The next morning I called Emmy to see how things were going and just to hear her voice, then went in to the office and really buckled down and got a lot done. There were a number of proposals that I had to look at and consider and I soon lost myself in the work. I hadn’t even noticed the passing of time, so when Sandy knocked on the door to ask if I wanted to get some lunch, I was quite surprised to see it was almost two in the afternoon.

Sitting at an outdoor table at the nearby sandwich shop, Sandy and I talked about Los Angeles. I’d approved his move, and he was excited to really dig in to the commercial real estate scene down there.

“Honestly, I kind of feel that a change of scenery will do me good,” he said with a sigh. “I’ve been here in San Jose for almost ten years now, and think I’m getting stale here.”

“You moved here straight from Perth, right?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “When my wife’s company got acquired by Yahoo they offered to move her here and we jumped at the chance, but now, well, she’s ready to move on.”

“Will she be able to get work in LA?“ I asked.

“Yeah, she already has a job lined up with Snap. It’s a good move for her- there’s better opportunity for advancement there.”

“That’s awesome, Sandy. Do you guys have a place to live yet?”

“I wanted to talk to you about that. I contacted the Santa Monica office to ask about rentals, but they weren’t very helpful.”

“Let me talk to them,” I said. “There’s no reason they shouldn't be able to get you set up.”

“Thanks, Leah,” Sandy said.

After work I answered a bunch of emails, including one from Andrej from the night before. He wanted to know when he could bring his friend Mohsin in for a meeting, so I told him any time in the next few days would work for me.

An email from James Atherton (also from the night before) contained no text, just a photo of a Porsche Spyder wrapped in classic Gulf blue and orange graphics. “Very sexy,” I shot back. “When do we get to dance?”

Almost immediately a reply came back with the links to the track day at Thunderhill, and another at Sonoma the same weekend.

“Sonoma,” I sent back. “Let’s do it.”

“Lunch is on me,” he replied, again almost immediately. “Dinner is on whoever gets spanked.”

“Laundry?” I shot back

“Hell yes”, was his reply, so I went ahead and signed up for the day at Sonoma.

“Signed up. No backing out now, James,” I emailed.

“Bring it, babe. Bring it!”

Laughing, I got back to work. I figured I was going to have to go out to do a site inspection of the complex in Hayward, but all of the financials looked good on the deal, so it was probably just a formality. Nash hadn’t submitted a bad deal yet, and I didn’t think this would be the first.

As the office emptied out, I caught Sana as she was about to head home.

“Hey, thanks for coming out last night,” I said. “It was great to hang out with you two.”

“We had a great time, too,” Sana said as we walked out to the parking lot. “It was nice to have a night without the baby, you know?”

“I can only imagine,” I said as I waved when I spotted the Mini with Donny behind the wheel.

Leaning down to talk, I said, “So, Donny, that place we went last night? You guys are on the special list now.”

“So we can get in without you?” he asked from the driver’s seat.

“Even better. Your drinks are all on the house. You’re just on the hook for whatever you want to tip.”

“Seriously?”

“Completely seriously. Tell the doorman your name and you’re good to go.”

“That’s awesome!” Donny said. “But we’re leaving for Seattle pretty soon, so I don’t know when we’ll be able to use it.”

Shrugging, I said “We might open a speakeasy in Seattle.”

“Oh, hell yeah! Do it!” he said, and once more Donny’s unbridled enthusiasm made me laugh.

“You guys have a good evening,” I said.

“You, too,” Sana replied, and they drove off.

I didn’t have any plans to meet anybody for dinner and nobody was waiting for me back at the house, so I figured I’d just go for a drive instead of heading home.

Mentally debating which way to go, I thought of Mt Hamilton, which made me think of Ashley, which made me remember the menu with her number written on it and her last “Remember what I said.”

Laughing at the absurdity of it all, I headed west, figuring I could hit Skyline and maybe Pescadero Creek before dark and maybe have Dinner at Alice’s.

Later, Emmy called to talk at about nine, so nearly midnight New York time.

“We had so much fun tonight,” she said, on a high from the performance. “I do so enjoy playing with the Sons. Do not misunderstand,” she said quickly, “I love Lee and Jackson, but playing with Brent and the boys is a very different experience. They are so much looser…”

“What do you mean?” I asked, curious.

“I imagine a way to describe it would be that they are perhaps a bit sloppy, but that sounds bad and I do not mean that. I mean that they have a style of play that is less focused on perfection and more on the feel for the music, if that makes sense,” Emmy said.

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” I replied.

We chatted for a little while longer, then Emmy handed the phone to Stephanie.

“Hey, babe!” she said.

“Hey, Steph,” I replied. “How is New York treating you?”

“Great! Really great, actually. You don’t know how awesome it is to have your guys’ house to come back to rather than a hotel room. It’s so freaking nice!”

“Even though you don’t get your own room?” I asked.

“Are you kidding? Snuggling Emmy is the best part!” Stephanie said with a laugh.

“Yeah, it is pretty nice,” I agreed.

“Seriously, thanks for letting us stay here. It’s been an unbelievable treat. I just wish you were here, too.”

“Yeah, so do I,” I said. “So do I.”

After talking to Stephanie and Emmy for maybe half an hour, I stripped down and did some yoga for an hour or so. I’d been neglecting my workout routine, and it was time to regain my center. A nice, calming bit of stretching and relaxation, followed by another bath would help me get back on an even keel. In the bath, I decided I would get up early and go to the gym to work out.

I was at the gym when they opened the doors the next morning, ready to get back to a regular schedule. It had been weeks since I’d had a real workout, and I was really looking forward to some delayed onset muscle soreness.

I had just finished a set on the bench press when Tony, the trainer who had been spotting me, asked what I was going to do now that I’d graduated.

“This place won’t be the same once you’re gone,” he lamented after I told him we were moving back to Southern California.

“It’s going to be strange finding a new gym, all right,” I agreed. “This place feels like home.”

“Yeah, you’ll do O.K.,” he said. “Just stay away from the big chain places, you know? Those and the little strip mall so-called ‘fight gyms’. You need to figure out where the real fighters train, and there have to be dozens in the LA area.”

“Yeah, I’ll find a place I’m comfortable,” I agreed. “It might take me a while. I just got really lucky here, you know?”

“Well, we got lucky when you signed up here, too.”

“Thanks, Tony,” I said as I lay back on the bench for another set. “Do you know any gyms down there? Any recommendations?”

“Nah,” he said as he moved into position. “I don’t know the scene down there at all, but I’ll ask around and see if I can find something for you.”

I can’t say Tony was ever really a friend per se, but still- it was nice to know that he felt that I was a part of his community (of a sort).

I was just about to slip into the shower at home after my workout when Emmy called.

“Leah, I will be home on Sunday,” she announced. “And that is far too long. I miss you terribly.”

“I miss you too, Em,” I said, sitting on the edge of the tub. “I wish you were here now.”

“I do, too,” Emmy said. “I would soap you up, certain to scrub every bit of you, then rinse you off. To ensure that I rinsed you very well, I would do random spot taste-tests here and there, checking for any lingering soap.”

“I have two questions,” I said. “First, how did you know I was about to jump in the shower? And second, would the spots you would check actually be random?”

“It is the right time of the morning for you to be home from your workout, and the sound of your voice has an echo, so you must be in the bathroom,” Emmy said. “And no, I confess, there would be several spots that I would make certain to taste.”

“Why those spots?”

“Because they are difficult spots to rinse thoroughly, that is why. The soap might hide in those specific areas. No other reason.”

“Uh huh,” I said. “That’s the only reason.”

“What other reason could there be?” she asked.

“None that I can think of at the moment,” I agreed.

“I have not bathed yet this morning either,” Emmy said. “Do you think that would could make a video call and keep each other virtual company while we get clean?”

“I can’t believe you’re asking me to do phone video sex with you- Stephanie must have rubbed off on you,” I said. Then a thought occurred to me. “She isn’t there listening to this, is she?”

“No, everybody packed up and left first thing this morning for tonight’s show in Connecticut,” carefully pronouncing every letter in the state name. “The townhouse feels very empty now they are gone.”

“I can imagine. The house here has been feeling really empty, too,” I said, commiserating. “At least you still have Mia, Luisa and Grant.”

“That is true,” Emmy admitted. “So- how do we do a video call?”

“As much fun as that sounds, I just don’t think it can really work,” I said. “We can’t get the phones wet, and I’m not sure how we could put the phones someplace safe and still be able to see or hear anything.”

“If that is the case, then I will simply have to imagine you here with me. This will be easy, as it is what I have been doing every day since you returned to California.”

“And I’ll just have to imagine you doing your taste-tests,” I said.

“I love you very much, Leah,” Emmy said. “Very much.”

“I love you, Em. More than anything.”

As sexy as the talk had been I really didn’t spend any time thinking about it once I’d jumped in the shower. In fact, my mind had already shifted to work, and what I needed to get done that day. Flirting with Emmy on the phone had been fun, but it was never going to be as good as the real thing.

I’d been thinking that I would do a site inspection for that apartment complex in Hayward, but once I got to the office there were a few emails that needed my immediate attention, which led to some calls, and so on. My morning vanished just like that and all I’d done was put out some fires that really shouldn’t have ever been allowed to get to the point that I had to get involved.

It was lunch time before I managed to get out of the office to drive up to the East Bay, so I told Sana that I would head home after the inspection.

“Would you like to come over for dinner?” she asked. “I think Donny is planning on grilling tonight- I could call him and tell him to pick up an extra steak.”

“I appreciate it, but not tonight. Thanks, though,” I said as I headed out the door. I didn’t actually have any other plans, but didn’t want to impose on their family time, either.

After my walkthrough, I spent about an hour driving around the neighborhood the apartment complex was in. There were a few things I didn’t like, but on the whole it seemed as if the area was on an upward trajectory, making me think the area was going to become more desirable with time.

I stopped for dinner at a strip-mall pizza place a few blocks away from the complex, and because it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner the place was almost deserted. The western theme of the restaurant was odd, but the pizza was decent.

I asked the waitress if she lived in the area and told her I was thinking of buying a place nearby.

“It’s a nice area,” she said. “Home prices are a bit high, and rents are up there, what with the college being just right down the street, but it’s safe, and other than the college students, it’s mostly families that live around here.”

A small crowd of college-age kids came in, but they seemed like quiet, serious types and not partiers. I asked the waitress about the school, and she said, “Oh, no, it’s not any kind of party school. The kids are nice and well-behaved. No frat parties or anything like that around here.”

The waitress’ comments cemented in my mind that the deal was a good one, so I shot off a few emails giving the deal a thumbs-up, then sat back to finish my pizza and beer in peace.

I was in no hurry to get home, so I really didn’t mind the rush hour traffic all that much. The car was comfy, the stereo worked really well, and I had no need to be anywhere anytime soon, so I just relaxed and let the slow flow of traffic carry me along. Thankfully westbound on CA-84 isn’t bad in the afternoons, so it really didn’t take me too long to get home. To my empty house.

I’d eaten lunch really late, so I wasn’t hungry for dinner. Instead I just turned on the stereo and flopped on the couch with my iPad and dealt with some work emails. I was cleaning out my inbox when I spotted another email from James Atherton. Like before, no text, just some glamour shots of his new Porsche getting new tires. The subject line said “Getting Ready!”

I shot an email back with the subject “Grip Is Good”. I’d found a picture I’d taken of some racing slicks I’d taken off my car, all gummy and balled up from getting worked hard, and sent that in lieu of any text.

My emailing finished, I went upstairs and did an hour’s worth of yoga, then a soak in the tub. Yeah, it was lonely, but only for couple more days, and I could put up with some alone time for another forty-eight hours.

Sleep didn’t come easy, and my alarm went off way too soon. I briefly debated with myself about skipping the gym, but decided to be good and get my workout in.

Since the day before had been weights, Saturday morning was all about speed work and plyo. I’d just gotten off the rower after my half-hour warmup when a guy I didn’t recognize tried to chat me up. I was trying to be polite but uninterested when Tony the trainer came over.

“Leah,” he said, handing me a piece of paper. “Here are a few gyms in the LA area that specialize in MMA- I mean, real fighter’s gyms, like we talked about.”

I thanked Tony and he left, but the rando didn’t get the hint.

“You do kickboxing?” he asked. “I’ve been doing it for a while- I could maybe give you some pointers, you know?”

“Yeah?” I asked, toweling my face off. “You compete?”

“I haven’t yet, but people tell me i’m good enough to give it a try,” rando said.

“Hey, Tony?” I called out across the gym. “You seen this guy fight?”

“I’ve seen him spar,” Tony said, walking back over towards us.

“He any good?” I asked in a more normal voice, since I didn’t have to shout.

“Eh, he’s all right. You’d wipe the floor with him, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Yeah, I guess that is what I was asking. I was wondering if maybe I could get in a workout sparring with him,” I said.

“Yeah, you could get in a workout, sure. Hey, you could get in a decent workout with the heavy bag, you know?” Tony said with a shrug.

“I’m right here, you know,” said rando.

“If you’re gonna spar with her,” Tony said to rando, jerking a thumb at me, “I’m gonna require you to wear headgear and a body protector.”

“What about her?” rando demanded.

“She’s going to have to wear the sparring gloves with the big padding,” Tony answered.

“Are you freaking serious?”

“Look- you don’t get padded up, I won’t let you in the ring with her. It’s that simple,” Tony said, trying to sound reasonable.

“That’s bullshit. What would you wear if you were gonna spar with this chick?”

“My running shoes,” Tony said.

Throwing up his hands, rando said “I get it. You think she’s a bad-ass. But seriously, no chick could take on a fit, strong guy and expect to actually win.”

“All right,” Tony said. “But headgear and body protector. And you, Leah,” Tony said, turning to me, “You gotta wear the big gloves.”

“Sure,” I said with a shrug.

“And no shin guards,” Tony added.

Rando and I get dressed up and ready to dance, and Tony said he was going to ref while we sparred.

“It’s just sparring!” Rando protested.

“Yeah, but here’s what you’ve been missing. Leah there?” he said, pointing at me. “She’s been trained by some real serious guys. I mean, rip your freaking head off guys, so that’s what she knows. She doesn’t train soft, ever.”

“So does that mean I can punch her as hard as I can?”

“Sure. Go for it,” Tony said, checking the guy’s gear. “You’re alright with that, right, Leah?”

“Yeah, sure,” I said.

“Awesome,” rando said. “I like a girl that can take a punch.”

In the ring, rando started off with some feints, trying to gauge my ability. I threw a few weak punches and kicks, drawing them in a bit. This made him bold, so he stepped in, thinking he was still outside my range. His swings were slow and soft- he clearly hadn’t actually believed the part about hitting hard, so I laid him out with a left cross, knocking him to the mat. I dropped on him and started raining punches down on his head every time he dropped his guard in the slightest.

After a few moments Tony stepped in and waved me off. We returned to our corners, and when Tony waved us in rando was a lot slower to engage. He tried bobbing and weaving, so I finally got bored and rushed him, knocking him on his ass and then pounding on him some more on the ground.

Tony waved me off again and we returned to our corners. This time, rando came out with something to prove and went on the attack immediately. He wasn’t bad- he could probably beat any of his pals. But like Tony had warned him, the guys I’d trained with were absolute beasts.

Rando got a few good hits in but I caught him with another cross and as he spun, I caught him around the hips and suplexed him straight into the mat. Again, I dropped a knee on his and slammed him with a flurry of punches before I got pulled off by Tony.

Tony helped the guy to his feet and asked him if he was doing O.K.

“I’m fine,” snarled the dude whose ass I’d been beating.

It went on like this for a while longer, rando getting slower and slower as he tired out, which just made it easier for me to get past his defenses, and defense was all he was doing after he hit the mat a few more times.

Eventually Tony told the guy, “Man, you’re done,” and rando didn’t protest as Tony helped him out of the ring.

Looking around, I realized that we’d attracted a few onlookers, to my surprise. As I climbed out of the ring somebody handed me a bottle of water. I took it and thanked the person, only really looking up when an all-too familiar voice said, “You’re welcome, Leah.”

“Ashley? What are you doing here?”

“Watching you clean that guy’s clock, that’s what,” she said.