by Rose Harris
“Yeah, we were thinking about getting together tonight. Would you two like to come out to a club?”
“You could all come here tonight. We could take a cruise on my boat.” Pulling out his phone, Alex punched a number and had one of the league’s best tackles on the phone. Ava couldn’t fathom having so many important people available when you called. Of course, she had Jace’s number now on her cell phone, but she didn’t consider Jace a star. He was Jace.
“Chris will be here. His daughter is sick, so his wife feels better about leaving her if she’ll still be in the neighborhood.”
“Cool. How about seven o’clock?”
“Works for me. How about you, Chris?” Alex spoke into a phone that was dwarfed by his large hand. Nodding his head yes, Alex said his good-byes and hung up.
“He’s going to call Brent and whoever he’s dating now and see if they want to come.”
After a few more minutes of listening to their conversation that somehow managed to become all about training, Ava slipped past them and headed into the house to clean up before Jace’s guests arrived. He would need to have food for them, and she had a feeling he wasn’t going to be much help preparing for his guests.
****
The commercial kitchen Jace described as warm and comfortable made Ava doubt everything she had ever known about entertaining. She was in a champagne kitchen with a beer imagination.
What do I feed people who make more money in a year than I can make in twenty?
The thought of her being a snob never crossed her mind, but the very idea of serving people who were in a different tax bracket than she would ever be in gave her a case of the nerves. The limited items of Jace’s bachelor food made her quiver with anxiety; the reality was they might be stuck ordering pizza.
“What are you looking for?” Jace came behind her, and she jumped at the sound of his voice.
Hand to her chest, Ava spun around to face him. “Don’t sneak up on me. I am looking for something to feed your guests.”
“Why? I was just going to order some pizzas, and I have plenty of beer in the fridge.”
“You can’t serve pizza and beer to people like them.”
“What do you mean like them? They’re normal people. They all like beer and pizza.”
Ava shook her head. She exclaimed as if he were dense, “They’re rich!”
“So am I. I eat pizza, in fact, you fed me pizza at your house.”
“Yeah, but you’re just Jace. These are people I’ve watched on television.”
She didn’t know what she said, but Jace pulled her against him. The moment his lips touched hers, she melted into a big pile of mush. With subtle pressure of his lips and an exploring tongue, he caused her knees to weaken, and she succumbed to his velvet touch. The glide of his hands down her back and around her bottom felt wonderful. When he sat her on the counter and pressed himself between her legs, she leaned into him with exuberance.
She didn’t know how many times the doorbell had rung, but when he began to pull away, she refused to release him. With laughter in his voice and a promise to finish what he started, he left her sitting on the granite while he went to greet his first guest.
Voice recognition alerted Ava first, and when she jumped down from the counter and rushed toward the front door, a sense of annoyance passed through her.
What is Roxi doing here? She is supposed to come tomorrow.
Under the circumstances, she knew Jace’s promise to finish what he started would not happen, and she felt a deep ache at the loss of his touch.
“Hey, Sis, why didn’t you call and tell me you were coming? I gave Ava your room.” Jace’s house had five bedrooms, but only two had been furnished with beds.
“It’s okay, we can bunk like we did in high school.” The light that shone in Roxi’s eyes gave Ava the first moment of relief her friend was there. The look of acceptance and love proved to her beyond any words her bestie understood her decision, even if she didn’t agree with it, and would support her through the coming weeks.
Hugging Roxi, Ava heard Jace make a comment about how women always felt the need to hug even though they saw each other daily.
“Just because we show our affection and friendship with a hug doesn’t make it any different than a bunch of jocks patting each other on the ass under the disguise of sportsmanship.” Roxi teased her brother in the way only a little sister could.
With another quick hug of his own for his sister, he turned it into a semi-noogie and made a comment about her smart mouth.
Laughter filled the foyer, echoed off the vaulted ceilings and made the house seem homey for the first time since Ava’s arrival. This was going to be okay. She was going to be able to catch up with her friend on equal ground.
“I don’t want to be rude, but what made you ride down tonight?” Ava questioned.
“The moms are bringing Ashlyn tomorrow, and since you need your car, I offered to drive it out a day early so we could hit some of the Nashville nightlife.” Roxi, standing there in skinny jeans and a halter-top, looked so like a model Ava wished she could hate her. The differences between the two friends were as drastic as night and day.
“Sounds like fun, but Jace has invited some people over for a boat ride.”
“That will be fine, as long as it’s okay if I tag along.” Roxi looked at the two of them as if she were interrupting something.
“Fine by me,” Ava and Jace said at the same time. Their laughter again was relaxed, and the three headed for the family room just as the door behind them opened.
Alex walked into the house with a swagger she’d only ever seen a cowboy confidently pull off and a smirk at the piece-of-crap car that was parked in the driveway. “Are you opening a junk yard?”
“No, that’s my car,” Ava commented, head back and nose in the air. “And it still runs.”
“No need to get upset, I was kidding. It’s just I’ve never seen anything like that pass through the gates here. I had one just like it back in high school.”
Anything else Alex was going to say was cut off the moment he spotted Roxi. The color drained from his tan face, and Ava would have guessed he had just seen a ghost if he hadn’t been standing there with them.
“Alex, you all right?” Jace questioned his friend with obvious concern.
“What? Oh yeah, I’m good. How’ve you been, Roxi?”
Ava knew immediately there was something going on. She rushed to Roxi’s side and ushered her up the stairs so she wouldn’t have to respond. The slight nod Roxi sent Alex was strained as they made their way past him.
****
The sound of the door clicking shut was Ava’s signal to find out what was wrong, but before she could open her mouth, Roxi turned and spilled her guts.
“We started out as friends. You know he came home with Jace sometimes, and we talked, a lot. The first time he leaned in for a kiss, I actually pushed him away. He was so confident and mature. I was still in high school, and he was Jace’s best friend. He called me a couple of times a week, and when he finally asked to meet me one day, I agreed. It was so hard hiding our relationship from everyone. He couldn’t take me to the prom, hell, we couldn’t even tell our friends. Jace would have freaked, and since I knew you had your own issues, I kept it from you too.”
“But you went out with guys in school. You went to the prom with Bobby.” Ava was astonished Roxi held this turmoil for so long.
“I did all those things as a cover-up. I never even kissed another guy once I started talking to Alex. I fell head over heels in love with him. I had convinced myself he was the one. He came home with Jace for our graduation party. I snuck away for weekends under the guise of working, never even telling the truth that I was going out of town with a guy I was seeing. I was in college, and nobody thought anything of my disappearing for the night.”
At the window, Roxi stared out into the vast blue lake. Ava was convinced Roxi saw nothing but memories. The pain that etched lines into her alab
aster complexion was all the proof Ava needed to know Roxi was still in love.
“The weekend Jace came home and met the lady claiming to have his baby, I was on my way out to meet Alex at his apartment and wanted to get away as soon as possible so Jace wouldn’t catch on to our secret. I ended up leaving earlier than I expected and surprised Alex. When I arrived, a girl was coming out of his apartment. When I opened the door, he came out of his bedroom with only jeans on, and they were unbuttoned.
“I freaked, we argued, and he told me Cindy had just shown up. That there was nothing going on. I wanted to believe him. I listened to his excuses and a part of me wanted to believe him. We sat together most of the night talking, but I knew Alex was holding something back. He never confessed to cheating, and I honestly didn’t know if he would have or not. Unfortunately, the doubts had been planted, and it would end up being our last night together.”
The tears that streaked down Roxi’s face broke Ava’s heart. She had no idea her friend had been hurting.
“When I walked away the next morning, we agreed he had a career that needed all his attention. Loving someone and not being able to show it was just too hard. I left his apartment and never went back. Of course, I’ve seen him while celebrating Jace’s accomplishments with the Renegades, but we always managed to keep our distance. Seeing him so close, it just brings back so many memories and emotions.”
As a show of solidarity, Ava stood with her arm around her friend’s waist and turned Roxi to face her. “You could have told me. I would have supported you.”
The weak laughter that escaped Roxi’s strawberry-tinted lips sounded strained. “Have you forgotten you also were in the midst of hiding a big secret? I want to talk to you about Ashlyn and Jace, but not right now. I don’t think either of us is in the right frame of mind to handle the revelations of that conversation. But you need to know you are my best friend. I promise whatever decisions you make from here on out are fine with me. You’ll always be the sister of my heart.”
The embrace that joined the two friends was as timeless as their friendship. Through fights, tragedies, and birth the girls had stood not only as friends but also as sisters.
Their tears wiped away, they laughed, smiled, and agreed to go downstairs and enjoy the evening. After all, Roxi had to show Alex what he lost, and Ava wanted to show Jace what he could have.
****
The smell of the lake permeated the air and gave Ava a feeling of rejuvenation. She saw the stars dusting the evening sky while floating across the smooth water. The waves that rocked the boat were gentle and rhythmic. Thinking of how much Ashlyn would love a boat ride, Ava smiled.
“With a smile like that, please tell me you are thinking of a man,” Sylvia, Chris’s wife, said. Over pizza and beer, Ava had discovered she was a pediatrician with a local practice. She’d also been surprised to learn her children went to the school where Ava would be doing her in-class work and her interview.
Ava glowed with maternal pride whenever she had a willing audience to talk about her daughter. “Not a man, my daughter. She loves the motion of the swing, and I was just imagining her trying to keep her balance on the boat.”
Jace gushed, “You have got to see her. She has to be the cutest kid I’ve ever seen. She’s got these penetrating blue eyes. It’s almost as if she can see right through you.”
“You better watch it, buddy, you’re starting to sound like a proud papa, and she’s not even yours. Didn’t you just make an announcement about another kid?” Brent joked. Unfortunately, the jovial mood came to a screeching halt with the off-hand comment.
Jace glared a hole through his friend, while Ava and Roxi stared at each other. Always the wiseass, Alex followed up with, “At least women want him, lard-ass. I should push you off the boat for being a dickhead.”
“Dude, I was just joking. We all know this kid can’t be his. He doesn’t even remember the mother. Jace is no idiot, he does not sleep with as many women as he does and not do his best to remember their names. You never know who is looking to get a little piece of you.”
“You really are an idiot. How many head shots did you take last year?” Alex commented.
“One too many if you ask me,” Chris put in.
“So, Chris, how many women do you all sleep with?” Although the laughter in Sylvia’s voice sounded forced, Ava appreciated her attempt to lighten the mood.
As the illuminated houses that graced the banks of the man-made lake zipped by, the tension on the boat allowed thoughts of her own secrets to penetrate her jovial mood. When a faulty fuel gauge cut short the time on the lake, an obvious lie by the host, nobody called him on his eagerness to end the evening.
Docking the boat went smoothly, and Ava knew this was something the friends did often. She envied their freedom. When everyone was leaving, Sylvia reminded Ava if she needed help with daycare throughout the week to give her a call. She happily volunteered her fifteen-year-old niece who was staying with them.
The hug she received from all the guys was as unexpected as it was pleasant, but Ava noticed everyone exchanged pleasantries but Roxi and Alex. Hell, even Brent gave Jace a man-hug, with a “We cool?” Jace jokingly called him a girl and told him to grow a set.
The laughter that carried through the night air relaxed Ava with the hope everything would turn out okay.
Chapter Fourteen
As the friends lay in the queen-sized bed, which only last night seemed huge and extravagant, Ava felt like a teenager again and fought over the covers with Roxi. They talked clothes, dreams and boys. The biggest difference about tonight, though, aside from their age, was the men they discussed mattered more than ever before.
Ditching Jace had proven easier than either of them had imagined. He seemed almost eager to have some time to himself. The music that played throughout the house was proof of his pent-up energy and his need to relieve his frustrations through a strenuous workout.
The constant thud of bass that came from whatever music Jace played during his workout pulsed monotonously in the air. It alone would have made it hard to sleep, but the secrets that had separated the best friends for the past few years now kept them up late confiding all.
“Are you going to tell me what happened with Jace?” Roxi questioned while lying in the moonlight-drenched room.
“I don’t know how much you want to hear.”
“Don’t give me details, just the basics. I can’t wait to hear what finally pulled the two of you together.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you, but only because you asked so nice.” Rolling onto her back, Ava watched the play of the moonlight’s shadows that danced across the ceiling. “I’d come home from a horrible date, put on a robe and had gone looking for you, margaritas and mindless movies. That’s when I found Jace lying on the couch. I was so excited to see him I literally jumped on top of him, without thought of my wardrobe.” The laughter in her voice had Roxi chuckling at the picture Ava painted.
“Let me guess, my brother being a man, your lack of clothing was the first thing he noticed.”
“You could say that, and when I noticed he was h—, I mean, affected…”
“Too much information, I don’t want to hear about his boy-parts.” Roxi exaggerated her grossed-out voice, but taking note of her friend’s discomfort, Ava rephrased her sentence.
“He seemed to be as into me as I was him, and I took advantage of our situation. Of course it wasn’t until after I changed into my pajamas I let the real me loose.” Not trying to give away too much information, Ava tried to suppress the giggles that emerged at the memory of Jace’s mouth hitting the floor when she walked out with a cami and shorts.
“Let me guess, you had on a booby shirt.” Roxi’s response, tainted with a hint of laughter, proved she understood where this was going.
“You got it. I’d wanted to chase him for more years than I care to count, and I took full advantage of the situation. Okay, back to the serious part, we were about to watch a movie when the li
ghts began to flicker because of a storm. One minute the lights were on and we’re looking at each other, the next I was kissing him senseless in the dark. I don’t honestly know when it turned into something more than a kiss, but, Roxi, it was the most romantic night of my life. He held me as if I was precious and fragile. I couldn’t have asked for a better first time.”
“If it was so wonderful, why didn’t you say something when I came home the next day? I don’t understand the secrecy. Didn’t you think I could be happy for the two of you? I always thought you two were meant for each other, even back then.” The genuine concern and remorse that emitted from her words proved Roxi’s connection with her best friend.
Ava took a deep breath before divulging the hard part. “He was gone when I woke up the next day. It was after eleven, and he was nowhere to be found. At first, I fantasized he’d gone out to get us breakfast, but after a shower, I noticed his bag was gone. I was heartbroken. I had given him my virginity, hell, my love, and he had thrown it right back in my face. It was so embarrassing to know I was just another notch on the infamous Jace Johnson’s bedpost, so I hid it. Especially from you, his sister.” The air squeezing through her tightening chest felt like knives going in and out in slow succession.
“I don’t think I ever would have told anyone if I hadn’t gotten pregnant. It never even crossed my mind. We had been so careful with using condoms the entire night. It all happened so fast. One day I’m a lovesick college student, and the next I’ve got morning sickness and have to plan my future around a baby.” The silence that surrounded them was suffocating. For the first time Ava noticed the music that had seemed alive earlier was now off.
“Why didn’t you tell Jace?”
“I didn’t want to stand in his way. He’d just been drafted to the Renegades when I found out, and everyone was talking about the great future ahead of him. I couldn’t take his dreams from him.”
“He was just as responsible as you. All the times you had to juggle your schedule to work around Ashlyn’s daycare issues or sickness. You didn’t have to be alone.”