by Dale Mayer
“If you can’t eat it, I’ll finish it for you.”
She stared at him in astonishment, glared down at his plate, then back up again. “Are you serious?”
He nodded. “Absolutely.” He quickly buttered his toast with the extra butter they’d provided and dug in.
He watched with quiet satisfaction as she took her first couple hesitant bites and then seemed to forget all about everything else and focused on eating.
She managed to plow through three-quarters of her meal before she slowly eased back and said, “I didn’t think I’d get this far.” She picked up a piece of toast, spread jam on it and took several good bites.
“Adrenaline comes in a big rush, and then you crash,” he said. “At that point, you need to build up your energy reserves again. Otherwise you stay exhausted.”
“So from here we can go to shopping?”
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
She groaned. “Eating a big meal is hardly conducive to trying on yoga pants.”
“I don’t think that will make much of a difference.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand women’s clothing. When I say they’re snug, that means one thing, but most clothes are tight.”
“You can always get a larger size,” he said with a note of humor.
She shot him a look. “Right. You do realize, in order to make women feel better, they changed the size specs so a woman who used to wear a size fourteen now gets to wear a twelve and feel great about herself?” she said drily.
He stopped and stared at her.
She chuckled. “I’m not kidding.”
“Why would they do that?”
“So every woman then gets to buy something smaller than what she used to wear. It’s all psychological-mind-games stuff.” She waved her toast around in the air. “But it works. Everybody feels better because now they get to buy a size smaller.”
He didn’t get it. “You’re only deceiving yourself.”
“That’s where the mind-game part comes in. It’s industry-wide, so nobody is deceiving anybody. The fact of the matter is, all of a sudden you wear a size smaller, and now you’re not fat after all.” She picked up the rest of her toast and looked at it. “I really want this, but I’ve already had more than enough of everything.”
“Decide how full you are,” he said. “If you’re at 100 percent, stop. If you’re at 80 percent, stop. If you’re at 70 percent, consider having a little more.”
She frowned. “Why stop at eighty?”
“Because stopping when not yet feeling full means you give your stomach a chance to get the message and to tell your brain you’re full,” he said. “Now, if you were me, you’d eat the entire plate and not worry about it.”
“Why? What’s the difference between you and me?” she asked suspiciously.
“It takes a lot for me to get full.”
“Even injured?” she asked. “If you were in full training, I’d understand, but you’re not doing all that much right now, are you?”
“Ouch.” But he nodded. “You’re right. I’m not doing as much. But healing also requires calories. And yesterday I can’t say I ate very much compared to my normal consumption.”
“Well, you’re certainly not fat, so your normal consumption must be about right.”
“I go up and down, depending on the type of training I’m doing.”
“Are you really into all that fitness stuff?”
“And healthy living, healthy lifestyle, all that lovely happy-go-lucky stuff.”
She chuckled. “You are the last person I would expect to be involved in happy-go-lucky stuff.”
He just grinned and took another big bite of his toast.
She finished her meal, laid her fork down after the last bite of potatoes and moved her plate back. A half piece of toast remained, but he figured she’d had enough.
Finally she leaned forward, looking at him. “When were you going to tell me about the bodyguards?”
His eyebrows shot up. He leaned forward. “What are you talking about?”
She looked worried. “Are you telling me that they have to look after us?”
He dared not look around. He knew Tanner was slightly behind her to the left. “Who do you see?”
She motioned behind him. “Two big guys. I figured they were either cops, bodyguards or somebody you called for help.”
He shook his head. “No, sure didn’t.” He thought about that for a moment. It was easy for her to misunderstand who might be here and why. This restaurant was very close to the base, so there could be any number of reasons why somebody looking like that would be here. Hell, the guy could be a bloody retail clerk at a doughnut shop for all they knew. Everybody made superficial judgments based on looks all the time.
She leaned forward again. “Are you sure?”
He studied her carefully. “What makes you think they’re following us?”
“They keep looking at us,” she said, her tone low, worried. “Or maybe they’re just looking at me.”
At that, his grin widened, almost splitting his face. He leaned forward, so he whispered almost against her nose. “Sweetheart, there are a hell of a lot of good reasons why every man in this room is staring at you.”
She flushed bright colors and pulled back, giving him a hard frown. But he knew she was trying to get him to change the subject, and he wasn’t so easily persuaded.
“Are you sure you haven’t met them before? Maybe they’ve asked you out,” he said.
She glanced at the two men and shook her head. “I think I’d remember them.”
“It’s possible you made a bigger impact on them than they did on you.” He chuckled. “You’re a beautiful woman, and men notice.”
She shrugged irritably. “Whatever.”
He finished his meal and motioned for the waitress. She came back with the coffeepot, filled their cups and took away their dirty plates.
“You do that the same way Mason does. It’s like, you lift a little finger, and somehow the world around you jumps.”
“Have you seen Mason do that?” He certainly had, but it was normal for Warrick as he spent a lot of time with Mason.
She nodded. “I met Tesla for lunch one day, and Mason joined us. It was the same damn thing. As soon as he looked around for assistance, people jump in to help him.”
“I think it’s that air of confidence,” he said.
She nodded thoughtfully. “It’s possible, but I don’t know. I sure wouldn’t mind having that same sense of presence.”
“Why? So you can have people do your bidding?”
“No, of course not,” she protested. But then a twinkle entered her gaze. “Maybe a little.”
The waitress returned with the bill. He picked it up and handed her his credit card. She had the machine in her hand. She quickly ran the card through; he punched several keys and cleared the bill. She handed him a receipt, which he folded up and tucked in his wallet with his card.
“Do you want to finish your coffee?”
She nodded. “I do. Not to mention those two guys just paid for their bill too.”
“Interesting.” He gave a general look around, turning to see who she was talking about. His gaze drifting past them before coming back again. He didn’t recognize either of the men. He returned his gaze to her and shrugged. “No idea.” His phone rang. He checked to see a text coming in from Tanner, asking if he knew the two thugs. So he’d seen them too. He sent a response back. No, do you know them?
No.
They could be after Penny because she’s cute.
That’s what I was thinking.
Warrick put away his phone, tossed back the rest of his coffee, stood and held out his hand.
As she scrambled over the bench seat, she said, “Do I need to hold your hand?”
“You don’t want to?” His voice held a mock-injured tone.
She rolled her eyes, slipping her hand into his.
He tucked her close and wove his way
through the tables out to the front door. He opened it and waited for her to pass through. His gaze checked the restaurant, but he saw no sign of the two men. Outside, he led her to the left and said, “We’ll head to the mall through here.”
Unperturbed, she nodded. Then she said, surprising him, “So can Tanner join us for lunch this time?”
Chapter 7
She watched the surprise light his eyes. “Yes, I saw him. Obviously he was our backup. Did he know the two men?”
Warrick shook his head. “No, he didn’t.”
“So they’re nobodies then.” She gave a nod of satisfaction. “That works for me.” She slipped her hand out of his fingers but slid her arm through his.
Together they walked to the store she had wanted to go to. She stopped in front of the windows and exclaimed at the pretty colors.
He looked at the leggings and wondered how they could possibly make so many prints and patterns all on the same type pants—all patterns he couldn’t imagine 90 percent of the men of his acquaintance ever wearing. But she appeared delighted.
She laughed and said, “They’ve got the new colors. I want to go in.”
He walked in behind her. She headed to her favorite racks and pulled out leggings, looking for matching tops. She twisted with two in her hand and looked at Warrick. “Which ones do you think?”
He looked down at a geometrical teal and black, then another one that appeared to have pink flamingos all over it.
She chuckled. “I guess the teal and black, huh?”
“I didn’t say that,” he protested.
“No, but your face did.” She laughed gaily. She put the flamingos back and wandered to another rack.
It was all women’s clothing, mostly yoga wear from what he could see. Some of it was pretty minuscule. They even had something he thought were lined leggings. But surely in this California climate it wasn’t necessary. He waited and watched while she went through rack after rack.
The salesladies kept approaching him, asking him if he wanted help with anything. They obviously thought he was here to buy gifts for a girlfriend. Finally Warrick said in a gentle but firm voice that he was with her and pointed over to where Penny stood. Immediately the saleslady stepped back, gave a nod and disappeared into the background.
Warrick walked over to join her. “So do a lot of single guys come in here?”
“No clue,” she said cheerfully. “But I should bring you with me more often. I never get service like this.”
He glared at her.
She picked up several other outfits she wanted to try on. “You might as well make yourself comfortable. I have to go into the changing room.” Seeing the dread on his face, she laughed, pointing to a chair. “If you sit there, they’ll probably not bother you.”
He walked over and sat down. “How long will you be?”
“Only long enough to pull on a few outfits and check them out.”
One of the salesladies walked over. “Do you want to change, dear?”
Penny nodded and took the first one in the row of changing rooms. She could hear the saleslady stopping and talking to Warrick. It really irritated her how much attention the man got. She wasn’t kidding when she said she never got his kind of service. She’d been in the store half a dozen times. It was all she could do to ever get anybody to answer any questions when she was here. Yet they were fawning over Warrick. She had to admit, as she pulled off her jeans and shoes and socks, that he was a hell of a good-looking man, and it made sense people were all over him. The fact that he was nice to boot just added to it.
She pulled on the geometric teal and black and looked at it critically. It wasn’t bad. She took off her shirt and bra and tried on the sports bra. Together they were quite eye catching. She frowned, not sure about it. And then she heard Warrick.
“Sweetheart, come out and let me see.”
And she froze. She glared at the mirror. “That’s okay. I’ll stay in here,” she called back, her voice floating up and over the walls.
“That’s not fair. You told me that you wouldn’t buy anything without showing me first.”
She gasped. That weasel. He was either trying to embarrass her or he really wanted to see what she looked like in her yoga attire. Considering how skintight her outfit was, she wondered if it wasn’t the latter. But then, if he was coming to her class tomorrow, he would see her anyway. Deciding he deserved a dose of his own medicine, she opened the door and stepped out, sauntering toward him. He looked up, caught sight of her, and his gaze widened, a flush rising up his neck. She stopped right in front of him and said sweetly as she did a slow turn, “What do you think, sweetie?”
He studied her form, his gaze slowly going all the way to the floor and back up again. If she hadn’t just given him an invitation to do exactly that, she would have smacked him.
He nodded, his voice hoarse as he said, “I think you should get that.”
She chuckled, reached out and stroked his cheek. “Really?”
He just nodded.
Purring like a kitten, she sauntered back, making sure she added a little bit of sway to her hips as she walked into the small room. “Maybe I should try on the others and show you.”
“Yes, I think you should do that.” His voice was gravelly.
She chuckled. “But maybe you won’t like them. You could end up sitting here while I try fifty different outfits.”
She could hear a strangled gasp as he tried not to protest. She quickly changed out of the teal and put on a bright pink outfit that had lots of white on it. The sports bra top was even skinnier, and it had a wider band around the ribs. She frowned, not sure if she liked it or not, and decided he deserved to see this one too.
She unlatched the door and walked out to find Tanner standing with Warrick. She raised her gaze and said, “Well, two votes instead of just one.”
Tanner whistled. “Wow. You are something. That fits you like a second skin.”
She had to admit he was right, but then it was the nature of yoga pants. She turned to Warrick. “What do you think of this one versus the teal?” She did a slow turn again.
But Warrick was already nodding his head rapidly. “You know something? I think you should get both.”
She chuckled. “I don’t know about that. I still have a couple more to try on, but they’re a little different.”
She turned and walked away, hearing their voices drop as they whispered back and forth. But she didn’t think it was about her or about her outfits. And then she was mad because she was stuck in here getting changed. Still, she’d come for that reason, and she needed to pick out something not only to wear at their temporary apartment, just in case they didn’t get her clothing from the police, but also because she had planned on buying a couple yoga outfits anyway. She wanted something not quite so revealing for the old folks’ home. The old men always appreciated it, but some of the women took umbrage at her lack of clothing.
She tried on several more outfits, not even bothering to show the men, and came to one that had a long crop top, so very little belly skin showed, and she decided that one and the teal one would be perfect.
Dressed again in her street clothes, she took the clothes she wanted and left the others behind. As she stepped out, she realized Warrick was no longer sitting there. Frowning, she walked through the store to see both men standing at the entrance. She headed to the counter and paid for her purchases, wishing she could hear what the guys were talking about.
The saleslady smiled at her. “Your boyfriend really seemed to like these, didn’t he?”
Penny chuckled. “They’re skintight, don’t leave much to the imagination. What’s not to like if you’re male?”
The saleswoman nodded. “We don’t get many men in here who are happy to wait for the women.”
Penny could understand that. She didn’t think she’d have the patience to do very much of it either, but then she wasn’t much of a shopper. She tended to go to the store she wanted, pick out exactly what
she knew she needed and leave.
With her two purchases wrapped up in a bag and the receipt stuffed in her wallet, she joined the men. Tanner nodded toward Warrick, and the conversation between them stopped.
Warrick turned to look at her and smiled. “Tell me you got the teal one.”
She nodded. “I did, but I didn’t get the pink one.” The sight of his crestfallen face made her smile. “Although I could go back and get it, if it’s really a deal-breaker.”
He shook his head. “You look dynamite in the teal one. But there was just something about that pink and white …”
“Hardly appropriate for the old folks’ home though, I think.”
Tanner asked, “Old folks’ home?”
She explained about the yoga classes she gave for the seniors.
He whistled. “That’s a really good idea. Not only is the exercise good for them but I’m sure it makes them feel much better.”
“They love it. I have two classes tomorrow, and Warrick will take me from one to the other. Since my apartment is apparently under siege, I thought I should pick up some new outfits. I was planning on getting two new outfits anyway. It seemed like this was good timing.” She looked around at Warrick. “So, update?”
Tanner turned an innocent face toward her, and she shook her head. “Oh, no you don’t. No way you get to pull that look on me.” She watched him try to control the laughter moving through his gaze. “I’ve spent too much time around Warrick to not know when you’re pulling a fast one. You have news. I’d like to know what it is.” She looked from Tanner to Warrick and back to Tanner, waiting for one of them to answer her.
Warrick glanced around the mall, but nobody appeared close by. The saleswomen in the store were a good ten or twelve feet away. He nudged her out a little bit farther. “The gunman was sighted a block from your apartment building.”
The color bleached out of her skin, and it was all she could do to not gasp.
Warrick clenched her hand tight against him. “Breathe. Just breathe. It’ll all be okay. I told you that.”
She glanced at him hesitantly, then up at Tanner. “And, of course, they didn’t catch him, right?”