Down the Line (Sports Romance)

by Cheryl Douglas

  Ash sat up straighter. “Seriously? What the hell?”

  “I don’t know. It was probably just some random thing.” She was trying to play if off, but it had shaken her up. “But the weird thing is they didn’t take anything. I left my tablet in the car, but it was still there. Just the door was open.”

  He smacked his palm against his forehead. “Who leaves their tablet in the car? How many times have I told you—”

  “I already got the lecture from my brother,” she said, bending to retrieve her water bottle from her bag. “I don’t need to hear it from you too.”

  “So your brother knows about this?”

  “Yeah, I walked here. I left the car at home so he could pass by and check it out, dust it for fingerprints, that kind of thing. He said he’d ask a few of my neighbors if they’ve seen or heard anything. Then he’ll swing by here to finish his report.”

  “Does he think you have anything to worry about?”

  She took a sip of water. “Who knows? You know my brother. He’s always pretty tight-lipped until he has all the facts.”

  “Facts about what?” Joel asked, rounding the corner from the locker room.

  If Grace had known he was there, she would have kept her mouth shut.

  Before she could shut him down, Ash filled him in. “Grace’s car was broken into last night.”

  Joel leaned over the desk, raising an eyebrow. “No kidding? Where?”

  “At my house,” she said, scanning the day’s appointments. She took the appointments for prospective new members while her partner handled the training sessions. “It was parked in my driveway.”

  “You know I never thought it was safe,” Joel said. “You living alone in a house like that. I still think you should think about moving into my building. There’s twenty-four-hour security, underground parking—”

  “I’m not going to be chased out of my house by some random act. It was probably just some stupid kids.”

  “Did they get anything?” Joel asked.

  “No.”

  “Huh.”

  “What?” she asked, looking up at him.

  “Doesn’t sound so random to me. You have a Bose stereo, surround speakers—”

  “Maybe he didn’t have time to lift that.” Grace knew Joel was just messing with her, trying to instill fear in her the way he had when they were together. He liked to make her paranoid. “Anyways, nothing for you to worry about. My brother’s on the case. I’m sure he’ll figure it out.”

  “Figure what out?” Ethan asked, rounding the corner.

  Seriously, both of them are here and Ash didn’t say a word? Some friend.

  “Oh, hey,” she said, trying not to look at Ethan. “I, uh, didn’t expect to see you here anymore.” She’d hoped after their talk, he’d want to keep his distance.

  “I thought we should talk about this weekend,” he said, ignoring Joel, who was hanging over the desk and listening to their conversation.

  “Um, yeah,” she said, jumping up. “Maybe that would be a good idea. We can head back to my office. Ash”—she narrowed her eyes at her partner—“let me know when my brother gets here, okay?”

  “Grace,” Joel said, before she could lead Ethan down the hall, “do me a favor? Keep your doors locked? They may try breaking into your house next time.”

  “Don’t worry,” she said, suppressing a shudder. “I can take care of myself.”

  “What the hell was he talking about?” Ethan asked, hooking a finger over his shoulder when Grace closed the door.

  “Nothing.” She shook her head as she claimed the chair behind her desk. “Not important. So Bella talked to you about this weekend too, huh? How do you want to handle that?”

  “Forget about this weekend for a minute. I wanna know what the hell he was talking about. And don’t you dare try to shut me down. You know I won’t quit ‘til you tell me what’s going on.”

  She cursed all the stubborn men in her life as she sighed. “Fine. My car was broken into last night while parked in my driveway. Happy now?”

  “No!” He scowled as he paced. “Who the hell would do that? This is a small town. Not much crime. Have you ever had anything like this happen before?”

  “No, I’m sure it was just a freak incident.” At least she prayed it was. In her line of work, she met a lot of men, many of whom had asked her out only to be politely rejected. She hated to think one of them had decided to track her down and teach her a lesson. “If not, my brother will figure it out. He’s on it. So you can stop worrying about it.”

  “Hey,” he said, his voice softening, “I will always worry about you. You can count on that.”

  How was she supposed to get over him if he kept saying sweet things to her? “I appreciate that, but we can’t keep doing this.” Her tone was soft, but her meaning was clear. Back off. Please. For the sake of my sanity. “You and me, we’re through, remember?”

  Ethan scowled. “Don’t expect me to stop caring about you? ‘Cause that’s never gonna happen.”

  “You’re a good friend, but—”

  “Friend?” His eyes narrowed. “You’re really going to try putting me in the friend zone after all we’ve meant to each other?”

  “I don’t know what to call it,” she said, covering her face with her hands. “All I know is that I’m trying to get over you and you’re making it impossible.”

  He walked around the desk and sat on the edge. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be an obstinate jerk. I just worry about you.”

  “I know you do.” She lowered her hands, looking at him. “I feel the same way. I probably always will, but this back and forth, round and round is making me dizzy.”

  He smiled. “Me too.” Rubbing his hands together, he said, “Okay, so about this weekend. We need to figure out what—”

  “Your sister wants us to go.”

  He frowned, rubbing a hand over the delicious scruff peppering his jaw. “Seriously? I thought she was pissed that I’d talked to Loran.”

  “She was, but I think she’s a little uncertain about what his deal is and she wants us there to act as buffers.” She shrugged. “I guess it would be weird if just one of us went?”

  “A bit of a third wheel situation.” He looked thoughtful. “If she’s not ready to meet him, why doesn’t she just cancel?”

  Grace considered whether telling Ethan the truth would be a betrayal to her friend, but she figured it would come out anyway if Bella’s relationship with Loran progressed. “She likes him.”

  He looked as though he was trying to make sense of her comment. “She likes him? What are we talking about here? ‘Cause my sister sure as hell isn’t the fangirl type.”

  “No, she isn’t.” She let that sink in before she added, “I don’t think she knows what to make of this guy. Loran isn’t the kind of guy she usually goes for.” Even though her brother had been into sports all his life and had been a professional athlete for a long time, Bella had never dated one of his friends.

  “So we need to support her. Is that what you’re thinking?”

  Bella had been there for her through every terrible thing that had ever happened to Grace, and while Grace had done the same for her, she’d never had to be her wingman or help her nurse a broken heart with a tub of ice cream. If this Loran guy turned out to be a jerk, she wanted to be there to support her best friend. Even if it meant wrestling her feelings for Ethan into submission. For two lousy days.

  “She wants us there,” she said, shrugging. “What else can we do?”

  “Okay.” He rubbed his palms on his black tiro pants. “I’m game if you are. I’ll talk to my sister or Loran and firm up the details.”

  He jumped up, but before he reached the door, Grace asked, “Loran, he’s not going to hurt her, is he?”

  “I warned him he’d better not.” Ethan raised a shoulder. “But who the hell knows what might happen, right?” He pointed at her, looking stern. “And you, take good care of yourself and watch your back.”

/>   She couldn’t hide her smile as she saluted his order. “I will, I promise.”

  “And if you need me—”

  I always will. “I won’t. I can call my brother if I need to.” She hesitated when he nodded. “But thanks for the offer, E.”

  After he left, she wasn’t alone in the office for two minutes before her brother rapped on the door and poked his head in. “Hey, you. Can I come in?”

  “Of course.” She waved him in, jumping up to give him a hug before he sat down. “It’s so good to see you. How’ve you been?”

  “I just saw Ethan out there.” He gave her a quick once-over, as though he expected her to be shaken. “I was about to ask you the same thing. It must be weird having him back, huh?”

  “He comes back to town every year during the off-season,” she said, trying to shrug it off as she sat behind her desk. “It’s no big deal.”

  “Yeah, but he’s never been back when you’ve both been single.”

  “Then you heard about his breakup?”

  “Damn gossipmongers online,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Nothing is sacred anymore.”

  “Agreed.” She cleared her throat. “Did you find anything when you checked out my car?”

  “No, it looks like a run-of-the-mill break-in, but we’re having it processed, just to be sure.”

  She knew that was likely overkill, but knowing her brother, he’d insisted. Just to be on the safe side. “I’m sure it’s nothing,” she said, waving it off. “But thank you for checking it out.”

  “It’s my job. Just like looking out for you is my job. You know if you want to talk about anything, I’m here.”

  Her brother was one of the few people she could count on to be honest with her about Ethan, so she muttered, “It’s just hard, you know? I still have feelings for him. And sometimes it feels like they’re never going to go away.”

  “Does he know how you feel?”

  She nodded, feeling even more miserable than she had that morning when she learned her car had been vandalized. “We’ve talked about it.” She bit her lip, wondering how much she should share. “Even acted on it.”

  “And?”

  “I just don’t see how we can make it work.” She looked around her small, cluttered office. It wasn’t much, but this place felt like home and she loved it. “He has commitments, and so do I. We’re not kids anymore. We can’t pretend that love is enough to conquer any challenge.”

  “Then you’re saying you love him?”

  “Yes.” Denying it would be futile. Her brother was a master at reading her.

  “Tell me something. And be honest. Have you ever stopped?”

  She’d been engaged to another man, so that should be an easy question to answer. But it wasn’t. Because she was ashamed of the truth. “It’s not like I thought about him all the time. I didn’t. But he was always there in the back of my mind, I guess.” She rubbed her eyes when she felt the burn of tears. “And in my heart.”

  “I wish I knew what to do or say to make this better, sis.” He sighed, raking a hand through his cropped dark hair. “I hate to see you hurting like this. If it were any other guy, I’d tell you you’re better off without him, but I’m not sure that’s true with Ethan.”

  Grace’s eyes flew up to meet his. “What are you saying? That you think I should leave everything behind to be with him?” She thought her brother would be the last person to advise that.

  “I’m saying you’ve always been the steadfast, responsible one. You always put your commitments to everyone else first. If that’s what’s keeping you here, you’re staying for the wrong reason.”

  “But Mom and Dad—”

  “Are fine. They have me.” He smiled. “Besides, it’s not like you’d never see them again. Ethan comes back a few months every year, right?”

  “Yeah, but what about this place?” They’d poured blood, sweat, and tears into it. She couldn’t abandon Ash now, not when their hard work was finally paying off. “This is my baby.”

  “No,” he said, looking somber, “this is a business. Bricks, mortar, some equipment, and clients. That’s all it is. But speaking of babies… you’ve always said that’s something you want. You’ve changed your mind?”

  “No, of course not.” She felt a familiar pang of regret of sadness. “But you can’t force these things. Without any prospects, it’s not like that’s going to happen.”

  “Seems to me you do have a prospect.” His gaze was unrelenting as she resisted the urge to squirm. “Ethan’s it for you, kid. Why can’t you just accept that?”

  She didn’t respond. She couldn’t. She merely shook her head as she fought back tears. This had been one of the most emotionally draining weeks of her life and she just wanted it to be over.

  “Look,” he said gently, “you know I’ll always give it to you straight. If I see you making a mistake, I’ll tell you.”

  “Then you think I’m making a mistake… letting Ethan go?”

  “I watched you go through that breakup with Ethan years ago. And I watched you go through the breakup with Joel. There was no comparison. Your heart belonged to Ethan. And if you’re being honest with yourself, I think it still does.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  He raised a hand to silence her. “I know you’re going to sit there and give me half a dozen excuses why it can’t work. Your friends. Your family. The business. Your home. You love it here.”

  He’d hit on every point, which didn’t surprise Grace. He knew her as well as she knew herself.

  “And those are all legitimate reasons,” she said, trying not to feel defensive.

  “No,” he said, shaking his head, “those are all excuses. You know what I think the real reason is?”

  “No. Tell me.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it but couldn’t shut him up without looking like a coward.

  “I think you’re scared.”

  Well, duh. “You would be too, Jason. We’re not talking about some random guy here. Ethan and I have a lot of history.” She struggled to voice her biggest fear. “Besides, he’s an athlete and…”

  “He could have any woman he wants. So why would he want you, right?”

  It wasn’t that Grace had low self-esteem. She didn’t. She just didn’t think she was cover model material. She was happy with her appearance and didn’t feel the need to change for anyone, but she’d seen the wives and girlfriends of professional athletes. Most of them were knock-outs. And honestly, she didn’t think she could or would want to compete in that pool.

  She sighed. “I know you think I’m being ridiculous, but you don’t get it. You’re not a woman.”

  “No, but I do know how Ethan feels about you. Or at least how he felt about you years ago.” He smiled. “You know that ever since y’all broke up, every time I ran into him, he asked about you?”

  “I didn’t know that.” Nor did she want to analyze what it meant.

  “Means you were on his mind. All those years, you were on his mind. All the women he could have had—probably did have.” He smiled when she scowled. “But he’s back here now, wanting to be with you again. I’d say that speaks volumes. Wouldn’t you?”

  She rubbed her forehead, trying to absorb everything her brother said. “I don’t know.”

  “You’re not willing to give him a chance because you’re scared. I get it, I do.” He raised a hand. “He hurt you before, and you’re worried he’ll do it again. But aren’t you the one who’s always preaching to me about forgiveness and how people can change?”

  Her brother was jaded. As a cop, he claimed he had to be. He’d witnessed the worst society had to offer and believed some people were beyond redemption, but Grace had always argued that everyone, no matter how bad they were, had the power to change.

  “You really think he’s changed?” she asked, turning the idea over in her mind.

  She knew Ethan wasn’t the same single-minded kid who’d broken her heart. He was a grown man now, and he understood that his actions
had consequences. He would never have started something up with her if he hadn’t intended to see it through… would he?

  “Only you can answer that,” Jason said. “You’re the one who’s been spending time with him, right? All I’m saying is, don’t discount the possibility just ‘cause you’re hung up on the past.” He stood and rounded the desk. When he dropped a kiss on her temple, he grabbed her shoulder. “I love you, sis. And I just wanna see you happy. If Ethan makes you happy, I say go for it.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Grace was still considering her brother’s advice when she and Ash were locking up the gym that night.

  “You’ve been pretty quiet today,” Ash said as he wiped down the equipment. “That break-in last night get you freaked out? Or is it something else? This thing with Ethan, maybe?”

  “Jason just said some things that got me to thinking,” she said, shutting down the computer. “He thinks I’m making excuses not to pursue this thing with Ethan because I’m afraid I’ll get hurt again.”

  “That’s a legitimate concern, given your history with the guy.”

  She appreciated her friend validating her fears, but she didn’t want to live her whole life in her comfort zone, afraid to take a risk. Was that what she was doing? “You know Ethan. What do you think? Am I being paranoid, imagining the worst-case scenario?”

  “I remember him when he was a kid. He had laser focus.” He laughed. “I’d never seen anything like it. Baseball was his life. Then you guys got together and his priorities shifted. For the first time in his life, he made time for something besides baseball.”

  Ethan had made time for friends, school, and partying too, but Grace understood her friend’s point. “I guess that’s why it hit me so hard when he broke up with me. I figured if we could make it work in high school, we’d find a way to make it work in college too.”

  “But you weren’t considering the fact that college takes the pressure to a whole new level. You went to college. You know what I’m talking about.” He aimed the cleaning towel at the hamper at the end of the hall, making the throw look like a three-pointer. “Remember how freaked out you were the first couple of months? And you were a good student. It should have been easy for you.”