“Good one,” Dad said as Elle hit a nice two-handed backhand that got by him.
Claire sat on the ground and put her head between her knees. “I surrender. I can’t keep up any longer. You’re incredible, Elle.”
Elle smiled at her friend and shrugged. “I grew up playing all the time.”
“Three-time state qualifier,” Mom said. “She had several offers to play college tennis.”
Elle looked at her mother, surprised that she still seemed to be so proud of a high school sports accomplishment.
Claire looked at her friend, a stunned look on her face. “I had no idea. Wow.”
Elle tossed her racquet in the bag. “It was a long time ago.”
“Are you joining us for Thanksgiving dinner today, Claire?” Elle’s mom asked. “We’d love to have you.”
Claire shook her head. “No. I am headed to the Calloway’s. I’ve been having Thanksgiving with them since Tori and I were in middle school. But thanks for letting me crash your tennis game.”
Elle’s mom nodded and smiled at Claire, fondness apparent in her eyes. “Anytime. I’m trying to talk Elle into joining the ladies’ tennis league. Perhaps you might join as well? We have a good time and don’t take it too seriously,” Mom said.
Claire looked at Elle, who just shrugged, knowing she’d give in to her mother eventually, and it would be more fun if Claire joined.
“Sure, I’d like that,” Claire said. “I better get going.”
BEING BACK IN Sweetbriar gave Ryan an uneasy feeling. He had arrived late last night and was heading back early tomorrow. He was glad to spend Thanksgiving with his family, but he didn’t want to linger too long here. He’d only been in Caroll a handful of weeks, but he had hoped that time would lessen the feeling of loneliness upon returning. The town hadn’t changed in the short time he’d been gone, but everything felt different. Every street, every person — everything reminded him of a red-haired girl who was probably long gone by now. He hadn’t asked anyone, but he knew realistically she’d already be pursuing her dream job in the city.
But since it was Thanksgiving, perhaps she and Brock were here in Sweetbriar with her family. It was a depressing thought, and he forced himself to focus on his own plans for the day.
Ryan grabbed a beer from the fridge and looked around the busy house. In the living room, the guys were huddled around the TV watching the game. Coach Calloway was reclined back in his chair, shouting at the screen. The old man couldn’t stop coaching for five minutes to just relax and watch the game, but Ryan smiled at the way Luke and Jake took cues from his dad, and soon the three of them were all yelling at the TV.
Luke had come with Tori. It was the first holiday he had spent with their family, and Ryan was pleased he seemed to be making more of an effort to become involved. Jake’s family was spread out. His dad was in Florida and his sister in New York, so Ryan had invited him over to enjoy the holiday before his shift tonight. Tori and Claire were chatting away in the kitchen, while Ryan’s mom flitted around at the stove, making sure everything was going just right. Ryan had always enjoyed Thanksgiving. His parents had the more the merrier mentality, and each year the table was filled with different people who had nowhere else to go. The only constant stray was Claire. She had been coming to Thanksgiving — and every other holiday — for as long as he could remember. She might not be a Calloway, but she was part of the family.
“Where were you for our turkey day workout this morning? This is the first one I can remember you missing,” Ryan said to Claire as he opened his beer and tossed the cap in the trash.
Claire looked at him for a moment before she responded, causing him to wonder what he had said wrong.
“Actually, I spent the morning with Elle and her parents. They invited me to the country club for tennis.” Claire glanced to Tori and then back at Ryan.
Tori turned and looked at her brother. “I’m so glad she decided to stay in town. It wouldn’t be the same without her.”
Ryan gaped for a moment, trying to piece together what they were saying. “Elle is still living in Sweetbriar?”
Tori smiled. She seemed to be pleased at his shock. “Clive offered her a full-time job, and she accepted.”
Ryan’s head spun. Why would Elle stay? She had talked of leaving for a big-city job. And from all Ryan knew about Brock, it seemed unlikely he would have moved here. Maybe the asshole had finally realized how good he had it with Elle.
ELLE HUMMED ALONG with the radio as she helped her mother put leftovers in Tupperware and wash the dishes from their Thanksgiving dinner. It had been a good day. Despite a few moments where her brain had wandered to the Calloway house, she had tried not to dwell too much on thoughts of whether or not Ryan was only a few miles away.
“So, you and Brock are officially over now?” Mom asked.
Elle shot her a confused look. They hadn’t spoken of Brock since she’d told her mother that he was heading to Kansas City to get back to work. She debated giving her standard line about work being top priority, but after everything she had been through in the last year, it seemed like too much effort to keep up the façade.
“Yes, it’s been over for a while now. I think I just needed time to get used to the idea,” Elle said as she dried the turkey platter and put it in the cabinet.
“I like Brock,” Mom said as she busied herself around the kitchen. “I even thought he was good for you in a lot of ways, but it’s time for you to put yourself first. Your relationship with Brock was all about him.” Her mother put up a hand before Elle could interject. “Just let me say this, and then I promise I’ll drop it. There are compromises in every relationship, but don’t be afraid to be a little selfish sometimes. You shouldn’t have to give up everything you want for someone else.”
Mom kissed Elle on the forehead and turned back to the dishes. Elle mulled over her mother’s advice. She had compromised for Brock. She’d always let him dictate where the future would take them — jobs, city — except Sweetbriar. Perhaps the rashest decision of her life, but it was all hers. Smiling, she vowed to keep focusing on what she wanted. Ryan had been helpful in that way. He had taught Elle to find herself again.
She spent the rest of the night bouncing between watching TV with her dad and reading an old romance novel she found on her mother’s bookshelf. She had turned her phone off shortly after dinner so she would stop checking it for messages. She had hoped Claire would text or call and spill about her dinner at the Calloway house. Knowing that Ryan was probably in the same town made it hard to concentrate on anything else. Was he still mad at her? Did he regret the way he had left without saying good-bye? It was torture to let her mind contemplate such ideas, but things just felt so unfinished between them. Maybe if she could see him and apologize, then she could move forward without feeling jittery every time they were in the same zip code.
Elle trudged up the stairs to the guest room. She was staying at her parents’ house tonight, finding comfort being under the same roof. She changed into a pair of yoga pants and a tank top then pulled her hair up into a bun on top of her head. The light yellow comforter landed with a whisper of fabric when she yanked it down. With a sigh, she dragged her tired body into the middle of the queen-size bed with her phone in hand. She took a deep breath and powered it on. The screen lit up the dim room, showing her the picture she had taken from the balcony outside of Ryan’s master bedroom the day they had visited his house on the lake. The sun had come out after a storm, and a double rainbow had appeared over the water.
Elle’s phone beeped in her hand. Three new text messages appeared.
Claire: Don’t be mad… Tori and I let it slip that you’re still in Sweetbriar.
Claire: Ryan looks like he may hulk smash someone. Seriously, he looks like he put on a ton more muscle somehow!
Claire: I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me. Wanna hit the Black Friday sales tomorrow?
She read the messages a few more times, trying to make sense of it all. She�
�d known Ryan would find out she had stayed in Sweetbriar eventually. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep it from him as much as she was embarrassed that he might think she had stayed because of him. She had expected his reaction to be indifference, not anger. Was he mad at her for staying? The thought made her livid. He had no right. And besides, he had moved to Carroll. Why did he care if she lived in Sweetbriar?
Elle sent a quick message to Claire, reassuring her friend that she wasn’t upset with her and made plans to meet up tomorrow morning. She was still fuming about Ryan as she plugged her phone into the wall charger and turned off the lamp beside the bed. Her anger was fueling her desire to prove she had made the right decision to stay in Sweetbriar. She was more determined than ever to continue making a life here.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
BY THE TIME Elle woke up, much of her anger had been replaced by hurt. Sometime during the night, her heart had betrayed her, reminding her of all the reasons she still cared for Ryan. After all, it had been her fault he had run off in the first place. The fact that he hadn’t felt as strongly for her as she had for him stung, but it wasn’t anything she could fault him for. She had known from the very beginning that their relationship, or whatever it was, was only temporary.
Elle reached her hands up over her head and pointed her toes under the blankets to stretch her body. She was a little sore from yesterday’s tennis match, but it felt good. She decided to get in a quick session at the gym before meeting up with Claire to shop.
Fit Club was busy with the usual day-after-Thanksgiving crowd wanting to burn off the extra calories they’d indulged in the day before. She kept her eyes alert, in case Ryan was there, but he was nowhere in sight. A part of her aching heart had hoped she would see him here, but the other half was glad she hadn’t. She had grown accustomed to her broken heart. Running into him again would only bring back all her feelings for him and the regret for the way things had ended.
She spotted Tori teaching a class upstairs but decided to steer clear of her today. She knew it was selfish to avoid her, but their interactions had been awkward since Ryan had left town, and Elle didn’t feel like having one of those frustrating conversations now. Instead, she headed to the treadmill and decided to do some sprint intervals. It was something Ryan had used in their sessions, and she had grown to like it. She warmed up for five minutes at a steady jog and then increased the incline and the speed. She went as fast as she could for thirty seconds and then backed off the speed to recover for the same amount of time. Elle found this type of workout more exciting than jogging for longer bouts at the same pace. The time flew by, and Elle stepped off the treadmill after twenty minutes, her hair damp with sweat and her face feeling hot from exertion.
She skipped down the stairs to the main level of the gym, thinking about working in some of her old tennis free-weight routines to help her get back in shape to play in the ladies’ league at the country club. Elle smiled as she spotted Chris in the boxing ring. She hadn’t seen him since their night out, and she was excited to see a friendly face.
Approaching the ring, Elle watched Chris throw some quick jabs at a smaller, but still ridiculously muscular and cut man that she didn’t recognize. The headgear made it impossible to get a good look at the mystery guy’s face, but his blond hair was long on top and sticking out. His face was covered in stubble that made it hard to determine if he was intentionally trying to grow a beard or if he had been lazy with the razor. The smaller man got in a right hook, and the two headed for the ropes, apparently for a break.
Elle met Chris as he was jumping down from the ring. He looked up as she neared him and held out his arms for a bear hug. Elle tentatively entered his embrace, realizing how much she liked him and how easy their friendship came. There wasn’t any sexual tension or flirtation with Chris. The two of them understood, maybe better than anyone else in their group of friends, what it was like to have feelings for someone when it wasn’t reciprocated.
Elle had barely stepped back from the friendly squeeze before the smaller man was stalking forward, tearing off his headgear.
“Hello, Elle.”
She gasped in surprise as Ryan’s face became visible. He had put on some muscle since she had seen him last. He looked even bigger and leaner than he had only a month ago. He was in need of a haircut and a shave, yet he was still gorgeous.
His eyes pierced through her as he stood clutching his gear.
He’s still mad. “Ryan,” she whispered. She had meant to sound calmer and less affected, but her voice deceived her. She stepped back, retreating from his icy gaze. In her worst-case scenario, she had expected indifference or for him to ignore her. Anything but this obvious hatred and rage toward her.
Elle glanced at Chris, who looked apologetic and sad. She knew she had to try again to speak. “I should go. I was just finishing up and saw you boxing. I wanted to say hello before I left. So, hello.” Elle gave a small wave with each hand and turned, practically running to the locker room. Tears stung her eyes as she shut herself into a bathroom stall. She let the tears fall then, not holding anything back. She wanted to feel all the pain and sadness so that maybe, just maybe, her heart would break enough she wouldn’t ever have to feel this way again.
“WHAT THE HELL was that?” Chris looked pissed as he followed Ryan, catching up to him at the water fountain.
Ryan stood up and turned around, running the back of his hand over his wet lips. “I was about to ask you the same thing. I’ve been gone for a month, and you two are already a couple?” Ryan said the last word through gritted teeth. He knew he had no right to be mad at either of them, but he had lost all control when he’d seen Elle in Chris’s arms.
Chris laughed, and Ryan shot him an agitated look through narrowed eyes.
“Oh, come on. You can’t really think Elle and I have something going on.”
Ryan shook his head. “I’m sorry. I know I don’t deserve her. She deserves someone like you. I guess it was just hard to see. I’m not over her yet.”
Chris punched Ryan in the arm. “Elle and I are just friends. We’ve become close since you left. I’ve been teaching her to box. I thought she might feel safer with some self-defense moves. I did that for you, brother.”
Ryan looked up at Chris, running a hand over his rough face. He couldn’t remember the last time he had shaved. He probably looked as rough as he felt. He needed to get his shit together.
“Don’t get me wrong, Elle is fun to be around, and I’ve grown to really like her as a friend, but I would never have taken an interest in her if it weren’t for you. I know how you felt about her and obviously, how you still feel about her,” Chris said.
Ryan felt like an asshole. He had been a dick to his best friend and to the woman he still loved. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I keep screwing everything up,” he said.
Chris placed a hand on Ryan’s shoulder and looked him in the eyes. “No need to apologize to me. I can handle your shit. You need to apologize to Elle. Tell her everything. You know, you weren’t such an insufferable bastard when you two were together.”
Ryan looked up at his friend and gave him a half smile. “I can’t talk to her like this.” Ryan waved a hand in front of him. He’d been drowning his sorrows by working long hours, exercising twice as much as normal, and spending every other minute he wasn’t asleep drinking.
Chris nodded. “So, get your act together first, but do it soon. Girls like Elle don’t stay single for long. She’d have every single guy in a fifty-mile radius banging down her door if she gave any indication she was over you.”
Ryan snorted. If Elle had any leftover feelings for him, he had probably cured her of that today with his immature behavior.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ll buy you a beer to numb the pain,” Chris said with a playful smile.
Ryan mumbled under his breath. “It’s gonna take a hell of a lot more than one beer.”
“I THINK I can manage to walk twenty feet all by myself,” Ryan said sarcast
ically as Chris helped him into the Calloway household. He reeked of beer and sweat. All he wanted was to take a long shower and then pass out. He was leaving tomorrow morning to head back to Carroll, and the sooner he passed out, the quicker morning would be here. He was ready to get back and finish up the gym. He had been torn on whether or not he should stay and work at the Carroll gym or return to Sweetbriar, but the trip home had made the decision clear in his mind.
Chris got Ryan through the door and into the living room where Tori and Luke were cuddled up watching TV. Ryan watched as Tori pulled away from Luke, her body tensing as she seemed to be taking in the two men barreling into the house.
“What happened to you?” she asked.
Chris dumped Ryan onto a chair in the living room and turned to Tori. “He ran into Elle today.”
Ryan watched as Tori and Chris stared at each other for a long moment, exchanging worried looks.
“Relax, you two. I’m fine,” Ryan said.
Luke stood and grabbed his coat off the arm of the couch. “I should get going.” He pulled Tori close, enveloping her mouth in a deep kiss.
Ryan caught a glimpse of Chris clenching his fists as he watched the exchange.
Chris turned and caught Ryan staring at him.
“Call you later, babe,” Luke said as he broke off the kiss and walked to the door.
Tori composed herself as the door slammed shut.
“He has a way of disappearing anytime I come around. Why do you think that is, shister dear?” Ryan slurred.
Sweat (Sweetbriar Lake #1) Page 17