Page 49 of Nicki's Fight

Kaine

Monday morning foundme teaching another class at the dojo. Again, I hated myself for scheduling myself for early mornings, but I managed to power through it.

This class managed to pass without any drama, at least. I saw Mama K gesture for me to come see her as I was wrapping up. After I dismissed my students, I bowed out of the mats and headed to her office.

I stood at the door and knocked. Mama K was seated at her desk and Mama D was standing behind her, looking at something on her computer screen.

“You needed me, Moms?” I asked.

They both smiled and Mama K gestured towards the chair.

“Shut the door, please,” Mama K said.

Uh oh. Mama K almostneverclosed the door to her office.

“Something wrong?” I asked as I took a seat.

“Not exactly,” Mama D said, and sighed. “We’re just… worried.”

I remembered my conversation with Bishop the night before. Surely, he hadn’t said anything to our parents?

“Worried? Why?” I asked.

“It’s… Lee,” Mama K said, and I almost laughed in relief.

“Lee? Why? He seemed to be doing pretty well last night…” I said, grinning. “He and Mason were getting along really well.”

“That’s exactly the problem,mijo. Hejustmet this boy! And he’s obviously smitten,” Mama K said, shaking her head.

“Neither of them are boys, Kyra,” Mama D said, laying a gentle hand on her partner’s shoulder.

“I know,mi querido. It’s just— I haven’t seen him as happy as he was last night since before Mack died,” she said. “I’m worried it’s too fast.”

I nodded. My brother had seemed different last night. Lighter, almost.Definitelyhappier.

“Mason seemed like a good guy,” I said. “A little shy, maybe. The twins think the world of him.”

“He seems to be a nice young man, but there is something…broken… about the boy,” Mama D said, her moss-green eyes sad. I hadn’t noticed anything unusual about Mason, other than he was a little quiet until you got him on a topic he was comfortable with. My parents had both worked with plenty of men and women who had been hurt or abused, though, so if Mama D had seen something there, it was there.

“Watching the two of them yesterdaywasadorable,” Mama D said.

“Yeah, he really seemed to be enjoying Mason’s ‘company’ last night,” I said, waggling my eyebrows salaciously at them. “And I’m sure it’sjusta coincidence that Mason’s hotel reservation was lost, and he has no other option than to stay at Lee’s house way out in the woods? Sounds legit to me…”

They both laughed.

“Yes, well, none of you boys have ever been very good at hiding how you feel. Youallwear your heart on your sleeve,” Mama D teased.

“Kaine, would you feel comfortable talking to him? About Mason, we mean?” Mama K asked. “We just want to make sure he’s not going to get hurt. He was devastated after Mack died.”

I nodded and got out my phone. I scanned through my schedule for the day.

“I was supposed to work tonight, but Sammie gave me the week off,” I said, looking at my calendar. I had scheduled myself for a nap after this class. “I could see if he wants to get together for a late lunch?”

“Oh, thank goodness! It’s about time she cut back your hours!” Mama K exclaimed. “We were planning to have a talk with her this week. Working sixty hours there, part-time here,andschool? It wasfartoo much,mijo!”

“We were just trying to figure out how to cancel all your classes by ‘accident’!” Mama D said, smiling gently and nodding towards the laptop. “You have been working yourself to the bone! Your mother and I were really beginning to worry about you.”

“I— it’s not— I mean, I haven’t—” I stammered in surprise, trying to come up with some explanation for the hours I had been spending at The Belt. Mama D quelled me with a look.