Single Mom Warned The Boxing Champion 3 Times "Don't Try Me" On Live TV — 5s Later Silenced Studio
Chapter 15
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Megan crouched beside him briefly, adjusting his collar out of habit. "You good?" she asked quietly."I'm fine," Colton muttered, not quite meeting her eyes.It was the second time that morning he had said those exact words; neither time had it sounded convincing. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a memory surfaced uninvited: an old locker room, chalk dust in the air, a coach's voice telling him, "Rules exist for a reason." He pushed the memory down hard, the way he had trained himself to do for years.The red light blinked back on at 9:17. Denise straightened her jacket; she forced a smile for the lens."We're back, everybody," she said, her voice a touch too bright. "Live from Millbrook with Colton Malone."Behind the counter, the producer paced in a tight circle, one hand pressed to his earpiece. He listened hard; whoever was on the other end was talking fast.Colton stood a few feet from Sadie, his arms crossed now. His easy grin had returned mostly, though it did not quite reach his eyes. Reggie hovered close beside him, his phone finally forgotten; he leaned in once, muttering something low. Colton nodded stiffly, not looking at him.Sadie had not moved from her spot; the robe still rested over one arm. She watched Colton the way a person watches weather: calm, alert, already knowing which way it might turn.Walt Doyle stayed near the counter; he had not sat back down. Something in him refused to. Ruth had returned to her spot near the pass window; she had wiped her hands three times already, though they were already clean—it was just something to do with them. Hank leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, watching everything unfold like weather rolling in. He had lived in Millbrook his whole life; he had never once seen it this quiet. Alma had set her crossword aside entirely now, her pen capped beside her coffee, forgotten. Peggy simply watched, hands folded neatly in her lap, waiting to see how the morning would finish."So," Denise said, glancing between them, unsure how to steer this. "Big Joe Coleman. Quite the legend around here."Colton forced a laugh. He spread his hands wide. "Absolute legend. Man taught me everything I know about discipline, about respect. Honestly, I owe him a lot."It was the kind of answer built for cameras: smooth, warm, entirely rehearsed-sounding. A few crew members nodded along, satisfied.Sadie said nothing at first. She simply studied him. The silence stretched a beat too long."Funny," she finally said. "You don't sound like someone who owes him much."Colton's smile flickered. "Excuse me?""You called this place small," Sadie said, voice even. "You called Ruth someone who never moved up. You wiped coffee off your hand with my father's robe. That's not owing somebody; that's forgetting them."The diner went quiet again, listening closely now. Denise glanced nervously toward her producer; he gave a small nod: Keep it rolling. That nod always meant trouble.