Page 20 of Sunflower Persona
“Looks like it,” I mumble, holding back the urge to glare.
“Which one is yours?” she asks.
“Oh, no. I don’t have kids. I’m just early for my class.”
“That’s my Jack.” She points to the blond-headed child with his arms wrapped around Gage’s neck. “He absolutely idolizes Gage. I swear all I hear at home is ‘Coach Gage this’ and ‘Coach Gage that.’ It is really useful for discipline, though. All I have todo to get him in line is threaten to tell Coach Gage, and he is on his best behavior.”
I’d be on my best behavior for Coach Gage too.
“I’m Ashley, by the way.”
“Kori,” I tell her, but I don’t have time to say much else before Gage calls the class to order.
The authoritative command he barks out has me going stiff at attention along with the rest of the kids, which causes Ashley to burst out laughing beside me. Her laughter draws his attention from the class, and for the first time, he notices me among the spectators.
He barely glances at her before his gaze lands on me. His face goes blank for a breath, and then his lips curl into a wry grin and his eyes soften in a way that has my heart melting. I hold my hand up and wiggle my fingers in an awkward wave. His hand twitches at his side like he wants to respond, but he doesn’t and directs his focus back to the class.
For the first time, Ashley’s attention is fully on me. So is the attention of every mom in this room. Hell, even a few dads are staring in my direction. The looks on their faces range from curiosity to outright hostility. Both make me wish a wormhole would open up and suck me into an alternate dimension where the clouds are made of cotton candy, and everyone is an anthropomorphic bird.
Or I could bolt to the locker room. That is the sane option here.
“Girl, what was that about?” Ashley asks before I can go through with my plan.
“I have no idea,” I tell her with a shrug.
“Well, honey, I’m jealous. Gage has never looked at any of us that way, and not for lack of trying on some of our parts.” She casts a disapproving look at one of the other moms, whose shirt’s neckline plunges so deep that her tits are practically hanging out.
I don’t really know what to say to that, so I shrug. Gage and I are more than strangers, but we aren’t friends. Not that I haven’t hoped for more. Sharing that seems like a bad idea. It’s way too personal to get into with someone I met all of five minutes ago. Although that might be how people make friends. I’ve got the meeting-people part down, and our common interest here is Gage; I don’t want to talk about that, though. He is mine, and I want to hide him away like a dragon protecting its hoard.
The rest of the class passes without further conversation. Watching the kids makes me feel a bit better about what I’m about to get myself into. If the kids can do it, so can I. Although most of their time is spent playing games that help them grow comfortable with the different movements without actually drilling. The time they do spend working on technique looks like they are hugging and falling at each other.
It’s freaking adorable.
So is how seriously Gage treats it. He never once addresses them as if they’re anything but tiny adults.
As he calls the class to an end, he catches my eye and attempts to escape from the mat. Heavy emphasis onattempts, because between the kids and their mothers, everyone wants his attention. He doesn’t push any of them away and even gets down to the kids’ level when speaking to them. It’s a complete one-eighty from how he acts at the bar.
“Hey, Kori. Are you ready for your first class?”
Unease crawls down my spine as the familiar low rasp of Gage’s goth friend comes from behind me.Friend.Ha. That’s wishful thinking. The dose of reality pops my swelling heart and sends it flying around my ribcage like a deflating balloon. It doesn’t matter how hard I’m crushing when he isn’t available.
“I—”
“Perfect. You are going to love it. I’m going to pair you up with one of the other newer girls, but flag me down if you have anyquestions.” She wraps an arm around my waist and guides me to the center mat without waiting for my response.
“You coach too?”
“Nope, I just help out sometimes. Chappy is the woman in charge tonight.” She jerks her head toward a tall, slender woman in the center of the room with a clipboard.
“What about Gage?”
“He only coaches the brats.”
“Is he not going to train?”
“These classes are below his skill level.”
“Oh.”
