly approached regulars and offered her training services. She didn’t seem to understand that a lot of these guys came in for a simple workout, or else had trainers already. People might misinterpret her intentions.
Sooner or later, she’d start stepping on toes. If she scooped one of the other trainers’ clients or had a misunderstanding with someone...well, he didn’t want to deal with the interoffice fallout. He’d have a talk with her.
On Friday, she came to his office to show him the programs she’d put together for her classes. He only half listened to her as she outlined the exercises.
“So, with Orville and Tito doing conditioning with me, and Wayne filling in with sparring and stand-up, I was wondering if we could schedule some mat time on Wednesdays and Fridays.”
“I’m sorry?” He’d only caught the word we, and it’d jolted him.
“I came here so you could train me, Kyle?” Her prompt rose in a question. “I arranged the schedule with the others so we’d have time—”
“I’m kind of busy with these new recruitment programs,” he interrupted, tapping the binder of marketing plans on his desk. “The week after next we can start.”
Her expression closed, and her mouth firmed into a tight line. He thought she’d leave. People usually did when he put his foot down.
“No.” She placed her notes on his desk and primly settled her palms on top, pressing down firmly. “That’s not acceptable.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s—”
“Not in our agreement. I was promised one-on-one time with you. I’ve been here a week and you’ve barely given me the time of day.” Her dark eyes held his, hard and unblinking as a jade statue’s. “So, what’s the problem, Coach? Did I say something to offend you?”
He took a deep breath. “I’m concerned about the way you conduct yourself around here.”
She absorbed his words slowly before narrowing her eyes. “How’s that?”
“You’re too forward.” It wasn’t what he’d meant to say, but now that it had come out, he was committed to it. “You can’t go around offering your training services to every single client. Most of the regulars already have coaches. They don’t need you to confuse them, and it won’t help you get along with the others. On top of that, you’ve been greeting clients at the door. That’s Liz’s job. It’s what she’s paid to do. You’ve only been here a week and I’m concerned you don’t know enough about how things work here to give them the information they need.”
Her blazing green eyes seared a hole right through him. “I think I said hello to two people who walked in. Two. And that was only because Liz was in the bathroom and they were standing there, looking lost. I didn’t see any of the guys rushing out to greet them, so I said hello. Now you’re telling me that’s wrong?”
“You should’ve gotten a senior staff member. But that’s not the only thing.” He took a deep breath and plunged forward. “You’re too friendly with the guys. Some of them might get the wrong idea.”
He only realized how bad it sounded after the words left his mouth.
Her voice pitched down an octave. “Excuse me?”
“This is a gym full of guys, and some clients get it in their heads that... Well, see, there was this one guy who tried to ask Liz out, but she wouldn’t date him...”
“And you blame Liz for that?”
“No!” He massaged his scalp. He was making a mess of this. “All I’m saying is, you’re a...a woman, and if you act friendly...”
She slowly leaned forward in her seat. “I’m friendly because I’m actually a nice person. I talk to clients because I want them to get the most out of their time here. That’s how a Fiore gym is run. We learn from having lots of different trainers, lots of variety and techniques. We don’t isolate every single student and tell them they’re only allowed to work with one person. We certainly don’t isolate the women from the men because we don’t trust what they’ll do to each other.”
“Look, it came out totally wrong, and I apologize. Of course we want diversity in our trainers and clientele. That’s half the reason you’re here. But this is a professional gym. Some of the guys work on hourly fees, and they can’t risk losing a client. I’d just appreciate it if you stepped back a bit.”
She sat back and rolled her eyes. “No wonder you’re losing customers.”
He flinched as though she’d slapped him. “You need to remember—” your place “—that you’re a guest trainer here. Temporary. Just because you’ve been doing this a long time at your family’s studio doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing here.”
She studied him coolly, glass-green eyes slicing him to ribbons. “You don’t want me here, do you?”
A hard lump formed in his throat. “That’s not it.”
“You obviously don’t like me.”
“That’s not true.” And it wasn’t. He simply didn’t know how to handle her. Her temperament, her energy, her drive—they were all good things professionally speaking, but they were nothing he was prepared to deal with. And that was what really bothered him.
Bella’s words were as sharp and precise as a scalpel. Her composure was unexpected and it threw him off balance even more. “I came here to train with you, Kyle. Not with your staff, not in your gym. I came for you. But if you can’t work with me, then all you have to do is say so, and I won’t waste any more of my time or yours.”
“That’s not what I want.” He scrubbed his hands over his face and took a deep breath. “I’ve really messed this up.”
She waited expectantly.
His chair creaked as he swung it to the left, tilting back with a long sigh. “I don’t want you to go. I do have a lot to teach you, and I think you have a lot to teach our clients. You’re a talented fighter, and you can bring a lot to this gym. I wouldn’t have agreed to have you here otherwise.”
“Except that I’m a Fiore.”
“I won’t lie to you. Your family name and reputation does have some draw. Since we posted that picture of you up on our website, we’ve had twice as many cold calls from guys who want to train here.”
“And still you think I’m only here to flirt with your employees and steal clients?”
He grimaced. “I didn’t mean for it to sound that way.”
She didn’t look impressed. “Answer me this. Will you or won’t you make time to train me?”
He wiped a damp palm over his mouth. “I can spare you two hours this afternoon.”
She nodded stiffly. “All right. Are we done?”
For now. “Yeah.”
Her chair scraped back loudly, and she marched out of his office. The knot in Kyle’s gut loosened. That had not gone the way he’d hoped. And he’d come off sounding like a complete asshole.
You let a girl push you around, his father’s voice mocked from the back of his mind.
Kyle ground his teeth and pressed his thumbs against his closed eyelids. Whatever his issues, he couldn’t afford to have Bella leaving with a negative impression of what Payette’s had to offer.
He’d work with her. His job depended on it.
His sanity, however, was another matter.
* * *
LIZ’S JAW DROPPED. “He said that?”
“Maybe I’m making it sound like more than what he meant, and for his part, he did apologize, but I’m pretty sure he meant to tell me he didn’t want me talking to, like, anyone.” Bella sipped her iced tea, trying to wash away the bitterness Kyle’s words had left behind. Liz had invited her out for after-work drinks. They were at The Spot, the gastropub she’d visited on Monday night. The other trainers were currently shooting pool, giving the girls a chance to chat. Kyle wasn’t among the group.
“For the record, I don’t have any problem with you talking to clients. I think everyone should take more initiative like you did,” Liz said, and gave a disgruntled sigh. “So Kyle finally worked with you this afternoon?”
“He did, but mostly, he had me doing conditioning exercises. We never got around to any mat work.” He’d been a taskmaster when it came to those endurance drills. They nearly had her puking a couple times, but she’d held it together.
“He does tend to go heavy on the endurance and strength training, but that’s the way he works. I’m sure he’ll get you wrestling soon.”
Bella hoped so. After today’s talk, she wasn’t sure Payette’s—or Kyle—was a good fit for her.
Neal, the bartender, set a plate of onion rings on the table in front of them. “For you ladies, on the house.”
“Careful, Neal, or I’m going to start getting ideas.” Bella winked at him, and Liz laughed as they reached for the plate.
He grinned. “I’ll admit I came with an ulterior motive.” They invited him to sit, and he took a chair. “A friend of mine runs a center for at-risk youth not too far from Payette’s. She’s looking for someone to come in and give her kids self-defense classes. I thought of you and said I’d ask if you’re interested.”
Bella hesitated. “I’d love to...but it’s not my call to make. I’ll have to ask Kyle.” She looked to Liz, who gave her an affirming nod. “There are insurance questions and a whole lot of other issues he’d have to deal with.”
“Here’s my friend’s card. You two can hash it out. I hope you’ll do it, though—I read up on some of the stuff your family’s done. I think you’d be perfect for this.”
No pressure or anything, she thought as she pocketed the business card, and Neal headed back for the bar. She’d never stop being a Fiore, it seemed. But then, she’d never been able to turn down a call for help. If she could improve a few lives even just a little bit through martial arts, then there was no reason to deny this request.
The guys finished their pool game and joined the ladies, then ordered food. Tito and Orville sat on Bella’s right in the semicircular booth, while Wayne perched on a tiny-looking bistro chair on the other side of the table. She liked the old boxer. His upturned smile and the lone furrow on his broad brow bracketed his cheerful countenance. They chatted about the upcoming UFF fights and the busy weekend ahead.
The door opened. Kyle walked in, and Bella’s skin broke out in goose bumps. The guys all looked up and waved. She turned to give him a polite smile. Instead of joining them, though, he went to the bar and sat on his own.
“He doesn’t drink with you guys?”
“Nah, not anymore. He used to, but then...” Orville trailed off.
“Then what?”
“He had one too many and banged our old yoga instructor.”
“Tito!” Liz exclaimed.
“What? She’s gonna hear about it sooner or later.” He bit into his chicken wrap, eyes cast down.
Bella wasn’t sure she wanted to hear more, but Liz explained quickly, “It was a bad scene. Kyle had the no-fraternization policy put into place after that.”
“And turned into the biggest prick I know.”
“Tito...” Liz pleaded.
“Hey, I like the guy. I really do. But he’s nowhere near as fun as he used to be.”
“Because he won’t be your wingman anymore?”
“It’s not that. For one, he doesn’t hang with us. And whenever a girl walks into the gym, he acts like we’re all gonna try to eat her or something.” Orville sighed. “Man, Karla really did a number on him.”
“We shouldn’t be talking about this.” Liz darted a nervous look at Kyle. “He’s sitting right there.”
But the guys had hooked onto the subject. “It wasn’t his fault. Karla was bat-shit crazy,” Wayne defended the boss valiantly.
Bella leaned forward, careful not to look too interested. “So...this Karla used to work at Payette’s?”
“Karla taught yoga and Pilates and some of the other women’s classes,” Orville explained. “She was also a blue belt in krav maga. Really tough lady, like a blonde Xena on steroids.
“Anyhow, she was one of the gym’s first hires—helped Kyle build and open the place. And I have to say, she was a good teacher. So we’re celebrating our first-year anniversary at the gym after hours. Champagne’s flowing, music’s playing. And Kyle, wouldn’t you know, is there without a date—”
“Which is like showing up without a leg for Kyle,” Tito added.
“—so what does he do? He starts hitting on Karla. They went home together, and she came back the next day in his car wearing the same clothes she’d been wearing the night before.”
“Awkwaaaard,” Tito drawled.
“After that, it got super weird. That office door was closed a lot when they were in there together, and we all had to pretend like we didn’t know what was going on.”
“And we didn’t!” Liz insisted. “They could’ve just been talking about private stuff.” Orville didn’t let up, though, and she made a noise of exasperation.
“Two or three weeks later, it stopped. Things got arctic between them. My best guess is that he dumped her, and Karla didn’t like that.”
Wayne took up the story. “She started showing up to work drunk. She picked fights with all of the other trainers, harassed the clients. Anything to get Kyle’s attention. One day, he takes her into the office, closes the door. I was standing right by the corner, and one of the blinds was half-open. I peeked in to see if they were...well.” His face turned pink. “But then, she, like, punches herself. Wham! And then she screams and comes out holding her face and saying that Kyle hit her.”
Bella flinched. “What?”
“’Course, I knew she was lying. We all did. You couldn’t make the guy kill a bug.” Wayne shook his head.
“Bitch be crazy,” Tito said, then glanced at Liz, who glared daggers at him. “What?”
Bella saw his point but balked. She glanced at Kyle. Belts and training didn’t amount to anything if you were caught off guard or you were emotional. Anything could happen. Though, Kyle was trained to fight, too. And if Karla had been in love with the guy...well, love did crazy things to people. It didn’t mean she’d been crazy.
But then, Wayne had seen what had happened. He had no reason to lie.
She hated the doubt that nagged her.
Orville picked up where Wayne had left off. “He fired her then and there and called the cops when she refused to leave. See, if he’d hit her, you’d think she would’ve said something to the police, but she didn’t. Anyway, we thought that was the end, but then she started calling every day. And she’d leave little gifts on the gym’s doorstep—flowers and cookies and stuffed animals with notes saying ‘I’m sorry’—”
“Guys, let’s not talk about this anymore, okay?” Liz massaged the flesh between her eyes.
Orville and Wayne both looked like they wanted to say more, but they sipped their drinks furtively.
“If you ask me, it was a matter of time and statistics,” Tito said. “Player’s gonna be played eventually.”
Bella’s gaze drifted back to Kyle. He was talking to a pretty brunette at the bar.
So. He’d had a relationship with a coworker that had ended badly. It explained why he was so prickly about her being friendly, she supposed.
Not that it excused his behavior.
He could rest assured that she wouldn’t get too friendly with him.
CHAPTER FOUR
BELLA GAVE IT a couple of days before she broached the subject of the Touchstone youth center’s request for self-defense classes to Kyle. She was still sore about their exchange on Friday, but she wasn’t about to let that interfere with her training. She had to remain professional.
She’d called Reta Schwartz, Neal’s friend at the youth center, and listened to her ideas for classes to offer the young people who frequented the center. The social worker wanted something fun and practical to help boost their confidence. The center didn’t have the space or equipment, so Bella said she’d ask Kyle if they could host the classes at Payette’s.
“It would be a great opportunity for everyone involved,” she told Kyle when she finally sat down with him. “We could do it in the evenings, right after the women’s boot camp class.”
He hesitated. “What kind of compensation are we talking?”
“Compensation? Kyle, this would be entirely pro bono. The center doesn’t have money to throw around.” He grimaced, and she continued, “You can write it off. Community outreach programs like this are vital to developing relationships with potential future clients, plus they’re a great PR opportunity.”
He pressed his palms together and rested his lips against them as if he might breathe patience into his cupped hands. “In theory, it sounds like a great idea, but as much as I’d love to take this on, we’re already suffering from declining memberships. If we start inviting random street kids into Payette’s, this place stops being a world-class MMA facility for serious fighters and turns into the local Y.”
“That won’t happen as long as the teaching standards are high. These kids will see that learning here is a privilege. We have to offer them something worth sticking around for, worth telling others about.”
Kyle rubbed his forehead. He looked so much older when he did that. “I’m not sure I can convince any of the guys to run this class. They’re busy enough....”
“I can take charge,” she volunteered, sensing his crumbling resistance. “If you’re not comfortable with that, I’m happy to take a co-teaching role, though if anyone leads this class, it should be you. We can put together a basic self-defense curriculum, mix it up with a few beginner Muay Thai and boxing lessons.”
He regarded her with interest. “You’re really into this.”
“My grandfather Fulvio used to drive around the streets and hand his card out to kids in tough neighborhoods. He wanted to keep them out of gangs, get them to channel their anger into something constructive. The ones that came usually stayed and made something of themselves. It was Fulvio’s way of doing something for the community. Plus, he got some of the most brilliant fighters off the streets.”
She didn’t mention that she thought this would be a good opportunity for her and Kyle to work together toward a common goal. As many times as she’d extended an olive branch, she’d also swatted him with it. She had to mend the rift between them if she was ever going to get that wrestling training she’d come here for.
“How’d they even afford the classes?” Kyle asked. “If they’re street kids, I mean.”
“Scholarships. Or he’d make them work their lessons off. He always figured something out. The money wasn’t that important to him. All he cared about was the boys.” She sat forward. “Kyle, if we want to get people to see that Payette’s isn’t just another gym, we need to reach out to them.”
Kyle nodded. “All right. Let’s do it. I’ll lead the classes, but I want you there, too.”
* * *
IT DIDN’T TAKE them long to put the hour-long class together. Reta had fifteen students signed up right away with a waiting list of ten more.
They started the class the following Wednesday. Six girls and nine boys ranging from age fourteen to twenty-two had signed up. Many of them didn’t have proper gym clothes. Kyle handed out Payette’s T-shirts to them as makeshift uniforms. In most cases, it was better than the clothes they had.
Bella watched as Kyle greeted everyone, speaking with the comfort and ease of someone used to interviews and large audiences. He joked around with the students, but his stance and the strong line of his back and shoulders told everyone he wasn’t going to tolerate bullshit or goofing off. She wondered where he’d been storing this charming, confident, easygoing version of himself.
She surveyed the students. Most of them looked eager to learn, listening raptly as Kyle recited the gym rules. Her eye caught on one girl huddled in the far left corner with her knees drawn up to her chin, picking at her cuticles, eyes darting around as if someone was going to steal the mat out from under her.
“What’s her story?” she asked Reta discreetly. The head of the youth program glanced over.
“That’s Shawnese. She’s...a special case.”
“Special how?”
Reta hesitated. “She has trust issues.”
Bella read between the lines and nodded. “I’ll keep a close eye on her.”
They went through warm-ups and conditioning—jumping jacks, pushups, burpees. Bella watched as Shawnese halfheartedly followed along. She sidled up next to her and smiled. “Hey.”
The young woman turned a suspicious eye on her. “What do you want?”
“Nothing. Is it okay if I stand here with you? There isn’t enough room on the other side.”
She shrugged.
With Bella there, Shawnese followed along more closely. When Kyle told them to break up into pairs, Bella immediately partnered with her.
The exercise was to show the difference in strength using open and closed hands. One person would rest their arm over the other person’s shoulder while they tried to bend it at the elbow. Invariably, the open-handed method always stayed straight.
“I don’t get this,” Shawnese said as she pulled at Bella’s arm. The two of them stood eye to eye, but Bella easily had twenty pounds on the younger woman. “How can an open hand be stronger if people punch with closed fists?”
“There are different schools of thought with different martial arts forms, but we’re teaching self-defense. Look.” She held out her upturned hand. “If you strike out with the heel of your palm, you’ll risk less injury to your own hand.” She slowly pushed the hand out. “Even if you don’t know what you’re doing and you miss the bridge of a guy’s nose, look at the damage you can do. Fingers in the eyes. Pushing the guy’s head backward. Palm to their muzzle. You can grab their hair. Lots of things you can do with an open hand. Closed—” she made a fist “—and you cut off those opportunities.”
Shawnese tilted her head, looking at her own hands as she flexed her fingers open and closed.
“The main thing,” Bella emphasized, “is to get away. The best way to help yourself out of a situation is to walk away from it.”
“Dunno if that’s gonna be possible,” Shawnese muttered.
“We’re just giving you the basics. If you have questions, or you want to learn something specific, just ask.” Bella hoped the young woman would do exactly that.
By the end of class, Shawnese seemed much more receptive to Kyle’s instruction and to the prospect of more lessons.
“You did a great job,” Reta said. “I’m kind of shocked Shawnese opened up to you so fast.”
That was opening up? Reta must have read the look on Bella’s face, because she chuckled. “Seriously, when she first came to the center, she barely said a word to anyone. Just sat in the corner to stay warm and safe. She tries to hide it and act tough—it’s part of the armor. I think she’s said more to you today than to anyone else all week.”