Page 1 of Without Regret

CHAPTER ONE

Emma

As an introvert, living in Texas was hell. Over the last couple of months of staying here, I’d found perfect strangers would strike up conversations out of the blue. From my waxer telling me about her no-good, lazy boyfriend while she worked on my lady bits to a grocer’s clerk at the checkout line asking what I was making for dinner and then trying to write down her mama’s favorite chicken recipe—It was a lot to handle for someone like me, who tended to prefer my own company.

At least at the gym it was acceptable to wear earphones to block out the masses. To work out and get my sweat on gave me a nice break from the pressure of engaging with others.

But this morning as I was finishing up, I walked by the front desk and couldn’t help overhearing an irate female railing at the poor gym desk clerk about his refusal to let her in. I told myself not to get involved, but it turned out I couldn’t walk away, not from someone berating another person. Call it a personal quirk. I worked as assistant to a high-powered, workaholic business investor. Trust me when I say he was demanding, but at least he treated me with respect. Unlike others in this world who thought me being an assistant meant they could treat me like I was beneath them.

The poor kid at the desk, who was probably all of eighteen, turned beet red and looked around, probably hoping his manager would come save him.

Definitely been there, kid.As I approached the desk, I couldn’t hear exactly what the angry woman had said, but I did hear his response.

“Ma’am, I do apologize, but I can’t let you in on a guest pass unless the member is present with you.”

“But as I told you—and you’re clearly not listening—he is here. Somewhere. Just go get him, and he can sign me in. He has brown hair, is six foot two, and is probably wearing gym shorts and a T-shirt.”

Jesus, she’d described about half the men in here. With two floors and hundreds of people working out here on a busy weekend, it certainly wouldn’t be easy to find him.

Although I’d only been here a couple of months, I’d come to think that in Texas, of all places, people had manners. It was definitely different from New York, where I’d lived most of my adult years, or London, where I spent a childhood I’d rather forget about.

The desk clerk responded politely with his soft Texan accent. “Ma’am, I paged him, but he hasn’t come up here.”

“He probably has headphones in. If you’ll just let me go and find him, I’ll bring him back. Or better yet, get your manager, so at least I can talk to someone who’ll actually help.”

I wasn’t a fan of getting involved in other people’s shit, let alone that of a stranger, but I’d heard enough to trigger me into action. I marched up to the desk where I glanced at the clerk’s nametag. “Hi, Jeremy. How about I sign her in as my guest for today?”

“Are you sure?” He glanced from me to her as if wondering why on earth I’d want to help her out.

Ms. Thing, with her perfect figure encased in expensive workout gear, her blond hair tied back, and big blue eyes fully made up as if she was going out to a fancy restaurant instead of the gym, gave him a triumphant smile before turning towards me. “Thank you. I mean I can’t believe it’s such an ordeal—”

I cut her off. “Oh, don’t go thanking me. Because I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for Jeremy here. That way he doesn’t have to listen to a mega-bitch at eight o’clock on a Sunday morning while he tries to follow the rules and not get fired. You may get off on belittling teenagers like him, and he may be unable to tell you to bugger off, but I, for one, am not listening to a minute more of your abuse. So, go get your little sweat on, but if I hear of you so much as glaring at another staff member here, I’ll personally throw your arse out.”

I wasn’t up on all of the American laws, but considering the State of Texas had people armed with guns going anywhere they chose, I doubted the authorities would care if I physically escorted a bitchy female out the door of a gym.

Her eyes widened, and she sucked in a breath. Then, much to my shock, she burst into tears, running for the women’s locker room a few feet away.

Huh. Didn’t see that coming.

“What’s going on here? Why did Avery go running into the locker room crying?”

I turned around to look at the owner of the big, masculine voice. It apparently belonged to a six foot two, muscular, all-American man fitting her initial description. He was dressed in a long-sleeved workout shirt and shorts. He might be hot, but he wasn’t winning any points, neither with his squeaky clean-cut looks nor his taste in women.

“Your girlfriend was yelling at the front desk clerk because he wouldn’t let her in on your guest pass if you weren’t here to sign for her.”

He looked between me and the kid, who apologized.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I was only trying to follow the rules. I had you paged and everything.”

Tall, hot and handsome sighed. “No, no, you don’t have to apologize. I had my earphones in, so I couldn’t hear the page. I wasn’t aware she’d be coming; otherwise, I would’ve informed you.” He turned back towards me, vivid blue irises focusing fully on mine. “And she’s not my girlfriend.”

I rolled my eyes. How many times did a woman need to hear that line? “Really? Does she know that?”

He chuckled, the deep, Southern-accented baritone flooding my senses. He might not be my type, but my body wasn’t listening to my brain trying to tell it that.

“I would hope so since she’s my younger sister.”

Huh. Didn’t see that coming, either. “Yes, well, your sister was quite rude to Jeremy, and when I informed her as much, she burst out crying.”

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