“I thought I wasn’t supposed to tell you any more.”

“Kid . . .”

“Yes. Just like I promised.”

“You’re a good kid. You know that, right?” he asks. And there’s something in his tone that tells me he’s actually asking. He really wants to make sure I know.

“I’m painfully aware. I think my life would be a lot easier if I were rotten.”

“You couldn’t be rotten if you tried. Now, get off the beach before you catch cold. Go home. Do your job. Call your brother. Eat a good dinner. Go to bed at a reasonable hour. There. Did I do it right? Did I say everything a good dad is supposed to say?”

“Did you pull a muscle?”

“Shaddap,” he says with a laugh.

“Love you, Pops.”

“Love you, too, kid.”

Instead of calling Jack or heading back to the house, I ride my bike straight to Geddy’s gym. I park my bike and head in. It’s afternoon so the gym is much more crowded than I usually see it when I come in the early morning. Raoul’s eyes widen when he sees me.

“Not your usual workout time,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking his head.

“I’m not here to work out. I actually had a question for you.”

He waves me over to the side of the gym so that we’re well away from the two teenagers messily sparring with one another. Raoul’s got one eye on them and one on me. His expression tightens and he takes a step toward the kids when one of them yelps, but another one of his trainers catches the mistake and steps in. Raoul relaxes and leans against the wall, focusing on me.

“Shoot.”

“Well, I was wondering if you’ve ever dealt with clients who’ve gone through . . . traumatic stuff before.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, there’s someone I know who I want to come work out here. But he’s not really a fighter, you know? I think he’s been going through a hard time. I thought getting stronger, maybe some self-defense kind of stuff, would help ease his mind a little bit. I recommended he come here, but then I was wondering if a boxing gym was the best place for somebody who . . . doesn’t like to fight.”

“Ah. Yeah. I get it. Sure. A lot of guys come here just for the exercise. The camaraderie. But it’s good for the soul, too. Boxing. It’s helped a lot of my guys get through hard times.”

“You’ve dealt with that before? Trauma?”

“Sure. Not everybody likes to hit or get hit. Some people like it too much. I’ve been doing this a long time. I can usually tell what somebody needs or doesn’t need.”