Chapter 29
Gage – 2017
For the most part, weeping women made me want to run away. As Natalie cried in my arms, however, I wanted nothing more than to stay with her until her pain was gone.
“I’m sorry,” she said after a while. Wiping her tears, she stepped back. “I’m such a mess tonight.”
“Nah, you’re fine.” A moment of awkward silence fell between us. “Would you like a cup of tea or something?”
“No, thank you. I think I better just go to sleep.”
“Okay.” I knew I needed to leave, but I didn’t want to. Still, it was the right thing to do, so I headed toward the door. “Good night, Natalie.”
“Good night.”
Alone in my room, I brushed my teeth, took off my prosthesis, and washed both it, the liner, and my stump. Tomorrow, my number one priority needed to be finding Natalie somewhere else to live. Because of my attraction to her, having her under my roof wasn’t a wise idea.
*
When the alarm went off at 5:20 a.m., I yawned and roused myself out of bed. I’d only slept a few hours, but I had an early morning fitness class to teach. After putting on my prosthesis and grabbing a protein bar, I went downstairs to meet my hardcore regulars.
Usually, I loved this group of high-powered career executives and soccer moms who were determined to work out before beginning their busy day. Today, however, I just wanted to go back upstairs to be there when Dash and Natalie awoke.
Last night, it’d been so easy to comfort Natalie. I hadn’t tried to fix her or interpret her sadness as a reflection of me. I’d simply held her and told her everything was going to be okay.
So, why hadn’t I been able to do that during her struggle with drugs? Why hadn’t I understood she had a disease that needed to be treated, not a flaw in her moral character?
I didn’t know if I could ever forgive myself for walking out on her. At a time when she needed me the most, I’d been judgmental and unsupportive. Was it any wonder she didn’t tell me she was pregnant?
“Did you feel the earthquake last night, Coach?” asked Mary Alice, a mother of eight who’d lost over sixty pounds since joining the gym.
“Just a little, but the brick chimney on Dash’s house collapsed through the roof.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
I shook my head and tried to block out the image of Natalie being crushed by all that brick and mortar. “No.”
“Thank God,” Mary Alice said.
I nodded. Yes, thank God indeed.
“I slept through the whole thing,” Rhodes said.
Everyone laughed, including me who just felt happy this morning. Was it wrong to feel so happy?
After class ended, I jogged down the hill to a cafe that served breakfast tacos and freshly squeezed orange juice. Feeling energetic, I returned to the gym, climbed the steps to the loft, and opened the door.
“Good morning,” Natalie called, standing at the coffee pot in the kitchen.
“Good morning.” Smiling, I walked toward her and set the bag of tacos on the counter. “I brought back breakfast.”
“It smells delicious.” Even though her eyes were red and puffy, she looked incredibly beautiful this morning. She gestured toward the coffee. “I hope you don’t mind, but I made myself at home and brewed a pot of coffee.”
“I don’t mind at all.” I suddenly felt nervous being alone with her. “Is Dash still sleeping?”
“He is.”
“That’s good.” I opened the cupboard and took down two plates. Then, I carried the plates and the bag of tacos to the table. “Breakfast is served.”
She smiled and joined me, bringing two cups of coffee. I took one of the mugs from her and thanked her. Sitting at the table, we ate our breakfast in companionable silence.
“I love your view of the bay,” she said, gesturing out the window.
I nodded in agreement. “One of the first things I did after buying the building was replace those windows to show off the view.”
“Good decision.”
“Thanks.”
She took a sip of her coffee. “So, you own the building?”
I nodded. “I bought it with the money I received from selling the company.”
“Was that difficult? Selling your family’s company?”
I drank my coffee. “It wasn’t an easy decision, but things changed after my father died. Someone made us a substantial offer, so after thinking about it for nearly two years, my mother and I accepted.”
“Are you glad you did it?”
“I am. I love owning the gym, and I love living in San Francisco. I thought about going back to Chicago, but this place feels like home.”
“So, you think you’ll stay here permanently?”
I nodded. “I think so. Living here is expensive, and the earthquakes can be disturbing, but every place has its drawbacks.”
“Like the blizzards in Chicago?”
“Exactly.”
I opened a tiny container of salsa and dumped it on my taco. “Even though I’m not planning on stepping away from Firehouse Fitness, I’ve started turning more of the daily operations over to Rhodes and Molly in order to give myself time to pursue other interests.”
“What kinds of other interests?”
“Well, Dash for one.” I took a bite of my taco, feeling guilty I’d never mentioned my other idea to Sheela. What was it about Natalie that gave me the courage to be so open about my dreams?
“Gage?”
I smiled. “Don’t laugh, but I’m thinking about getting involved in city politics. Maybe running for mayor or councilman.”
Natalie gave a serious nod. “I could see you as the town’s mayor.”
“Yeah?”
“Definitely.”
I grinned. “I think I could make a real difference, especially in regard to issues about kids. Plus, I always thought it would be fun to ride in the Fourth of July parade and throw out candy to my constituents.”
That made her laugh, something that pleased me beyond belief. “That is definitely a good reason to run for office,” she said. “Can you imagine how much fun Dash would have riding on the float with you? Of course, he’s going to want Roxy to come, too.”
“Of course.” I laughed. “What about you? Would you come with us?”
Alarm flashed across her face, making me instantly regret the question. Was I intentionally trying to scare her away by coming on so strong? What was my problem?
To my relief, she made a joke of the whole thing. “I call dibs on throwing out the Tootsie Rolls.”
I grinned. “They’re all yours.”
Smiling, she took one last bite of her taco, then glanced at her watch. “I should probably call my landlord and check on the status of my house. Depending on how long it takes to fix the chimney, I’ll probably need to find a new place to live.”
“There’s no rush,” I said, abandoning last night’s plan to find her a new home. “You and Dash can stay as long as you want.”
“Thanks, but I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“I don’t think that’ll happen.”
*
After breakfast, Natalie helped Dash get ready for school while I went down to the gym to tell Rhodes I’d be gone for most of the day.
“Where are you going?” Rhodes asked, like it was his business.
I blew out an exasperated breath. “Do you want to take the lead on things today or not?”
Rhodes gave me an easy smile. “Relax, Coach. I’ve got it.”
“Good.”
“Just be careful, okay?”
“Be careful about what?”
Rhodes sighed. “Natalie is great and all, but you just broke up with Sheela, so you’re vulnerable. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
I groaned. “Rhodes?”
“Yeah?”
“This is my life. Not the Dr. Phil show. I’m a big boy and can handle it.”
“You can handle what?” Dash asked, coming into my office with Natalie.
“Hey, little man,” Rhodes said, giving Dash a high five. “Coach was just telling me about your eventful evening.”
“It was scary,” Dash said, his voice animated.
Rhodes gave Natalie a side hug. “That’s just part of living in San Francisco.”
“Well, that’s a part of San Francisco Roxy doesn’t like,” Dash said.
Natalie smiled and glanced at me. “I’m on my way to take Dash to school, but I wanted to tell you that I spoke to my landlord. He said it’s going to be a while before my rental is fixed, but he can move us into a different house next week.”
“Oh, okay.”
“That means we get to stay with you for a whole week,” Dash said.
“If you don’t mind,” Natalie quickly added. “I don’t want to impose.”
Behind her, Rhodes raised his brow. Ignoring his disapproval, I told Natalie she and Dash could stay as long as they needed.
“Yes!” Dash said, grinning up at me.
“Thank you.” Natalie smiled, making me feel like a hero. “After I drop Dash off at school, I’d like to stop by my house and see if I can collect my things. Would it be okay if I borrowed your truck?”
“You can definitely borrow the truck, but I’m coming with you to help.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Natalie said.
“I know I don’t have to, but I’d like to.”
She nodded, and I opened my desk drawer to grab the key.