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getting settled. And I want to make sure my mother’s okay. She had a heart attack while I was gone.’’
    “Oh, no.’’
    “She’s fine now, but taking it easy. Doctor’s orders.” Sheldon had always planned to get his own place when he moved back to Miami, but he was worried about his mother.
    “Well, I hope everything works out for you soon. I’m sure you’d make a great cop.’’
    “I hope so.” Later this year, he would turn thirty. He planned to apply to the academy by then.
    “And what about your old girlfriend?”
    Sheldon groaned. “Ah, I don’t know. She won’t even see me right now. I don’t think she believes what happened at all. And I can’t say I blame her.’’
    “It does sound crazy. I prob’ly wouldn’t believe you if I was her.’’
    “I guess.’’
    “You want me to talk to her? ’Cause I will, if you think it will help.’’
    Sheldon pondered the idea for a moment. Tyanna already believed that he had left her for some other woman, which had been a lie, of course. But if he let Maria talk to her, Tyanna might wonder if there had been someone else.
    “I’m not sure. If I need you, I’ll let you know.’’
    “Okay.”
    “She’ll come around,” Sheldon said, though he had no clue if she truly would. “I think once she’s had time to mull things over, she’ll understand why I did what I did.’’
    “Well, good luck. Give her time, but let her know you’re still interested.”
    Thinking about it now, Sheldon realized that there was so much he had told Maria that he hadn’t told Tyanna. The situation had warranted it; given the fact that he’d found her when she hadn’t wanted to be found, and that he had been affiliated with Dino, he’d had to share his pain with Maria so she would know he wasn’t one of Dino’s goons. Still, he thought of the expression on Tyanna’s face when he told her that he’d had a brother. One not only of utter disbelief, but of hurt. Despite her efforts to make wisecracks.
    Sheldon gritted his teeth, wondering how he was ever going to work through this issue with Tyanna. He’d lied to her because he had to. But everything had changed with Dino’s death.
    “Thanks,” Sheldon said in response to Maria’s comment. “Sounds like a plan.’’
    “That’s the only way she’s gonna know you still care.’’
    “No doubt, no doubt.’’
    Maria sighed softly. “All right, Sheldon. Thanks for calling. I’m so glad this is finally over.’’
    “Me too.’’
    “Talk to you later.’’
    “Yep. Later.’’
    “God bless.’’

Chapter 6
    “Paging Tyanna Calhoun to the front desk. Tyanna Calhoun to the front desk.’’
    Brother , Tyanna thought sourly. Everyone knew she was on a much-deserved break. She had barely started her salad.
    She closed the top of the plastic container over the salad, then pushed her chair back and stood. She hoped there wasn’t some type of emergency. It was tough enough trying to fit lunch into her hectic schedule at the gym, and she appreciated the few moments she had to herself.
    A minute later, she was at the front desk. “What’s up, Shirley?’’
    “Someone’s here to see you.’’
    Tyanna rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you tell them I was on my break?’’
    “Of course, but he was pretty adamant. Said he’s looking for a personal trainer and heard you were the best.’’
    Tyanna bit her scowl. “Where is he?’’
    “He’s sitting back there, in your office.’’
    “Why’s he in my office?’’
    “He said he’d prefer to wait for you there.’’
    Fine. Tyanna wasn’t going to make a big stink about it. “Shirley, please make sure that next time, anyone who wants to see me waits out here?’’
    “Sure,” Shirley said.
    Tyanna turned and headed in the direction of the club’s offices. Except for the manager, no one had an official office. There were simply a series of desks partitioned off from one another.
    Tyanna was all set to tell this man that he would have to wait a