They spent the rest of their lunch break talking about other things and finally Ari said, “I’m going to get in trouble if you hang around much longer.”
“I need to head back anyway,” he said, standing and taking his coat off the back of the chair. Nick really was quite handsome and Ari realized she enjoyed spending time with him. Two “dates” and things felt good between them.
“Let me walk you out,” Ari said, and they walked the maze of her office and past Rebecca, who ate her own Taco Taco lunch at her desk. Ari lifted an eyebrow as she walked by but Rebecca only smirked in return. They walked outside to the courtyard.
“Next time, the food is on me?” she suggested.
Nick gave her a sly smile. “Sounds good. Call you later?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
He leaned over and gave her a gentlemanly kiss on the cheek. Ari smiled when he gave her arm a gentle squeeze before he walked away.
“Bye,” she called.
Ari liked Nick. He was a great guy. Maybe a little straight-and-narrow for her taste, but she knew it was time to grow up a little and find a stable guy. Not the type who entertained crowds with backflips in clubs. Plus, that would have been a major conflict of interest now that she and Mr. Davis worked together.
Rebecca pounced on Ari when she came in the door. “I can’t believe he came!” she exclaimed. “I mean, I told him to, but when he asked for my favorite taco I thought he was just joking around. Like, ‘ha ha, I like chicken salsa, extra cheese,’ you know? But then he showed up all windblown and hot and I just didn’t even know what to do, so I just sent him back to your office.”
Ari gave her an amused look. “Are you finished?”
“Not really,” Rebecca said. “Did you make plans for later? Did he kiss you on the cheek or the mouth? I couldn’t see from the window. And don’t even act like you aren’t into him. You should see your face.”
“What about my face?” But Ari knew. She felt the flush and had a hard time keeping the Nick-induced grin suppressed.
“You look like the cat that caught the canary.”
“Not yet,” Ari said as she started back to her office. “But give me a couple weeks and we can talk.”
Chapter 6
Just like the last time Ari arrived at the GYC, Keith stood behind the counter. Loud hip-hop music flowed from the gym and he nodded his head to the beat. She entered the lobby with a bagful of Curtis’ belongings. Since she hadn’t found much at his house, she’d stopped and purchased several other necessities to add to his small collection. At least enough to get through a week of school.
“Hi Keith,” she said, approaching the counter. “I need to drop these off for Curtis. Is he around?”
The boy jerked his thumb toward the gym. “He’s in the ring.”
Ari walked around the counter and almost dropped her bag. Keith was right—Curtis was in the boxing ring, fighting, or really, being beat up by another boy. He wore shorts and a tank top, and big boxing gloves weighed down his hands. A padded helmet covered his head. Even with the protection, blood dripped from his nose and he swayed on his feet.
“Curtis!” Ari yelled. He looked up. The distraction gave the other boy the chance to deliver a sharp, devastating blow to the head. Curtis fell against the ropes.
“Stop!” Ari cried, abandoning the bag on the floor. She ran across the gym and reached for the elastic ropes surrounding the ring. She never made it. Her body flung backwards and her heart seized. An unknown man pulled her back, his massive arms around her chest. For the second time that day, a slamming memory of the armed robbery jolted through her body.
“Get off!” she shrieked. She fought against the man, kicking his shins and scratching at his arms. Ari felt her shoes fly off her feet and her attacker placed her on the floor. He immediately began apologizing.
“It’s okay,” he said, holding his hands up. “It’s okay. I’m sorry.”
Ari took deep, heavy breaths. Her eyes darted from her attacker to Curtis, who had struggled to his feet. He and the other boy stared at her. Looking around the room, she realized several other boys across the gym had stopped their activities as well. “I’m not going to hurt you,” the man said again. She looked at his face and realized he meant no harm, but that didn’t stop the feeling of panic overtaking her body.
The man offered her his hand and she scrambled back. “Don’t touch me.”
“Ms. Grant?” she heard, and she spun. Mr. Davis ran toward her. “Are you okay?” He looked between Ari and The Hulk. “Peter, what happened?”
“She was about to jump in the ring and I stopped her. I was afraid she would get hurt,” Peter said.
Ari couldn’t stop staring at him. Enormous, bulging muscles, pulled taut at his shirt sleeves. She could even make out the outline of his solid chest through the material. His body was like a machine but his face, Ari realized, was gentle and sincere.