Read Julien's Book for Free Online Page A

giving him a high- five. "It's perfect, too, because that's what y'all are going over today at women's class."
    "I know. I just took a look at the curriculum."
    She reached up and faked a kiss to his cheek. "Okay, you got it then. I need to take off, Brian's waiting in the car."
    "Okay. I got it," he said.
    Christina reached up and touched him on the temple near his stitches. "Lookin' tough," she said.
    He smiled.
    "Speaking of how good you look, I heard you hung out with one of those ring girls last night."
    He looked at her sideways. "How'd you hear that?"
    "Carlos posted a picture on Instagram. You were with some girl in the background, and there were a bunch of comments about her being a ring girl and you making out and then throat slamming some guy."
    "I did not throat slam anyone," Julien said, laughing. "I barely grabbed him by the throat, and it was just to make him shut up."
    "How about the girl?"
    "That part was true—although I wouldn't say we made out . We kissed a little, that's all. She was cool."
    "Do you l ike her?" She drew out the words, teasing him. Christina was a sucker for some juicy gossip, and was so excited she forgot her husband was waiting.
    "No , I don't like her. I don't even know her. I thought you said Brian was in the car."
    "Oh yeah, okay. You're right." She reached out and pinched his rear end on the way out, because that's just the type of thing Christina did. "Congrats on the fight and the making out." She was already headed to the lobby as she said it.
    "We didn't make out," he yelled after her.
    At that very moment, when Julien was shouting "We didn't make out," John David rounded the corner looking like he was scared to find out what he'd see when he got there. He had a girl with him, and both of them were wide-eyed at the outburst.
    John David looked at the girl and started in on his damage control. "Coach Julien doesn't normally teach this class. It's usually Christina, the one you just saw walk that way."
    The girl glanced in the direction Christina had gone and smiled then she held out a hand to Julien. "I'm glad you're a substitute. I won't feel so bad about being terrible at this." She had an accent that wasn't quite Cajun. It was closer to French, but Julien couldn't tell.
    He smiled at her. "Everyone's terrible at first. It's more gratifying to get good at something when you're terrible at it first."
    She smiled at his simple logic. They had already shaken hands, and she'd learned his name, but she hadn't told him hers. "I'm Nadine," she said.
    Julien's eyes snapped to John David, who bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. He shrugged. "Coach Julien, this is Nadine. She's here to try out the women's Jiu Jitsu class."
    "Do you have a gi?" Julien asked, looking at her.
    She glanced around apologetically. "I'm sorry to say I don't have any idea what that is," she said.
    John David cut in. "Coach Christina said it was no gi today."
    "Oh, that's right."
    Julien knew they were doing no gi. He just wanted her to think she had to have a loner so she'd be asked to give John David her ID.
    "What is a gi?" she asked.
    "It's what we wear out here on the mat—the thing that looks like a Karate suit," Julien said.
    She nodded, able to picture what he was talking about. "Is that something I'll need?" 
    "You can use one of ours while you try out the class," Julien said. "You just have to bring your ID for collateral."
    Julien and John David both looked at her to see how she'd react to that news.
    "This might be weird, but I don't know if I'd want to use a loner," she said. "I'll just try it today, and if I like it, I'll buy one. Do you sell them? Or is that something I'd need to order?"
    "We have some for sale," John David said.
    It didn't really matter since she wouldn't need it for the class that day. Neither of them pressed the subject of trying to expose her fake name. They both knew it'd come out sooner or later.

 
    Chapter 5
     
     
    The girl who introduced herself as Nadine