Page 84 of See Me

My throat thickens at the mention of that name. A name I haven’t heard or allowed myself to be called in a very long time. I offer a small smile. “Story for another time.”

He smiles and nods.

I take another swig of beer, not wanting to continue with this deep dive into the personal stuff. I need to keep the conversation light and fluffy. “What’s your backup?”

He clears his throat and concentrates on his ornament placement. “Knockout’s. Knockout’s is my backup. Actually, it wasn’t evenmybackup.”

“Didn’t have a plan after MMA?”

He works his way toward the back of the tree and out of my line of sight. “Never had a plan at all.”

The urge to keep diving and soak up every detail swirls in my gut but the need to pull back and hold onto the casualness of this arrangement holds on. We work in silence for a few minutes, each staying on our side of the tree.

“Benny found me when I was fifteen, fighting in an alley. Evie got herself in trouble. It’s only by chance I came across them and was soon surrounded by more than I could handle. But I was an angry kid and thought I could take on the world. Got my ass beat good.” He chuckles. “It took a couple years of his instruction, in the gym right downstairs, for me to have enough skill to start local boxing matches. Then it snowballed. Turned into a professional career. Once I started making money, stupid money, I thought I would be set for life. Never thought having another plan was necessary. It was all I wanted from the moment Benny took me in.”

He meets my eye and I smile. “Still a story for another time?”

He chuckles and drains his bottle. “Definitely another time.” He gestures to the boxes scattered at our feet. “I’m feeling all jolly with all this Christmas cheer everywhere. I’d hate to ruin it.”

I tilt my head in sympathy. “That bad, huh?”

His face darkens and the air thickens with his mood. “Absolutely not a fun story.”

And now I will be googling his name the first chance I get. The researcher in me is awakened.

He walks to the kitchen and opens the fridge, grabbing two more beers. “Drain that bottle. We’re doing this decorating thing right.”

I pick up my bottle and chug. “Not the family tradition I remember, but I can get behind that.”

He stops halfway through the dining room and his mouth quirks up. “How drunk did you say you needed to be to sing?”

I hold up a finger. “Firstly, I said tequila. Secondly, not a chance in hell I’ll be singing tonight. Dammit.”

He tilts his head. “What?”

“I’m not supposed to be cursing.”

He laughs as he hands me another bottle even though my first isn’t finished. “Why?”

I take the bottle and set it next to the other one. “Because I’m a teacher. I can’t curse around children.”

His mouth curls up on one side and his eyes crinkle with humor. “I distinctly remember you calling me an asshole.”

I nod in shame but still giggle. “That was in the heat of the moment. And you earned it.”

A deep laugh rumbles from his chest. “That I did.”

I pick up my bottle and drain it, completely and utterly not thinking about what happened after I called him an asshole. Nope. Not thinking about that at all.

“Still not ready to tell me why teaching? Or why Ella?”

I look at him as I tip up the second bottle and drain it halfway. I hold the bottle up and close one eye to check its contents. He chuckles at my antics. “This bottle is not empty enough and this beer is not strong enough for that conversation.”

“So, it seems we aren’t broaching the tough stuff tonight. I’m good with that.”

We work in silence for a few minutes. Tuesday bounds into the room with a trail of garland behind her, diving into a box of ornaments. We both watch and shake our heads.

“So, Anne of Green Gables, huh?” I smirk when his eyes widen like I exposed his deepest darkest secret.

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