Gambling It All

Chapter Five

"Well, what's he like?"

Dixie settled back against the pillows of her bed in the guest room, her cell phone pressed to her ear, glad to hear the sound of a familiar voice from home.

"Reticent," she began, and then added, "reserved, quiet...an emotionless automaton, maybe?"

Jackie, her friend and colleague, laughed on the other end of the phone line. "So, not a big fan of Mr. Gamble, I take it?"

Dixie sighed. "It's not that," she said, meaning it. "It's just... you know, the work I do, I form connections with clients pretty quickly. You have to; you have to establish trust quickly because you're working on someone's vulnerabilities. You have to trust me to let me do some pretty up-close-and-personal stuff to get you healed, right?"

"Right," Jackie agreed.

"I can't seem to connect with him. I mean, he's not mean or impolite – well, not much – but he just doesn't want to make small talk, doesn't want to tell me much about himself. I chatter on like a magpie, and then feel like an idiot when all he does is grunt. I don't think he hates me," Dixie said, hoping it was true, "but he doesn't seem to like me much either."

"Everyone likes you, Dix," Jackie said warmly. "Even all the clients here you deserted to go work with a spoilt MotoGP star."

Dixie half laughed. "Actually, I'm surprised he's not more spoilt and stuck up, but when he's here, he's pretty down to earth. For his training, I'm having him toss hay bales and stuff. It's pretty... well, he's definitely a headstrong cowboy type."

"When do you come back?" Jackie asked, changing the subject. "I mean, everything office wise is smooth, of course, but clients are still calling, wanting to rebook with you, even though I told them you were off the grid for a while."

"Soon," Dixie said. "Soon, I hope."

**

"So, how do you feel about the political unrest in Chechnya?" Dixie asked, as Nicky grunted out another sit up.

When he didn't answer, she continued as though he perhaps hadn't heard her. "Have you been keeping track of Snooki's baby? I'm sure she and Jionni are going to be model parents, what with their vast life experiences. What are your thoughts on their future parenting skills?"

Nicky grunted again, his eyes meeting hers briefly in confusion before sliding away.

"Have you ever wondered why the 'Lord of the Rings' movies got made before 'The Hobbit'? I mean, 'The Hobbit' takes place at least sixty years before the events in 'Lord of the Rings'. Doesn't that make you a little bit crazy?"

Nicky stopped doing sit up and just stared at her, his eyes searing into hers, thought he remained silent.

Dixie bit her lip, feeling like a five year old in trouble for speaking out of turn, just from the look on his face. "I decided I was just going to try topic after topic to see if you would respond to anything. If was searching to see you were interested in anything besides cow tipping and bike racing. I can see by your face, no."

Nicky wiped his brow with his sleeve and took a cleansing breath, trying not to smile at her chagrined expression. "Hm."

"Well, you're always so... quiet. It's unsettling. Most clients won't shut up long enough for me to concentrate. Trainers often become therapists, which is totally fine and understandable, but you... I'm not sure you actually have any thoughts. Either that, or you hate my guts and can't stand to be in my presence, much less converse, which is going to be awkward in a few minutes when I stretch out your hamstring and have to put my hands near your..."