“She’s my neighbor,” he said to Silas before he turned his head toward the girl in question. “My neighbor who was supposed to be taking care of my dogs this morning while I came here.”
McKensie huffed. “I already walked them and fed them. Now, I wanted to see if you were really selling a house to Silas Jenkins.”
It was all too much, and Silas’ head began to pound. He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. “Actually, he’s not selling me a house.”
Bernard came down the front steps and walked toward Silas. “What are you talking about? You just signed the offer.”
“And you betrayed my trust.” Silas lifted his brows. “So you can go ahead and call up the other agent and let them know I’m pulling it.”
“You’ll have to pay the penalty.”
“Not if I find something during the inspection. I’m sure there’s something that isn’t up to speed if we look hard enough.” Silas turned to McKensie. “And you, please leave me alone. If you like the Storm, then feel free to cheer for the team. But if you keep showing up wherever I go, I’m going to file a police report.”
McKensie’s eyes started to water. “Are you serious?”
Silas snorted. “Did you really think you could just follow me around, and that something would happen between us?”
“I thought it was fate.”
Fate? There were so many things Silas could say to that, but he needed to be done with this conversation. He’d already wasted too much time on it when he should have been talking to Miriam. “It’s not. I’m sorry.”
He turned to apologize to Miriam for the impromptu circus performance, but she was gone. Silas’ eyes searched and spotted Miriam just as she was getting into her car. No, she was not going to run away right now. They had too much to talk about.
He ran over to her and put his hand on the door just before she could close it. His breaths came loud and hard. “Wait.”
She shook her head. “Don’t do this, Silas.”
Silas crouched down so that his face was level with hers. “Don’t do what?”
“This.” She waved her finger between them. “It’s better if we don’t drag this out anymore.”
“I’m not with her. That’s not why I asked you to come out here.”
Miriam bit her bottom lip. “I know.”
Silas let out a small sigh. “You do?”
She nodded. “I wasn’t sure at first. I saw her at the gym, and she was acting like you were dating. So when I first saw her—”
“She told you we were dating?” Silas was incredulous. He’d realized McKensie was crazy, but he wasn’t sure how she’d managed to find out that Silas was in love with Miriam and was trying to sabotage it.
Miriam’s eyes were glued to the car keys in her lap. “No, she was telling another girl at the gym about how you two were basically dating. When that guy came out yelling at her, it was obvious that she’s a fan gone wild.”
That was a relief. Silas was thankful that Miriam was being so level-headed about the situation. That gave him hope that things weren’t beyond repair. “Then why are you trying to leave?”
She closed her eyes. “I can’t live in a constant state of uncertainty anymore. Not knowing if you’re going to try to kiss me or ignore me is starting to affect everything in my life. I can barely do my job because I don’t know what each new day is going to bring. It’s not fair, Silas.”
Her voice cracked with the last few words, and it felt like a punch to the gut. Silas hadn’t realized what his week of self-discovery had done to Miriam. He wanted to make sure he was the best version of himself when he finally put everything on the line. Now it was obvious that Miriam didn’t need the perfect guy, she needed one she could rely on.
Silas was neither.
He released a long sigh. “So this is it?” It couldn’t be.
She lifted a shoulder.
It wasn’t exactly a no. There was a slim chance that Silas could prove to Miriam that he was never going to hurt her again. If he let her drive away now, he knew he’d miss his opportunity.
He reached out and caressed her cheek with his hand. It was just as soft as when he’d touched it at the school. He leaned forward just enough so that their faces were perfectly lined up and held his breath. Then he closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers.
It was a bold move that had a high chance of blowing up in his face.
Thankfully, it didn’t.
Miriam barely hesitated before she kissed him back. Her fingers combed through his hair and landed on either side of his face, keeping him there. Not that she needed to hold him. Silas wasn’t going anywhere. Her lips moved against his in a frenzy, the smell of jasmine invaded his senses.
This kiss was going to change everything.
He moved the hand that was resting on her cheek down her neck and shoulder until it rested on the top of her arm. Without slowing down, he pulled her closer.
He didn’t care that her car was parked on the road where anyone could see. Silas wanted the world to know they were together. Now that he had her, he never planned to let her go.
Slowly, their hurried movements turned into something sweeter, until the kiss stopped. Neither of them pulled back right away. Their lips barely touched as their breathing returned to normal.
When Miriam pulled back, there were tears in her eyes. “I’m glad you kissed me, Silas.”
Glad? The last time he checked, people didn’t cry after kisses they enjoyed. “Why—”
“I’ll never forget it.”
What was going on? One minute he was enjoying the most amazing kiss of his life. The next it sounded like Miriam was saying goodbye. He was in such shock that he didn’t fight when Miriam started pulling the car door closed.
As she started up her car and pulled away, Silas realized the kiss had changed everything, just not in the way he had hoped.
That wasn’t a make up kiss.
It was a goodbye kiss.
Miriam
“You what?” Allie screeched.
Miriam covered her face with her hands. “I know.” She couldn’t believe that it had actually happened.
Allie was silent for a long time.
The quiet made Miriam uncomfortable. She was dying to know what Allie thought about the fiasco from the day before. Miriam moved her hands and looked expectantly at her best friend. She was leaning against the back cushion of Miriam’s pink sofa. Her eyes were trained on the wall and gave nothing away.
She silently willed Allie to say something—anything.
As if she knew Miriam was about to break, Allie lifted a corner of her mouth into a sly smile. “How was it?”
Miriam closed her eyes and let out a dreamy sigh. She could still feel Silas’ lips against hers. “It was the best kiss of my life.”
Allie laughed. “You act like it was the first time you’ve ever kissed him.”
“It felt like it.” She opened her eyes and looked at Allie. “There was something so familiar about it, and yet it was different somehow. His mouth—”
“I’m gonna stop you right there.” Allie held up her hand. “I asked how it was, not for all the intimate details. I’d like to keep my breakfast down, if you don’t mind.”
Miriam elbowed her friend. “It’s a kiss. It’s not like I’m talking about how hard his muscles are.”
Allie made exaggerated gagging noises. “Now you’re just trying to make me sick.”
Miriam giggled.
She had said that last bit just to mess with Allie. She didn’t even get a chance to touch Silas’ muscles while they kissed, and so she couldn’t really say how they felt beneath her fingers—though she remembered. Her face heated up at the memories.
“Oh my goodness. You’re thinking about him again.”
Miriam ducked her head trying to hide her guilty smile.
“So why are you sitting here and telling me about it instead of getting more practice?” Allie waggled her brows.
Miriam’s smile fell, and her mood sobered. “Because I ended things.”
“Shut up.” Allie laughed as she bumped her shoulder into Miriam.
“No, I’m being serious. Things are over between me and Silas.”
“But you made it sound like you were getting back together.”
Miriam shrugged. “Yeah, I know.” She wasn’t entirely sure why she left out the part where she drove off. Maybe she wanted to live in that dream world for just a moment. Now that Allie knew the truth, reality was creeping back in.
Allie stared at her. “I thought you wanted Silas.”
Miriam nodded. “I do.”
“And he wants you.”
“He does.”
Allie pressed her lips together. “So you guys have an amazing kiss in the middle of the street, right?”
Miriam picked at the fabric of her sofa. “Yeah.”
“And then what?” Allie shook her head. “You said, ‘That was fun, but I’m not going to date you?’”
Miriam winced. “When you put it that way…”
Allie shifted so that she could look at Miriam head on. “How would you put it?”
Tears pooled in her eyes. “I don’t know. I just saw that stalker girl talking to Silas, and I realized that I couldn’t do it. He can tell me all day long not to be jealous, but I am the type to feel insecure next to the supermodels that hang all over him. It would always be an issue. Better to not to try again than watch our relationship die by a thousand tiny cuts.”
Allie cleared her throat. “Get up.”
She didn’t think she’d heard her friend correctly. “What?”
Allie took a deep breath and stood in front of the couch. She put her hand out to Miriam. “Come here.”
Allie pulled her off the couch and led Miriam to her bedroom. She placed her in front of the full-length mirror that hung on the back of the door. “You are just as gorgeous as any of those wannabe groupies.”
Miriam wasn’t though. She was too short, too flabby, and her freckles made her look like a little kid. Her hair never curled right, and the humidity always turned it into a frizzy mess. Even next to Allie, she felt like she was just okay.
Miriam snorted. “Whatever you say.”
“You’re prettier than those girls. You’re real.”
Miriam rolled her eyes. “That’s just a kind way of saying I have imperfections.”
“Girl. We all have imperfections. If your looks are what’s keeping you from being with Silas, we can cross that reason off the list because that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Miriam turned to face Allie. “That’s not the only thing.”
Allie put a hand on her hip. “What else is holding you back?”
Miriam bit her lip. It wasn’t just seeing Silas with his stalker or trying to work with Harris. There was another part of the equation. The MLS team in South Carolina had requested an interview less than twenty-four hours after she submitted her resumé. For the first time in years, she saw the possibility of being happy in another job.
She pulled up the email asking her to come to South Carolina and handed her phone over to Allie.
Miriam watched her friend’s eyes move back and forth over the screen as she read. They stopped suddenly and looked at Miriam. “Another team wants you to interview for a marketing position.”
She nodded.
“Are you going to do it?”
Miriam nodded again.
“And this is why you can’t be with Silas?”
Miriam’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t know. The problem is, I don’t know what I want anymore. Everything is so stressful right now. If I got that job with MLS, I’d be free of Harris and Silas—”
“And me.” Hurt flashed across Allie’s face.
Miriam hated the sadness in Allie’s voice. She pulled her in for a hug. “I don’t want to leave you. Maybe I should just forget about it.”
“No, you shouldn’t just forget about it.” Allie pulled out of Miriam’s embrace and forced a smile. “I was just a little caught off guard. I’ve always told you that you were good enough for bigger teams. It would be really terrible if I made you feel guilty when a chance to prove it actually came.”
Miriam laughed to herself. “They may fly me out there and find out that I’m wildly unqualified.”
“Or they’ll hire you on the spot.” She paused. “Wait. Did you say they’re going to fly you in for an interview?”
She nodded. “Monday.”
“That’s a pretty good sign.”
Miriam fought the small smile that touched her lips. She was still in shock that the general manager thought highly enough of her resumé that he was willing to go to such extremes to secure an immediate interview. “I thought so too.”
“Does Greg know?”
“Not yet. I was going to call him tonight to tell him.”
Allie flopped down on the edge of Miriam’s bed. “This is crazy.”
“I know.” Miriam sat beside her. She rested her head on Allie’s shoulder.
Allie rubbed her back. “I support you no matter what, you know that, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And I would be really happy for you if you got the job.”
“Thanks.”
“But have you considered that maybe you’re trying to run from things instead of deal with them? Leaving Florida isn’t going to stop those feelings you have for Silas.”
Miriam sat up. “Of all people, I thought you’d be the most excited that I was over Silas.”
Allie laughed. “You’re not over Silas.”
“Yeah, I am.”
She lifted her brows. “You kissed him.”
“As a goodbye.”
“Okay.”
Miriam flopped back on her bed and covered her face. This conversation with Allie was supposed to bring more clarity to the situation, not make her second guess the path she’d chosen. Why is this so hard?
She made a frustrated sound as the weight of all these tough choices hit her. If only there was a way to know your decisions were the right ones. She wished she could see exactly how each move would play out.
But she couldn’t.
Miriam would have to deal with the consequences of her choice, no matter which option she chose. She only hoped that it was the right one.
Silas
Silas waited two days for the ache in his chest to go away.
When it never did, he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. Miriam might have thought that she was giving them both closure with that kiss, but Silas saw it for what it truly was. That kiss was a chance at a new beginning between the two of them.
He’d made a lot of mistakes over the years. Even in these last few weeks as he tried to win Miriam back, Silas hadn’t always gone about things the right way. But he wasn’t going to let anything else stand in the way. He was going to tell Miriam that he loved her—that he’d always loved her.
He couldn’t love her perfectly, but he hoped that what he lacked in ability, he could make up for with enthusiasm. It had worked in his early days as a rookie in the arena. He hoped it would work with Miriam now.
After a quick stop to buy some flowers, Silas drove straight to the Storm offices. Miriam’s car wasn’t parked out front, even though they’d been open for half an hour. Silas took a deep breath as he got out of the car. That was okay, he’d wait for her inside.
His heart raced as he walked through the front door of the building. He immediately came face to face with Harris.
“Look who’s here. The golden boy.”
Silas ignored the jab. He was focused on one goal. “Have you seen Miriam?”
Harris looked at the flowers in Silas’ hands. “She’s gone.”
“Do you know when she’ll be back?”
“Sorry.” The cruel curve of his smile said he was anything but.
Silas clenched his teeth. “Is she doing something for work?”
Harris scrunched up his face.
“I guess you could say that.”
There was something else going on here, and Harris was clearly enjoying every second of watching Silas squirm. He needed to be careful not to rise to the bait. Maybe if he didn’t react to Harris’ mind games, he would get bored and stop playing. “Will you please just tell me where she is?”
Harris eyed the flowers again. “Maybe I should show you.”
Harris turned and walked to Miriam’s office. Silas had no choice but to follow him. Once there, Harris leaned over Miriam’s desk and turned her computer on. He clicked through the open tabs. When he found the one he was looking for, Harris stepped back to let Silas see what was on the screen.
It was the employment page for MLS. On it was a listing for a marketing director in South Carolina.
“Very funny.” Silas turned to face Harris. “Now tell me where she really is.”
Harris lifted his right hand. “Scout’s honor. You can ask Greg.”
Silas hesitated. He’d just seen Miriam this weekend. There was no way she was in South Carolina now, was there?
Silas tried to think this through. This could be Harris’ way of trying to get Silas in trouble with Greg. If he barged into the general manager’s office demanding to know where Miriam was, it would hurt her. It would be bringing relationship drama into the workplace—a big no-no in Greg’s eyes.
On the other hand, there was a very real possibility that Miriam was in South Carolina. She’d told Silas that she was having a hard time doing her job. And the listing sounded eerily similar to what she did for the Storm.
He ran down the hall to Greg’s office and skidded to a stop in front of his desk. “Where’s Miriam?”
Greg pinched the bridge of his nose. “You two are worse than my teenage daughters and their boyfriends.”
“Where. Is. She?”
Greg released a long breath. “She’s in South Carolina.”
All the air in Silas’ lungs whooshed out of him. She was gone, and Silas was to blame. He’d pushed her past her comfort zone while ignoring the real problems.
He slammed his hands on the desk separating him and Greg. “You just let her go?”
“What do you suggest? That I tie her to her desk and force her to stay with the Storm forever? You and I both know she’s something special. The GM for the team in South Carolina saw it too.”
Penalty Box: A Second Chance Sports Romance (Love in the Arena Book 1) Page 13