“I’m so flattered,” she finally said. “I, um . . .” She pressed her lips together, bringing two fingers to them. “I like my job. I do.” She turned to Felix as if trying to convince him too.

Felix nodded in response, surprised how much he was enjoying being witness to this unexpected exchange.

One of her brows lifted, slowly, perfectly as if she’d been doing it her entire life and she had it down pat. “I will think about it for sure. The one thing I don’t like about my job now is how many different places I have to be all the time: here, there, school, home. Then there are”—she caught herself, and Felix didn’t miss the quick side glance she gave him then went on—“well, other non-work or school-related things.”

“Yes, of course,” Nellie agreed quickly. “You’re so young. I’m sure you’d like to have time for your social life.”

That had Ella clearing her throat again. “Yes,” she said softly. “So it would be nice to have one less place to be.”

Nellie smiled, looking very pleased, but Felix could tell she was toning her response down a bit. “So no worries.” Nellie shrugged. “Like I said you don’t have to answer now. Take your time to think about it. Talk to your family about it and, you know”—she motioned to the entrance of the gym—“whoever else and get back to me whenever you can. No rush.”

It took a moment for Felix to figure out what Nellie meant when she motioned at the door; then he realized she was referring to Ella’s cop friend.

“I will.” Ella smiled. “And I truly am flattered about the offer. Thank you.” She turned to Felix. “I have to get back to the class now, but it was very nice to meet you, Mr., uh”—she smiled and for the first time gave way to a timid side—“I mean Felix.”

Felix smiled at her, for some reason suddenly compelled to share something with her. “Nellie mentioned to me when she told me about you wanting to start this breast-cancer awareness program that your mother had lost the battle to the disease.”

Just like earlier when she looked as if she might become emotional then quickly snapped out of it, she did it again. For an instant, Felix regretted bringing it up until the quick series of emotions flashed in her eyes. Surprise, sorrow, and then . . . determination? She nodded, lifting her chin again as she’d done earlier. “Yes, my mom passed when I was seventeen.”

“My aunt—my dad’s sister,” he said, just as professionally and seriously as he had earlier, “was recently diagnosed with it, and even though technically they’re not blood related, it still prompted my mom and sister to get checked as well. It’s very scary.” She stared at him hard but not angrily. The determination was palpable, but determination for what? “Awareness is the key to early detection,” he said. “So it’s very important to get it out there. I admire your efforts.”

He wasn’t just talking about her efforts on this. He’d since given more thought to what she’d done even at such a young age. Meeting her now and this close, he could see just how young she was, and the fact that Nellie sought her out when she was two years younger was insane.

Felix could see now why Hector might think her plain. There was nothing done up about her or anything that really stood out. Her hair was brown and looked about medium length with a slight wave in the ponytail she wore it in. She wore no makeup, but then this was the gym, and a lot, not all but a lot, of girls didn’t wear any when working out. Her eyes were dark like most of the Hispanic girls he knew, and she was a petite girl who could easily blend in fast in a crowd. He’d met plenty like her. Yet just like the other night when he’d first laid eyes on her, there was something refreshingly different about her. Now he had more to add to just the physical aspect of her being refreshingly different. He’d assumed she was shy and withdrawn the other night when he’d smiled at her and she’d quickly turned away.

He’d been completely wrong.

Even after he told her he admired her, she didn’t turn bright pink or avoid eye contact unable to look at him anymore like he thought she might, like most girls did. Instead, she smiled proudly and thanked him, agreeing that awareness was crucial before excusing herself to get back to her class.

“I’ll let you know soon,” she assured Nellie before walking away. “I promise.”

Felix was still a little lost in thought about the young girl who’d surprisingly made such an impression on him, even without having said or done much, when Nellie suddenly gasped.

“Do you think I laid it on too thick? Gads!” She turned to look in the direction Ella was walking, giving Felix a good excuse to follow Ella with his eyes as she made her way through the gym. She may not stand out too much, but looking at her from behind, he thought she did have some nice curves. “If she’d just let us pay her for the work she does around here, I wouldn’t have had to try so hard.”

“You don’t pay her at all?”

“Very little. I mean it’s piddly money, but she won’t take more. She’s afraid if we pay her we’ll have to raise the price on the self-defense classes, which will deter some of the women who would most benefit from taking the classes. Every time I’ve seen how late she’s been here and I try to offer a little overtime, she refuses. Says she’s not in this for the money. She has a job for that.” Nellie sighed. “I really do need her and think she’d be great for handling this project, but I also figure if she takes it I determine her pay and she can’t argue with me.”