good memories rather than none.
Then again, he’d been five years older than me and already holding down a part-time pastry chef apprenticeship while juggling school at fifteen, so he hadn’t been around to witness Dad’s ritualistic, systemic torture of me. The son he blamed for his entire miserable life.
It meant nothing now. He couldn’t hurt me any more. But every time I strode through one of my clubs I saluted him for giving me the drive, the ambition, to be so much better than he ever gave me credit for.
‘Hey, Tanner, didn’t expect to see you today.’ Hudson Watt, my manager and oldest friend, slapped me on the back as I entered the bar area. ‘Aren’t you meant to be making pastries or croissants or some other fancy-schmancy shit?’
‘Had a stack of stuff I wanted to check up on last night but didn’t get a chance so thought I’d spend the day here.’
Hudson grinned, the same smug grin he’d given me in high school when I’d tried to weasel out of a history assignment by devising an elaborate lie and he’d seen right through me.
‘Bit busy last night, huh?’ Hudson filled a glass with water and added a lime twist before sliding it along the bar towards me. ‘Here. You’re probably dehydrated after swapping spit with that hot blonde you had holed away in your private VIP room.’
‘What are you, twelve?’ I downed the water anyway. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Come on, man, don’t spin me some line.’ Hudson slugged me on the arm. ‘I’ve seen you sweet-talk more girls out of their panties than the number of mojitos I’ve served. And considering I’ve worked here for ten years and filled in on many occasions, that’s a shitload of mojitos.’
I chuckled. ‘I was giving Abby the grand tour, then I took her home.’
‘Her home or yours?’
I could’ve fobbed Hudson off but the guy was right. We’d been friends for a long time. If anyone knew me, faults and all, he did.
‘Mine.’ I pinched the bridge of my nose to ease some of the tension building behind my eyes. ‘Should never have happened.’
Hudson’s eyebrows shot up. ‘That’s the first time I’ve heard you express post-coital regret.’
‘Bullshit. Remember that time we double-dated those bogan twins from Bundaberg? Disastrous.’
Hudson laughed. ‘Don’t change the subject. From what I saw, this Abby chick had class stamped all over her. Too cool between the sheets, huh?’
Too hot, more like it. Scorching, soul-searing hot. The type of woman who got inside a guy’s head and wouldn’t leave, no matter how hard I tried. And I’d tried. Boy, had I tried. But she was there, every time I allowed my attention to wander for a moment. Front and centre. Naked. Wanton. Willing.
Fuck.
‘Abby’s Remy’s protégé and I shouldn’t have gone there.’
‘Why not?’ Hudson’s grin turned wicked. ‘From the way I saw her draped all over you as you left this place as fast as humanly possible, she was seriously into you.’
‘Still too complicated,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘Anyway, what’s going on with you?’
‘You don’t get off that easy.’ Hudson glanced at his watch. ‘I was just heading down to Jim’s for a quick workout before coming back here to do the books. Want to join me so I can grill you some more?’
‘You’re still working out at Jim’s?’
That place had saved my life as a kid. I’d been fourteen when Hudson had taken me to the run-down gym on the outskirts of Kings Cross, where kids could box for recreation, sport or just to vent their frustration.
I’d done a lot of the latter.
When I couldn’t tell anyone about Dad’s crappy treatment at home, I’d take it out at Jim’s. First on a punching bag, later in sparring matches with other teens. It had been cathartic, being able to physically vent in a safe place, and I hadn’t been back in over a decade.
‘Yeah, no better place to spar.’ Hudson jabbed a left hook in my direction and feigned a dodge to the right. ‘Come on, will do you good. You’ve drifted off about five times in the last few minutes and that means you’ve got it bad for this new chick.’
If he only knew. Being with Abby hadn’t dampened my attraction to her. If anything it had intensified, and that wasn’t a good thing. ‘Don’t you ever stop with the bullshit?’
Hudson chuckled and this time jabbed me on the arm for real. ‘Let’s go, champ. It’ll be my pleasure to whip your ass.’
‘Dream on, dickhead.’
An hour later, Hudson had done exactly that but I felt so much better for the workout and being at Jim’s had a lot to do with my lift in mood.
Walking into Jim’s was like coming home. The pungent smell of sweat warred with liniment. Four boxing rings flooded with natural light from rows of windows set high in the walls. Free weights and punching bags in the far corner, with an old-fashioned juice bar next to it.
There weren’t many guys around this morning. Probably all at work. Where I should be, rather than running from my present into the past.
‘You’re rusty,’ Hudson said, draping a towel around his neck and handing me one.
‘And you’re soft in the middle,’ I said, socking a punch into his solar plexus. He dodged.
‘Bet that’s not what Abby says to you.’
This time, I aimed harder and he sidestepped easily, laughing so loud a trainer nearby grinned.
‘Seriously, dude, if you like her this much, do something about it.’
I hated the flare of hope his words elicited. ‘Like what, Einstein?’
‘Damned if I know. Do I look like an expert on women?’
‘Good point.’ I wiped the sweat off my face and towelled my torso. ‘Seeing anyone?’
‘Nah. Between managing the bar and doing part-time work at the theatre, I don’t have much time left for a relationship.’
‘Who said anything about the R word?’
He snorted. ‘I’m not like you. I like to date women for longer than five hours.’
‘I’ll have you know Abby stayed the night.’
The second the retort popped out I wished I could take it back.
‘And there you go, dude. Proof that she’s not like the rest.’
‘Back off, bozo.’ I advanced on him in mock anger so he’d do just that.
Predictably, Hudson just stood there like the big, blond lug he’d always been. Loyal to a fault. The
