“Absolutely.” The owner nodded profusely. “Just go around and someone will be waiting for you by the back door.”

In the few minutes it took Felix to talk to the owner, the vultures had surrounded his car and the cameras were snapping. Felix glanced at Ella again, trying not to lose his temper. Normally he didn’t have a problem with the overzealous fans and paparazzi, but he was afraid this, too, would be a turn off. Not everyone could deal with this. Gio and Abel were perfect examples. They hated it.

This was something so new to him. The need to apologize about his lifestyle was as foreign a feeling to him as the weirdness he was still feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Going around the back didn’t deter the paparazzi. Felix could see Clive wasn’t the only one there either. Only unlike Clive, the others didn’t keep their mouths shut. The moment Felix and the girls were out of the car, the cameras began flashing and the questions started flying.

“Is it true you turned down a rematch with Grecco?”

“Mr. Sanchez, are you in town to train?”

“Will you be training at 5th Street or Big Bear?”

“Will you have the 5th Street dream team training you?”

The owner who’d come out the front rushed out the back door and began demanding the paparazzi leave his property. He ushered Felix and the girls in the back door and closed it behind them.

“Again, I can’t apologize enough for this.” The owner began his spiel again.

“No worries. No worries,” Felix assured him before he’d go on and on.

The moment he walked into the back room, Hector looked up at him and laughed. “Can’t take you anywhere!”

“That is crazy!” Drew said after taking a sip of her beer. “How did all those people get here so fast?”

“And all those reporters,” Carmen said, taking a seat next to Charlee.

“Reporters?” Hector asked, his brows jumping up. “There weren’t any reporters when we got here. Just way more people than normal.”

“People ready to snap photos the moment they recognized Hector,” Charlee said, shaking her head.

“Yeah,” Hector pecked Charlee. “That’s when I knew something was up.”

The manager walked in with a tray of cheesy bread and mozzarella sticks and a glass of iced tea, which he placed next to Charlee’s half empty glass. “The owner sends these as compliments of the house,” he explained as he set down the tray too. “So are those.” He pointed at the two extra pitchers of beer being set down on the table by another server.

“Thank you,” Felix said quickly, “but that’s not necessary. Really.”

The manager shook his head. “We insist. Your pizza and wings should be out shortly as well. If there’s anything at all you need, just wave us down. I’ll come back in a bit to check on you.”

So much for Felix’s original idea of getting better acquainted with Ella on neutral ground—somewhere she’d feel more comfortable. The night kept getting worse, and they’d barely gotten there. First, her friend barely let Ella get in a word the whole way there, so he still knew little about her other than the work she did at 5th Street. Now this. For the first time in years, he actually wished his life was a little more normal.

At least with the appetizers there the subject of the crowd outside was forgotten—for the moment. Hector asked the girls if they wanted a glass of beer or something else to drink. They each said they’d be fine with beer. He started to pour a glass, and Felix hurried to pour one too so he could get Ella’s.

Why was he acting like such a schmuck all of a sudden?

To his relief Hector, handed the one he poured to Carmen, and Felix handed the one in his hand to Ella. At least the seating worked out. Since Carmen had sat next to Charlee, Ella sat across from them, leaving the seat next to her open. Felix snagged it. Carmen was now caught up talking Charlee and Drew’s ear off about the self-defense class, and Felix finally had a moment to chat somewhat privately with Ella.

“So you come here often?”

The words shot out before he could even think them through. That was not how it was supposed to sound. He’d meant to take her somewhat playful comment back at the gym about coming here a lot and use it to start a safe conversation. One that wasn’t too personal. Instead, he immediately felt like a douche using a cheesy pickup line on someone at a pizza place!

She smiled, and his eyes were instantly on her mouth. He’d been right about her having great teeth, but this close he could see it wasn’t just her teeth that made for that nice smile. Her lips were perfect too. Almost sensual. Most people didn’t have such perfectly shaped lips.

“Yes,” she admitted, continuing to smile, and he had to force himself to look up at her eyes. “I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, and then in high school, this was one of the places where everyone hung out.”

“Really? Did you go to Garfield?”

“I did.” She nodded then added quickly. “And, of course, I knew you went there too. How couldn’t I? The huge mural on the back wall of the gym was a dead giveaway.”

“That was kind of embarrassing,” he admitted. “I didn’t even graduate from there. Halfway through my junior year I had to pull out because I began training to go semi-pro and started getting homeschooled.”

“It still counts according to the administration there. They’re very proud of their most famous and successful alumnus. If you hadn’t left to be homeschooled, we would’ve attended school there at least one year together.”