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“After I tore a tendon in the world games and couldn’t heal enough to make the last Olympic trials, I had to make a decision. The window was sliding shut on me,” he stated with a matter-of-factness.
A slight change in his voice alerted her. She detected bitterness, maybe even remorse. His pain must hit him deeply for him to display those emotions with her.
“Don’t count yourself out of the race,” she advised, fighting the natural urge to put her arm around him.
“Always the optimist, right? May not have appreciated it, but it’s nice to hear. I didn’t count myself out. My body quit on me.” He sucked in his breath and exhaled with a heavy sigh. “A decision had to be made. I quit.”
“You retired.”
Chase shrugged off her correction. A class jogged around the field, his gaze followed their progress.
“Are you in a lot of pain?” Silly question, but she didn’t want him to open the subject and now close the shutters around it.
“Somewhat. Guess I’m turning into my grandfather who could tell when rain was coming because his knees ached. Actually, I was dead on with my prediction last Wednesday when we had that thunderstorm.” He grinned, adding a teasing wink.
They had emerged on to the track field.
“Wow!” Laura exclaimed.
The stadium had groups of various athletes probably divided into their class sessions. For Laura, many hours waiting for Chase were spent seeing the good and bad with the male athletic egos, aggressive coaches and the many girlfriends. Unfortunately, many of those relationships didn’t survive. Multi-tasking wasn’t a priority.
Chase had focused on what was important. She’d helped him, until he no longer wanted her help. She had to accept the sacrifice to walk away.
A coed class noisily jogged past them. Some of the sweat suits had the lacrosse team logo printed down the leg. Two stragglers brought up the rear, earning them a very vocal reprimand from the coach. Yep, she had witnessed those heated discussions with Chase and his coach. She wondered if he’d felt pressure to retire, rather than lose his ranking.
A flock of birds in arrow shaped formation noisily flew past them. Laura looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes in the process. She followed them until they disappeared from view.
“What?” she asked, flustered to catch him staring at her.
“Nothing.” He shoved his hands in his pocket and kicked at the gravel. “Getting used to seeing you.”
Laura led the way to the bleachers. Chase sat beside her. Her pulse jogged a few beats faster. Thankfully, he left several inches of space between them. Otherwise she’d have to slide away from him for sanity’s sake. Regardless of what her mind logically concluded, her heart had a tendency to be weak. There was no need to test that with any casual contact of body parts. She touted her emotional strength, but she wasn’t that strong.
“Don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around me,” Chase spoke, his gaze fastened straight ahead.
“Shouldn’t be a problem. You’ve got your job and I’ve got mine.”
“Mind sticking around after hours so the team can meet you?” Chase asked.
Laura pretended to mull over the request. Let’s see. She had to go to the grocery store, head home and whip up her one-person meal, then catch the latest reality show. Boring. “Sure.”
“Great. Let’s head back. I’ll take you over to your area.” He looked at his watch. “Folks should be heading out to lunch in a few minutes. Maybe we can catch a few of them. It’ll be a good bonding time for you.”
They walked back to the building, down the long corridors where students milled. The various halls and offices had a honeycomb effect. She envisioned several instances where she’d be wandering the halls looking for the correct office.
Chase stopped in front of an open door. “Since we’re now at my office, I want to give you something.”
They walked in large area room where the receptionist desk stood as the gateway to various offices on either side. The block of offices and rooms housed the department of the entire coaching staff. One wall held the various bulletin boards all covered with colored papers announcing the meets, university information and other official news.
Laura stopped near the receptionist desk. She could see into Chase’s office, which wasn’t more than a closet.
“I’ll get it,” he said before entering his office.
Chase wanted to re-think the birthday gift. His imagination had failed him, making him believe that giving a gift to an ex-girlfriend who happened to be working for him was normal. As he approached Laura and saw the suspicion cloud her face, he felt ridiculous. All he could do was act as if this was no big deal.
“I know that I’m a day late, but I think it still counts. Happy Birthday.” He handed the box to her. Although shock registered, he noted the smile that tugged at her mouth.
“I don’t know what to say.” She shook her head. Her eyes lifted from the box to his face. “Why?” She shook her head again before accepting the box. “Thank you.”
Chase didn’t mind her bewilderment. He anticipated that his thoughtfulness would be unexpected. What he hoped against was her rejection of the gift. Not that it would deter him. He’d simply have to move to Plan B, whatever that happened to be.
“Should I open it now?” She held the box on her outstretched palm.
“Sure. It won’t blow up.” He attempted to lighten the moment. Thank goodness Sandy had left for lunch. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of his secretary.
He watched her pull off the ribbon around the box. Then she took a deep breath and removed the lid.
“Lots of shredded stuff,” she remarked.
“Kinda grabbed it out of the shredded paper in the back.”
She handed the wad of paper to him. “Well, I guess you’d better get the secrets back before you’re prosecuted for espionage.”
Their fingers grazed each other. Yet he wanted to repeat the motion again. He wanted to feel her long fingers, warm and soft, sliding over his hand.
“Chase! You shouldn’t have.”
He looked at her face closely to see if, despite her words, she did like it. Her flat statement telling him that he shouldn’t have, matched her unwavering gaze, as in he really shouldn’t have. Of all the responses, this was not in the top list.
A delicate gold charm bracelet with three charms dangled from her fingers where it lightly rested. Gold tiny loops formed the bracelet. He’d initially seen the piece at a Costa Rican jewelry shop while on vacation six months ago. When he’d stopped to admire it Laura came to mind because of her slight obsession with charms.
“I do think it’s absolutely beautiful.” Laura sighed. “But…this is a bit much. First, seeing you. Working for you so unexpectedly. Now this.” She bit her lip, frowning deeply at the jewelry. She laid the bracelet on her palm and turned each charm flat against her palm.
“I remembered how much you liked unicorns.” He saw the small nod when he mentioned the first charm. “And you wanted to go to Trinidad for their Carnival.” Her finger traced the distinctive shape of the small Caribbean island. “Do you recognize the third?”
She stared down at the last charm. Her finger hovered above the tiny shape. Voices approached from down the hall. Classes had been dismissed and the halls filled with students and teachers. He didn’t have much time left.
The third charm was a treasure chest. He looked at her face willing her to say something, anything. Could their childhood adventures with pirates, kidnapping and all out war resonate with her as it did with him? Or maybe it was the kiss that she demanded from him as ransom for his GI Joe action figure during one summer afternoon. She had shoved her girlish tendencies aside when she and Chase had played. When they were young, she had always declared herself to be the pirate.
“I recognize it.”
“Don’t give it back. It would mean a lot to me if you’d keep it.” He placed his hand under her open palm and gently closed her fingers over the bracelet.
“I know that you’ve put a lot of thought into this. I also think that you knew I would be here. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have given it to me. I’m not sure where you are in your life or what problems may be plaguing you. But you can’t expect me to fill in the hole,” she remarked, her voice hardening.
“I’m not trying to buy your affection. Friends wouldn’t do that to each other.”
“Take it back.” Her voice shook slightly, but her eyes were clear of any tears. She pulled her hand from his and dropped the bracelet in his shirt pocket. “When I took a job here, it was because this was my goal after I got my physical therapist certificate. I’m here to work. I want nothing more from this. You’re now my boss, and I want nothing but an employee-boss relationship. Anything more or anything less and I’ll have to find another job.”
After Laura had long disappeared down the hall and around the corner, Chase only had her lingering, gentle scent and the memory of touching her hand to keep him company.
Chapter 2
Laura didn’t go out of her way to avoid contact with Chase. She didn’t have to. She had full days of completing therapeutic massages and daily reports for each athlete. Three weeks after her start, she continued to feel that her decision to pursue physical therapy was the right move—even if she was working for Chase. Any free time or breaks were spent with her coworkers, getting to know them.
Occasionally, she did catch a glimpse of Chase as he coached the track team on her way home. The main street narrowly snaked through the campus, linking several side roads into a network of roads. Laura had no problem driving at the posted low speed limit because it allowed her to see him at work unnoticed. She figured watching him was safer.
From all the signs, Chase seemed to be honoring her wishes and leaving her alone. She still wanted to know how he knew that she’d be working there. What man walked around with a birthday gift for an ex-girlfriend waiting for the appropriate moment?
One thing was clear, he’d thought about her. She’d never admit it to him, but he’d touched her very deeply with such a thoughtful gift. His act had rattled her defenses. She couldn’t deny the warm tingle that had seeped in between the cracks in her armor.
Determined to keep Chase from invading her thoughts any further, she accepted her coworker’s invitation to go to happy hour at a local bar and then head to a club in downtown Atlanta. She couldn’t remember the last time that she’d gone dancing.
She wanted to freshen up instead of going right after work. She raced home, mainly taking side roads to avoid most of the traffic. A half hour later, she’d showered and dressed. Satisfied with her makeup she fluffed her hair out after wearing her usual pony-tail. However, she wasn’t satisfied with her clothes. She looked bland.
She selected gold coiled drop earrings. They dangled boldly from her ear lobes. The bronze-gold color mixture stood out against the silk black shirt with tiny gold threads.
“What the heck am I doing?” she questioned the mirror. A yawn overcame her, to which she noisily succumbed. She peered into the mirror. “What a poor excuse for a party girl.”
She hadn’t dated much since breaking up with Chase. Who could blame her? Rejection stung. Not only had Chase’s family told her that she wasn’t up to par, Chase grew increasingly critical of her. It all coincided with his meteoric rise on campus, then at the state championship.
She slipped on a sensible pair of black flats. The wide shaped front made her feet look like square blocks. She frowned debating on what to do next.
A car horn honked. A few seconds later, her cell phone rang.
“Hey, Kasey.” Laura walked over to the living room and pulled back the curtains, spying her friend’s red Jeep below. “I’ll be right down.”
“Hurry up,” Kasey yelled her response. She hit the annoying horn to punctuate the order.
Laura grinned. Kasey was the most outgoing and happy person that she’d met on the job. Her stories of her crazy weekends left Laura feeling a bit envious. All she could talk about of her weekends were the cable movies she watched.
She looked down at her feet once more. With an irritated grunt, she kicked off her shoes. “Darn it, life is too short.” She pulled out a three inch heeled pair of mules. Turning from one side to the other in front of the mirror, she gave a somewhat satisfied grunt. She glided her hands down the sides of her hips frowning at the inches that seemed to expand on a daily basis. Maybe the black jeans in a darkened room would help mute the imperfections.
Another honk sounded. She flicked off the light switch and hurried out of her apartment.
“Looking good. You know how to clean up.” Kasey grinned at her. Her loud perfume matched her loud voice and her equally loud personality.
But it was all good. Laura returned her grin and settled in the car.
“First stop is The Inner Circle,” Kasey announced.
“Sounds very exclusive.” Laura worried that maybe she’d underdressed. Looking at her friend and comparing outfits, Laura imagined that she’d be the Pollyanna-type next to Kasey’s exposed assets.
“Tonight the club’s only open to the staff, that’s about it. Most of the staff hangs out there before we go our separate ways. But there’s also a few other companies in the area that come to see who is our fresh meat. Can’t complain, though. We do the same with their people.” Kasey leaned over and squeezed her hand. “Can’t wait to show you off.”
“Look, I’m only hanging out. Mainly because you insisted,” Laura protested. “I’m not looking for a man.”
“These days, no one looks for a man.” Kasey impatiently honked at the car in front that didn’t pull off a second after the light turned green. “This is the age where we sample the goods, but don’t stay for the feast.”
“Well, I’m not hungry.”
Kasey laughed. Laura couldn’t help smiling. She suspected that her friendship with Kasey would be full of adventures. She hoped that she had the stamina to keep up with her.
They pulled into the parking lot, which looked fairly full. Most of the nearby parking spots were gone with only handicapped spaces available. Kasey parked between two mini-vans. Then she reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a blue hanging handicapped sign. She hooked it on the rear view mirror gave Laura a wide smile and exited.
“Kasey, you’re not handicapped!”
“I know. It’s my mother’s. When I go out at night I use it. Figure it’s safer to park near the entrances to the clubs.” Kasey strutted off in her tight-fitting scooped-neck T-shirt and jeans that looked two sizes too small.
“Kasey, you can’t park here!”
Kasey didn’t turn around and was at the entrance.
Laura ran after her. “Give me the keys, then. I’ll park it.”
Kasey tossed the keys to her and disappeared through the doors.
“What a wench,” Laura muttered.
She got into the car and drove around to the side where there were several open spaces. She didn’t care if Kasey was irritated by her citizen-of-the-year performance a few seconds ago. If she didn’t move the car, she’d think about some person with physical challenges struggling to get into the bar while she and her friend, whooped it up inside.
Unfortunately, she knew all too well what it was like to be considered less than normal.
“Laura?”
Laura recognized the smooth tone that used to call her endearments like pretty lady, sexy brown eyes and her personal favorite, sweet buns. Her cheeks warmed. Thank goodness for the cool evening.
“Glad to see you’ve discovered our favorite watering hole.” Chase caught up to her near the doorway.
“Kasey invited me,” Laura explained. She touched her hair, hoping that there were no stray strands poking up in the air.
They entered the darkened interior. Laura waited a few seconds for her eyes to adjust. She didn’t need to bother.
“Laura! Chase! Over here.” Kasey stood on a chair, holding a bottle of beer. She waved at them as if they were a hundred feet away.
“Hey, guys,” Chase responded. His voice had changed into a low boom that made her jump. “Look who I found wandering outside.”
Laura glared at Chase, not appreciating being the object of his joke.
“Introductions, please.” A young man hit his empty glass repeatedly on the counter. “I’m liking what I’m seeing.”
“Hold your horses, Brandon,” Chase responded. “Everybody, this is Laura Masterson.”
The responding greetings came back to her like an echo. Then they went around the table sharing their names. Some she recognized, but some didn’t work with at the university. The young man who’d smiled like a kid in a candy shop perked up like a spaniel when it was his turn.
“Brandon Littlejohn, computer whiz extraordinaire. I work with the brokerage firm about ten minutes away.” His voice carried a thick layer of boastfulness.
At first, he seemed cute and harmless. But with one drink thrown back and another one quickly ordered, Laura wondered if she was going to be stuck with his unwanted attention.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got your back,” Chase whispered in her ear. His breath tickled her ear. “And what a lovely back it is.”
At twenty-six years old, she blushed. So he would still take it there. Whatever it was. She couldn’t define what he did to her, how his words could make her emotions swirl like the beginning of a wind storm. On the other hand, his words could also cause a freeze. That, she didn’t care for.
“Whoa, sweetie, I didn’t mean to anger you.”
Laura pulled her hair back around her ear. She accepted her drink from the waitress, taking a deep sip of cola as if it had the properties to dull her senses. She wanted more than dulling of the senses, she wanted total numbness.
“Keep it up and I’ll switch chairs,” Laura threatened. The only seat available happened to be next to Brandon. On one side was the geek who thought he was Casanova. On the other side, a remarkable physical specimen who once had been her Casanova.
“I won’t tease you anymore.” He smiled and touched his hand to his heart.
“Apology accepted.”
“How’s work?”
She nodded, glad for the switch in subjects.
“Getting the hang of things?” he asked.
“Going pretty good. Can’t complain.”
“How’s the kid with the stress fracture?”
“Hey, you two, no shop talk,” Kasey shouted from across the table. Her edict was followed by several kernels of popped corn being tossed at Laura and Chase.
They ducked trying to miss Kasey’s accurate aim. They only succeeded in bumping heads.
“Ouch. Good gosh, you’ve got a hard noggin.” Laura rubbed her forehead wincing at the sore spot.
“Let me have a look.” He promptly grabbed her face in his hands. “Whoa. Are you going to look a sight tomorrow,” he whistled.
Laura jerked her head away from Chase’s hand. Her body responded, recognizing the trigger that caused a physical reaction that had nothing to do with extreme temperatures. A warm flush blossomed from her cheeks, where his hands only a few seconds ago pressed against her face, and now ran through her body.
“You know, you don’t have to be afraid of me.” Chase looked perplexed.
“I know. I’m not.”
“Could have fooled me.” Chase drained his glass and set it down with a firm tap.
“Look, Chase, I don’t understand why we’re suddenly in each other’s space. You’ve moved on and so have I.” At least she was trying to move on and not think about him. Now that she worked in the same building and for him, her emotional separation threatened to evaporate.
“Hey, you two,” Kasey shouted across the table. “Looking awfully serious.” She and few others shared a laugh at their expense.
“Laura is an old friend from my hometown in Maryland,” Chase explained.
Laura saw the sudden gleam in Kasey’s eyes as she glanced at him and then at her. To her horror, Kasey picked up her drink and practically ran over to them.
“Laura, some friend you are.” Kasey playfully punched Laura in the arm. “How could you keep this from me? To the famous Chase Westfield and Laura Masterson.” She grinned, her face looked as if she would burst before she had the first opportunity to tell the news.
“It was a long time ago.” Laura didn’t bother to look at Chase, not caring what his version would be.
“Looks like there may be some spark left.” Kasey signaled the waiter over and ordered another round. “Get this one a chardonnay, instead of a cola.”
Laura shook her head. “Cola, please.” She had a feeling that she’d be driving Kasey home. Now that her friend was getting comfortable, they probably weren’t going to the club. This change in plans suited her. As a matter of fact, she’d rather leave now to head home.
None of them spoke. Music blared. People poured in. The bar had gotten lively. And then the karaoke singing began. Laura seized the noisy distraction to grab her soda and head for an empty seat near the stage.
Soon she was laughing as a young man attempted to sing an Earth, Wind and Fire song. His attempt at the falsetto had her doubled over with tears rolling down her cheeks. Only after he’d left did she notice Kasey sitting next to her. She didn’t want to look for Chase, but did wonder where he’d disappeared to.
“I can see why you jumped on that.” Kasey slurped her drink. Laura knew it had to be at least the fourth or even fifth drink.
“Jumped on what?” Laura shot back, as if she didn’t know.
“I’d heard he wasn’t bad to look at, but up close, he’s good gosh almighty—darned beautiful.” Kasey laughed at her own comments.
Laura shrugged, knowing that her friend would be like a dog with a juicy bone.
Another wannabe-singer walked on to the stage and decided on a Mariah Carey song. During her butchering of a perfectly fine song, the crowd who had gotten into the swing showed no mercy. By the time the poor woman had ended, the crowd had split between full laughter and boos. Laura could never boo anyone, so she opted for the side-splitting laughter. She’d feel guilty later.
“Speak of the devil.” Kasey nudged her.
“What?” Laura looked over at Kasey, then followed her gaze. Chase stood on the stage.
What the heck was he doing up there? Chase may have been a spokesman for various products and used to cameras and fans, but voluntarily having the spotlight was so not him.
“Didn’t know he could sing. My, but this is a night filled with discoveries.” Kasey slurped her drink.
“For me, too,” Laura muttered under her breath. She settled back in the chair. There would be no laughing and certainly no booing. Chase had a voice that could’ve landed him a record contract if that was his passion. She glanced around for the waiter, deciding that she might need something stronger, after all.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Chase began. “I’d like throw a little old-school out at you.”
A roar went up from the crowd. Great. He won them over with no problem. When did he become such a ham? Back in the day, he only sang in church and once at his mother’s birthday.
“But first, I need my partner in crime with me. We never actually sang this, but we did roller skate to it when we were kids.”
Laura stared. Then set her glass down to flee. She couldn’t believe that Chase had the nerve to spread this insanity to her. Well, she wasn’t playing.
“Folks, I think my other half is leaving. Don’t you want to hear that classic hit, Reunited, by Peaches and Herb? Come on folks, let Laura know that you care.”
Laura heard her name being thrown back at her like an annoying echo. Someone reached for her elbow, yanking her back so that she lost her footing.
“Get your hands off me.” Laura glared at the man who had too much to drink. She pushed away from him, as he hooted and hollered with his friends. She turned to look at Chase who still called her up to the stage to join him.
Anger propelled her forward. She’d had enough. With or without Kasey, she was leaving. But before she left, she planned to tell Chase and his alter ego just what she thought of his school boy antics.