Bryce put his hands on his waist. “Excuse me? That’s no way to talk to an instructor, Wild,” he answered gruffly.
“Respect is earned,” I countered.
A muscle twitched in his jaw as we stared at each other. Before I had a chance to catch my breath, he stalked away.
I looked at Scott. “What crawled up his butt?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. He was fine earlier.”
I glanced towards Bryce, who was now on his cell phone. From the expression on his face, he was in the middle of a very heated discussion.
Master Jordan took that moment to step out of his office, up-beat as usual.
“Hi, guys! Listen, Bryce is going to assist you tonight with training. I promised Mae I’d take her to dinner tonight.”
I released a heavy sigh. “Great.”
Master Jordan took my arm and pulled me aside. “What is it? Is Bryce giving you any trouble?”
I shook my head. “Not really, he’s just…grouchy.”
He scratched his closely-cropped beard and said, “Well, I came down hard on him this afternoon for his performance yesterday. This is a respectable karate studio, not a dating service.”
I looked at him blankly. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, I heard the way he was flirting with you yesterday.”
Embarrassed, I lowered my eyes. “Oh.”
He touched my shoulder. “Cassie, if he gives you any trouble, let me know right away. Call me, text me, whatever you have to do. But sincerely, I don’t think you have to worry about him; he really is a decent guy. He just needed a little reminder of whom and what he’s representing here at the studio.”
“Well, don’t worry about me. I can certainly take care of myself.”
Secretly I hadn’t minded the banter between us yesterday. In fact, his taunting blue eyes were all I’d thought about since then. It was one of the reasons I’d showed up today.
“By the way,” Master Jordan said as he lifted my hands and examined my fingertips, “your nails look very lovely…for a killing machine.”
I giggled. “Thank you, Sensei.”
“Now, my dear Cassie, I think they’re waiting for you,” he said, releasing my hands and turning me around.
Bryce avoided eye contact, which made me even more irritated. I hadn’t done anything to deserve his cruel attitude today.
“See you guys next week!” waved Master Jordan as he walked out of the studio.
As I waved, I caught Bryce staring at me again. He looked away and took a drink of water.
“Ready, guys?” he asked finally. Then he had us form a line to do several push-ups and sit-ups.
The next half hour we practiced several difficult kicks and punches which I normally enjoy. Today it was pure hell. Bryce was so intolerable that even Scott noticed and started getting frustrated.
“Dude, what is your problem? Ever since The Wild One got here, you’ve been riding our asses!”
I wanted to kick Scott for saying that. He liked to tease me about my nickname, too.
Bryce’s face grew hot. “Look,” he said, “you’re both Black Belts now and I’m here to teach you, not make things easy or comfortable.”
“Yeah, but you don’t have to be a dick about it,” replied Scott.
Bryce smiled coldly. “If you can’t handle my way of teaching, then feel free to leave.”
“Best thing you’ve come up with all night. I’m outta here,” said Scott, grabbing his gym bag. He muttered something under his breath and stomped out of the dojo. Deep down, I knew he’s wanted to leave earlier, to check on Nora. I could tell he was already falling for her.
Bryce turned to me with a stony expression. “What about you, Wild One?”
I stuck my chin out defiantly. “What about me?”
“You think I’m too demanding?”
“You’re a little…intense.”
Bryce’s mouth twisted into a sardonic grin. He ran a hand through his wavy hair then gazed candidly at me. “You know, there’s something different about you today. You’ve done something…to your hair or face.”
I shrugged. I certainly wasn’t going to tell him I had my eyebrows waxed. Instead I said, “Could it be the way my eyes are glaring at you? Oh, wait! They were doing the same thing yesterday.”
He looked away and chuckled.
His moods were so up and down, I wondered if he was even aware that he was slightly deranged. “Are we done here? Because I don’t think I want to spend another half hour with someone who’s obviously got an issue with me.”
Bryce gave me a confused look. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
“You’ve been shooting daggers at me since I got here. I’m not even sure what I’ve done to offend you so much,” I said and started walking away.
He grabbed my arm. “You don’t offend me at all.”
“Well you have a strange way of showing it,” I said looking up at him.
His eyes searched mine and softened. “Your eyes are so…fascinating,” he said, still holding onto my arm.
I’ve had compliments on my eyes before, which always puzzled me since I thought they looked like pretty average brown eyes. My mom says it’s because my lashes are so thick and long.
He stepped back and cleared his throat. “Well, listen it’s getting late and I’ve got to get home. We should call it a night.”
I nodded. “I have to pick up my sister anyway.”
Bryce started shutting off the lights in the dojo and I went into the locker room to wash up and run a brush through my hair. When I walked out of the locker room I found him waiting for me in the entryway, dressed in faded jeans and a tight blue T-shirt. He was on his cell phone, clearly frustrated with whomever he was talking to. I waved at him and he hung up the phone.
“Hold up, I’ll walk you out,” he said, throwing on a brown leather jacket.
“Okay,” I said.
He locked the front entrance door, set the alarm, and walked me outside. “Nice night,” he said, looking into the sky.
There was a soft breeze and the stars twinkled above us. “Yeah,” I replied.
He followed me to my truck and stood watching me fumble in my purse for my keys. “Listen,” he said, clearing his throat. “I’m sorry about earlier. I was being a little bit of a jerk I guess.”
“You guess?” I asked dryly.
He shrugged. “I just…there’s stuff going on at home,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets.
“And then there’s Master Jordan bawling you out.”
Bryce chuckled. “He told you, huh? Well, he was right. I was out of line and should have been more professional.”
“It wasn’t a big deal. It really didn’t bother me.”
“Good, because I wasn’t trying to bother you,” he said, looking away. “You just…intrigue me I guess.”
I blushed. “Intrigue you?” I couldn’t believe a guy found me intriguing. Especially one that was incredibly hot.
He turned to me again. “Yes…but I’m one of your karate instructors and probably too old for you.”
I searched his face, trying to decipher how old he actually was. He had a strong jawline with a five o’clock shadow and thick, dark eyebrows that emphasized the blueness of his eyes. He was definitely good-looking, but not the type of perfection that you read about in sappy romance novels. Bryce’s nose was slightly crooked and there was a white scar near his chin cleft. “So, how old are you?”
He smiled. “Twenty.”
That wasn’t so bad, although I knew my parents wouldn’t be excited about me dating someone almost old enough to enter a bar.
His cell chirped and he frowned. “Well, I better let you get home. I’ve got to take this call; it’s probably my mother, again.”
“Ok. See you around,” I said, getting into my truck.
He turned around and began walking towards his motorcycle.
I admired his derriere again as I stuck my key into the truck’s ignition
. There was a loud click when I turned the key, but unfortunately nothing else. After a couple more attempts to start the engine, Bryce noticed and jogged back over. I rolled my window down.
“Pop the hood,” he said.
I obeyed and he began fiddling around with things in the engine.
“Try it again!” he called from under the hood.
Again, nothing happened.
He rubbed the back of his hand against his forehead and looked down again.
“Okay, now try it!” he yelled again.
This time it fired right up.
He smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. Closing the hood, he walked over to my open window. “I think you might need a new carburetor,” he said, wiping his fingers on his jeans. He had a smudge of grease on his forehead and I smiled, but didn’t tell him.
“Is it safe to drive?”
“You should be fine. But let me give you my cell phone number, just in case you have any problems. I’d follow you, but I really need to get home,” he replied just as his cell phone began to ring again. He checked his phone but didn’t answer.
“Thanks,” I said as he gave me his number.
“Good thing I was still here. This place is like a ghost town.”
I glanced around the dark shops and streets. It was totally deserted. “It’s the flu, I bet. Nobody is going anywhere.”
He nodded. “I know what that’s like. My mom has it, too. That’s why she keeps calling me, hounding me to get home.”
I smiled at him. “Well, then you better go. Thanks again, Bryce.”
He slowly leaned forward and brushed a strand of my hair away from my lips. The smell of leather and his aftershave was intoxicating. I held my breath as he stared into my eyes. “Call me when you get home so I know you made it, okay?” he asked, his voice husky.
I knew right then and there, that I’d never met anyone who’d taken my breath away as much as Bryce did. “Sure,” I replied softly.
“Okay, well goodbye again, ‘Wild One,’” he said, turning away.
I watched as Bryce jogged back over to his motorcycle. He put on his leather jacket and helmet then straddled the bike. He waited until I started moving then followed me for a couple of blocks. When his bike turned away and he was no longer in my rearview mirror, I was already missing him.
Chapter Seven
My phone began vibrating as I headed to Kylie and Paige’s to pick up Allie, which I’d almost forgotten about. I grabbed it out of my pocket and read a text from my mom telling me that school was cancelled for the rest of the week and I didn’t have to pick up my sister since she was staying overnight.
Nice, I thought. That was one less thing I had to worry about.
I changed directions and started heading home. I noticed most of the roads were completely deserted, which wasn’t as surprising as the fact that many of the fast food restaurants and gas stations I passed were also dark and closed. The flu was destroying profits for many businesses.
My mom was reading a book in the Man Cave when I got home. “Hi, honey,” she said, setting it down on the end table.
“Hey,” I replied.
She smiled. “Your eyebrows look very…chic.”
“Thanks – and check out my nails,” I said, holding out my hands.
“Very nice,” she replied, lifting them up.
I sunk into the oversized couch next to her favorite chair. “So, school’s closed. That’s a first.”
“Yes, it’s on the news. All of the schools have been shut down temporarily, due to the flu.” She stretched her arms and stood up. “Are you hungry? I could make you a sandwich.”
“Yes, I’m starving! Thanks, mom.”
I got up and followed her into the kitchen where she began making me a tuna and pickle sandwich. I washed my hands and sat down.
Just then my dad walked into the kitchen.
“Hello, ladies,” he said, kissing us both on the cheek.
“Hi, dad,” I said.
My mom smiled. “Hi, honey, how was your day?”
He gave us a despairing look and sat down by the counter. “It was a complete waste of time, with absolutely no customers. It’s almost the end of the month and they still expect us to move cars. Everyone has the flu. How do I overcome that obstacle?”
“I’m sorry,” said my mom as she moved behind him and began rubbing his shoulders.
He closed his eyes and smiled. “Thanks, that feels good.”
“Maybe business will pick up tomorrow?” asked my mom.
“Doubtful. Damn, I just need to find a new job.”
My mom and I both looked at each other but didn’t say anything.
He grabbed my mom and hugged her. “Can we switch jobs for a day? Let me corral the daycare kids and you can sell cars. Come on, hon.”
My mom smiled sympathetically. “You wouldn’t survive a day.”
“I could put them in kennels? Lock them up and feed them when they get hungry,” he said, smiling.
“Very funny,” my mom answered.
My cell phone began to ring. It was Bryce! I’d forgotten to call him back.
“I’m sorry!” I answered into the phone.
My parents stared curiously as I hurried out of the kitchen.
“You should be. I was getting worried about you,” Bryce said sternly.
I smiled with pleasure. Bryce was actually worried about me.
“I made it. I survived,” I said.
He chuckled. “So, did you notice the roads? How deserted they were? I thought maybe I was in one of those old episodes of the Twilight Zone or something. It was really weird.”
“It was totally odd. This flu virus must be really getting out of control,” I said.
“Tell me about it. My mother is so sick, I don’t know how she’s going to care for my brother tomorrow,” he muttered.
“I didn’t know you had a brother. How old is he?”
“Bobby? He’s six.”
“Well, my mother runs a daycare. She might be willing to watch him until your mom gets better.”
I could almost see the smile spreading across his face. “Wow, really? I have to work tomorrow, otherwise I’d just stay home with him,” he paused. “I work for a construction company and we have this major deadline coming up. My boss already called me tonight to make sure I was still coming in. Most of the guys on this job are sick and he’s frantic.”
“If you promise to be nice to me, I might ask her to watch him.”
Bryce laughed wickedly. “Really? Well, I can be extremely nice if it gets me what I want.”
I groaned. “You’re such a…man.”
“You didn’t notice before?”
“Believe me…everyone notices.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know about that.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?” I blurted. I’m not sure where it came from but I was dying to know.
He paused then said, “No, not at the moment.”
I was glad he couldn’t see my face, because it was burning. I couldn’t believe I’d asked him like that, out of the blue. Like a little schoolgirl.
“You still there?” he asked softly.
I took a deep breath, “Um…yeah. So…your brother, does he have any allergies?”
“No…but I suppose I should mention that he has Down’s Syndrome. He’s a great kid; really friendly and gets along with everyone. But, obviously he needs special attention sometimes.”
“My mom’s great with children. She’ll take really good care of him.”
“Okay, if you could talk to her and let me know. I’d really appreciate it.”
“I’ll call you right back.”
“Thanks, Cassie.”
I hung up and talked it over with my mom, leaving out the fact that Bryce was gorgeous and my heart raced every time he came near me. She agreed to talk to him and work out the details. I called him back and told him the good news.
“Thanks, I’m so relieved,” he said. “You’re such a lifesaver! I w
as going crazy, trying to figure out what to do with my little brother. My mom’s so sick that I’m probably going to have to find time to bring her into the clinic tomorrow as well.”
“Well, maybe she’ll be better by tomorrow and you won’t have to. Listen, my mom’s going to be calling you soon, so I’d better let you go.”
“Okay. Thanks again.”
“Glad I could help.”
It was the first time ever that I was happy that my mom was a daycare provider. Now I would definitely get to see Bryce again.
Chapter Eight
I learned that Bryce would be dropping off his brother Bobby around seven o’clock, so I made sure to be up and dressed. I threw on a pair of jeans, a new coral tank top, and some lip gloss.
My mom looked at me curiously when I walked out of my bedroom. “Wow, you’re up early. It’s only seven o’clock, you know, in the morning.”
I shrugged. “I know.”
There was a soft knock on the door and I rushed down the stairs to answer it. Bryce stood outside, holding the hand of a little boy with similar features. Both of them had damp hair, blue jeans, and matching white polo shirts. Bobby was grinning from ear to ear. He held his hand out to me.
“Hi, I’m Bobby!” he said. “I brought my backpack!”
“Hi,” I answered, shaking his hand.
My mom kneeled next to Bobby. ”Hi, Bobby! My name is Kris. Are you ready to have a super fun day?”
His eyes sparkled. “Yes. Bryce said I was going to have lots of fun today.”
She smiled warmly. “Well, he was right!”
“Okay, Bryce, you can go now,” Bobby waved to his big brother.
Bryce chuckled. “Hold on, Buddy. I have to talk to Kris and Cassie here before you kick me out just yet.”
“Okay, Bryce,” he answered.
Bryce held out his hand to my mother. “Hi, I’m Bryce.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Kris,” she answered, shaking it. “Do you have a few minutes to fill out some paperwork and go over a couple of things before you leave? Cassie can show Bobby around.”
He flashed one of his dimpled smiles and I melted, again. “Certainly.”
I showed Bobby around the house and then spent a few minutes in the toy area with him. He was giddy and jumped from toy to toy.
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