The Harder He Falls: 2 (So Inked) (15 page)

“She asks to go see you all the time. Do you know how hard it is to tell her that I can’t because Daddy is busy? You’re making me the bad guy here, and it’s not fair. You aren’t a horrible father, you’re a hell of a lot better than most, but you need to spend more time with her.”

He stared at the crayon drawing. How could he argue with this?

Didn’t he love Josie as much as Kellie loved her grandmother? Kellie sacrificed everything for her grandmother.

“Yeah, okay. We’ll try it today.”

Penny visibly relaxed and studied him. “Who is she?”

His spine straightened. “What are you talking about?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh please, do not try to hide things from me. I see your daughter do those same things you do, so there is no fooling me. Out with it.”

How the hell did Penny do that? She had the mom routine down with her psychic knowing of shit he hadn’t even mentioned. He shoved the drawing back at her. “God, can I at least get a cup of coffee?”

“Fine. Sit.” She pointed at the breakfast nook, with its quaint parson’s style table and padded chairs. Placemats marked where the family of three sat at mealtime.

Quin took one of the seats without a placemat. Despite having a good relationship with Penny’s husband, he did everything possible not to cause waves. Even avoiding his chair at the table. He wanted them to make it. Penny deserved someone who loved her. He hadn’t been able to.

He watched her pull down the mugs, standing on tiptoe to reach them, and fill both with steaming black coffee. If Kellie were in the same room, he wouldn’t be able to look away from her.

“Spill it.” She plunked the mug down in front of him and sank into her customary seat. One leg crossed over the other and she hooked an arm over the back of the chair.

“Is this necessary?”

“You’ve been so focused on the gym and fights that you haven’t done anything else. If there’s a woman in your life it’s a good thing. Tell me about her.”

“How do you even know there is a her? How do you do that?”

“I just know you.”

“But how do you do that?”

Penny snorted and sipped her coffee. “Like I’m going to tell you. Stop stalling. Josie’s going to be done with her cartoons soon and I want to know everything. What’s her name?”

He glared at her, but there was no heat behind it. Before moving to Texas they’d been friends and co-parents. Sometime in the last year things had changed. He missed that friendship. Hell, he’d gotten Penny’s advice on past girlfriends a number of times, but he was reluctant to bring up Kellie. He couldn’t tell Penny about her and not admit his deceit.

“What did you do? Did you already screw up this relationship? How long have you been seeing her?”

“It’s not really a relationship, and I’ve known her for almost two weeks. More like a week and a half. It’s not a big deal.”

“You’re scowling. It is a big deal. So why are you being a commitment-phobe?”

“Why do you think I’m the one with issues?”

“Because you’re hiding something, mister.”

He stared down into his mug. If he was going to admit to anyone that he’d screwed up, it should be Penny. Sure, they fought and got under each other’s skin, but they were friends. Family even. He sipped his too hot coffee and slouched down in his chair.

“She’s the granddaughter of the guy who started the gym I bought. I told you about all the vandalism. Well, I thought she might have done it. The local Asian community hasn’t really liked me coming in and buying what they considered theirs. I went to see her and got her to start this tattoo. We fooled around a little a few times, and that’s the extent of our relationship.”

“Okay, so what aren’t you telling me?”

“Gosh, Mom.”

She chuckled and sipped her coffee.

“She doesn’t know I own the gym. I don’t know how she’ll handle that news.”

“But you care what her reaction will be.”

He nodded. It was a niggling fact that had bothered him since this charade began. He wanted to be honest with her, and yet he’d begun with a lie.

“So what about her? Is she into you?”

“I guess.”

“You guess? You don’t know?” Penny’s eyebrows raised, disbelief written plainly on her face, from the wide eyes to the mouth hanging slightly agape.

“It’s complicated, Pen. She’s really busy. Owns her own business. Takes care of her grandmother. I’ve only known her two weeks and already I can understand her point that she doesn’t have time for me. And really, I shouldn’t let anything distract me from the upcoming fight. I don’t have time for a relationship.”

“But you have to live a little too. You can’t be all work all the time. Are you booty-calling her or are you more friends with benefits?”

“Honestly? I don’t know.”

“So be friends with benefits. If you both like each other, it’ll work itself out.”

“Yeah, maybe.” He didn’t like where he sat with Kellie, but he’d made the mess. He’d have to figure out how to fix it, or else he could add her to the list of people who wanted to see him fail.

“All done with my cereal, Mommy.” Josie carried her bowl to the table and set it down in front of Penny.

“And look, you drank all the milk too.”

“Yup.”

Penny pulled Josie up into her lap. “You want to spend the day with Daddy today?”

“Yes!” Josie grinned at him, a strip of white lining her upper lip.

“Let’s go get your stuff, Lady Bug.” Quin stood, his focus on his daughter. There was time to figure out Kellie later. “You’ll come pick her up at the gym tonight, right?”

“I’ll be there,” Penny replied.

* * * * *

Kellie wiped her station down, tuning out the hushed argument happening in Pandora’s corner. The sound of Mary’s machine humming along helped drown it out for the most part.

“So what are you doing tonight?” Mary asked without looking up from the stylized text she was tattooing on a Hispanic man’s shoulders. He was the big, silent type, who hadn’t flinched or even acknowledged the kiss of the needle since she’d begun.

“I figured I would stick around and help you guys out. Maybe do payroll.” She was supposed to have Tuesdays off, but with the shop reopening and Autumn’s absence, she’d been working every day of the week.

“It’s Tuesday. It’ll be slow.
Vete
.”

Kellie folded her arms across her chest. “You say that now, but when a whole group walks in the door you’ll wish I was here.”

“Then they can wait their turn.” Mary glanced up from the tattoo. “You need to go. You’ve been working too hard to cover our asses.”

She could argue and stay, but she didn’t want to. She’d been trapped inside the shop for too many days, her only trips into the outside world to go home for a few hours or fuck like bunnies with Quin.

“Fine, I’m going to do a few things in the office then I’m gone.”

“See you ladies later,” Brian called from the front of the shop, one hand on the door.

“Bye, Brian.” Kellie waved, but her attention was already on Pandora, who was bent over the table, a smile on her lips. Whatever they’d been arguing about, either Pandora won or they figured it out.

Kellie gathered her things and went back to the office. Sam sat at Mary’s desk doing his summer school work.

“Hey, Sam.”

The teen grunted at her and continued scribbling away with a pencil.

She stood next to her desk, feeling listless. Payroll didn’t have to be done for another few days. The books were balanced, the latest order waiting for delivery. There was nothing she needed to do. Which left what she wanted to do.

Digging her phone out of her bag, she ignored the text messages and flipped to her contacts. She hadn’t called Jacob in a while, but they were practically neighbors. His grandmother was one of the triad of women who had helped care for Grandma. The phone rang several times before going over to voicemail.

“Hey, Jacob, it’s Kellie. I was going to take you up on your offer to show me the gym. Give me a call back. I have tonight off if you’re free.”

Her phone beeped with an incoming call. She glanced at the screen and chuckled as she switched lines.

“I was leaving a message for you,” she said as she gathered her things into her work bag with one hand.

“Noticed. What’s up, Cho Hee?”

Kellie rolled her eyes and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Bye, Sam.” She switched to Korean as she exited the building into the blistering afternoon heat. “I was going to go by the gym today, wondered if you were going to be around.”

He didn’t reply for a moment. “I’m finishing my afternoon training. I could hang around and work out with you.”

“I’m not going to do a lot, just wanted to, you know, see the place.” She unlocked the Cube and shoved her bag over to the passenger-side seat.

“Is Shin still pressuring you about talking to the owner?”

“I don’t want to even hear his name. Anyway, I’m going to go grab a change of clothes and I’ll come by.”

“I’ll be here.”

* * * * *

Quin eyed another van passing the perimeter of the park.

“Daddy! Daddy! Look at me!”

He whipped his head around as Josie slid down the short slide. He hadn’t liked the look of the bigger one and had forbid her going down it alone, so she’d made several trips down the smaller one. She stopped at the end, her little legs dangling off and grinned up at him.

All of the other parents sat on benches lining the play area. He’d tried that, but Josie kept running out of his line of sight, and what if one of the other kids hurt her?

She stared up at him as if expecting him to say or do something. Pink tulle stuck out on all sides from the tutu Penny hadn’t made her take off before leaving. He had no idea how to handle this.

“Good job, Lady Bug.” He held up his hand for a high five and she bounced to her feet and slapped her palm against his.

Her skin was growing pink and it felt as though the heat was baking him from the inside out. He’d stopped at the park after leaving Penny’s out of desperation. He couldn’t take Josie to the gym, so he’d left the morning practices to Oscar, grabbed some snow cones and here they were, two hours later.

“You about ready for lunch?” Kids had to eat, didn’t they?

“I want chocolate.”

“That sounds good, but I think you have to eat something before cake. How about some chicken strips?”

Josie latched on to his hand with both of hers and nodded, her whole body weaving back and forth with the motion.

“Chicken it is.” He started to walk toward the truck, but Josie tugged on his hand. Quin peered down at her. “Something wrong?”

She lifted her hands and wiggled her fingers at him. He could feel the gazes of the other parents lining the play area judging him. No, he didn’t look like father of the year, but he always made sure Josie had what she needed.

“Want something, squirt?”

Josie lifted up on tiptoes and leaned against his leg. Her lip was pinched between her teeth and her eyes danced with an inner light that fascinated him.

“If you use your big girl words maybe I’ll understand you.”

“Daddy.” She dragged the word out over several seconds. “Pick me up.”

“Is that what you want? Well okay.”

He swung her up to his hip and trekked across the park to his truck. He’d never had a car seat in it before. He got Josie securely buckled in, checked and double-checked the belts before circling around to the driver’s seat. Josie was already listing to the side, her eyes drifting closed.

Quin managed to order food and get to the gym without incident. Josie even perked up a little after her catnap. He was juggling the food and Josie, who once again demanded to be carried, when Mouse emerged from the front of the gym—with the puppy.

“Hey, Coach.” Mouse held the leash away from his body.

“Mouse, what is that dog doing in the gym?”

“Puppy! Puppy, puppy, puppy.” Josie began wiggling furiously. “I wanna pet the puppy.”

“No, Lady Bug.” He didn’t know if the dog was up-to-date on shots, if it was friendly or anything except that he wasn’t crazy about Mouse being responsible for something that needed food and water at regular intervals.

“She’s harmless, Coach.” Mouse took off his cap and scratched his head.

Quin had to put Josie down or risk dropping her. He still held on to her hand though she strained to reach the puppy. The puppy, in turn, seemed to realize that this little human was puppy-sized and crept as far as the lead would allow it toward Josie.

The puppy was a little on the skinny side. It kept ducking its head in a timid kind of way. Mouse gave the dog a little more line and she crept closer to Josie so that she could lick the little girl’s fingers. The dog’s long, whiplike tail slashed through the air, wiggling her whole body.

Josie pulled out of his grasp and threw her little arms around the dog’s neck, giggling as the puppy turned to lick and slobber her. “Can we keep her, Daddy?”