by Natalie Dean
“Eating slowly is hard when the food’s so delicious, isn’t it?” Keiko said, eyes crinkling.
“Yeah, it is.”
To be truthful, Keiko would never have been able to afford the fancy lunches they had—especially considering how much Sophia could eat—if Bradley didn’t end up paying for it. She felt a bit guilty, relying on the credit card he gave to Sophia, but he had expressed to Keiko nearly a dozen times how grateful he was for her trips to the city with Sophia.
She knew that, in truth, Bradley could come with her himself; he would move heaven and earth for the recovering girl. But Sophia’s therapist had recommended that Sophia not rely on only him and that having other friends help and support her would be much healthier. So, their little lunch dates stayed.
Normally, they kept their conversation pretty Sophia-focused, talking about what she had learned in therapy, or her progress on her GED or anything else she’d learned. But Keiko was itching to talk to someone about her plan. Normally she would lean on Dani, who would no doubt sarcastically pick apart everything in the best way possible. But Keiko wasn’t about to text Dani while she was on her honeymoon.
“You’re quiet,” Sophia remarked around a mouthful of unagi.
“Am I?” Keiko mused, dipping her piece of tomago sushi in soy sauce then putting a tiny piece of ginger on top.
“Yeah, normally you’d be asking about what I’ve learned today, or something teacherly like that.”
“I guess I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Really?” Sophia swallowed then moved her empty glass to the edge of the table for a refill. “Then why don’t you talk to me for once. Friendships are supposed to be a give and take, so lemme take a little.” Her nose scrunched up. “All right, that didn’t exactly come out right, but you know what I mean.”
Keiko couldn’t help but chuckle. “It sounds like you have something particular on your mind.”
The young Latina blushed so furiously that her tanned skin turned bright red. “I-I-I mean, can you blame me? I am an engaged woman, after all. And my fiancé…” She huffed out a breath, and it was the most infatuated that Keiko had ever seen Sophia look. “He’s pretty hot. And nice. I mean… like the nicest guy I ever met. And smart too. He’s been helping me with a bunch of math, and he’s practically a genius.”
It wasn’t often that Keiko ever heard Sophia say so much at once, and even rarer that she looked so dreamy-eyed and head over heels. The look was good on her, one full of hope and happiness, and Keiko couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to be that in love.
She didn’t even know if she had that capacity within her.
“Look at you,” Sophia said, shaking her head. “Got me talking about myself again. Just dish before I embarrass myself further.”
“All right,” Keiko said slowly, trying to gather her thoughts. “You know of Bryant Miller, correct?”
“Who doesn’t?” she said with a snort, sinking down into her oversized hoody. If there was one thing Sophia hadn’t quite been able to shake, it was her penchant for oversized clothing. “Kinda the bad boy of the bunch. A black sheep if you will.”
“Apt enough. Well, did you notice at the wedding he got somewhat… inebriated?”
“That’s a nice way of putting it. With how Ben was complaining on the ride home, you’d think he was absolutely plastered. Where did he even go off too?”
“That’s the thing… where he got off to was my place.”
Sophia’s chopsticks fell to the table with a clatter. “Ms. Keiko Ann Albryte, did you sleep with Bryant Miller?”
She practically yelled it, and Keiko had to lean over the table to press her hand to the girl’s mouth. She realized too late that probably wasn’t the best thing to do to a woman recovering from domestic abuse.
“How do you even know my full na—”
Unsurprisingly, Sophia knocked her hand away. “Don’t touch me without my permission.”
“Right, right. I’m sorry. That was wrong of me. I panicked. But no, I did not sleep with Bryant Miller.”
The girl deflated. “Sorry, I just… with what I know of you, and what I’d heard of him, that just seemed like the most impossible thing I ever heard. I wouldn’t judge you if you did, you know. I don’t think I should be judgin’ much of anybody considering…” She trailed off, biting her lip as she did.
Keiko reached out to her, but this time she waited for Sophia to give her a nod before curling their hands together.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of. You stood up to him, and you’re in the process of taking him to court. I’m sure you’re going to help a whole lot of other women with your case.”
“Yeah, uh, you’re right.” She took a deep breath and returned to her plate. “So, you just happened to take a very drunk Bryant Miller to your place. And then… what? You had a Bible study.”
Keiko chuckled at that. She could almost see the handsome man hissing at a Bible like a snake. “I don’t think he’s quite ready for that yet.”
“Yet?”
Goodness, Sophia was so sharp.
“Yes, yet. But I do think, after spending a good bit of time with him, that I might be able to… shepherd him onto the path, let’s say.”
“Really?” Sophia asked dubiously. “Isn’t this the guy who’s been ostracized by his family for nine years? And rather than asking for forgiveness, built his own gambling and liquor company just to piss them off?”
“I actually don’t think he did it just to anger them. It’s… complicated, I guess. But I think this rift between him and his family started long, long ago. Before he ever left the ranch for college. I think if I give him coping mechanisms and strategies, and maybe some ways to open up lines of communication, he might be able to heal. Maybe even the Miller family could become whole again.”
“Really? You think you can do all that?”
Keiko shrugged. “You know what it’s like to be wandering alone and lost in this world. Sometimes it just takes one kind act to show you that an entirely different reality is there. One where people have open hearts and kindness fuels things instead of greed.”
Sophia smiled softly, and Keiko could just imagine what the previously abused woman was remembering. “I… I guess that has happened to me. And to Missy too. Actually, it’s kinda happened to all of us, hasn’t it?”
Keiko nodded. “I was so very lucky my parents noticed that I was spiraling out of control and got me the tools I needed to survive. If I can give Bryant those tools too, or at least nudge him in the direction of finding those tools, I think that would be worthwhile, would it not?”
“It would.” Sophia picked up another piece of sushi and popped it into her mouth whole. She chewed for a while, clearly thinking, before she finally spoke again. “Isn’t that kinda like playing God though?”
Keiko shook her head. “No, playing God would be judging him. Trying to force him to change. Believe it or not, I think that’s been a huge part of the problem. Too many Christians he’s interacted with, too many people who are close to him, have handed down judgment and told him he’s bad. And if enough people tell you you’re wicked-bad-wrong, why even try to be good?
“That’s what I think this is all about. He just needs to be shown that he’s not this corrupted thing, and that he has choices. And I’m well aware that he could choose to keep on doing what he’s doing, but… I just have this feeling. Sometimes, when he talked to me, there was this deep, deep pain there. And pain wants to be healed.”
“I mean, you definitely have a point. And Keiko, I know you’re probably the smartest out of all of us—except maybe Bradley—but are you sure this is a trouble you want to take on? I know you’ve counseled a whole lot of people, but are you qualified to ‘fix’ someone who has such a deep wound? What if you make it worse? I like ya a whole lot, but being insightful is not the same as being a therapist.”
Keiko’s knee-jerk reaction was to insist that it would be fine, but she realized that Sophia had a
very valid point. She was attempting to help someone with what she perceived to be some pretty severe emotional damage. She wasn’t certified. She wasn’t licensed. There was a difference between being a good friend and shepherd to someone and stepping dangerously out of bounds.
“Those are good questions. I’ll have to think on that.”
“Huh, uh, okay.”
“Why do you sound surprised?”
Sophia shrugged and continued to eat her sushi for a few moments before confessing. “I just, uh… hearing that from someone as smart as you is, uh, it’s nice. That’s all.”
Keiko smiled softly. “You’re not stupid, Sophia. I hope you know that.”
“It’s a work in progress,” she admitted.
Now if anything, Keiko understood that. Grabbing another piece of sushi, she raised it as if they were about to toast. “To progress then.”
Sophia smiled brightly and picked up her own piece. “To progress!”
The rest of their meal sank into a much less serious conversation, and about an hour or so later, they were headed out into Keiko’s junky car and driving back home.
Right after she had dropped Sophia off, and before she’d even started for home, her phone buzzed. Looking at it, she was surprised to see that it was none other than Bryant himself. She hadn’t exactly had a ton of time to think over Sophia’s words, but she found herself opening the text anyway.
Hey, just wanted to check in and ask about that dinner I owe you for not ditching me on my family. Are you free tomorrow?
Keiko sat there for far too long, and if any of the Millers looked out their window, they were probably wondering what she was doing. But, before she really thought it through, she went ahead and replied.
Yes. What do you have in mind?
7
Bryant
Bryant rehearsed another greeting as he drove to pick up Keiko, his nerves bunching up in a way he wasn’t used to. Normally he was pretty busy during the week, dedicating himself to his job and growing his brand, but that was only because that was basically his entire life and he had maybe one or two control issues.
But currently, Keiko seemed like a good enough reason to take a day off and let all of his board that he paid so much money to work for him.
All he needed to do was get her to loosen up and get a little taste of adrenaline. If there was one thing that he had learned about uptight, small-town girls, it was that they really just wanted to break all the rules holding them back and be free. Getting them there just took a catalyst. And he was more than happy to do that.
He arrived in front of her place then texted her, and less than a few moments later, Keiko emerged. She was dressed in an oversized, gray sweater and dark green leggings, casual, just like he had advised.
But even though her outfit wasn’t inherently sexy, she certainly looked quite attractive. Her long, dark brown hair was done up in a bun on her head, and her face was fresh and clean. She crossed to his car gracefully, opening the passenger’s side and sliding in.
“So, are you going to tell me what we’re doing now?”
Bryant shook his head. “It’s a surprise. We’re going to the city, and that’s all you need to know.”
“Huh, that almost sounds like I’m being kidnapped.”
He made a dramatic sound. “You wound me with such distrust.”
“Really?” she quipped right back. “Because I have a feeling, in your line of work, it takes so much more to get under your skin.”
He chuckled at that. He wasn’t used to someone going toe-to-toe with him so quickly. Some of his board did, especially his CFO, but that had taken a couple of years to build up. But Keiko was fearless, in a way. Able to look right through him and his bluster in an instant.
“I suppose that might have a hint of truth to it.”
“I know. That’s why I said it.”
He chuckled, then pulled away from the curb. It was an hour drive to the city, so they certainly were going to have plenty of time to talk.
Which was good, because he wanted to get to know the woman who seemed to have caught his attention. Maybe if he could just puzzle her out, he wouldn’t be so obsessed with her and could get back to his regular ol’ life.
“So, where did you go to college?”
He was surprised when she was the one who spoke first. He answered, and soon they sank into an entirely banal conversation full of factoids that seemed important to know but didn’t really help him learn about Keiko.
Apparently, she went to the community college in the city to get a BA in library sciences, and that was how she got her job in said city’s library. She—unsurprisingly—also worked with the church quite often. Running Bible studies, the welcoming committee, the reception set up, it kind of went on and on.
She still asked where they were going several more times, and he could see her trying to figure it out, but she definitely had no idea.
He couldn’t wait to see her face when they pulled into their destination. He built up a whole reaction in his head, but when he turned into the parking lot of the paintball shooting range he had picked out, Keiko looked only mildly interested.
Huh, that was disappointing.
He wondered if she just didn’t know where they were, but when he parked, she got right out of the car and looked around.
“Huh, I’ve never played paintball before,” she murmured.
All right, so she definitely knew where they were. Hmm. It seemed she really was unruffle-able, which was somewhere between impressive and irritating.
But that was fine. Maybe she was just keeping cool. The real fun part would be once they got inside and got started.
Bryant fully expected to spend most of his time protecting her. He didn’t want her to get hurt; he just wanted her to get excited about the possibility of being hurt. There was nothing like a good chemical thrill to get the blood pumping, and when the blood was pumping, people were more likely to do rash things.
Huh… when his mind phrased it like that, it almost sounded like he was trying to take advantage of her.
But that was nonsense because he definitely wasn’t.
All smiles, he went about buying them a full package, which included rental armor and a lesson from one of the workers there. To her credit, Keiko took it all in stride, nodding along like she understood, which only built up the anticipation inside of him.
“Don’t worry,” he said as an employee led them to one side of the obstacle course with some other random people who would be on their team. “I’ll watch out for you.”
“Oh?” she said, smiling blithely at him. “What makes you think I’m worried?”
He opened his mouth—no doubt to say something that wasn’t nearly as clever—but he was interrupted as their instructor started telling them how the game would start and a few more rules.
Number one, no headshots. Number two, no parkour. Rule three, no poor sportsmanship.
It went on from there, but Bryant had come to this place plenty of times so he tuned it out, instead watching Keiko’s face.
He wondered just how good she was at holding a poker face, because all she seemed was mildly curious. Her paintball gun hung at her side, and her posture was relaxed.
Maybe she just didn’t understand how a paintball fight went? It was plenty exhilarating once the pellets started flying and people were running every which way. Yeah, he could see it now, her standing there, wide-eyed and in wonder as he took out several guys who swarmed her.
…except that was really cheesy and he had never been that lame.
He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he was startled when the buzzer to start the round went off. Everyone on his team ran every which direction, except for Keiko, who casually strolled to the side.
“What, where are you going?” Bryant asked, trailing after her. So far, this date wasn’t going anything like he’d imagined. Instead of all adrenaline and excitement, she was acting as if she was purse shopping or something equally ban
al.
“I saw a nice shed from the main building when we were getting equipped. It looked like a nice spot.”
“A nice spot for what?” he asked.
She looked to him with an expression that he absolutely could not interpret. “You’ll see.”
Instantly his eyes went to her lips, and his mind jumped to kissing them while pressing her against the tin wall of whatever paintball shed she was talking about. It would be something, to cage her small body between his thick arms, her looking up at him with want and desire while—
“Yes, this will do.”
He shook his head to free himself from the fantasy just in time to see Keiko shift her gun strap so it hung over her back, and then she climbed the wall of the shack.
“What are you doing?” he asked, running up after her. Except he was standing on the ground as she clambered onto the roof, adjusting herself and her gun once she was in a standing position.
“Finding a vantage point. You’d be surprised how often people never look up.”
He wanted to ask how she knew that, but then she was bringing her gun’s scope up to her eye and then squeezing the trigger. The sound of three balls being released cracked through the air, and the next thing he knew he heard loud curses and a cry of “where did that come from?”
“You did not just shoot three people from up there,” he said, completely bewildered.
“Just two,” she said, adjusting quickly and firing another set of shots. “I missed one. He seems experienced. I think I’ll take him out next.”
“Take him out? What are—”
But she was already jumping off the roof, landing in a crouch and rolling forward until she hopped up onto her feet like it was nothing. She looked back to him, a serene expression on her face.
“If you say any comments that relate to ‘ninja’ in any way, shape, or form, I will shoot you in the head with my bright pink pellets.”
Bryant swallowed, feeling his body react to this woman in a way that was almost embarrassing. “That’s against the rules.”