“Seems like you’re losing out on a big chunk of business,” James remarked. “Lots of women are into MMA these days.”
“They sure are,” I agreed. “The Connolly brothers have lots of classes for women and kids. There are a few other gyms in the area that offer them, too. We’re just not one of them.”
“I heard there was some interest about the Warehouse hosting a camp for that fighter show on TV,” James said, clearly aware that it was more than simple interest.
“We’ve had some discussions.” Not wanting to get into the nitty gritty details of a deal that hadn’t been ironed out yet, I changed the subject. “So, what do you two do?”
“I’m a stay at home mom. I also homeschool the boys and run a blog and YouTube channel.”
“Oh wow! You must be exhausted when bedtime rolls around,” I said, unable to imagine wrangling five rambunctious boys while pregnant and working.
“I am, but it’s all worth it. My boys deserve the best.” She smiled warmly and rubbed her husband’s arm. “We want them to be raised in a good Christian home with traditional family values. We don’t want them exposed to the wrong ideas.”
I suspected the wrong ideas might be things like evolution but didn’t want to get into that deep of a discussion at a charity dinner. Instead, I said, “I had friends at college who were homeschooled. They all did extremely well.”
“Did you go to the public schools here?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I went to St. John’s. My sister and I both went there,” I clarified. “Our mother was the CFO at the school.”
“And your father?” James asked.
“He was a partner at Ernst & Young,” I explained, hoping they would let the issue drop soon. I wasn’t in the mood to bring up my dead parents tonight. “And what do you do, James?”
“I’m in real estate. I own a commercial development company headquartered in Dallas, but I’ve opened a new branch here.”
“Are you working on the I-45 widening project?”
“We are,” he confirmed. Then, with a knowing smile, he asked, “Why? Do you have some property you want to develop?”
“Maybe,” I answered coyly. “I know tonight isn’t the time to talk business, though.”
“No,” he agreed, “but it’s a good time to make connections. We could schedule a meeting later this week? You can find my details online at our business site.”
“Sure.” I turned away from James for a brief moment as Ivan squeezed my thigh under the table to get my attention. We shared a look that easily communicated what he wanted me to know. That man is dangerous. Don’t promise him anything. I found his hand under the tablecloth and squeezed it to let him know I understood.
As the appetizer courses arrived, the hostesses of the night took the stage. I glanced around the room, expecting to see Holly somewhere but the table where her mother sat had two empty seats. Maybe she wasn’t in the mood to celebrate after her ordeal in Mexico...
When the dancing started after dinner, Ivan wasted no time tugging me out to the center of the room. We had been working on his two-step since the invitation arrived, and he proved how quickly he mastered new skills as he shuffled us around the room to a George Strait cover band. We hadn’t danced this much since Bianca and Sergei’s wedding, and it felt so good to let loose and have fun.
Just after eleven, I stopped by the auction tables to see if my bids had won. I managed to contain my squeal of excitement when I saw that I had won two of the items I wanted for Ivan. Now I just had to figure out how to surprise him with them.
“I think we’re going to head on home,” Vivian said as she joined me near the sports memorabilia table. She rested her hands on her very pregnant belly and sighed. “I am beat.”
“Go home. Make Nikolai massage your feet.” I glanced at her heels and shook my head. “I don’t know how you’re walking in those things.”
“Very carefully,” she said with a laugh. She hugged me good night and turned to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow at brunch.”
“Yep.” Scanning the room for Ivan, I found him talking to some similarly tall, burly types. Athletes. Probably interested in joining the gym and rolling around on the mats with Ivan and his team. As if he could feel my gaze, he glanced my way, and I