“I’ll call you later when I’m home,” Jasper promised before hastily hanging up just as the nurse reached him.
“Okay, Mr. Duboix, how are you feeling?” She asked in a forced cheerful voice.
“Sore,” Jasper replied with a sad smile.
“I bet,” the nurse started placing a cuff around his arm. “We’re just going to do your blood pressure, okay?”
Jasper nodded. He hated lying to Kait. There was so much he wasn’t telling her – like about his bad knee and losing his trainer. What would she think of him if he wasn’t the hardened fighter she’d originally met? Jasper wasn’t even sure what he thought of himself if he lost his identity. Fighting was all he’d known for so long. It was hard to tell where the fighting ended and he began. His time in the ring had become interwoven with who he was. Jasper Duboix was a fighter. How was he supposed to function without that label?
Carl came back in with a plastic cup of coffee as the nurse was finishing up. He smiled thinly at his client before handing him the caffeine beverage.
“We can’t let anyone know you’re here,” he said sternly. “We can’t risk the negative media attention.”
“I know,” Jasper sighed. But he feared that soon the whole world would know how weak and broken he was no matter how many lies he told to convince them otherwise.
Chapter 80
Kait hated arguing with Jasper. Their earlier encounter outside the supermarket was still troubling her. Even though he’d apologized, she couldn’t help fearing that the situation wasn’t resolved. Perched on her sofa, she nervously chewed her fingernails. She’d worked so hard to be in a relationship with Jasper, she wasn’t prepared to let anything jeopardize what they had.
After a few more minutes of deliberation, Kait reached a decision. She stood up and hastily pulled on her coat.
It was dark by the time she reached the gym. The car park was relatively empty as she hurried across it, her head bent low against the cool evening wind. Glass doors silently parted to let her in. Kait gave the waiting receptionist her brightest smile.
“Hi,” she greeted them. “I was just wondering if my boyfriend is still in the gym. I need to get a message to him so I just wanted to quickly pop inside.”
“Sure,” the short blonde haired receptionist gave her a sympathetic smile. “What’s his name?”
“Jasper Duboix.” Kait felt a tingle of pride saying Jasper’s name.
“Hmm,” the receptionist pursed her lips together thoughtfully. “I’m pretty sure Mr. Duboix signed out earlier this afternoon, but let me double check.”
Kait waited patiently as the receptionist checked the records. Jasper had signed out earlier – when he’d come to meet Kait at the supermarket but then he’d surely signed back in.
“Yeah,” the receptionist nodded at her computer screen. “Mr. Duboix signed out this afternoon but didn’t sign back in today.”
“Oh,” Kait suddenly felt deflated and also embarrassed. “Are you sure he’s not in there?” She countered hopefully, her cheeks starting to burn.
“He called me less than an hour ago to stay he was still at the gym.”
The receptionist gave Kait a sad smile and shook her head. Clearly this was a situation she’d encountered before.
“He has to sign in to enter the gym, and I’m afraid the records show that he’s not done so since he left this afternoon. I’m sorry.”
Kait waved a dismissive hand and forced herself to smile as though she were unaffected.
“We must have just got our wires crossed,” she declared breezily. “Thanks so much for your help.”
Kait couldn’t run out of the gym fast enough. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest. If Jasper wasn’t at the gym, then where the hell was he? And more distressingly, why was he lying? Was he cheating on her?
With her mind dizzy with panic and confusion, Kait did the only thing she could think to do – she called Anna.
Chapter 81
“Discharge papers,” Carl waved the document in front of Jasper’s face. “Let’s get you home then before anyone has a chance to see you here.”
“Yep,” Jasper sighed as he climbed off the hospital bed, his bandaged knee struggling to support his weight.
“You okay there, champ?” Carl cast a wary look at him.
“I’m still standing…barely,” Jasper quipped. He pushed himself away from the bed and unsteadily wavered on his feet.
“Least you’ve not lost your sense of humor,” Carl grinned.