A Fighting Chance by Shannon Stacey

me,” she said. “Or my family. As exciting as Friday night was, it would be weird for me to watch you fight like that a lot, but if it’s part of who you are, then that’s okay.”
    “It’s not partof who I am. It’s part of a hole in my life I tried to fill after I left you. It’s how I coped.”
    “And you don’t need it anymore?”
    He looked at her across the table for a long time before shaking his head. “I hope not. Do I?”
    The way he turned the question on her made her sit back in her chair. Even though she knew she’d just spoken as if it was a done deal that their relationshiphad a future, she’d caught that he was still worried about what her father would think of him. And she couldn’t stop the unwelcome doubt that crept into her mind. “I don’t know, Brendan. You rejected me last night, you know.”
    He arched an eyebrow, and she knew he’d caught her attempt to deflect the conversation with humor. “When the reminder you set comes up on your calendar, I’ll be there.”

    She laughed, resisting the urge to check to see whether she actually had entered a reminder to have sex with Brendan under the big Christmas tree. If she had, at some point in the future, she was going to get a notice that would either be really funny or really painful.
    “I’m thinking about giving up fighting mostly because I’m getting too old to let guys beat the crap out of me for grins,”he said, smiling at her.
    She felt both relief and disappointment at the change in the conversation’s tone, even though she was the one who’d dodged the question. “Do you have a contract, for like a certain amount of fights?”
    He told her he didn’t, and then they talked about his training for a while. And the fighting. Then they talked about her job and her apartment. When their food came,they kept talking, pausing to take bites now and then.
    She remembered how, when they’d been together before, they could spend hours talking about anything under the sun. They rarely argued over a topic because they had similar taste in everything from books to politics to movies, but they differed enough to make the conversations interesting.
    As the time ticked away and they ordereddesserts they mostly ignored, she realized how much she’d missed talking to Brendan. Sure, she’d missed his touch and the way he could heat her blood with just a look. But she’d missed talking to him just as much.
    “You have a four-hour drive ahead of you,” she said when the server had already cleared the table and taken Brendan’s money and was only returning to bring them coffee refills.

    “At least I won’t have any trouble staying awake,” he said. “I think we’ve had an entire pot each.”
    “Still, it’s going to be so late when you get there.”
    He sighed, pushing his empty cup away. “I know. I don’t want to go, though.”
    “If I didn’t have to work tomorrow, I’d talk you into staying. And no, I can’t call in sick because I took Friday off this week and I’m taking twodays off besides Christmas next week.”
    “I’m supposed to go to my cousin’s tomorrow so we can put some miles on the snowmobile.” He shook his head. “I wish I could take you with me. You always loved going out on the sled with me.”
    “You need to get to the camp early enough to sleep, then. And maybe I can take some time off later in January and you can take me sledding.”
    He gave hera heated look across the table. “You should put a reminder in your phone, because I’ll hold you to that.”
    “I will.” She pushed back her chair and stood because she knew they could literally sit there all night talking, or until they were thrown out. She didn’t want him out on the snowmobile with no sleep.
    “Let’s hit the restrooms and then I’ll walk you to your car,” he said.
    Shedidn’t bother trying to wave off the offer. Brendan had always walked her to her car, and he always made sure it would start before he left her. And she