Ultimate Courage (True Heroes #2)(3)

Where is your mother? Elisa wanted to ask, but kept it to herself. A thoughtlessly asked question could put a person in a worse than awkward position. Better to just stay in the conversation at hand.

“I haven’t, no.” Elisa wasn’t sure if the man minded the line of chatter, but it did seem to keep her mind off her own wrist, so maybe it was a distraction for the girl, too. If it was, the least she could do was help a girl this sweet. “But it sounds like good advice. Will you be worried about mixed martial arts now?”

The girl gave a slight hake of her head, grimacing as she unintentionally shifted her arm. “I want to go back as soon as this is fixed. I’ve got a belt test at the end of the year, and I want to make black belt before I get to middle school.”

“We’ll let the doctor take a look and get some x-rays,” the man interjected, his voice low and maybe amused. “Then we’re going to follow doctor’s orders to let you heal up correctly.”

“Then I’ll go back to class.” The little girl was not to be deterred.

Elisa couldn’t help but smile. Dauntless. So much conviction in such a young package.

“Rojas?” A new nurse stood in the double doors leading from the waiting room back into the emergency room area.

The girl’s father straightened. “Here.”

The nurse nodded and motioned for a young man in scrubs pushing a wheelchair.

In moments, the girl was eased into the wheelchair, big round plushie support and all. She gave Elisa a wave as she was wheeled away to see the doctor.

Elisa waved back.

Wow. Just wow. Elisa took a deep breath. There was one heck of a personality. Someday that little girl was going to grow into a powerful, confident woman.

Someone cleared his throat near her.

She jumped.

For the second time in the space of a few minutes, the man had snuck right up on her. This time, he was holding out a cup of coffee and a card. “Revolution Mixed Martial Arts. It’s local, if you’re staying in the area. There’s a women’s self-defense workshop coming up in the next couple of weeks. Boom made me promise to come give this to you.”

Words stuck in her throat as she stared at the proffered card. The hand that held it was strong, the fingertips callused, and the nails trimmed back out of practicality rather than aesthetics. Even wrapped in the tape as his hands were, she took note of those details. She imagined they were a sign of honest, hard work. The hands of a good person.

If she could believe she knew how to recognize good anymore.

This man had been very gentle with his daughter and with Elisa. And here he was, being kind again. Her chest tightened, and she savored it, this small act.

It took a long minute for her to pull her wits together enough to take it from him—and the coffee, too. His hands remained steady until she had both in her own. He didn’t give any sign of impatience, didn’t try to shove either cup or card at her to make her hurry despite probably wanting to get back to his daughter.

Oh no, she shouldn’t keep him.

As she gingerly took the offerings, he didn’t extend his fingers to touch her the way some men would.

Warm brown eyes the color of dark chocolate studied her, saw straight through her and left her feeling exposed. “The workshop takes it slow and easy. It’s assumed everyone is a beginner. If you mention my name, you’ll get a discount. Rojas.”

She blinked. “Oh, but that’s not nec—”

“You distracted Boom for a while. I appreciate the help.” His tone had gone back to gruff. “And she’s right. You’d benefit from the workshop.”

He turned on his heel and headed back to the ER.

Okay, then. Elisa studied the card for a minute. She was too new to the area to recognize the address, but if she could get a hotel room with Wi-Fi, she could map it pretty easily.

Exhaustion rolled over her in a wave. If she decided to get a hotel room tonight. Everything she owned was stuffed into her car, not that there was much. Just as easy to sleep in her car if she could find a safe place to park, tucked away and secure. She could find an out-of-the-way rest stop and catch a little sleep before trying to find a job tomorrow morning. It’d be cheaper and not as easy to find her.

The thought of stretching out in a king-sized bed—hell, a queen-sized bed, even—tempted her to be reckless. She shook her head and took a cautious sip of hot coffee. This was comfort. Splurging on a hotel room was ill-advised at best.

Even trying not to think of the worst-case scenario, her heart rate kicked up and she glanced at the entryway. No one was there. Not yet. Hopefully, no one would come in looking for her.

Once upon a time, she’d had a steady salary in a corporate environment and an expense budget for travel. A king-sized bed was a given. Now, she’d be glad to get an hourly job with some sort of benefits. Even fast food restaurants had full-time positions if it came down to it. But she’d try bookstores or maybe a nearby mall first. Anything fast to get an income going while she looked for a more stable position. Practicality first, bruised pride later. Better than other bruises that took months to heal.

She’d think more on it. Later, when her thought processes weren’t skipping around between what she ought to do and what might come through the door at any minute. After she had her wrist examined. One step at a time.

As she worked through her jumbled thoughts, realization washed over her in a wave of caffeine. She’d completely misjudged the man at first. He’d done one nice thing after another, and she hadn’t thanked him. Not once.