Page 38 of Their Scarred Mate
“Ciaran?No, we were just talking.You see, this is...”
“Jon,” he interrupted.He extended his hand to Ciaran, while saying, “I’m one of Freya’s oldest friends.”
That was really stretching the reality a bit, she thought, but when she opened her mouth to speak, a frown of confusion and then pain passed through Jon’s face.Ciaran had indeed shaken his hand, but with enough force to come off as a warning.
“Ciaran?”she called, feeling suddenly insecure.Without taking his eyes off the stranger, Ciaran asked, “Yes, angel?”
“He’s a friend from ...before.”She emphasized the word ‘before’ so that Ciaran would understand that it had nothing to do with the present ...nor with them.
Taking his eyes from the stranger, Ciaran looked at her and his expression softened.“Fill his inscription form.I’m in the ring if you need me.”
In other words, he was just a shout away.He managed to nod at Jon briefly before leaving the room, and Jon released the breath he was holding.
“Wow, this was intense!”he said, scratching his head and looking embarrassed.
“You want to learn self-defense?”she asked, pointing to the leaflet he had in his hands.
“I was looking around for something to do.You see, I worked with your father in the IT department, but now I’m here to teach computer classes at the local high school.I wanted to do something that took me out of the house and away from the computer.”
“You can work out in one of our classes,” she suggested, although she was under the impression that either Declan or Ciaran would chew him a new face in one point five seconds if given the chance.“You can come two or three times a week, at a schedule of your convenience and work out alone.Or, if you prefer, you can sign up for one of the classes.Declan’s the one who operates the machines, but Tanya does it too when needed.”
“Let me think about it.Anyhow, what do you say about having a cup of coffee with me later?”
“I’m working...”
“Thus, the later part.I want to know everything about you since you left.God, your father was sorely missed...”
They exchanged numbers and Freya ended up agreeing to the coffee, despite cringing every time he mentioned her father.The twins wanted her to come out of her shell, right?She needed to start somewhere, and a cup of coffee with one of her father’s colleagues was a start as good as any.
Chapter Twenty-One
Neither of the twinsseemed particularly pleased when Freya mentioned having coffee with Jon at the end of the day.Tanya, however, thought it was a good idea, a sign that she was determined to turn the page.Being more outgoing was really what she needed to get out of her shell.
Freya was a bit nervous, considering it had been years since she last saw Jon.She didn’t even have that many memories of him, but she really felt the need to have some kind of link to her previous life.
So when the time came, she clocked out, feeling both apprehensive and looking forward to it.She didn’t count on Declan waiting for her, or Tanya being nearby.
