Elisa paused on the sidewalk in front of the school. “No. Not at all. I’m just…not used to immediate help like this. First you offered me a job, now a safe place to stay. It’s a lot to take in, and I don’t even know how I can begin—”
He held up his hand to stall her. “It’s not about repayment. I’d want someone to help me or mine someday if we were in trouble. Just pay it forward someday.”
Because he’d rather eat his shoe than have her feeling beholden to him in some way for doing what any decent person would do. Well, maybe not any person. But it was what people should do when someone was in need.
“Besides,” he added, “we really do need a good administrative assistant, and you’re the first person not to be driven crazy by us or the dogs in the first few hours.”
He stepped forward and pulled open the door, motioning for her to proceed inside. There was a class full of kids in session, maybe close to two dozen seven-and eight-year-olds. A tall, lean man in a clean black polo and loose black athletic pants presided over them as they went through a series of fun warm-ups while a half-dozen parents sat on benches along the wall to the right.
At least Rojas assumed the exercises were fun based on the squeals, giggles, and generally jubilant chatter coming from the kids. This class was a couple of years younger than Boom’s, and warm-ups were as much about burning off excess energy so the kids could concentrate more on the class as actually improving their agility and stamina.
Elisa paused a few feet inside and watched the controlled chaos with wide eyes.
“Hello, there.” Directly to the left of the entrance was a wide counter with a sleek tablet and stand that served as their register and a paper sign-in sheet. The counter also doubled as a merchandise display with “Revolution MMA Academy” t-shirts in various colors arranged alongside a variety of MMA gear. The speaker was a broad man, no less fit for his bulk, dressed in a similar black polo. His first greeting had been directed toward Elisa, and then the man gave Alex a nod. “Rojas, good to see you. How’s Boom?”
Rojas strode forward and shook hands. “Fine now. Quick thinking getting those ice packs and helping me immobilize her arm for the ride over to the ER. Doc says she’ll heal up quick.”
The man sighed and smacked his chest with an open palm. “She gave me a heart attack, not going to lie. Glad she’s going to be okay.”
Between the kids in the class shouting and the distance to the benches along the wall, low conversation in the reception area was fairly secure. Too much random noise to listen in on a quiet conversation.
Rojas smiled, then angled his body to include Elisa in the conversation. “We met a new friend at the ER.”
Eyebrows raised so high they almost disappeared into the other man’s hairline. Rojas paused to consider what he’d said. “Boom made a new friend. I mostly disturbed the peace.”
A sage nod. “Sounds more like you.”
And that was more than enough talking about himself. Elisa seemed to cheer up at the exchange, though. Maybe it was worth a little personal embarrassment.
Rojas cleared his throat. “This is Elisa Hall. She and Boom hit it off last evening. She also had the excellent timing of showing up with the bag gloves Boom forgot at the ER right about when Forte finally gave in and admitted we needed to look for an administrative assistant. Not only did she save me a trip back to the ER but she also saved me the trouble of posting to some online job site. I owe her big time.”
Long story made short and it was still so many words. He was going to be tapped out for conversation when this night was over. He hadn’t realized how much he relied on monosyllabic responses to get him through most exchanges. He’d talked more in the last twenty-four hours than in as long as he could remember. And most of it had been with Elisa.
“Administrative assistant.” The man grunted and came out from behind the counter, offering his hand to Elisa. “More like you need a keeper and a bouncer to keep those drooling women with their yapping puntables at bay. I’m Gary Boulding.”
There was a split second of hesitation, then Elisa took Gary’s hand and gave it a firm shake. Rojas wondered if Gary would interpret it the same way he did. A moment of assessment. It was a good habit to have for any person. Elisa Hall was fairly subtle about it, but a trained eye could still catch her.
“Mr. Rojas gave me the card for your school.” Elisa’s gaze wandered to the children’s class. “He mentioned you gave self-defense courses.”