The Marshal’s Teacher by Este Holland
“The thing is, I’m the ‘best friend.’ The one everyone comes to and complains about their boyfriends and girlfriends. It was the same throughout middle school, high school, and even college. I was the one with the wisdom and advice, though I’d only had one boyfriend in my life, and he tried to use me to get a green card.” Chaze paused and shook his head. “I was the one who could tell who the psychos and the losers were. Evidently, no one could do it for me with my boyfriend. I was the one who they came to cry on when the guys I told them not to date in the first place broke their hearts. I wasn’t qualified to give dating advice, but I was always right in hindsight.…That’s when they started to ask me for help. Then they turned around and ignored me and got annoyed when I didn’t like their partners.”
York digested that onslaught of information. “And now?”
Chaze shrugged. “I stopped letting people use me and manipulate me. Apparently, that made me an asshole. It was hookups only until Rio. And you know how that went. Malcolm and Shawna, my next-door neighbor, are my only real friends.”
York blew out a breath. “West helped me a lot. Helped me get my shit together. Helped me with my parents’ funerals. All of it.”
Chaze seemed grateful for the information. “He’s your boss? He sounds like a good friend.”
“He is.”
“And you said he was in hiding? But he’s ok?”
“Yeah, a couple of broken ribs.”
Chaze winced. “Ouch.”
“He’s tough. He escaped handcuffs and killed a hit man like that.”
“What?” Startled, Chaze stared. “Holy crap. I feel like a kindergartener compared to you guys.”
York gave a confused chuckle. “What do you mean?”
“I hid in the closet! And we didn’t even know if the guy was there at the time.”
“Chaze, that was the right thing to do. I was kicking myself for not suggesting it first. You have no training for stuff like that.”
“I took a few self-defense classes,” he said with a shrug, “but you’re right, I don’t.”
“I can show you some more.”
“Really?” Chaze perked up.
“Yeah. We’re going to be here for a while anyway. Might as well be productive.” York grinned at Chaze’s skeptical look.
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Date Published December 12, 2019