Extra Credit (Fenton U Series), page 29
Sensing my frustration, Cali had offered to take Sadie out for the afternoon. Now that the weather was warming up, all Sadie wanted to do was spend time outside. It gave me time to sulk in silence without having to put on a mask.
I placed the laptop on the coffee table and ran both hands across my face. Someone in the state must be willing to hire me. I blew out a slow breath into my folded hands. All I needed was a fighting chance.
I was getting up from the couch when a hard knock started at the front door. Cali and Sadie had left less than ten minutes ago. It couldn’t have been them. I stepped into the foyer, ready to tell a couple of Girl Scouts that I wasn’t buying what they were selling, when another knock sounded.
“I’m coming,” I barked before swinging open the door. However, it wasn’t a couple of pre-teen girls on the other side.
“Coach,” I started, blinking at the man I thought I probably wouldn’t see again. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to visit,” Whitmore grunted. His expression was similar to Oscar the Grouch. His thick, grey brows formed an angry downward arrow. “I came all this way. Are you not going to invite me in?”
The bottom of my jaw went slack as it bobbed along. “Uh… ye–yeah, sure. Come on in.”
The elderly man seemed misplaced in the narrow foyer of my home. His broad shoulders were emphasized by the black track jacket he was wearing. The crest on his chest had my stomach dripping. I was scrambling to think of something to say to him. Sorry I screwed you over for the rest of the season?
By the time he finished wiping his dress shoes on the carpet, I managed to form a cohesive thought. I led him into the adjacent room and asked, “Can I get you anything?”
“Coffee. Black,” he instructed as he surveyed the tight kitchen quarters.
I replied with a stiff nod. Cali’s caffeine addiction meant that our ancient coffee machine was put to good use over the last few weeks. I’d seen her fumble around with it enough times to know how to make a half-decent americano—at least by her standards.
I pushed a button, and the bulky machine whirred to life. Whitmore made himself comfortable at the kitchen table, his hands clasped and resting on the surface. We didn’t exchange another word until I placed the mug of hot coffee down in front of him.
“How have things been?” I asked, using small talk to get me through the visit.
I could barely look my ex-coach in the eye without a spark of shame igniting in my chest.
“With the program?” Whitmore wrapped one hand around the steaming mug. “It’s gone to shit since you were kicked out.”
And there it was. A fresh wave of guilt crashed into me. While I wasn’t the one who exposed the operation happening below campus, I couldn’t help but feel I had let Whitmore down for being involved in the first place.
“Sorry,” I blurted out. Then I cleared my throat. “I wasn’t—”
Whitmore held up an open palm. “I’m not here for your apology, Pierce.”
I swallowed, bringing my gaze down.
“I’m here because I want to offer you a job.”
I brought my attention back up. Whitmore’s thin lips quirked up in the slightest curve. “How would you like to be a trainer at a well-respected boxing gym in the city?”
“Trainer?” I said. “I don’t think I’m qualified.”
Whitmore levelled me with a stare. “You’re more than qualified, son. I’ve never come across anyone with your mental fortitude for the sport. The passion you have. You can’t teach that. You were born a fighter, Pierce. Anyone would be lucky to have you on their team. Are you interested?”
“Yes.”
Whitmore nodded in approval. “The owner is a very close friend of mine. I’ve spoken highly of you, so don’t go fucking this up, you hear?”
The dining chair creaked from the weight of my back. I drew in a breath. “Absolutely.”
A rare grin erupted onto Whitmore’s face. He held his hand out. “They’re lucky to have you, son.” It was like I was experiencing déjà vu. He had said the exact same thing to me four years prior when I accepted the boxing scholarship. “Or should I start calling you coach?”
I couldn’t hold it back. A genuine smile split my face from ear to ear as I reached over to shake his hand. “Thank you, sir.”
Whitmore said, his hand firmly around mine. “You deserve it.”
My ex-coach left not long after he finished his coffee. After he was gone, I found myself sitting back at the kitchen table, going over what had happened. I didn’t want to jinx it, but it finally felt like things were coming together for me.
From the kitchen window, I watched as Cali and Sadie skipped down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand. My heart warmed at the sight of the two of them. The front door clicked open. Sadie was happily chatting away as she ripped up the Velcro from her shoes. She was rattling off the rest of the activities she had planned with my girlfriend for the afternoon. Cali laughed at her antics, politely agreeing to everything she said, but knowing very well she would probably be passed out in bed within the next thirty minutes.
“Can we watch it now?” Sadie asked.
“Sure,” she said. “Go and grab Berry, and we’ll turn the living room into a movie theatre.”
I could imagine Sadie’s blue eyes growing wide. “With popcorn?”
“With popcorn.”
Sadie cheered as she barreled up the stairs. Cali came into view soon afterwards. She noticed me sitting at the table. A smile graced her features.
“What are you doing in here?” she asked, taking notice of the empty coffee mug across from me. Her head tilted, but before she could ask me any more questions, I got up from my chair and shortened the distance between us.
“Nothing,” I responded, wrapping my arms around her. My arms rested on her shoulders as I placed a kiss on her temple. “Just thinking.”
Cali lifted her chin. “About?”
“All the good you’ve brought into my life.” I brought my lips down to hers, relishing in the softness.
When I pulled away, Cali’s long lashes fluttered up at me. “Like I told you before, we’re good together. You’ve brought a lot of good into my life, too.”
“Oh yeah, like what?”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “Without you, I wouldn’t have Sadie.”
I gave her a deadpan stare. “Using me for my sister, huh?”
“She is really cute.”
I hummed, arms encircling her waist. “You could use me in other ways.”
“Oh, yeah? Like how?” Her tongue brushed against her bottom like, luring all the blood in my body south. I wrangled in the temptation long enough to share the good news.
“Well, now that I’m a trainer at a boxing gym, maybe I can give you some self-defense lessons.”
“Trainer?” Cali echoed, eyes still hooded with lust. I watched it materialize into confusion.
I met her puzzled expression with a smile. “Whitmore just left. He came by to ask me if I was interested in a job. Apparently, a good friend of his owns a facility. He thought I’d be a good fit.”
“Oh my god,” Cali breathed. “Lincoln, I’m so happy for you!”
With the little space between us, Cali managed to launch herself at me and wrap her legs around my waist. She clung there for a moment before pulling her head back to meet my eyes. “We have to celebrate!”
She hopped down from my waist and started for the stairs. “Sadie, change of plans. We’re throwing a party!”
In the distance, I heard Sadie call back. “A party? Like a tea party?”
And right there, in the room across the hall, I saw my future. The one I wanted but never thought I would have. And it was all because of a stubborn woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
FORTY-SIX
CALISTA
The August breeze blew my hair over my shoulder as I made my way across town. My first day of classes had officially ended, and I was already feeling more confident in my choice to switch majors. Over the summer, I went back to working at my local daycare—just to be sure this was what I really wanted this time. I had never been more convinced. The heavy anxiety I felt going into my nursing practicum didn’t rear its ugly head once during my time at the summer camp.
I finally felt like I was on the right track.
Cutting across the manicured lawn outside the boxing facility, I twisted my bag far enough in front of me so that I could drop my bus pass in the front pocket.
When I reached the front entrance, I tugged open the heavy metal door. The low hum of music met me in the foyer alongside the clanking of machinery. Most of the equipment was in use. This had been the busiest I’d ever seen the gym. Apparently, they had piqued quite a bit of interest once they began advertising Lincoln as their new trainer.
Moving to the edge of the foyer, I spotted just the man I was searching for. Lincoln’s broad frame was impossible to miss. But even if I hadn’t seen him, it was as if my body knew when he was near, like my soul had a compass that was drawn to him. Light filtered in through the windows that stretched across the far left wall. As I expected, Lincoln was in the ring. His back was to me as he sparred with the other person there. It was just like the first day I had come storming into the boxing facility all over again. A warm sensation filled my stomach when I saw him—but this time, it wasn’t anger.
I paused in the foyer, admiring how the muscles in his arms moved under the black T-shirt he was wearing. The word ‘TRAINER’ and the gym’s logo were etched across his shoulders. Pride swelled within my chest. Lincoln had worked so hard for so long with little in return. It had been like running a marathon with no end in sight. But he kept pushing for the people he cared about most. I could understand how the university got one sniff of his involvement with the Pit and wanted him gone. But if they had dug deeper than that, they would have seen just how truly amazing Lincoln was. Not simply as a fighter, but as a person.
He was a man with the odds stacked against him. Ultimately, that forced him to work harder than anyone I knew. He deserved the second chance that Coach Whitmore was able to provide for him.
He belonged here.
“I never realized how much I appreciate a man in uniform,” I mused, approaching the side of the ring.
Lincoln dropped his pads down a quarter of an inch as he peered over his shoulder. It didn’t take him long to register that I was there, smiling up at him from behind the ropes. The easy-going grin he was wearing tugged at my heartstrings. Ever since his father was sentenced for the crimes he committed, Lincoln was able to let his guard down. The walls that stood firm had crumbled. And the smiles, which were once a rare sight, were becoming more frequent.
He dragged his forearm across his glistening brow. Then he jutted a chin towards the younger guy he was training. “Take a short break. We’ll pick back up in ten.”
Lincoln weaved his way through the ropes before the guy could even respond. He hopped down from the ring. Hands still in the training pad, he wrapped his arm around the back of my neck and pulled me in until his lips landed on my forehead.
My eyes fluttered shut at the sweet gesture.
“How was your first day of classes?” he asked, leaning back onto the ring and removing the black material from his palms.
“Good, actually,” I said, handing him his water bottle. “It feels better knowing I won’t be there as long as I thought. I think I can manage coming here and seeing you every day for a couple more years.”
Lincoln’s new gym was only a short bus ride away. If I managed my time properly, I could pop over in-between classes while he was on his lunch break.
Lincoln finished spraying a squirt of water into his mouth, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “It’s not a bad circumstance.”
“Could be worse,” I joked with a shrug of my shoulder.
“Are you coming by for dinner tonight?” he asked. “Sadie’s been asking me every night since my mom took her out shopping. She wants to show you her school supplies before she starts next week.”
I settled in next to him, our arms brushing. “Yeah, your mom called to ask me what I’d like to eat.”
“For dinner?” Lincoln raised his brow at me. I nodded. “Damn, I don’t even get that luxury.”
I knocked my shoulder into his. “That’s because if it were up to you, we’d be having steak every day of the week. Honestly, I feel like she asks me because she’s running out of vegetarian options. I feel bad making her go out of her way.”
“Don’t feel bad, trust me. She’s really been enjoying having you around.” Lincoln’s hand found mine, giving it a gentle squeeze.
It was true. Amelia’s demeanor towards me had changed ever since the night she patched me up on her living room floor. I couldn’t say what changed; we hadn’t discussed it. But I had the feeling that after Claudio had shown up and threatened my life, she understood how serious I was about her son.
“Hey Pierce,” Lincoln’s new boss, Tony, called across the room. He pointed a finger in our direction. “No slacking.”
Laughter rumbled in Lincoln’s chest. “You got it, boss.”
Then Tony turned his attention to me. “Hi Calista, how were classes?”
“So far, so good.”
The older man gave me a thumbs up before turning around and heading back towards his office.
Lincoln stood, his cue that he had to get back to work. “Are you going to pick Sadie up from daycare?”
“Yup,” I said, popping the ‘p’ and sliding off the platform. “We’re going to go on an ice cream date.”
“Bribing my innocent little sister with dessert before dinner,” Lincoln teased, his arms encircling my waist. “No wonder you’re her favorite person.”
I pressed up on my tippy toes. “Last I checked, I was your favorite person, too.”
Lincoln shrugged, a playful smile on his face. “Debatable.”
I fixed the strap over my shoulder. “I’ll catch you later?”
“Yeah,” he said, bending until our noses brushed. “You’ll catch me later.”
He pressed a sweet kiss to my lips. “Love you.”
“I love you, too,” I whispered, sharing another chaste kiss before heading towards the foyer.
“Hey, California.”
Lincoln’s voice caused me to stop in my tracks. I turned to peek at him over my shoulder.
Lincoln’s lips tugged up into a secret smirk. He flashed me a wink that caused the butterflies in my stomach to erupt from their cage.
“I’ll see you at home.”
BOOK TWO
Ella and Hendrix’s Story
SHUTOUT
Coming 2026
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Considering I never thought this day would come, I have quite the list of people to thank, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
To start, thank you to my readers. Whether you’ve been around from the beginning, or happened to come across this book and took a chance on me, thank you. Your support has allowed me the opportunity to grow into the writer I am today.
Thank you to my inner circle, Anna, Beth, and Sydni, for encouraging me to write the story I wanted to write. Our chats and video calls will always hold a special place in my heart.
Thank you to my editor, Lindsey Clark, for making a professional sounding manuscript out of my word vomit.
Thank you to Sara Tallary for being the ultimate beta reader and using your expertise to help make this story what it is today. I couldn’t be happier that our paths have crossed.
To my friends, family, and the fellow authors I’ve had the privilege to meet along the way: I love you.
And finally, to my husband, thank you for listening to me. While I know most of my bookish rants make your brain go numb, you are nothing but supportive. I couldn’t be happier.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Luisa Dituri is an elementary school teacher who uses her breaks from the classroom to pursue her passion and write steamy contemporary romance. She currently lives outside Toronto with her husband and her two dogs, Bauer and Fila. When not writing, you can find her baking, drinking matcha, adding books to her overflowing book cart, or attempting to conquer all of the escape rooms in the GTA.
Luisa Dituri, Extra Credit (Fenton U Series)
