Spar (Sweetbriar Lake)

by Rebecca Jenshak

  She tossed her bag on the bed then pulled her cell phone from her back pocket and dialed Claire. Guilt nagged at her for the way she’d neglected her best friend over the last year while she ran back and forth to Carroll visiting Luke.

  “Guess who’s single,” Tori said as Claire answered the video call.

  “No way. You and Luke broke up?” her friend asked, gasping between breaths.

  “Are you out running?” Tori asked in disbelief.

  “Yes, I guess you can call it that,” Claire answered between breaths. “I decided to go for a run to get away from a man at my apartment.”

  “O-o-oh, do tell. Who’s the lucky guy?”

  Looking around, Claire lowered her voice. “Remember Johnny Willard?”

  “Brace-face Johnny from chemistry class?” Tori squealed and then covered her mouth and giggled like they were still in high school.

  Claire nodded. “Yeah well, the braces are gone, but as for chemistry — I think he needs to go back to school for that one. Uh-oh, he’s calling. I gotta go. Call you later.”

  She shook her head as Claire’s face disappeared from the screen. Looking around her empty apartment, Tori wasn’t sure what to do next. How long had it been since she’d had a Sunday afternoon to herself? She broke the deafening silence by turning on the TV and watching The Golden Girls re-runs. A guilty-pleasure show, it made her laugh with the witty banter between the women. She only hoped that in thirty years she and Claire would still be that close. Only with men.

  Tori woke with a start. An alarm and pounding from the front of her apartment filtered through her open bedroom door.

  “Tori, open up!” A voice shouted from outside her apartment.

  When she glanced at the clock, her foggy brain registered the numbers, and she groaned until the commotion outside and the faint smell of smoke made her sit straight up in bed, heart racing. A pile of clean clothes sat at the foot of her bed, and she grabbed a sweatshirt from the top. She tugged it over her head and grabbed her vibrating cell phone from the nightstand.

  She hurried into the living room just as Jake kicked through the front door. It was something straight out of the movies, which made Tori smile in her sleep-induced state.

  Her hazy smile was short-lived as she caught sight of the stern and serious look on Jake’s face. A local police officer and a friend of her brother’s, Jake also lived in the complex. Dressed in his crisp, black uniform, he entered the apartment without saying another word. He pulled her outside and led her to a crowd of people. The parking lot was filled with other residents, some standing quietly in groups, others in hysterics. Sirens blared in the distance.

  “What’s going on?” she asked after Jake stopped and released his hold.

  “There’s a fire in apartment 2A. It hasn’t spread, but we’re evacuating everyone until the fire department gets here. Do you want me to call your brother to come get you?” he said in his serious-police-officer tone. Judging by the way he stood surveying the situation behind her, she could see he was eager to move on and get in the action.

  Her phone vibrated again, and she looked down at it. “Actually, he’s calling right now I should let him know I’m okay.”

  “He is right behind you,” came Ryan’s voice, tight and clipped.

  Tori turned to see a pair of worried looks on the faces of the two men approaching. Chris and Ryan were dressed in their gym clothes — sweaty, sleeveless t-shirts and long athletic shorts. “What are you two doing here?”

  Ryan pulled her into a hug, ruffling her hair from behind. “We were at the gym and saw all the commotion, so we walked over.” He pulled back and scanned her from head to toe. “You’re okay? You weren’t answering your phone. I was worried.”

  “I’m fine as you can see.” She held her hands out to her sides but crossed them back in over her chest as she remembered she was sans bra. Sneaking a peek at Chris, she found him watching her, a pinched look on his face. He’s probably sad to see I didn’t go up in flames.

  She followed Jake, who, after shaking hands with the guys, was headed in the direction of the emergency vehicles that had now arrived. “Jake, do you think it’s possible I can go back and grab a few things?” She gave him a pleading look, pointing down at her flip-flops.

  Looking unsure, he nodded. “Yeah, I better come with you.”

  “Thank you,” she squealed. “Let me just say bye to Ryan.”

  She jogged back to her brother and gave him a quick squeeze. “Thank you for checking on me. I’m gonna grab a few things, and then I’ll come to the gym until things die down around here. Hopefully, I can get back in tonight, or I’m going to be shacking up at your place,” she joked, but cringed at the thought.

  Chris’ eyes burned into her, but she kept her gaze carefully trained away from them and the disappointed scowl she’d grown used to him flashing in her direction. Jake led her back to her apartment and she surveyed the busted doorframe as she entered. She’d been right about the flimsy thing buckling under pressure.

  Jake stopped in front of the door. “You’ve got two minutes. The fire department should be up here any second, and if anyone realizes I’ve let you back in, I’ll have everyone giving me hell.”

  She nodded her head and walked feverishly around her apartment, grabbing anything she thought she might need for a night or two. Thankful for her procrastination, she grabbed the still-packed bag she’d taken for the weekend and added a couple sports bras and workout outfits to it. She slipped on her tennis shoes and snagged her phone charger from the wall.

  Jake escorted her to her car as the firemen hustled into the smoke-filled building. After pulling away from the commotion, she drove the short distance to Fit Club, saying a silent prayer she’d have somewhere to sleep tonight.

  The gym didn’t open for another hour, but Tori spotted the two familiar vehicles she already knew would be here. Her brother’s Mustang and Chris’ truck were parked on the far side of the lot. A thin layer of condensation covered them as if they’d been parked there for some time. She knew they liked to come work out early, but before this morning, she’d had no idea they were up at this hour.

  Walking through the dark gym and upstairs to her office, Tori stopped halfway up and watched the figures in the ring below spar in rhythm to the loud, ‘80s heavy metal that blared through the building. Chris was bigger than Ryan by several inches and a good fifteen pounds, but her brother was holding his own. The murderous look that had been in Chris’ eyes the other night was gone. Maybe he separated his feelings depending on whom he was fighting. By the smile on his face as Ryan dodged a punch, it appeared Chris was having fun. Saturday night had been something else entirely, but he certainly hadn’t looked like he was having fun then.

  Tori wasn’t sure what to make of him boxing in secret matches that no one knew about. She thought he had given all that up years ago when his construction company had started picking up. Maybe he hasn’t changed as much as I assumed. She smiled at the thought that, despite everything that had happened between the two of them, there might still be a part of him that was the determined teenage boy she’d once fallen for. With visions of that boy, she skipped up the remaining stairs to her office.

  Checking her schedule for the day, she noted that one of her favorite clients, Autumn, was coming in first thing this morning. Tori had trained and worked as an occupational therapist before working at Fit Club. While she had traded working solely with OT clients at her last job for primarily organizing and leading group training classes at the gym, she had maintained a small list of local clients who needed occupational therapy that wasn’t available nearby. Autumn was one of those clients.

  A first grader at Sweetbriar Elementary School, Autumn was one of the spunkiest and most kindhearted people Tori had ever met. Diagnosed with autism and sensory processing disorder when she was five, the little girl had started seeing Tori soon after for sensory integration therapy. Autumn struggled with loud noises, body control, and social skills, all of
which they worked on weekly in their sessions. The therapy was hard to find outside of the larger cities, and Tori found working with clients like Autumn to be one of the most rewarding parts of her job.

  Five minutes before their appointment, Tori headed down the stairs to wait for her young client. Every week, she met Autumn and her mother at the front desk where Tori would get two high-fives before Autumn made a beeline for the elevator.

  “Miss Tori! Miss Tori!” Autumn came tumbling into the gym, her long, brown hair in braided pigtails that whipped around her head with each bound forward.

  “Hi, Autumn. How are you?” Tori said, holding up her hand as Autumn smacked it twice with her own.

  Susan and Dax, Autumn’s parents, held back as they always did, giving Autumn space to practice her conversation skills and manners.

  “Guess what! Guess what!”

  “Autumn, Tori asked you a question,” Susan gently reminded her.

  Tori prompted her again. “How are you?”

  “I’m very good. How are you?” Autumn recited, swaying from side to side.

  “I’m good. Are you ready to have some fun?”

  “Yeah!” the little girl yelled as she skipped to the elevator.

  “Autumn, wait by the elevator. Don’t press any buttons yet,” Susan said sternly before turning to Tori. “Dax and I need to talk with you about Autumn’s sessions.”

  “Of course. Is everything okay?”

  Susan wrung her hands as she looked to Dax. He stepped forward and placed an arm around Susan. “I’m afraid our insurance won’t pay for the therapy anymore.”

  Tori looked from Susan to Dax, hoping there was a but coming.

  When neither Susan or Dax continued, Tori forced herself to remain professional. “I’m so sorry. I could try and call the insurance and see if that helps. Autumn is doing well with the therapy. I think she’d benefit from continuing at least for another six months.”

  Susan shook her head with a defeated look. “I’ve been on the phone with them and the pediatrician all week. They won’t budge. This is her last session. I’m sorry. You’ve been such a blessing for her. We can’t thank you enough.”

  Tori nodded, afraid if she spoke, her voice would tremble with the anger and sadness she felt for Autumn and her family. She watched Susan and Dax walk away then turned to the elevator and Autumn and forced a smile on her lips.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Chris stepped off the treadmill drenched in sweat. He had been pushing himself hard in the gym for the last couple months, but today had been a special kind of torture. The kind that could only be induced by the adrenaline of a near-death experience. Although in this case, it wasn’t he who had nearly died. His chest still ached at the thought of what could have happened to Tori. The whole damn building could have gone up in flames while she slept none the wiser. Since he couldn’t talk to her about it, or anyone else for that matter, he’d spent this morning exercising until the ache in his muscles matched the ache in his chest. An hour boxing with Ryan, another hour lifting weights and running, and he still felt completely helpless. He hadn’t worked out this hard since he was a kid trying to make it to the Junior World Boxing Championships.

  Ambling over to the water fountain near the group training classrooms, he watched as Tori finished up a spin class. Between clients and classes, she’d been surrounded by people all morning, and he hadn’t been able to find a moment to catch her alone. A great instructor — tough and likable — she was in demand. Blond hair pulled into a high ponytail, Tori basically sparkled with exertion and excitement.

  Chris grinned at her music selection as he caught the end of the same AC/DC track he had on his early morning workout playlist.

  The class began filtering out of the room, and he hung around until the only person left was Tori.

  “Good turnout for a Monday morning class.”

  He stayed in the doorway, giving her space. She continued working around the room, cleaning bikes, turning off the stereo equipment, and ignoring his presence. She only met his gaze when she had finished and walked toward him. Although taller than the average girl, she still had to tip her chin up to look him in the eye.

  “Excuse me.”

  Chris didn’t budge. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and stepped forward, causing her to gasp as she backed away. She narrowed her eyes, clearly waiting for an explanation for being cornered. Searching for any reason to be there other than the burning desire to make sure she was okay, he settled on a plan — the first thing that came to mind.

  “We need to talk.” Chris closed the door behind them.

  “No, we don’t.” Tori stepped around him, but he reached out and grabbed her elbow gently — halting her instantly. His fingers tingled at the touch of her soft and warm skin, but the contact was gone too quickly as she ripped her arm from his grasp.

  “Don’t touch me,” she whispered.

  Chris held his hands up in surrender. “Fine, but we’re having this conversation.” Christ, he was starting to believe he really did have something to talk with her about other than her nearly dying.

  “What do you want, Chris?”

  She said his name like it was painful to do so. He remembered a time when his name rolled off her tongue in a way that made his whole body come alive.

  “Did you tell anyone about Saturday night?” He hated that he had been reduced to playing it out this way. While he wasn’t keen on everyone knowing he was boxing again, he’d had no intention of asking her to keep his secret until just now.

  Tori smiled for the first time since he had entered the room. “Which part? The part where I saw you boxing at Benny’s or the part where you were all over some old lady?”

  Chris gritted his teeth. She knew how to push his buttons. Fine. He could play this game. They’d been playing it for years.

  “Jealous, honey?” Chris reached out, grasped her hand, and rubbed his thumb over her long, lean fingers.

  She let his hand linger there a moment before pulling away. “I said don’t touch me.”

  “It’s a yes or no question, Tori. Did you tell anyone or not?”

  She pulled her shoulders back. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me,” she said icily, pushing past him and leaving him alone with only the longing burn of her skin etched on his fingertips.

  “Thanks for letting me stay here.” Tori yelled out from Claire’s spare bedroom as she threw her bag on the bed. Pulling her hair from its ponytail and letting it fall down past her shoulders, she walked back out to the living room where Claire was pouring wine into two goblets.

  Thankful for a warm bed and a friend who knew just what she needed, Tori’s mind drifted to the many disasters of the day. None stung as badly as Autumn being kept from therapy.

  Claire handed her a glass as Tori sank into the couch, exhausted. She had been keeping herself busy all day trying to figure out what to do about Autumn, worrying about being homeless, and getting Chris and his mocking touch out of her head. She refused to let him get under her skin again.

  Claire sat down next to her on the couch. “Any word on your apartment?”

  “Jake said my place wasn’t impacted, but the other side of the building has some structural damage, so they aren’t letting anyone back in until all the repairs are done.”

  “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want.” Claire smiled. “It’ll be just like the old days when we lived in that ancient house downtown.”

  Tori wrinkled her nose. “The house with the roaches!”

  “We’ve come a long way, my friend.” Claire raised her glass and clinked it against Tori’s. “Where’s Jake staying?” she asked, staring down at her wine.

  It was no secret there was something between Claire and Jake, but so far neither one of them had been forthcoming with their feelings. Tori felt bad she hadn’t bothered to check that Jake had a place to stay. He wouldn’t be able to get in his apartment either, and as far as she knew, he didn’t have any family
in Sweetbriar.

  “I’m not sure. Should I call and invite him to stay here?” Tori asked sweetly and batted her eyelashes at her friend who was retreating to the kitchen.

  “Ha, ha, very funny,” Claire said, picking up and throwing a piece of salt-water taffy at Tori.

  Claire brought several bags of candy and mini bottles of various liquors over to the couch with a large, red, heart-shaped piñata.

  “Help me fill this for the party tomorrow.” She handed Tori a bag of goodies.

  “This is for Ryan and Elle’s party?” Tori eyed the piñata.

  Claire held it up high, admiring it. “Yeah, isn’t it great? I’m posting it all on the blog.”

  Claire was a blogger, and they often benefited from her extravagant party ideas that she turned into a reality and posted on her blog.

  Tori nodded, impressed with her friend’s creativity. “That’s so cool. You’re really good at this.”

  “Thanks. I’m excited to see his new house. Elle says it’s beautiful.”

  Ryan’s home overlooking Sweetbriar Lake was breathtaking. He and Chris had both built houses up on a remote stretch of land that provided a great view of the lake below. Chris rented his place out and lived in one of his other properties in town, but Ryan had moved in only a month ago. Ryan was settling down and showing all the signs of being a well-kept man. Ever since he had met Elle last year, they’d become inseparable. Tori knew it wouldn’t be long before Elle moved in, and they started talking about marriage.

  “Have you heard from Luke?” Claire asked as they filled the large heart.

  “Funny, I haven’t thought about him all day,” she admitted. “No. I don’t imagine I will either. He knew as well as I did that it wasn’t working anymore,” she said, shrugging. “It’s been a sinking ship since Ryan made me a partner at Fit Club. I want to be here, and Luke wants to be in Carroll.”