Page 57 of The Glass Dolphin

She set about filing and shredding, then she put the ordering clipboard back on the shelf. She’d just finished when the loud music from Robby’s class began, so she expected Shad would show up at any moment.

Just as soon as Robby’s class had started, the music stopped. Shouting came from the front of the house, and bells did clang in Kelli’s head this time.

It took her a few long moments to get to her feet, and by the time she managed it and made it to her office door, the yelling had intensified and was getting closer.

“…ask her myself!” a man yelled.

“Sir,” Robby called, and they both came striding around the corner. “She’s pregnant, and—” He cut off when he saw Kelli standing just outside her office door. Thankfully, he didn’t stop moving, and he caught up to the other man just as he arrived in front of Kelli.

Her heartbeat screamed through her whole body, beating wildly against its normal rhythm. She had two heartbeats inside her, and her little girl kicked as the adrenaline flowed freely between them.

“Do you own this place?” the man growled. He had wild, curly, black hair but he wasn’t unkempt. He didn’t smell of alcohol or body odor. He wore normal street clothes, not the type of gym attire Kelli’s clients usually wore.

“Yes,” she managed to say. “I’m Kelli Webb, and I’ve owned Whole Soul for a couple of years now.”

“This is a residential home,” he barked. “You can’t just make it into a business.”

Kelli wasn’t sure what to think. Was this guy just going around checking every home in the area? On Bell Island? On all of the islands in Five Island Cove?

She so wasn’t good at confrontation, and more people had crowded into the hallway. Robby’s class-goers, and probably Moxie’s too. She taught a relax and unwind yoga class against Robby’s aerobics.

Her throat felt like old glue as she tried to swallow. “I grew up in this house,” she said. “I’m married to the Finance Director for Five Island Cove. I know the laws, and I have a permit to have a yoga studio here.”

“I’d like to see it,” he demanded.

“Well,” Kelli said calmly, not really sure where this well of nerves had come from. “You can call the Building Permit office and ask to see it. It’s a public record. But I don’t have to show it to you just because you say so.”

He took a step forward, and Robby jumped in front of him. “Sir, you have to leave. Now.”

“She’s pregnant,” a woman called from down the hall. “I’m calling the cops. He’s threatening a pregnant woman!”

Kelli held her head high as she continued to gaze at the dark-haired man. He didn’t budge either, but at least he didn’t come any closer. “Unless you’re a paying member of one of our two classes tonight, you’re trespassing.”

“Time to go,” Robby said, and he put one hand against the man’s chest. He swatted it away, which caused a ripple among the class members down the hall. Another man came through the women, and Kelli almost sagged against the wall when she saw her husband.

“Kel?” he asked. “What’s going on here?”

“He’s trespassing,” someone said.

“He hit Robby.”

“The police are on their way.”

The voices started to blur all together, and Kelli’s face grew hotter and hotter. Shad arrived and he wrapped one arm around her and steered her back into her office. He closed the door and the noise out, and Kelli tried to find a strong piece of ground to stand on.

“Kelli,” Shad said, and she blinked until she could focus on him. It looked like he’d just entered the office. “He’s gone. It’s okay.”

“I have the right permit,” she said.

Shad didn’t smile at her as he approached. “Of course you do. And it’s not his job to come in here and badger you if you don’t.”

“Did the police come?”

Shad guided her around the desk and to her seat. “I don’t know. I just know Robby got him to leave.”

Kelli collapsed into her desk chair, and her back spasmed at the same time a gushing, warm, wet feeling drenched the front of her pants. She yelped, and then froze. She breathed in very deeply, sure she’d just imagined the wetness. Or perhaps she’d had an accident.

“Are you okay?” Shad knelt down in front of her, pure concern on his handsome features. “Kelli, you’re not talking.”

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