Yoga was what Dani loved. At one time, it had been life and breath to her. It was the sound of her heart. Yoga was like a quiet walk for her; it was about the journey, not the destination.
One of her dreams was to develop an online presence, teaching dance and yoga to kids. She knew thousands of people were doing it. Most were doing it on the cheap.
She loved helping young people express themselves through movement. Her program would be more interactive than following a leader and would only cost a onetime payment to license. Schools were perfect for her program, where every child could be included. Her ideal program would be dance for the whole body, with beautiful movements designed to make children happier and healthier.
But that was all it was right now. A dream. What was that Walt Disney quote she loved? Oh, yeah. “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
She had the courage. Now all she needed was the money to make the dream come true. It was truly one step forward at a time.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ryker wasn’t scheduled for the new job until the following day, Sunday.
Sunrise had come and gone when Ryker woke up.
His last job—finding a child abducted by his abusive dad—ended well. Dex had done well finding places where the father would go. When Ryker found him, the asshole was still in Florida, staying in a double-wide with questionable friends. Thankfully, the two losers with him were cowards and ran away after Ryker showed up.
The father took longer to convince that letting the boy go and disappearing was in his best interest or Ryker would help him disappear permanently. The little boy was in the back bedroom playing with a toy truck and heard none of the exchange. He was ecstatic to be returning to his mother.
The kid said little on the return ride until Ryker asked him what he wanted to do first when he got home. The kid replied, “Hug my mom and never let her go.” Ryker clenched his jaw to stop himself from saying anything negative about the dad. He just mentioned that the boy’s mom would be happy to see him again.
He showered and made a pot of coffee and some eggs. Working on a dining room table was the only thing on his agenda today.
Ryker unlocked the woodshop, walked in and stared at the thick slab of walnut. Two weeks ago, he visited a wood store about an hour from his house and found the perfect board to make it. The live-edge black walnut slab was ideal for a table for eight. Not that he intended to have eight people over, but one never knew. He arranged for it to be delivered last week, since it was too long and heavy for him to deal with alone.
The other day he removed the bark, plugged in his carving disc to remove the excess shavings, and blended the rough-cut ends to match the curve of the live edge. Then he planed and sanded it until smooth, vacuumed it, wiped up the excess dust, varnished it, and let it dry.
Today he was going to install the black steel legs. The table was heavy. He was going to need help to turn it over. Ryker couldn’t remember if Dex was around or on a job. He dialed Dex.
“Yo, you busy?”
“Nah, just hanging with Zach. Whatcha need?”
Ryker told him and promised beer after. Dex said he’d be over later and would bring Zach with him.
Ryker walked back to the house around lunchtime to get a snack. Eating a bagel as he left his back porch, he felt eyes on him. Ryker quickly looked around and saw no one. He shook his head. He probably needed more sleep. It wasn’t a feeling of danger, just a feeling someone was watching him.
He heard a truck drive up. Zach and Dex walked around back.
An hour later, after much discussion on how to do it, they’d turned the heavy table over and were now sitting on the patio enjoying beer.
“I heard some of the guys are going to Lucky’s tonight. Zach can’t make it, but Finn is going. Wanna go with us?” asked Dex.
Hmmm. Ryker hadn’t been out with the guys in a while. A few beers, some pool, and relaxing with friends—sounded great.
“Yeah. Who else is going?” he asked.
“Let’s see.” Dex tapped his fingers on his knee and scrunched his face. “Besides the three of us, Colt will meet us there. Cody Miller and Shawn Lincoln from the sheriff’s department said they’d come, and maybe Austin Peters, who works for the fire department.” He took a slug of beer and furrowed his brow. “Have you met them?”
“I don’t think so,” said Ryker. “No matter, it’ll be fun. What time are you meeting there?”
“Around eight. Want me to pick you up?”
“Sure.”
The guys got to Lucky’s just after eight. The parking lot was packed since it was Saturday night. Lucky’s was in an old brick warehouse in an industrial park. Several small shops also occupied the building but were closed now.
They walked into a raucous crowd, many dancing to the sounds of a rock and roll band. Whoever was on the electric guitar was making it sing. The drummer had a rhythm all his own. Ryker could feel the drumbeat deep in his soul.
The long wooden bar was packed, and the bartenders were hustling. He spotted Colt sitting with three other men at a large table by the back wall. He and Finn dodged couples dancing and finally made it to the table while Dex stopped at the bar and got them beers.
It was too loud to make proper introductions, so he shook their hands and sat down.
Dex came back with the beers, and a waiter dropped off menus. Ryker was starving, and his mouth watered for chicken wings and French fries. They had to shout but ordered a couple of platters of nachos to start and dug in when they were served.
Ryker took a swig of ice-cold beer and wiped his mouth. There was nothing better than beer with zesty nachos. He felt his stomach rumble and couldn’t wait to dig into the spicy wings and hot fries. It was his standard order whenever he came here.
The band took a break, and the guys finally introduced themselves and talked. Ryker knew Liam McBride and Cody had gone to high school together in Black Pointe, Florida. Shawn “Linc” Lincoln worked with Cody at the sheriff’s department, and he recognized Austin from around town.
Dex stood and looked around the table. “I’m up for a game of pool. How about it?”
“Nah, it’s been a long day. I’m gonna sit here and nurse my beer, “ Austin said.
“I’m in,” said Ryker.
“Me, too,” chimed Cody. Colt and Linc nodded.
The pool room was off the main bar. Since Ryker had played a few times, he knew there were about a dozen tables.
As they approached the entrance, they heard the crack of balls, men hooting and women laughing.
“Crap. I wonder who’s playing,” said Colt. Ryker looked over at his friend. At best, Colt was reserved, but he became downright taciturn around women.
There was only one empty pool table, and Colt staked it out. They picked out their cues and lined up the balls. Ryker broke.
More laughing came from the table with the group of women. Cody glanced over at them.
“Hey, it’s Nicki,” said Cody.
Nicki? Ryker had no idea who she was, but Cody looked smitten and walked over to say hello.
“Yeah, he’s sweet on Nicki,” said Linc. “Let’s go say hello.”
“Nah, I’m good here,” Ryker said. He had no interest in hooking up with a woman. But no such luck. Cody was waving them over.