And it’s not a dude.
She’s chatting away with a pretty serious contender named Natasha Madden, and like the stars are finally aligned just for me, I get an idea.
Natasha is short, built like a pit bull, and has a smile that dazzles men and women alike. I spotted her earlier, knowing that she was on a slight break right now.
I move through the crowd of muscled beings and lean on the bar, standing next to Natasha. “It’s nice to see some female fighters here.”
Tiffany slams her drink down and pulls me in for a big hug. “Jules, you know of Madden.”
“Oh, you know me?” Natasha asks, sipping on her red wine. Her manicured nails are neon yellow, and her hands are rough like Ryder’s.
“I own a gym, actually.” I reach out a hand.
“No shit, which gym?” she asks with a smile, shaking my hand.
Man, this lady has the grip of a python.
Tiffany leans in. “It’s the one I told you about. This is Jeremy’s sister. She inherited it.”
She nearly chokes on her wine, setting it down. “Damn, girl, you got Ryder under your wing. What the fuck are you doing talking to me?”
I grin, loving this feeling of autonomy and authority over Rhino. “Well, I can thank Tiffany for that.”
Tiffany says, “Natasha mentioned she lives in Pittsburgh right now.”
I raise a brow, shifting slightly when someone behind me leaves the bar. “You know, I can ask Ryder, but he might need a grappling partner.” I raise my hands. “Also, feel free to tell me to screw off. Just thought I might scout a little tonight.”
Her nearly black irises look me over, considering me. “You got a business card?”
“Yeah, I do.” I dig into my purse to pull one out. “Here you go.”
“Tell Joey good luck for me. How did you get him to come back, by the way? I mean, come on...Joey Ryder.”
“He came tous, actually. Just luck, really. Andrew has connections to his old coach.”
She tucks a loose strand of her dyed blonde hair behind her ear. “Damn, well, guess I got lucky, too. Any gym Ryder goes to has to be good. That dude is a legend.” She leans in. “What’s it like? Training with him? Also, what got you into running a gym—”
“Presentation will begin in five minutes,”a voice over the speakers interrupts.
Tiffany grabs her wine, and I say to Natasha, “Anyway, feel free to reach out. We’re located an hour south of Pittsburgh, so we should be able to work something out. Sorry to cut the conversation short. It’s nice to meet you.”
She flashes a wide, white smile. “Yeah, I’ll probably be reaching out. And good luck in the first round tomorrow,” she says, raising her glass to me.
After thanking her, I lead Tiffany to our reserved table, invigorated with pride. Holy shit, what if I took the gym over? What’s stopping me? Well, I guess Andrew is. Because without him, I don’t have Ryder, and I need a smooth transition, not just jumping off a cliff and hoping I land.
Andrew is like my parachute in that regard, carrying all the bona fide success that Jeremy built.
No—I need to stand firm. There’s a solution here, and I know it. I just have to be patient in trying to see it.
Tiffany and I make small talk about how exciting it would be if women got involved. We enter the banquet hall, where the head organizer of the tournament will give a small speech recognizing prior winners. Many sit down at tables and I join the small group belonging to Rhino MMA. Candles and refreshments fill the surface of the table, the air of competition never leaving the room.
Tiffany sits next to me, and Ryder sits on my other side. I haven’t told her about the previous night. I’m still not even sure what it means for Ryder and me.
“Ryder, this is Tiffany. Jeremy’s girlfriend before he passed,” I introduce.
She offers a polite nod, and I can see all the gears turning in her head. “You meant a lot to Jer. If I don’t get to see you much, good luck tomorrow.”
He’s donning more of the classic Ryder enigma, but he’s polite enough. “Wearing orange for the gym?”
