Life Should Be Beautiful (Summer Lake Silver #12)

Chapter Twenty-Four

On Tuesday evening, Alexis looked around the crowded gym with a smile. What she’d expected to be just a handful of women had turned into something else completely. It seemed that half the town was here.

Davin came to stand beside her. “You’ve drawn a bit of a crowd.”

She laughed. “You can say that again. I thought this was going to be something for a few of the women and Shayna.”

Davin chuckled. “I think it might have been, if word hadn’t gotten out that you were going to kick Cal’s ass.”

“Aww, I’m glad he’s a good sport.” She looked over to the treadmills where he was standing with Manny and Ryan.

“Me too. Although I will say that I’m glad it’s him and not me.”

She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I would never have asked you to be my volunteer.”

He gave her a puzzled look. “You wouldn’t want to embarrass me?”

She shook her head rapidly. “I don’t want that dynamic between us. You know I can take care of myself.” She smiled. “I know that you can take care of me, too. If ever the need arises, although I don’t see why it would, I hope you know that I’ll have your back. But … as much as I love knowing that you see me as your equal, I also see you as … my man.” She felt a touch of heat in her cheeks. “Call me old-fashioned if you will, perhaps that’s it, I don’t know the reasoning. All I know is that I like the balance that we have. You allow me to be who I am and …” She blew out a sigh. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

He stepped closer and curled his arm around her. “I think I do.”

She looked up into his eyes. “Go on, then.”

He smiled. “In the same way that I allow you to be who you are, you allow me to be who I am – and at heart, I’m a protector.”

“Oh!” She reached up to kiss him. “Yes! That’s it. That’s exactly it.”

“Hey, Davin!” Ryan called. “Stop kissing her and making her happy. We want her all riled up and mad so that she can take it out on Cal.”

They both laughed when Cal slapped the back of Ryan’s head, and he pretended to stagger away.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t have made such a big deal out of Cal being part of it. I want the women to focus on learning the moves and what they can do to protect themselves.”

Davin chuckled. “I know. It might be best to think of this week as an exhibition session, and then start teaching next week when things have settled down.”

“I suppose so.” She looked around. “I really wanted to teach Shayna; that’s how this all started out.”

“Maybe we should bring her and Booker in by themselves and teach them both.”

“We should. I like that idea. We could even set up mats in the garage when we get the house.”

Davin chuckled. “We could, but it might take a little while before we can do that.”

“Not too long, I hope. Austin did say that the sellers are happy to move as fast as we want to.”

“I know, but we still need to get the inspection done and go through all the motions.” He leaned in to press another kiss to her lips. “I know you’re impatient, and we’ll make it happen as fast as we can, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now, why don’t you get this class started and go kick some ass to take out your frustration?”

She laughed. “Poor Cal.”

She moved out into the middle of the mat and beckoned her old friend to join her. Cal gave her a wry smile as he stepped out onto the mat.

“Be gentle with me, huh?”

She laughed. “I will.” She looked at the people gathered around the mat. Terry and Nina were grinning at her. Kenzie, who was standing with Shayna, gave her a wave. Audrey and Izzy were standing with Ted and Diego. Dee and Jo were next to Taryn and Evie. And it hit her, these people were all becoming part of her life – friends.

She cleared her throat. “Okay, ladies and gents. The first principle I want you to grasp is that you don’t need to be afraid. No matter how big they might be, you stand a chance if you keep your wits about you. I know that some of you are eager to get to the part about targeting vulnerabilities …”

Everyone laughed when Cal immediately crossed his hands in front of his crotch.

Alexis patted his arm. “And that’s definitely something you need to learn. Relax, big guy. But even more important than that is awareness. Be alert, be aware of your surroundings. If you’re going to have anything in your hand while you’re walking along, make it your keys or an alarm or a personal defense spray – not your phone.” She made a face. “I should caveat that – of course you want to be able to call for help if you can, just don’t be so engaged with social media that you’re clueless about what’s happening around you. And even if you do manage to call for help in a bad situation, you’re going to have to rely on yourself to survive until help arrives.”

She slowed down and met the gaze of as many of the women as she could before she continued. When she landed on Shayna, she stopped. “Awareness is the first principle. Prevention and avoidance save far more lives than any other measure – do what you can to make sure that you’re safe, let people know where you are, and if you get a bad feeling, pay attention, don’t ignore it – our instincts are stronger than we give them credit for.

“People want to learn how to defend themselves if the worst happens, but you should also learn how to improve the odds of it not happening – avoidance and evasion are the name of the game.

“Then there’s assertiveness – if you feel threatened, get loud. Tell them to back off. Start shouting – make a fuss, attract attention. If they close in, use whatever you have at your disposal; keys are always good, if you carry a spray or an alarm, use them. Russ has said that we can use the gym at this time every week if want to – we can train on all the elements you want to practice.”

“Just kick his ass already,” Ryan called, bringing a laugh from the crowd.

She looked at Cal, and he shrugged.

“As I was saying,” she continued. “If you maintain awareness …” as if on cue, Cal lunged for her. He grabbed her wrist, but she twisted it away. He positioned himself behind her, wrapping his arms around her, and she couldn’t help but laugh as she looked around at everyone.

“I think he wants me to demonstrate targeting vulnerabilities, but he’s my friend, so …”

She lifted her foot. “In this position, I could stamp down on his instep – works best, if you’re wearing heels. I could elbow his stomach – may or may not wind him enough that he’ll release his grip.

“See how he thinks he has my arms pinned to my sides? Well …” She dropped her shoulder and slid her hand back between her body and where Cal held her against him. She brought her hand back out and made a grabby motion. “I could target his vulnerabilities quite effectively back there, but slap, slap, slap – repeatedly, it’s far more effective than grabbing.”

That made them all laugh.

Then she jerked her head back slowly enough that she knew Cal would be able to avoid impact. She smiled. “Headbutt to the nose can work, but not as often as you’d think. That’s dependent on your height and his.”

While Cal was still off guard, she dropped all her weight. He grabbed at her, but she was down on the mat and rolled away. “Evasion and avoidance,” she said as she got back to her feet.

“If someone grabs you from behind like that, the chances are that they’re going to try to take you somewhere. Your focus needs to be on getting away from him.” She gave a rueful smile. “Not on trying to kick his ass for him. Okay, let’s break out into groups and we can work on some basics. I think most of you have brought your own assailant to practice on, haven’t you?”

As the women started to move out onto the mat, Cal lunged for her again. She gave him an apologetic smile as she caught his arm and used his own momentum to pull him in. She raised her elbow toward his throat but stopped an inch from contact.

Everyone had stopped to watch, and she smiled. “If you’re left with no other choice, use his own weight against him and strike for the nose or throat – but only as a last resort. For all we don’t like to admit it, men are generally bigger and stronger, and when it comes to staying alive, pragmatism will serve you better than pride.”

She let go of Cal’s arm and he asked, “Are we done?”

She nodded. “You know as well as I do they have to learn to work with reality – not the Hollywood version of how they would like it to be.”

Cal chuckled. “That’s just for the elite few, like you?”

She shrugged. “Not even for me, not even at my peak. And I’m a long way past that. TV gives people a false impression that it’s going to be easier, prettier than it really is. When they practice, they’ll come to understand that they’re not going to suddenly turn into Wonder Woman. Instead, they’ll learn what’s realistic for their own level of ability.”

As the women made their way out onto the mat, she looked around for Shayna and smiled when she saw Davin go to partner with her. He understood as well as Alexis did that this whole thing had come about for her benefit.

As she looked around the room, her chest buzzed with happiness when she realized that her and Davin drawing a family together had led to them also drawing the community together – and she loved it! Perhaps she wasn’t as much of a loner and an outsider as she’d always thought.

~ ~ ~

Davin checked his phone while he stood in line at the post office on Friday morning. It’d been a busy week. Things had picked up at work since Clay was planning to visit some of his artists on tour over the next few months. The evenings had been filled with trips to the furniture stores out at the mall on Route 20. Things were moving along with the purchase of the house. Alexis still hadn’t closed on her place in D.C. but that hadn’t slowed them down.

The sellers had allowed them access to go in and measure up and do what they needed to do in preparation. They’d also included the furnishings in the two apartments in the sale price. That worked out well for everyone: Shayna didn’t have any furniture since the place she lived in was furnished. Davin and Alexis didn’t need to buy for the apartment as well as the house, and the sellers didn’t have to move anything out – they had no need for any of it.

He looked up from his phone and took a step forward when the line moved. Then he turned when someone came up behind him. He smiled when he saw Max Douglas – Gramps, as everyone called him.

Gramps smiled and nodded. “How’s it going, young ‘un? I heard you and your new lady friend are buying the old Johnson place.”

Davin frowned. “We’re buying, but the seller’s name is Morris.”

Gramps chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t know who they are. It’s been bought and sold a few times. The folks who built it were the Johnsons – to me, it’ll always be the Johnson place.”

“Right.” Davin grinned. “Well, that works out, because my last name is Johnson, too.”

Gramps grinned back at him. “How about that? It’s as if it was meant to be.”

Davin grinned. He liked the sound of that.

The old man’s bushy eyebrows drew together. “And Alexis, that’s her name, isn’t it?”

He nodded.

“Are you planning to change her name to Johnson?”

He sucked in a deep breath.

“I know it’s none of my business, but when you get to be my age, you can ask anyway and not worry if folks think you’re a nosy old coot.”

Davin laughed. “Yeah. I guess you can.”

“So, that’s a no then?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I … I’d like to, but I don’t know if she would.”

Gramps chuckled. “Won’t know till you ask, will you?”

“I guess not.”

“And the kid; have you found him a car yet?”

Davin had to laugh. “You keep the finger on the pulse, don’t you?”

Gramps winked. “Enough to know that you were looking, not enough to know whether you found him one. See, if you didn’t, I might be able to help.”

“How’s that? We haven’t found him anything yet.”

“Well, see, I have this old truck. She ain’t one of them fancy new ones. He might not want to know – depends what kind of kid he is. I reckon she’s just old enough that he might think she’s cool, but that’d be for him to decide.”

“How much do you want for it?”

Gramps shook his head. “She ain’t for sale.”

Davin gave him a puzzled look.

“What I’m saying is he can borrow her. He can use her for as long as he wants and needs. Ain’t no skin off my nose. She’s just sitting there wishing she could get out for a run. I’ll let you and him decide how you want to take care of the insurance, but if he gets into a wreck and she’s totaled, I won’t be worried; she’s the kind of truck that’d give her life to save him if she needs to.”

“That’s … kind of you. Thanks, Gramps.” Davin didn’t know what to say – didn’t know what to think, to make, of the offer.

Gramps nudged him with his elbow. “You know I’m not a crazy old coot. I remember him when his folks were still here. It was a shame what his dad did, and then what happened to his mom in the city.

“My Emma lost her folks – my son, and his wife. She still had us, though. We raised her from when she was eight till she went off to school and then to live in the city. When she came back here for a summer, Jack came, too. I let him use that old truck, and things worked out well for them.” He chuckled. “And for me, since Em decided to move home and Jack wasn’t going anywhere Emma wasn’t. I reckon that old truck might be something of a good luck charm. So, if young Booker wants to use her, you bring him out to see me, okay?”

Davin grinned. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Are you here for anything other than to talk to my customers, Max?”

Davin grinned when Lenny called. They hadn’t noticed that the last customer had left, and Lenny was waiting on them.

Gramps winked at him and said, “Best get your ass moving before you get me in real trouble, huh?” He waved at Lenny. “Hold your horses, woman. He’s coming!”

~ ~ ~

On Sunday afternoon, Alexis hurried to get the front door when the bell rang.

“Hey, Shayna, come on in.” She frowned. “Do you have your laundry?”

“I do. I … It seemed a bit presumptuous to just show up on your doorstep with it; it’s in the truck.”

Alexis laughed. “Well, go and fetch it. We can get it started while we sit. Davin and Booker should be back soon.”

After Shayna had started her laundry, Alexis poured her an apple juice and led her out onto the back deck.

“How are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m good, thanks. How about you?”

“I’m doing wonderfully. Everything’s moving along with the house. We should be able to close at the end of next week, and I heard from my realtor in D.C. this morning. I should be able to close on my old house by the end of the month.”

Shayna smiled. “That’s awesome. I’m so glad that you moved here.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m not just saying it. Look how many lives you’ve changed. I mean, there’s Davin of course. I always thought it was weird that no one scooped him up like they did the other guys. He’s awesome. But now I’m glad that no one else got to him first because you’re perfect for him. And then there’s Booker – what would have happened to him, if it weren’t for you?”

Alexis shook her head; she didn’t know, but she wanted to believe that someone would have paid attention and figured out that he needed help.

“And the horses – they wouldn’t even be alive if it weren’t for you.” Shayna met her gaze and nodded. “And I hope you know how grateful I am. You’ve changed my life for the better. I was so freaking stressed with work and the house and everything, and now… now I get to rent your guest house, and be around you guys, and help Booker out. He’s a good kid, and I kind of know how he feels.” She smiled. “I give him a hard time, but I’ve come to think of him like a little brother.”

“I know. It makes me happy for both of you. But I want you to know that it goes both ways. I’m grateful to be here, obviously grateful that I met Davin, and that we’ve grown so close with Booker and with you. I didn’t think I wanted a family, but I love having one now.”

Shayna nodded. “I never thought I’d have family again, but I love being part of it with you guys.”

“Oh, and before I forget. I talked with Eli on Friday. He said that you’re welcome to go and visit, any time you’d like. He’d be happy to spend some time with you, talk through his programs, and offer guidance, answer any questions you have about your own path.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” Shayna didn’t meet her gaze.

Alexis reached across the table and touched her arm. “I tried to persuade him to come and visit, but he said it’s not an option at the moment. So … given that I don’t imagine a plane ticket would fit within your budget, I have another idea.”

Shayna’s head snapped up. “What’s that?”

She smiled. “I have more frequent flyer miles than I’ll ever be able to use. If we set you up with an account, I can transfer some to you, and you can get a ticket to Salt Lake that way. We can do the same with hotel points.” She chuckled. “After all the traveling I used to have to do, I’m looking forward to staying put as much as possible. If you can use some of these points up for me, I’ll be grateful.”

Shayna opened her mouth to speak, but Alexis held a finger up.

“I’m not just saying it. I’d hate for them to go to waste.”

“Thank you. That’s so sweet of you. But …”

“But you don’t think that you can take the time off?”

“No.”

Alexis smiled. “I thought you might say that, but if your new apartment has a special introductory offer of the first month free and then only costs half as much as your old place used to …”

Shayna’s mouth fell open. “I … we talked about me paying you the same as I what I pay now.”

“You talked about that – I distinctly remember saying that we could talk details closer to the time.”

“But … you can’t.”

“Are you really trying to tell me that I can’t do something that I want to do?” She chuckled. “You might want to talk to Cal about how well that tends to work out for people.”

“But … even if … what would Davin think?”

Alexis smiled. “We talked about it, and this is what we came up with. We’d rather just let you have the place rent free – and if you’ll take it, you can.”

“No! I …”

“I knew you wouldn’t go for that. But Shayna, if anyone has earned a break in life, you have. If you don’t move in, the apartment will just stand empty. It won’t bring in a penny.” She winked. “Can you see me being happy having vacationers on the property?”

Shayna laughed. “Err, no.”

“Exactly. It’s not as though we’ll be losing out on other income by having you there. So, what do you say?”

Shayna sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I’d be an idiot if I refused, wouldn’t I?”

“And yet, you are a very smart young lady.”

“Okay, then. Thank you!”

“You are most welcome. See when you can roster yourself off from all your jobs for a few days. We’ll coordinate with Eli and get you set up with a plane ticket and a hotel in Salt Lake City.”

Shayna grinned. “Wow! You’re freaking amazing. Can I give you a hug?”

Alexis laughed. “Of course!”

They got to their feet and Shayna clung to her as she hugged her tightly.

“You’ve done a great job in life so far, sweetheart. I know that wherever you go from here, you’re going to do great things. It’s my pleasure – and I know I speak for Davin, too – it’s our pleasure to have you in our lives. No matter what happens in the future, I want you to know that you have us at your back.”

She leaned back so that she could look into Shayna’s eyes and brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. “Will you make me a promise?”

“What?”

“If ever you need help, if you’re in a bad situation, if you’re down, or if you just want someone to talk to. If you need money, if you need someone to come get you … whenever you need someone to turn to, I want you to remember that you have us, and to promise that you’ll call us.”

Shayna’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you.” She sniffed. “That’s an easy yes. I’ve wanted that so badly for so long – to have someone. And for that someone to be you guys? Just … wow, not only yes, but hell yeah! I do okay. But sometimes …”

“I know, sweetheart. You do amazingly well. But sometimes, we all need someone to turn to.”

Shayna sniffed again. “And now I have you.”

“You do.”

“What’s going on, guys?” Booker poked his head out the patio door.

Davin was right behind him. “Is everything all right?”

Alexis smiled. “Everything’s great; we were just having a girly moment.”

He smiled, and Booker laughed. “We just had a manly moment. We went to see Gramps and he’s letting me borrow his truck – for as long as I want! Want to come see it, Shay?”

Alexis gave Davin a puzzled look as they let Booker and Shayna go ahead of them. “How did that work? I knew you were taking him to see it, but how did you get the truck back here?”

He laughed. “Booker was so excited that I left my truck there and let him drive back while I rode shotgun with him. He’s doing well, he should pass his test no problem.”

“That’s great. I’m looking forward to meeting this Gramps, he sounds like quite a character.”

“He is. He said the same about you and told us that he’s open to an invitation to come see the Johnson place just as soon as we want to ask him.”

She gave him a puzzled look; she was little a surprised that he’d refer to their new house as his place.

He came to her and rested his hands on her hips as he looked down into her eyes. “It turns out that the original owners were named Johnson.” He pecked her lips. “I wasn’t trying to claim it in my own name.”

She chuckled. “I did wonder for a second.”

His eyes seemed to shine a brighter blue when he said, “I wouldn’t have any complaints if you wanted to share it.”

“The house?” She didn’t understand. They were buying the place together. He …

He slid his arms around her waist and drew her closer until she was pressed up against his chest.

“My last name – if you want to share that.”

“Oh!” Her mind raced, and her heart pounded. He was asking …? They’d moved so fast, and yet … everything felt so right. “The thought of marriage hadn’t even entered my mind,” she began, but stopped when she saw the disappointment in his eyes.

“Hear me out?”

He nodded.

“It hadn’t crossed my mind because what we have isn’t like any relationship I’ve ever had before.”

He frowned, and she laughed.

“Let me finish. What we have is … right, real, everything I want. I wasn’t looking to get married ....”

“I know. I should’ve …”

She put a finger to his lips. “I wasn’t looking to get married before.”

A big smile spread across his face. “You are now?”

She smiled back. “Only if the last name Johnson is part of the deal.”

He leaned in and claimed her mouth in one of his amazing kisses that told her so much more than words ever could.

When he finally lifted his head, his eyes shone, and he nodded happily. “Alexis Johnson, I like the sound of that.” His smile disappeared. “But shit – this isn’t me asking you. I … I’m going to ask you properly – propose to you.”

She laughed. “I don’t need that.”

He slapped her ass. “Well, you’re going to get it. Okay?”

“Okay. If it’s important to you.”

“It is. We’re going to be together till we’re old and gray.” He smiled. “We have Booker and Shayna to think about now – we want to be able to tell their kids the story about how Grandpa proposed to Grandma.”

A rush of warmth filled her chest, but she didn’t get the chance to speak before Booker stuck his head back out the door. “Come on, guys! You have to come see the truck. It’s awesome.”

Davin took her hand, and she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth before they followed Booker out to see his not-so-new new truck.