Page 3 of Made for Wilde
I take a sip of my coffee and wait. Here it comes, the real reason for her visit.
“Our newest instructor quit.” She says it flatly, like she’s still processing the annoyance. “He just started last week, but now he’s moving to Texas.”
“Texas?” I frown. “What’s in Texas?”
“A woman he met online two weeks ago.” She rolls her eyes. “He’s packing up his entire life to go be with her.”
“He’s moving across the country for a woman he just met?”
Dana shrugs. “You know how men fall hard in this town.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t tell me you believe that Fit Mountain Curse bullshit.”
“It doesn’t matter what I believe.” She leans forward, getting to the point. “What matters is that I need someone to take over Thomas’s beginner boxing class.”
And there it is.
“No.”
“Koda—”
“I said no, Dana.” I set my mug down. “I don’t do beginners. You know that.”
“I know.” Her voice softens slightly. “But I need you on this. I wouldn’t ask if I had another option.”
“What about Martinez? Or that new kid—what’s his name—Oscar?”
“Martinez is already teaching three classes. He’s maxed out.” Her fingers drum lightly on the table—her tell when she’s holding something back. “And Oscar doesn’t have the credentials for this particular group.”
I narrow my eyes. “What do you mean, ‘this particular group’?”
“One of our new shareholders specifically requested you.” She takes a careful sip of her coffee. “Darian DeLuca. He bought a forty percent stake in the gym last month. His son wants boxing lessons, and he asked for you by name.”
That catches me off guard. “Why me?”
“Because you’re Koda Wilde. Former professional boxer with years of experience in the ring. You’ve trained champions.” She sets her mug down with precision. “He wants the best for his son.”
Ever since Ben Mitchell won his fight last year, every kid in town thinks they can step into the ring and become the next champion. They see the glory. The money. The fame. They don’t see the years of getting your ass handed to you. The broken ribs. The concussions that leave you seeing double for weeks.
“Dana, everyone isn’t cut out to be a boxer,” I tell her.
“You know that, and I know that. But Mr. DeLuca is paying us very well to find that out the hard way,” she says finally.
I glare at her across the table. “I’m starting to regret helping you get this CEO job.”
She laughs. “Oh, please. I got this job all on my own, thank you very much.”
She’s right. My sister has never needed anyone’s help climbing the corporate ladder. The fact that her brother happened to be one of the gym’s best trainers was just a bonus for the Worthingtons. She earned her position through her own track record.
“Besides, you know you love me,” She grins. “You’d turn into a hermit up here if I didn’t check on you.”
“Maybe I want to be a hermit.”
Dana’s grin fades, and concern takes its place. “Koda, I’m worried about you.”
“Don’t start.”
“You’re wasting away up here.” She gestures around the cabin. “You never come into town unless you have to. You don’t see anyone. You don’t talk to anyone. Ever since Vanessa?—”
