by Toni Aleo
When my phone vibrates in my hand, I glance down to see a text from Shelli.
Shelli: I get it, you don’t want to put yourself out there. But why not? Have some fun, get to know him. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?
I let my hands drop as I look out at the ocean. What could happen?
Simple. He could break my heart too.
Chapter Five
Chandler
I check my phone for the third time before I throw Sadie’s ball down the beach for her to run after. She runs like a jaguar, I swear. She looks so majestic, her golden hair moving with her body as she jumps through the waves, retrieving her ball. I holler out to her, praising her as she runs back to me. I bet if she didn’t have the ball in her mouth, she’d be grinning. Sadie is my girl. We have been through a lot together, and she’ll always be my best friend.
When I check my phone again, I am convinced I have a problem. Perk Me Up doesn’t open for another thirty minutes, and the fact that I know that might be an issue. For the last four days, I’ve been hitting it up before or after morning skate or practice. The first morning, it was apparent from the look on Amelia’s face that she hadn’t expected to see me. I don’t know why; I told her I was coming. I ordered my coffee to go, and I asked her out.
Again, she turned me down.
The last two mornings have been the same. She is always surprised to see me, but then she turns me down. This could dent a dude’s ego, but instead, I feel good about today. I’m not sure if I’m ready to date or even get involved with someone, but there has always been something about Amelia Justice that has me wanting to forget everything and hold her. Her smile gets me; it’s just so big, and I love to see it. Then, those eyes? Lord, they can knock me on my ass. We didn’t spend that much time together in college, but during the few moments we did, she kept me on edge. That is, when I wasn’t looking over my shoulder for her brother.
Ryan is by far the greatest dude I know. He’s loyal and would do anything for anyone. We were roommates and a defensive pair in college, and I owe a lot of my success to him. We spent countless nights practicing and going over tapes together. We worked out together, we traveled together, and we spent holidays together. The Justices are just good people, which intrigues me even more as to why Amelia didn’t go home after she and Drew split.
With Ryan’s request to keep an eye on Amelia, I know what he is really asking. I also know that even though we’re now five years older, I’m pretty damn sure his sister is still off-limits to me. If he knew I made out with her at a party back then, he’d probably beat my ass even now. That should derail me, but this time… This time is different. I don’t know. Maybe it’s who I am as a man. I have a failed marriage, and I was so unhappy for so long. I want to be happy again. She could make me happy. We were digging each other back then.
I still don’t know why she chose Drew over me. Guess they had history, but from what Ryan said, Drew was a douche. It stung for a while, but then the IceCats picked me up, and I left. I figured that meant nothing would happen for Amelia and me, even if I wanted it to. I hadn’t expected to still dig her. I should probably take the hint—she doesn’t dig me—and bugger off. I don’t believe that, though, and honestly, I need to know her. I hadn’t expected to run into her here, where I live. I figured seeing her at the wedding would be one thing. I could admire her from afar while she hung with her husband, and that would be that. But that’s all changed now. She’s here. I’m here. We’re both single; that has to mean something.
When I look up from my phone, which I have pathetically checked six times in the last three minutes, I see my dog has found a friend. A female friend, which is very rare. Sadie doesn’t like other females, another reason my marriage failed. Lana said I loved my dog more than her. She wasn’t that wrong. In my defense, Sadie isn’t crazy and never tried to kill Lana.
My dog’s friend is wearing a pair of very short jogging shorts and a sports bra, her hat positioned very low over her eyes. When Sadie jumps on her, knocking her into the sand, I cringe, but then the girl starts laughing. I start to jog toward them, but I stop mid-stride when I see who it is.
“Amelia?”
She looks up as Sadie knocks her hat off her head and into the sand from her abundant kisses. Her brown hair falls onto her shoulders as her gaze meets mine. “Chandler?”
I hold out my hand as I push a very excited Sadie to the side. Amelia takes it, and I haul her up. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
She gives me a look that says I’m a total weirdo stalker. “I’m off today.”
“Oh,” I say, trying to get my dog off her. I push Sadie between my legs, holding her hips with my calves, before I look up to Amelia. “Sorry. She seems to like you.”
“Is she yours?”
I nod. “Yup, this is my Sadie girl.”
Her lips curve. “Every time I see her, I throw her a hot dog.”
Sadie’s ears perk, and I smile. “Ah, so you’re the one who’s been feeding my dog.”
“Guilty. Sorry.”
“It’s cool. I was just hoping she wasn’t being poisoned.”
Her eyes widen as she holds her hands up. “Oh my goodness, never. We had a golden retriever when I was younger. His name was Sammy, and he loved hot dogs. I bought some just for her the other day.”
“That’s funny and makes sense why she loves you. Usually she doesn’t like females.”
She gazes down at Sadie. “Protective over Daddy?”
Now, I know I shouldn’t find the way she says daddy sexual, but in my defense, she’s standing in a sports bra and short shorts. And I’m a hot-blooded, horny dude. Sadie barks happily, and I ignore my horny dude thoughts. “Running?”
She shrugs. “Or avoiding responsibilities. Same thing.”
“They’re so overrated anyway,” I tease, and her lips curve a bit. “Surprised you’re not at the gym.”
She bites her lip. “I haven’t been in the gym in a really long time.”
“Well, that sucks.” And it does. I can’t imagine not being on the ice.
“Yeah.”
“Do you miss it?”
She looks up at me, and I can see in her eyes that she does. “Yeah, but you know how it is.”
“What do you mean?”
She looks down the beach and then reaches over to scratch Sadie behind her ears. “I don’t know, but listen, I’m gonna—”
“Can I run with you?”
I know she wants to get away, and I can’t let that happen. I want to spend time with her. Shit, am I a stalker? She looks down at my jeans and raises a brow at me. “In that?”
I push down my pants, leaving me in a pair of shorts, before kicking off my shoes. “I was planning on running anyway.”
“You were?”
“Yup.” Total lie. “I’ll just blow off my workout with Nico.”
Her face breaks into a grin, but she doesn’t say anything. She starts to jog, and I click my tongue at Sadie. “Come on, girl.”
We catch up with Amelia in no time. She’s pulled her hat back into place, and her stride is strong, purposeful. I remember going to practice with Ryan to watch Sofia, but my eyes were always only on Amelia. She was so strong, and even though it looked like their conditioning was absolute crap, she always had a smile on her face. She was so committed and worked hard.
“Always blow off your unfiltered friend?”
“No, actually,” I say, matching her stride. It’s tough since she is so much smaller than me. “But he’ll understand I’d rather run with two gorgeous girls than him.” She doesn’t pay me any mind, but I see her lips twitching a bit. “So you must live close to me if you’ve been feeding Sadie.”
She jogs along, her eyes ahead of us as she answers. “I guess so. I’m in the pink house.”
“I know where that is. I’m in the yellow one with the bright-red door.”
“So, like four houses down from each other. That’s funny.”
“And convenient.”
Why did I say that?
She gives me a side-eye. “Gonna stalk me at my house, too?”
I chuckle as sweat starts to gather on my back. “I’m not stalking, just enjoying some coffee and the company.”
She snorts. “I am nowhere near good company.”
“I beg to differ,” I say as the water splashes up on our ankles. Sadie is jumping in and out of the ocean but keeping up with us. “So what responsibilities are we running from today?”
Her face is blank as she speeds up a bit. “You don’t want to hear my problems.”
“I asked, didn’t I?”
Amelia glances at me but doesn’t say anything as our feet hit the sand, a squishing sound mixing with the ocean and sea gulls. “I gotta call my mom today.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“I haven’t spoken to her since I moved in with Drew about four years ago.”
I make a face, mostly full of shock and confusion. “Well, that sucks.”
“It does, but it is what it is.”
“Which is?”
She shrugs, her strides getting longer and harder. “She didn’t want me to marry him.”
“You were too young?”
“That was one of the reasons.”
“Mine too. My parents told me not to do it. I didn’t listen either.”
Amelia stops abruptly. “What? You were married?”
I slide a bit in the sand before I make eye contact with her. Sadie is thankful for the stop in running; she lies down on the shore and looks up at us. “Yeah. For about three years.”
“Me too.” She eyes me. “How long have you been divorced?”
“About a year. We split up over two years ago.”
“So, what? You got married right after you left college?”
I shrug, a tad bit embarrassed. “Like a month. I knew her for three weeks before we got married. My parents were pissed, but they supported me. In the end, they were right, and I almost lost my dog.”
Her eyes widen. “What do you mean? I thought Sadie didn’t like females.”
“My ex set my house on fire and left my dog. She claims it was a grease fire, but I don’t believe her. I think she just didn’t want me to have the house because she wasn’t living there.”
Her jaw is open, having dropped halfway through my story. “Wow, you married a winner.”
“Yeah, and the kicker is, she left me. She told me I wasn’t good enough for her anymore. I came home to find everything gone and a note with where I could send her mail and alimony. Joke was on her. She signed a prenup.”
Wow, aren’t I Chatty Cathy? I’m not usually this open about my divorce. Only Nico, Ryan, and my parents know the details. In my defense, though, Amelia makes me nervous, and when I’m nervous, I start talking. Half the time, I have no clue what I am saying. She makes it so easy, while also making me shake with nerves. I know the sweat dripping down my back now isn’t from running. It’s nice and cool out, and I’m honestly not even going that hard. I’m scared I’ll trip and fall if I did since I’m staring at her so hard. Maybe I’m a bit too eager here? But then, if I had been this enthusiastic back in college, maybe she’d have picked me over Drew, and neither of us would have gone through shitty marriages and divorces. Not saying I want to marry her, but I could have saved us a lot of trouble.
“Holy moly.” The awe in her voice steals my attention from my insane and unjust thoughts. She doesn’t even seem to like me like that. I really need to remember that. But I can’t shake the feeling that she liked me enough to kiss me back then, and if I haven’t forgotten those feelings, surely she hasn’t.
“Right?”
“Do you miss her?”
“As much as I miss the mole they just removed off my ass.”
When she lets out a loud cackle, I grin. “Shut up,” she demands through laughter, but I shake my head.
“Seriously, it was big and nasty. I was self-conscious about it.”
She’s snorting at this point, bent over, and the smile I wear is genuine and wide. “You’re insane.”
“For real, it was scary. Thought it was cancerous at one point.”
“Good Lord.”
I smile. “But thankfully, it’s gone. Like her.” I shrug as I bend down, petting Sadie behind her ears. “When she left, I was heartbroken. I thought we were meant to be and all that jazz, but she kept demanding money. Like I owed it to her. Then she tried to come back, and when I wouldn’t take her back, she set my house on fire. So now, I couldn’t care less about her. She still calls, though.”
“She does?”
“Yeah, but I ignore her mostly.”
“That’s absolutely crazy.”
“Yup, that’s what I get for marrying someone I only knew for three weeks. Thankfully, I listened to my dad and had the prenup drawn up.”
“For sure. We had one too, but it was more to protect me.”
“Ah, because of your dad’s money and businesses.”
She nods sullenly. “Yeah. That’s probably the only thing I listened to my uncle about.”
“Good you did,” I say with a nod. “But ya know, it sucks. I’m divorced, and I never thought that would happen. Though, at the same time, I’m glad it played out the way it did. I wasn’t happy.”
She looks up at me through her lashes. “You weren’t?”
“No, it was rough, and she was crazy-controlling. But now that she’s gone, I am happy.” We share a long look, one that only two people coming from the same shit can. With a shrug, I smile. “Wow, sorry for unloading my crazy. I was supposed to be listening to you.”
“It’s okay, and honestly, you don’t have to listen to mine,” she says, her eyes burning into mine.
“But I want to. We’re friends.”
Chapter Six
Amelia
We’re friends.
I don’t have friends. I only have family.
“Chandler, we don’t even know each other.”
“Sure we do. Your brother is my best friend. Even if we haven’t hung out or seen each other in a while, we still know each other. We’re cool,” he insists, and I dig my toe into the sand.
The way he gazes up at me is breathtaking. His eyes are such a gorgeous topaz color, almost matching Sadie’s hair as he holds her, petting her lovingly. He’s so handsome. He still hasn’t shaved, and I’m so glad for that. He’s so manly, so hot with the dark hair covering his jaw. He’s wearing a thin white tee and some basketball shorts. Through his shirt, I can see more tattoos, and I desperately want to free him of the fabric so I can examine his beautiful body.
I don’t know what the hell I am doing. I shouldn’t be talking to him. It’s trouble. I am supposed to be running, letting off some steam since I promised I would call my mom today. I know it’s gonna be rough, and I know we’ll argue. We’re both cut from the same cloth, and we tend to be a bit stubborn. I miss her, I do, but I’m still so hurt by how things went down.
He moves a lock of hair out of his eyes as he looks up at me. “I’m not even mad you blew me off back then.”
I tilt my head in confusion. “I didn’t blow you off.”
“You picked Drew over me.”
“Because you listened to my brother and wouldn’t go forward with things.”
“Because I respected him.”
“And I don’t fault you,” I say, folding my arms over my chest. “But when I realized nothing would happen between us and I was still caught up with Drew, I went back to what I knew.”
He makes a face. “Amelia.”
“What?”
“We may have been stupid young adults.”
A loud laugh leaves my lips. “You think?” He laughs too, his eyes bright in the sun. “So you aren’t worried about my brother now?”
“I am, but I don’t think I have it in me to stay away.”
His words hit me hard in the chest as I gaze up at him. “You don’t?”
“Nope,” he says simply, his eyes burnin
g into mine. “But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is the fact that you gotta call your mom, and that’s a problem.”
I blink. “So I’m just supposed to ignore your comment and move on to my problems?”
He shrugs. “Duh. Keep up, Justice.”
I can’t help it, I grin. I slowly shake my head as I look out at the ocean. “Like I said, we haven’t spoken since I married Drew.”
“That sucks,” he says softly. “I know how close you are to your mom.”
“Yeah, it’s been rough,” I agree, and I hate the emotion that clogs my throat. My eyes tear up as I look down at the shore, ocean water lapping against my skin. “But I felt they should support me instead of dogging Drew and dragging his name through the mud.”
“Yeah, I wanted the same. It took my mom a solid year to accept Lana, but then everything went to shit. I think she wants to say she told me so, but she’s resisting.”
“I didn’t even tell my mom I left Drew because I didn’t want to hear all that.” Admitting it is hard. I haven’t even told Shelli that. Mostly because Shelli did tell me she told me so. “The way they found out was when my lawyer sent the paperwork to my old address instead of the one here.”
“Ugh, that blows.”
“Yeah, and then to my surprise, the email she sent said she just wanted to talk and see how I was. Unfortunately, I was so hurt, not only by what happened with Drew but also by how my family treated me.”
I fully expect him to ask what happened with Drew, and I hold my breath because I have no clue what I’ll say. Instead, though, he asks, “You said they didn’t support you, right?”
“Not only that, they told me I had to choose them or Drew. I chose Drew.”
He whistles in surprise. “Well, that’s fucked up.”
I blink. Everyone always takes my family’s side. That’s the problem with such a close-knit family. They all think they’re right. Sometimes, they aren’t. “Exactly!”
“I bet that was a knife to the heart.”
“It was, and when I left, I felt like I had no one. I mean, Shelli has always been there for me, but she defended our family. Said they were right.”