CHAPTER FOUR
Amelia watched as Benji… Ben… followed Cole into the gym, the same tall, muscled man at his side she’d seen the previous day.
She was sure it was his bodyguard, since she knew he’d ended up with a new one after the one he’d had in high school had made the decision to stay at the Idaho estate instead of going with Benji to New York.
Though Amelia had known she’d be seeing Ben that day, nothing could have prepared her to hear him say her name. And then to look into his familiar blue eyes and see his smile.
But there were still some changes since she’d last seen him. He’d been a lanky teen with broad shoulders, and while he was still tall, he’d filled out more, and the muscles of his arms and shoulders had definitely become more defined.
Unlike his older brother, Julian, Ben’s hair wasn’t really styled. His light brown curls were still a bit disheveled and had blonde highlights, just like in his teenage years. She knew from the past that those highlights were a result of him spending time in the sun.
When he disappeared from sight, Amelia blew out a breath and slumped back in the chair. Her stomach was in knots, and she wished that she had begged off from working at the table. The only reason she hadn’t was that she’d known it would just put off the inevitable.
Ready for a reprieve from her thoughts and emotions, she was relieved to see a group of teens approaching the table.
All the kids’ parents had previously registered them and signed the papers that allowed their child to participate. It was Amelia’s job to check each participant in and give them a nametag to wear.
The teens were respectful, waiting their turn at the table before heading into the gym. However, there was no denying their excitement.
The nametags gradually dwindled down until there was just one left. It appeared the teen was going to be a no-show as the clock clicked past one, the start time for the afternoon clinic.
When Amelia heard a whistle blow, she got up from the table and walked to the open gym door to watch. She stood to the side of the doorway, which gave her a view of the group, while also staying somewhat hidden. She crossed her arms, her hands tucked tightly against her sides as she watched.
Cole had the group of teens gathered in front of him, and on either side of him stood the men who had come to help him with the clinic. After opening with a word of prayer, Cole began to lead the teens through a series of exercises.
Amelia felt a pang of envy as she watched them. There had been a time not that long ago when she’d been able to move as effortlessly and energetically as the people in the group.
Now it was a struggle to even climb a flight of stairs without having to pause halfway. It wasn't just the physical ability she missed. It was the certainty that had come with it. The knowledge that her body would do what she asked of it.
Amelia watched Ben follow Cole as he called out instructions for their warmup, his movements smooth and coordinated. Even though Ben had complained about being too old to keep up with the kids, he moved with an athletic grace that made her heart ache.
“Excuse me.”
The soft voice had Amelia turning away from the gym. A teenage girl stood a short distance away, her body tall and thin. She clasped her hands tightly together.
"Am I too late?" she asked, worry on her face. "My mom had to work, and I had to wait for my brother to give me a ride.”
“It’s fine, hon. Just come over to the table here.” The girl followed her, then nodded when Amelia said, “Is your name Jessi?”
“Yes.”
“Here you go.” Amelia handed her a name tag. “Just stick that on your shirt.”
The teen peeled off the backing, then smoothed it onto her shirt. She glanced towards the gym, wariness on her face.
“Should I just walk in?”
Amelia could see that the idea made the girl nervous. “Do you want me to come with you?”
She hoped that Jessi would decline her offer. At one point in her life, she’d had no trouble having attention focused on herself. On the largest sports stage in the world, she’d skated out alone to perform in front of thousands.
Now, she avoided attention, if at all possible.
However, it didn’t look like she was going to be able to avoid it right then. Amelia could see the girl’s reluctance to walk in late, and she felt for her.
Giving Jessi a smile, she said, “Let’s go.”
Jessi walked just behind Amelia as they headed into the gym. Amelia kept her gaze on Cole as they crossed to where he stood in front of the group.
“Cole, excuse me.” Amelia reached out to touch his back. He was her uncle through her dad’s marriage to Charlotte, Cole’s older sister, but she’d never called him that.
Turning, he gave her a smile. “What’s up?”
“Jessi is here for the clinic. Her ride was just a bit late getting her here.”
Cole shifted his attention to Jessi. with a warm smile. “Welcome. I’m glad you made it. Why don’t you line up there? We’re just doing some warmup exercises, so you haven’t missed much.”
When Jessi headed to where Cole had pointed, Amelia glanced over the group, and her gaze caught Ben’s. He gave her a quick smile before returning his attention to Cole.
Amelia kept her steps measured as she left the gym, even though she wanted to hurry. She didn’t want it to look like she was running away.
Back at the table, she sat down with a sigh. Though she’d taken painkillers before leaving her apartment earlier, her muscles and joints were still aching dully. The meds never really helped with the pain, but she continued to take them, hoping that one day they might.
She rubbed her thighs for a moment, then turned her attention to the work that she’d brought with her from the office. The church’s landline had been forwarded to her cell phone, and she had the laptop from the office as well, so she could do some work while she manned the table.
There was a cooler next to the table with water and sports drinks, and there was a box of snacks for the teens and coaches as well.
After making sure the laptop was plugged in, Amelia opened it and scooted her chair closer to the table. She and Miss Marian shared the job of church secretary, with the older woman working the mornings and Amelia the afternoons.
It worked out well, since mornings were never a great time for Amelia, and Miss Marian helped watch her grandchildren in the afternoon. Amelia had ended up taking on most of the technical stuff since the older woman claimed to be allergic to technology.
Though it was only Monday, Amelia opened the file for the weekly bulletin.
She’d already received some emails from people with information they wanted included in the bulletin for the next Sunday and also in the information projected on the screens at the front of the sanctuary before and after the service.
The job certainly wasn’t what she’d envisioned for herself, but it fit her current life better than most other jobs that were available to someone with just a high school diploma.
In spite of the background noise of basketballs hitting the gym floor, the squeak of runners, and the sound of whistles, she managed to focus on her work. She was used to tuning out distractions, so it wasn’t too difficult.
“Hey, Amelia.”
She looked up to see Ben coming toward the table. Her heart skipped a beat, then began to race.
As she dealt with her physical reaction to seeing him, Amelia realized that she needed to take some time to sort through how she felt about him.
“Cole’s taking a few minutes to speak with the kids,” Ben said. “He told me to come help you set up the drinks and snacks for the break. Are they here?”
“Yes.” She gestured to the cooler and box sitting on top of it. “They’re going to come out here to get them?”
“Yep,” Ben said as he rounded the table to where the cooler sat.
“Okay. Let me move this stuff.”
They ended up moving the laptop and her papers to another chair he found, then they unloaded the cooler, putting the drinks on the table and the snack packs in a pile next to them.
“Thanks for helping with this,” Amelia said.
"You're welcome," Ben said with an easy smile. "So, how have you been?"
The question, though casual, seemed loaded with so much more. He could see that she had changed, and she assumed that people had told him what they knew about her health issues. Still, she wasn’t going to give him a glimpse of her daily struggles.
Amelia focused on arranging the drinks in neat rows to avoid meeting his gaze.
"I've been fine," she said, her standard response to that question from anyone but those closest to her. "How about you? I hear you've been living in New York."
"Yeah, I've been there ever since college. I have an apartment in Manhattan."
Amelia wondered what his life was like there. It was no doubt very different from life in small-town Serenity Point.
When they’d been dating, they’d talked about the future and where they’d thought they’d end up. Back then, Ben hadn’t expressed any interest in leaving the area permanently. He’d figured he’d need to leave to go to college, but his plan had always been to return.
But then she’d pushed him away, and that had clearly changed his plans.
"So, you're working at the church now?" Ben asked as he removed the last of the drinks from the cooler.
"Yes. I've been here about a year and a half.” She sorted the snacks by type, trying to keep her eyes on the task at hand rather than on Ben’s face. Her heart fluttered in an annoying way each time she looked at him.
"It's not what I expected to do when I… retired from skating," she added, arranging the snack packs in a neat row. "But it works for me. Miss Marian and I split the hours, which works well for both of us."
"You know, I never expected to end up in New York permanently either," Ben said, leaning against the table. "But somehow life takes these unexpected turns."