Edge of the Past

by Jennifer Comeaux

  “I wish you could stay longer to visit,” I said.

  “We return at Christmas, and I stay to watch you at national championship.” She stepped back and smoothed my veil. “I want to spend much time with Liza, also.”

  Anna and Max had been in the States for a week, and Liza had quickly charmed them. Sergei said he hadn’t ever seen his father so jovial.

  Sergei asked Max in Russian, “Will you be able to take off work that long?”

  “No, I can come for only a few days, but I’m looking forward to it,” he said with a softness to his gruff voice. “I’d like to have more time with my granddaughter, too.”

  “She’s pretty special, isn’t she?” I said.

  Max looked at me. “Sergei is very lucky. He has two special people in his life now.”

  Max’s rare expression of affection touched my heart and prompted me to throw my arms around him. He felt stiff with surprise at first but then returned my hug. When we parted and Max reached out to Sergei, my emotions soared again. Anna and I exchanged teary smiles as we watched an embrace that had been a long time coming.

  Aubrey beckoned me to the dance floor to join my friends, so I took a quick sip of wine, tasted a few hors d’oeuvres, and then sashayed my way toward the group. I spotted Liza nearby, so I grabbed her hands and twirled her into the throng with me. We laughed and bounced around together to the classic party music, and as we left the dance floor I gave her a tight hug. It was hard to believe I’d only known Liza a few months. She felt like family I’d known for years.

  “I’m so glad you were part of the wedding,” I said. “It made today even more perfect.”

  Liza grinned. “Thank you for asking me to be your flower girl.”

  Sergei walked up and slipped his arm around my waist. “There’s my gorgeous wife.”

  “I love the sound of that,” I said and gave him a kiss.

  “I bet you’ll be kissing a lot on your honeymoon.” Liza giggled.

  Sergei and I laughed, and he said, “That’s right. That’s what honeymoons are for.”

  We gave each other knowing glances, unable to wipe the huge grins from our faces. We were still looking at each other when Elena broke through the crowd and joined us. Her blue silk dress matched the hydrangeas.

  “I do not tell you congratulations yet,” she said with a little smile. “It is beautiful wedding.”

  “Thank you,” Sergei and I replied at the same time.

  With all the heartache behind us, everyone had been able to have a fresh start. Elena was teaching ballet at Liza’s rink, and she appeared happier every time I saw her. It seemed she was finally making peace with the events of the past.

  “Liza, I save food for you at our table if you want to eat,” Elena said.

  “Yeah, I’m starving.” Liza turned to me. “We can dance more later?”

  “For sure!”

  Liza went to follow Elena, but Sergei said, “Wait, I have something for you. I was going to wait until the end of the night, but…”

  Reaching inside his jacket, he pulled out a little red satchel. He handed it to Liza, and she opened it to find a silver rose charm.

  “I love it!” she said, already unhooking her bracelet. “Thank you!”

  “I looked for a tiny basket of flowers but couldn’t find one,” Sergei said. “So, I figured rose petals… a rose…”

  “It’s awesome,” Liza said as Elena helped her add the new charm.

  When the bracelet was clasped around her wrist again, Liza hugged Sergei’s waist, and he crouched down so he could swallow her in his arms.

  “I love you,” he said and kissed her head.

  She clung to him for a long minute. “I love you, too.”

  Elena and I both sniffed back tears, and I rubbed Sergei’s back as he released Liza and stood tall. Elena and Liza left us, and Sergei took my hand.

  “Definitely the best day ever,” he said.

  “And this is just the start of a lifetime of amazing days,” I said.

  Sergei lifted my hand and touched his lips to my wedding band. “Forever.”

  I smiled. “Forever.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jennifer Comeaux earned a Master of Accounting from Tulane University and is a Certified Public Accountant in south Louisiana. When not working or writing, she is an avid follower of the sport of figure skating, travelling to competitions around the country. Those experiences allow her to see a different side of the sport and serve as an inspiration for her writing. Visit jennifercomeaux.blogspot.com for more about Jennifer and her books.

  Also from Astraea Press:

  Prologue

  Sitting across from his sports agent, Sebastian Quinn played with the paper cocktail napkin, tearing it apart bit by bit as he stared into his water glass, lost in thought.

  “Seb? That napkin do something to you?”

  “Hmmm?” Startled, Seb looked across the table at Jim who, with knife and fork in hand, nodded in the direction of Seb’s hands.

  “You tear that thing up any more and there won’t be anything left of it before the meal is over. I know you’re disappointed in the outcome of the game. It’s just one of those things. They were just destined to win this time around.” Jim returned his attention to the steak and potato dinner in front of him.

  Seb brushed the remaining pieces of the napkin into a small pile before he picked up his water and took a long drink. Placing the glass on the table, he rested both hands beside his plate and sighed. “It’s not the game. I mean, of course I’m disappointed.” He leaned back into the booth, skimming his hands along the tablecloth until his fingers reached the edge of the table. Gripping it, he exhaled. “Do you really think I should do this charity thing?

  Jim, still focused on the meal in front of him, didn’t look up. “Seb, we’ve been through this. The public needs to see you out doing some community work. It’s good for your image.”

  “I know that, but…”

  Sitting up straight, Jim put his utensils down and rested his elbows on the table. “You know you’re playing for one of the best teams in the Major Leagues, right? But there seems to be a sentiment out there that some are growing tired of. I know a lot of athletes can get away with the partying lifestyle. But people sometimes need someone to believe in. You can be that person, Seb, with just a little work. Don’t you want to be that person?”

  Seb held up his hand. “Come on, Jim. You’re making it out like I’m some kind of hardened criminal. This city loves me.”

  “They do, Seb. But they could love you more. Working with a charity will help, I promise.”

  “I didn’t like people using my image for money-making before; I sure don’t want people using it now.”

  “Just have a little faith, Seb. It might just surprise you.”

  Seb snorted. “Faith, huh? We’ll see.”

  Chapter One

  Seb hopped out of his black sapphire BMW convertible and slammed the door shut. He double-checked the time on his watch. Hadn’t Jim said to meet him at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society office? Noting no sign of his agent’s car, Seb studied each vehicle that passed with a frown. The aroma of a nearby coffee shop wafted through the cool breeze. He could almost feel the warmth of the bitter brew on his tongue, but knew grabbing a cup would have to wait.

  With his body against the frame of the car, and eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, Seb surveyed the parking lot and adjoining businesses. It wasn’t long before he spied a woman peering at him through the front window of the office building next door. Seb smiled. This wasn’t the first time he had garnered attention from the opposite sex. He’d been told his sandy brown hair and blue eyes drew people in, so Seb expected it to some degree. Plus, if there was one thing he’d learned in the past in this baseball loving town, an All-Star centerfielder couldn’t really live life anonymously. Maybe after the meeting, he could pop in and surprise the blonde.

  Seb’s thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of his agent’s snowy w
hite Mercedes slipping into the parking place next to his. Sebastian casually waved.

  “Hey, Seb.” Jim stepped out of his car with an outstretched hand. “You’re early or I’m late. I’m going with the former.”

  With a slight shake of his head, Seb rolled his eyes and chuckled.

  Jim’s head disappeared inside his vehicle and he popped back up, something in hand.

  “Here. Put this on.”

  Seb grimaced seeing the thin piece of crimson fabric in his hand. “A tie. Really, Jim?”

  “Seb, you need to make a good impression. Put it on, okay?”

  “You know how much I hate these things.”

  “Yep. I know.” Jim smiled, slammed the car door shut, then turned in the direction of the LLS office.

  Using his reflection in the car window, Seb hurriedly slung the tie around his neck and knotted it. He started to follow Jim to the office then hesitated. Resting his hands on the top of the car, he bowed his head. This is a complete waste of time.

  “Yo, Seb. You coming?”

  He looked up at Jim, who held open the door with an expectant look.

  “Yeah, yeah. Be right there.”

  The cool breeze penetrated his lightweight suit jacket. He rubbed his hands together to generate some warmth and stepped in Jim’s direction.

  His agent’s hand rested lightly on his arm. “You okay, Seb? You seemed to zone out there for a minute?”

  “I’m fine. Let’s just go in and see what they have to say and get this over with.”

  ****

  “Michael! Do you have the most recent pamphlet explaining Team in Training?”

  Thirty-two year old Paxson Taylor scooted her office chair back a few feet to thumb through the file cabinet to her right. Panic stricken, she rolled her chair forward and sighed in frustration. She closed her eyes, bent her head from side-to-side, and tried to release the knots that inched their way up her back and shoulders.

  “So, are you nervous? This is the first client Michael’s let you take on by yourself since you started here.” Paxson looked up when her receptionist, Tori, plopped in the chair in front of her desk.

  “I don’t know. Can we really call him a client when he’s only here because his agent thinks he needs ’to do some charity work ?’ I know we need the publicity, but I’m not sure this is the best way to go about it. But I guess it doesn’t matter what I think.” She glanced at her watch grimacing. “Great. They’ll be here in a matter of minutes.”

  “I know it’s not exactly what you were looking for in regards to someone wanting representation, but he’s a hot-shot professional baseball player, and an extremely good-looking one at that. That’s got to count for something.”

  “Tori, do you ever think about anything else?”

  “Yes. How I might look standing at the altar next to a handsome baseball player.”

  Shaking her head in frustration, Pax shooed her away. “Get out of here. They’ll be here soon, and someone might need to be at their desk, I don’t know, doing their actual job.”

  “Ha! Seriously though, Pax. Good luck.”

  “Thanks.” Her attention was focused on looking for the brochure, until she noticed the clock displayed on her office phone’s screen. Her nerves got the best of her again. “Oh great, only five minutes till my nervous breakdown commences!”

  Pax glanced at the clock once again and stifled the feelings of anxiety. Rifling through her papers one more time, she spied a corner of the elusive brochure sticking out from between two pieces of paper. Relief ran through her body. “I just need to calm down for a minute.” She sat gathering her thoughts and asked God for peace and strength to get through the next half-hour.

  Finishing the silent prayer, her office phone buzzed. Pax paused, took a deep breath and picked up the handset. “This is Pax.” She heard her receptionist’s chipper voice report, “Sebastian Quinn and Jim Thompson to see you.”

  Pax took one last deep breath to steel herself and spoke into the phone with more assurance than she felt. “I’ll be right up, Tori. Thanks!”

  She smoothed out her black pencil skirt and tugged on her plum colored sweater. She skimmed her hand over her hair to tame the loose strands that had escaped the clip she’d put her long brown hair in that morning. “Why is it my hair always seems to rebel when I need to look my best?” Exhaling, she stood up with confidence, remembering God would see her through if she let Him. She took a deep breath and smiled. Even though she wasn’t thrilled to be meeting Mr. MVP, she knew she needed to get it over with.

  Pax pushed open the glass door which led to the lobby and chuckled as she witnessed starry-eyed Tori staring at their guests. Only when she reached the lobby chairs did Pax understand the receptionist’s reaction.

  From one glimpse at the all-star athlete, Pax’s pulse raced. Sebastian Quinn was the most attractive man she had ever seen. It was evident he never missed a workout, and displayed just enough muscled definition to cause a hitch in her breath. Seeing him on TV and at a live game at Busch Stadium didn’t do him justice. Although not an exceptionally large man, his presence made the room appear smaller somehow. Tearing her gaze away, she quickly put forth her hand and introduced herself to the two men now standing before her.

  “Good afternoon! My name is Paxson Taylor. It’s good to meet you.” She hoped her hand wasn’t shaking as much as her knees. She focused her attention on Sebastian’s agent, Jim. Being the age of her father, he offered a warm smile. From their brief conversations on the phone earlier in the week, she knew a polite businesslike man when she met one. His client’s penchant for playing hard but partying harder didn’t make Jim’s life an easy one in trying to clean up Sebastian’s image. Pax hoped LLS wouldn’t suffer the same problems as a result of taking Sebastian on for his community service.

  Switching her focus, she reached out her hand to Sebastian. He grasped hers in return. His hand was warm, yet the skin, abused from years of playing baseball, felt rough against hers.

  With a firm grip, his blue eyes twinkled as he surveyed her from head to toe. The attention sent a jolt of electricity to all her extremities. Yet she couldn’t decide if she should be flattered or annoyed.

  Jim cleared his throat. “Thanks for having us, Ms. Taylor. I’m sorry for the short notice. Seb’s in a bit of a time crunch getting back into town and having to clean out his locker at the stadium. I appreciate your willingness to work with his schedule. As you can imagine, during the season, it can be rather unpredictable. He didn’t know what day he would be able to meet. It all depended on how the Series went.”

  This morning, as Pax had prepped herself for the meeting, she’d decided not to acknowledge the failure of the Cardinals in the most recent World Series, but with Jim’s comment, she felt the need to say something. Anything.

  “Oh, it’s no problem at all. It would have been nice to be able to wait another week after the Cardinals brought home the World Series ring...”

  Oh, my. That was not what she planned to say at all. Turning as quickly as possible to hide her red face she led them down the hall to her office.

  “Could I get you gentlemen anything? Coffee, water, a soda of some kind?”

  “Bottled water would be great for me. Seb, you want anything?”

  They entered her office, and Seb eased back in one of the chairs and crossed his legs as he shook his head. He and Jim sat at the small conference room table situated in the larger portion of her office and waited for her presentation to begin.

  Hoping her face had changed to what one could only assume to be a more pale pink than the heat of the fire engine red she felt only a few seconds ago, Pax grabbed a water bottle for Jim from the small fridge behind her desk.

  After handing them the brochures, Pax spent the next thirty minutes going over in detail the types of charitable works LLS helped to organize, and how the funds were used for research. She explained how the research not only helped leukemia and lymphoma patients, but all cancer sufferers.

&
nbsp; Pax turned directly toward Sebastian and looked him in the eye.

  “I’m confident you have gotten offers from several charities in the area. But after talking with Jim, I think we can each find a way to benefit. With your skill set, our Team in Training program might be the best fit. Even though you aren’t an endurance athlete per se, we thought having you support a program which emphasizes athleticism in running, biking, and swimming could be a great boost to participation in the greater St. Louis area. What Jim and I discussed previously was having you appear at a training event, or perhaps participating.”

  Sebastian lifted his hand to his chin and nodded his head, but beyond that she got no reaction. Pax began to wonder if he could speak at all. She’d seen him, on occasion, give the token interview after a game, but that wasn’t like carrying on an actual conversation.

  Pax furrowed her brow as she tried to figure out just what his problem was. Maybe she was boring him to tears? Was this his standard behavior? If so, his looks must be what attracted others to him, because as far as Pax could tell, his conversation skills were clearly lacking. They were going to have their work cut out for them. How did you take a great-looking guy with the personality of milk toast, and make him appealing?

  She laughed to herself. Milk toast. Ha! In this town, no matter his past indiscretions, his name alone would draw the crowds, but Pax still wasn’t sure she wanted someone with his playboy status affiliated with a charity she loved so much.

  As the meeting progressed, Seb rarely seemed to take his eyes off her face. Flummoxed, Pax tried to not squirm in her seat under his intense scrutiny. Only on rare occasions would she glance in his direction and find his eyes focused elsewhere around the office.

  Jim’s gaze met hers. “I know LLS has been looking to get more notoriety. I also know you didn’t have to take this situation on, but I can assure you, Seb will do everything you want and more. Won’t you Seb?”

  Sebastian cut his eyes to Jim, but didn’t say a word.