It almost felt like cheating. No, it was cheating. Part of his mandated probation included putting in so many hours of volunteer time at any of the approved locations. 5th Street wasn’t exactly on the list since he was part owner, but thanks to his well-paid lawyers, they managed to make some calls and file the necessary paperwork on behalf of 5th Street so that it met the criteria. Now he’d be spending weeks hanging out with his old pals at one of his favorite places ever as “punishment.”

He smirked, feeling a little devious as he walked into the gym. It was almost as busy as it’d been two nights ago when he’d been there signing autographs. The guys had mentioned the last few times he’d been here how the place was always busy nowadays. It didn’t matter what time of day it was.

Nellie was at the front desk, holding a few packages, and looked ready to walk away when she spotted him. “Oh hey,” she said, smiling big. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it in today. This is perfect timing.”

Stopping and leaning at the counter where the young receptionist stared at him wide-eyed and chewed her gum in slow motion, he smiled at her then glanced back at Nellie. “Yeah, what for?”

“To meet Ella. She just stepped outside, but she’ll be right back in.”

Felix nodded, turning toward the front door where Nellie motioned, when it suddenly hit him. “Was that her with the cop?”

“Yes, did you see her?” Felix nodded and Nellie laughed. “She’s not in trouble or anything. He’s just a friend who comes by from time to time to see her.”

Glancing back out the door, Felix could see the girl with the cop was on her way in now. She wasn’t nearly as tiny as she appeared in the photo. Maybe the guy in the padded suit had dwarfed her after all, but she was still petite.

Nellie called out for Ella before she could head in another direction, and she walked over to them. “If you have a moment, I’d like you to meet the other owner of 5th Street, Felix Sanchez.”

Ella smiled pleasantly flashing a bright smile, reminding him of one of the first things he noticed even in her photo—what a nice smile she had. Now he knew why. She had great teeth. Up close, they looked even better, the kind he was used to seeing on supermodels and actresses. The difference was hers weren’t blindingly fake white. And then . . . That’s what had been familiar about her photo the other night. She was the girl he’d seen earlier the night of the earthquake. Ironically, she was the very girl who had popped in his head when Hector made his comment about Ella looking like any of the typical girls you saw at the gym on any given day.

Without hesitation, she held out her hand. “It’s an honor to finally meet you, Mr. Sanchez.” For such a small hand, she had a hardy handshake. “I’m Rafaela Castellano, but everyone calls me Ella.”

“Nice to meet you too, Ella, and please, call me Felix.” She nodded, smiling pleasantly and very confidently once again. “Nellie’s told me all about the self-defense classes you coordinated, and I understand you’re interested in getting something going for breast-cancer awareness.” He wasn’t sure why he was suddenly using his grown-up professional voice, but he continued. “I think that’s a great idea.”

“So do I,” Nellie interjected, looking at him enthusiastically. “I’m already looking into getting things going.” She turned to Ella. “As a matter of fact, and I don’t mean to put you on the spot or anything, but since Felix brought it up . . .” Nellie glanced back at Felix. “I’ve only talked to Abel about this, but he thinks it’s a good idea as well. Ella,” she said, turning back to smile at Ella momentarily then turned back to Felix. “Well, she does so much work here and half the time refuses to get paid for it.” Nellie gave him a look of frustration then went on. “She also works at Starbucks and goes to school part-time. Getting this cancer-awareness program going will take a lot of work, so we were thinking, Abel and I that is, but I’ve no doubt everyone else will agree, that . . .” Now she turned to Ella, who was looking at her as intently as Felix was. Nellie didn’t seem too sure of herself suddenly. “Since I know this program is important to you, and you don’t have to tell me I can count on you to do a good job because I know I can. With the new baby and all, I’d have to look into hiring someone to do most of the work. I just can’t do it all so . . .”

She hesitated and Felix had to laugh. “Will you just spit it out already?”

Laughing nervously, Nellie turned back to Ella with a deep breath. “You don’t have to answer me now. I want you to take a few days to think about it, okay?”

Ella nodded, her expression full of as much anticipation as Felix was suddenly feeling too. Nellie continued, “I’d like you to consider working for 5th Street full-time.”

Without giving Ella a chance to even react, Nellie went on to describe what Ella would be in charge of and all the reasons she’d be so good for the job. Among them were her passion and commitment, her ability to work with others, and most notably, how well liked she was by the rest of the staff and all the people who took the self-defense class. She then mentioned the benefits package and free membership all employees got along with a few other perks. It was like a backwards interview. Ella didn’t have to do anything to sell herself. Nellie was the one doing all the selling.

Ella shook her head when Nellie was finally done, apparently dazed by everything Nellie had just dumped on her. She brought her hand to her chest in what appeared to be a loss for words. She glanced at Felix as if maybe just looking at him might help her think of something to say. Felix had nothing for her but a smile. Her eyes were back on Nellie, and for a moment, she looked as if she might become emotional. Then she cleared her throat, lifted her chin, and straightened up. The rapid change of emotions happened in a matter of moments, and Felix couldn’t help but smile even bigger. He’d never seen anything like it.