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I nodded, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. Then another. “Ready.” I whispered as I exhaled. Then I lifted my arms above my head and swung them down towards my legs as fast as I could, pulling them apart as I did. The tape sounded like a zipper when it ripped.

“I did it.”Did I sound as shocked as I felt?I smiled, then quickly looked at the floor as tears filled my eyes. It pissed me off how easily I teared up, especially when I was happy. I blinked a few times and looked up at Jack.

He smiled and held up his hand for a high five. “Good job.” After I clapped my hand to his, he asked, “You okay?” So only I could hear.

I smiled. “I am, thanks.”

He nodded and moved on to the next student.

I rushed out as soon as class was over, too embarrassed by my earlier anxiety attack to stick around. In my haste to leave, I forgot to grab the handouts John had mentioned at the beginning of class.

Chapter 5

Jack

Islid my sunglasses on top of my head as I walked into Grannie’s the morning after the class. “Hey Beth, is Meg around?” I asked as I approached the counter.

“Hey Jack, yeah, she’s in the break room.” Beth tilted her head in response. “You know the way.”

“Thanks.” On the short walk to the back, I thought about what I wanted to say. I didn’t think she’d appreciate me bringing up what happened in class. Her fear hadn’t gone unnoticed, after class my dad asked if she was okay. “I noticed her reaction when you duct taped her wrists. Her fear was palpable, even across the room. And she practically ran out once class was over.”

After we’d answered questions and packed up, I stopped by the counter to chat with the range manager, Grant, an old friend from high school. I held back when I saw Meg looking at pistols, the desire to protect her coursed like hot lead through my veins. After taking a second to collect myself, I turned and walked away. I didn’t think she’d appreciate the interruption.

“Morning, mind if I join you?” I asked as I walked into the break room. She was sitting at the table, facing the door, reading. Her head snapped up. I watched as the pink spread up her neck and across her cheeks.

She bit her lower lip. “No.” Then lowered her eyes back to her book, her shoulders rounding in like she was trying to curl up and hide.

Damn, I hadn’t expected that reaction. I mean, I wasn’t expect her to jump for joy, but she looked like she wanted to be invisible. I told myself it was because she was still embarrassed about last night and ignored it.

“Thanks.” I pulled out the chair across from her and turned it around. I put the papers I was holding on the table in front of her as I sat down. “You left before we handed out the class material.”

Meg looked from her book to me, to the papers, then back at me. “I’m sorry. I-”

I cut her off. “No need to apologize. Self-defense classes can be triggering.” Fuck. I realized my mistake before I finished as I watched her whole body tensed up.

She straightened her back and squared her shoulders. She tried to exude confidence, but I could see the fear in her eyes. Was she was trying to convince me, or herself?

It was my turn to be embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume.”

I shouldn’t be thinking about how gorgeous she was but I couldn’t help it. Owning her power looked good on her, even if it was a mask to hide her fear or shame. I’d noticed it last night too. She had a fierce expression on her face when she was hitting the pads. I had a feeling she was seeing a face she wanted to hit. I could see the pain in her eyes, mixing with the angry denial. “But I think someone has hurt you, and I’m sorry.”

I watched as her eyes glazed over for a second, lost in what must have been an unpleasant memory. I swear I could hear the second hand of my digital watch ticking in the silence as I waited for her to come back to the present. Finally, she blinked a few times and brought her attention back to me.

“Thank you. And thanks for…” She paused, as if she was thinking about what to thank me for. She picked up the papers. “For dropping these off.”

I watched quietly as she put them in her book, closed it, and stood up. “I, uh, have to get back to work. Thanks again.”

“Yeah, of course.” I stood up and watched put her book in her locker. “Hey, I almost forgot. I wanted to talk to you about something. Can I meet you here when your shift is over?” One of my goals in coming here today was to offer her more training.

She hesitated, confusion written all over her face. She glanced at the clock and said, “Yeah, um, sure, I’m done at two.”

There was zero enthusiasm in her voice. I had a feeling she only agreed because she didn’t have enough time to come up with excuses for why she couldn’t. That feeling sucked. I wasn’t arrogant, but I also wasn’t used to women acting like they didn’t want to talk to me. I shook it off. What mattered was that she had agreed. I’d have the chance to talk to her later, and hopefully convince her I was a good guy.

I smiled, “See you then.”

Afraid Meg might try to sneak out before I got there, I arrived fifteen minutes early. The rich, robust smell of the coffee shop always felt like coming home. I’d practically grown up here. The sounds of beans grinding and milk steaming were part of the soundtrack of my childhood.

At the sound of the bell, Meg looked up from the pink, yellow and blue packets of sweeteners she was re-stocking, cheerfully calling out. “Hel-” she saw me and her cheerful tone fell flat. “Oh. Hi Jack.”

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