Undefeated

by C. D. Gill

  She rejoined Xander in her kitchen and dropped the paper onto the counter. He was washing the dirty pans in the sink.

  Handsome and thoughtful.

  His tall frame blocked the daylight streaming through the patio door. The birds put on a good show every morning as long as she filled the feeders with the weed-inducing seeds they loved. She unfolded the paper, extracted the classifieds for him, and set it on the table with a pen. He left his place at the sink to lean over the paper.

  Propping a hand on her hip, she studied him as he browsed the ads. “It’s a good place to start. At least these employers are willing to pay for the positions to be advertised. I’ll grab a Golden Gabber on my way home. Most employers in Golden prefer the old-school method of finding help. If you end up returning to Lakewood, you wouldn’t be too far to commute.”

  He rubbed his neck. “I know I keep saying it, but thank you again for all of this. Breakfast was fantastic.”

  “You’re welcome. You might want to call some of those places to get the details before you apply. I’ve heard horror stories about job ads turning out to be victim bait. Criminals straight from the pen wait for innocents to walk into their web, so they can eat them alive. A girl disappeared from Denver last year after responding to an online ad.”

  Xander nodded. “That’s a good idea, but—uh—” He pursed his lips together as if debating his next words. “I don’t have an active phone.”

  Gia blinked. Of course he didn’t. What homeless, jobless man had one? A man who wore a suit, that’s who—or so she thought. “Right. Well, if you’re ready, you can come to my office and use the phone there. And while we’re in town, we can pick up a prepaid mobile and some jeans that fit you. Those...” she gestured at his legs, as if to say more, “do not fit you.”

  At the mention of the jeans, he reached down and hauled them up by the belt. He needed thirty extra pounds to fill them properly. “These will be fine. I don’t have the money to pay you back. After I get a job, I’ll get new ones.”

  Mentally, she checked leech off her list of suspected qualities. The man had pride, which wasn’t something one could teach a man. Gia tucked her chin and raised her eyebrows. “You think you’re getting a job wearing pants you can barely keep on? Nuh-uh. We don’t have any of those kinds of businesses around here.”

  He grinned at her wagging finger.

  “What are you grinning at?”

  His shoulder lifted. “You’re feisty. I like that.”

  She clicked her tongue in disapproval, but his words gave her a small measure of satisfaction. After locking the door, Gia turned to see Xander jogging up the stairs to his room with his hands holding his jeans in place. She shook her head. And he said he’d wait until he had a job to get a new pair.

  Lucy would love this story. She’d already texted six times to see if Gia had fed him breakfast and coffee or if he wanted a cinnamon roll instead of whatever vegetable puree she was sure Gia was force-feeding him. It was unlikely that telling Lucy he was homeless, jobless, and phoneless would deter her interest either.

  Poor Tucker. It would break his little love-struck heart. He had Lucy’s useless father and abusive boyfriends to thank for that behavior.

  By the time Xander returned, Gia had the SUV waiting in the driveway. He ducked in and buckled his seatbelt.

  “Do you drink coffee? Lucy has the best brews in town.” Gia said.

  “No. I kicked that socially accepted addiction five years ago.”

  Gia’s eyebrow raised. “Lucy mentioned she needed some handyman work done, and she’d be willing to pay you in food if you’d help her.”

  Xander folded his hands and unfolded them. “I’ll do what I can.”

  “Perfect. I told her we’d be by for lunch. She can show you what needs to be done.” Gia glided into a parking spot on Washington Avenue and clicked off the engine. “Right now, we’re going to find you appropriate jeans so you don’t embarrass yourself.” And so he didn’t flash the gawking female residents of Golden.

  A few of the older, less inhibited ladies had been known to carry wads of dollar bills to stuff in a sagging waistband. They felt it only right to compensate the men fairly who gave the world a show. Submitting Xander to that humiliation would damage his psyche for sure. Or maybe he could get the money for new jeans out of it.

  A half hour later, Gia and Xander exited the clothing store with two polos, a new pair of black pants, and jeans that were charged to Gia’s business account. The owner was happy to let Xander walk out wearing the jeans in favor of preventing an unfortunate mishap. Next, they stopped in an electronics shop and picked up a standard prepaid cell phone for him with enough minutes to keep him until he found a job, Gia hoped. She programmed her phone number into the contacts. She didn’t do it with every stray she helped, but she had a feeling Xander wasn’t her typical guest.

  After Gia finally settled him at the front desk in her office with a phone and computer at his disposal, she sagged into her office chair. The one-way glass offered a great view of the door while maintaining her privacy. Her closed door muffled the white noise, giving her what she came to Colorado for—quiet and space.

  Her fingers hovered over her keyboard as she stared at Xander typing. Dare she run a background check to discover what fossils were in his collection? Being surprised was much more exciting. She typed his name into the request box, picking at a hangnail while she made one of life’s tougher choices.

  To meddle? Or to wait?

  Chapter 3

  Xander slammed the phone into the cradle and shoved away from the wooden desk, muttering a few colorful words. All thirteen prospective employers had turned him down because of the felony charges on his record. Stocking shelves, moving furniture, and roofing houses had nothing to do with what he’d served time for. Why punish him further? He contemplated lying as the truth left his mouth time and again, but if the potential employers didn’t notice the five-year gap in his work history, they’d find out when they ran a background check. It saved them both time.

  Failure.

  The word circled in his mind on repeat. It was the story of his life right now. The heat coiled in his clenched stomach. Stepping from one level of hell to a slightly cooler level still left him in hell. His fingers curled under the keyboard ready to smash it against the wall for the pure satisfaction of watching it crumble beneath his strength.

  Someone had treated his life that way. Planting steroids in his vehicle and in the drink mix powder he used for making the team drink coolers so there was no way out of the steroid charges. Whoever it was went through an enormous amount of effort to lock him up for five years, not to mention ruining his promising coaching career forever.

  Who hated him that much? After years of meditating on the same question, he had no new revelation.

  “Everything okay?” Gia’s voice carried from where she stood with one foot out of her office. Her presence dumped ice water over his rage. Control would hand him his future or cast it away with the sweep of an arm.

  Xander needed a future more than anything.

  “No one is interested.” He ran his hands over his stubbled jaw. “I have a couple more ideas, but after that, I will be twirling my thumbs.”

  He’d have to dust off his lawn business skills from high school or find day labor jobs where no one asked about his past. Where would he find the money for a startup? A decent lawn mower cost a couple hundred bucks which would leave him bankrupt.

  Gia scrunched her nose. Her hairstyle sat in coils of curls around her face, teasing his eye with its gentle curves. Feminine and simple, yet so mysterious. Who was she really? On a whim, he had searched her name in the browser after she retreated into her office earlier this morning. Hundreds of Gia Carters showed up online, but one of the top results scared him the most.

  If he left, he had nothing.

  The only thing working in his favor at this moment was her offer of a place to live. If she found out about his crimes, she’d boot him to
the curb, thinking he was out to swindle her money. He’d tell her about the false charges one day, but today was not that day.

  Gia examined her nails like they were the most interesting thing in the world and avoided his gaze. “Well, I hate to say it, but you could surrender to working for Lucy.”

  He snorted. Working at the Mother Hen didn’t seem like a long-term option. “She probably wouldn’t want me.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t be so quick to write her off. She wants you all right.” Gia leaned one shoulder against the wall, her expression serious. “Lucy doesn’t check references so long as your well-formed muscles look good in a Mother Hen t-shirt. Which, by the way, is why she hasn’t had a male working for her in three years. The last one’s toned physique distracted her from his crafty slights of hand.”

  Again, the accusations hit too close to home. He shook his head with a chuckle. “Sounds like grounds for discrimination and objectification to me.”

  “I know all about discrimination, Mr. Reinerman. And I can assure you that a woman with good taste in men should be respected, not diminished. She will appreciate you every single second of the day and feed you. What’s not to love about that arrangement?”

  “All it takes for a healthy work environment is that a person be valued and fed? How have companies not figured that out yet?”

  Gia motioned to the door. “It’s lunchtime. Let’s go see how she plans to buy your affections.”

  As they strolled down the sidewalk, Xander struggled to broach his next question. He hated asking for charity to his very core, but she could only say no, right? “Gia, I have a meeting in Lakewood tomorrow, but I’m low on cash. Could I borrow a vehicle?”

  “You have your driver’s license?”

  “Yes, and a clean driving record.” Although he was bound to be rusty.

  The few seconds of silence thrummed his nerves with merciless abandon. She had barely known him a day, and he was asking for a lot of trust.

  “I might have an idea. I’ll tell you after lunch.” Gia beamed at him. He had a feeling her idea would involve a catch. Strangers didn’t hand over car keys with no strings attached.

  Quickening his steps, he grabbed Mother Hen’s front door and held it open as Gia walked through with murmured thanks. He stepped in behind her in time to see Lucy laying her hand over her heart with a sigh. Lucy straightened when she met his gaze and disappeared into the back with forefinger in the air.

  Gia twisted, her shoulder brushing his chest. She directed her attention out the front window, her voice low. “Like I said, Lucy is a big fan of Xander Reinerman.”

  The feel of her arm against his chest made him stop, as he leaned into her touch a fraction. He cleared his throat, keeping his volume the same as hers. “I can’t compete with a stud like Tucker.”

  Inhaling sharply, Gia sputtered out a cough to cover her laugh as Lucy returned and frowned at them. Despite how much she talked, Lucy seemed like a nice person—generous and soft-hearted, but no girl deserved a guy with his baggage. Gia patted her chest and coughed again.

  Xander strolled to the counter. “Could I get a glass of water?”

  Lucy’s expression softened. “Of course.” She filled a paper cup and slid it on the counter.

  He handed Gia the cup when she made eye contact with him. Gia lifted her eyebrows. The color subsided from her cheeks as she swallowed the water. “Lucy, have you officially met Xander?”

  Lucy stuck her small hand over the counter, so he grasped it and said, “It’s a pleasure. Thank you again for breakfast yesterday. It was the best meal I’ve had in years.” Not to mention, his only meal all day.

  “Guess you haven’t gotten out much, huh?” Lucy said with a pleased smile.

  You have no idea.

  Lucy smoothed her hair off her forehead, settling her headband in the well-formed dent between swells of hair. “Well, I could have taken a rod to Tucker’s backside for dragging you in without giving you the skinny on Mother Hen’s starvation intolerance policy.” She giggled. “Anyway, what are you two feeling for lunch? I’ve got a bazillion options. Ham and cheese, turkey and cheese, tuna and cheese, and egg salad.” Her brow scrunched. Then she gasped. “You’re not lactose intolerant are you, Xander? All my sandwiches have cheese. So thoughtless of me.”

  Gia drummed her fingers on the counter and lowered her chin. “Luce, you’ve never cared before that your sandwiches had cheese on them. Besides, if he was lactose intolerant, he’d be sick by now. You gave him milk yesterday.”

  Xander wasn’t sure what impressed him more—that Gia recalled a meal she hadn’t seen him eat or calling Lucy on her nonsense.

  Lucy stuck her nose in the air. “He could be sick and not have told you. Honestly, you expect a man to tell you his gastrointestinal woes?”

  “Ladies, my intestines are fine.” He held up a hand. “I love cheese. A turkey and cheese sandwich sounds refreshing. Thank you, Lucy, for being so concerned about my welfare.” Lucy’s sassy hmph had Gia narrowing her eyes at Xander.

  “I’ll take ham and cheese,” she called to Lucy who had her head in the refrigerator. “You got any chips to go with it?”

  “In the back. Let me get them. Grab the lemonades, will you?”

  When Lucy scooted through the door, Gia pointed at Xander and moved around the counter to grab the cups. “Don’t think I’m not on to your games. She’s not concerned about your welfare. She’s concerned about not seeing your handsome face every day. That’s all. And buttering her up is only going to make Tucker upset that his one true love is making puppy dog eyes at the new kid in town.”

  “You think I’m handsome?”

  Gia huffed. “That’s all you got out of what I said?” She pursed her lips. “You are fishing in stagnant waters, sir.”

  Xander laughed. It felt so good to have a reason to. “Your scoldings are noted. Don’t sound the alarms. Tucker can have her.”

  Lucy bounced through the door. “Tucker can have who?”

  Words froze in his mind. He held his breath.

  “Candace Geoffrey, that gorgeous model.” Gia whirled around and beelined for the table in the corner. “The boys were talking about their dream dates yesterday and they both said Candace, so Xander was telling me that he’d kindly let Tucker have her.”

  Lucy waved off Gia’s words. “No, Tucker needs a sensible woman who would tolerate his inability to change the status quo. Never seen Candace wear the same outfit twice.” She distributed the sandwiches and plopped a bag of potato chips in the center of the table. “If you need another sandwich, Xander, don’t be shy. They’re in the refrigerator.”

  Lucy and Gia volleyed town news back and forth for a solid forty-five minutes. Thank God he wasn’t in the hot seat, yet. The little he’d said today had drained him. Life was strange in her workings. In solitary, he longed for one moment to hear something else besides his thoughts and the hum of the overhead light. In the world outside of prison, being alone felt like a comfortable blanket.

  When the meal finished, Lucy dragged him to the kitchen. A few light bulbs, a couple of protruding nails, and a relocated heavy appliance later, Lucy plopped a camera into his hand.

  “Can you get this mounted on the ceiling for me? The landlord gave us five days to get camera installed in our businesses or face a huge increase in rent. The safety measures lower insurance rates.” She pointed to the mounts dangling from her ceiling. “Don’t know why they couldn’t have secured the whole thing while they were connecting it up the other day. I even had to get faster internet so the cameras can record at high quality.”

  Gia squinted her eyes. “Hard-wired security cameras don’t require internet.”

  Lucy shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I just rent here.”

  It took him thirty seconds to secure the camera while Lucy held tightly to the half ladder he stood on. She could have easily done it herself. But if this paid for his meals, then he’d gladly do it.

  He couldn’t explain the ease he felt in Gia
’s presence, as if he’d known her for a while. So much so that he couldn’t hold in the jab when Mother Hen’s front door closed behind him. The sunlight warmed his face as it cast Gia into a fit of high-pitched sneezes which convulsed her whole body. “Dream dates, huh? A little far-fetched for male conversation.”

  “What did you come up with on the spot? Let’s hear it.” She stuck her hand in his face. He hadn’t seen a girl do that since high school. This time it was more adorable than obnoxious. “Oh, that’s right. Nothing.”

  “You could have made us sound more masculine, at least.”

  Gia tutted. “You fix your own messes, or give me some gratitude for how I fix it.” If only she could fix all the messes in his life.

  He certainly had made no progress on cleaning up his life. Hope hadn’t deserted him yet.

  That evening at Gia’s house, she opened her second garage door to show him his ride for the next day. An old, red Cadillac faded pink by the sun had seen better days. Large, fluffy dice hung from the rearview over a tan, leather dash. The seats were the same color and appeared custom made. Someone had put money into this relic.

  A jingle of keys nearby interrupted his assessment. “This faded, red-hot tamale is Chachi, a 1965 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.”

  “Chachi from Happy Days?”

  “That’s the one.” Gia smoothed her hand over the trunk. “He was handsome once, but now he’s a little rusty. The car, that is. You’re welcome to use him tomorrow.” She paused and strolled to the driver’s side, picking something off the ground. “If you can get the steering wheel back on tonight.”

  Her nose scrunched briefly before she grinned.

  There it was—the catch, the character test. “Why was it off?”