CHAPTER FIVE
Ben wasn’t sure what had possessed him to ask Amelia out for coffee. It wasn’t until she’d turned him down that he realized that perhaps they had very different views on what had transpired following their breakup.
He’d assumed that when she said that he—that their relationship—was a distraction, that she’d meant she wanted him out of her life. He’d assumed that keeping in contact with her would still be a distraction.
And he hadn’t wanted to be the reason she might not be able to devote the time and energy necessary for reaching her goals. So, he’d walked away.
Physically, it had been easy enough. His life had already shifted to New York. When he’d first left for college, he’d assumed his departure would be a temporary one. But once Amelia had broken up with him, he’d found it easy to stay away from the estate and from Serenity.
Emotionally, it had been harder. However, not seeing her on a regular basis had helped him to eventually put their breakup behind him.
They’d once been friends, and now that they were years past the breakup, he had thought they could perhaps rekindle that friendship.
Clearly, he’d been wrong.
"Amelia," he said, keeping his voice gentle. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. That wasn't my intention."
She fidgeted with the few remaining snack packs on the table, her fingers smoothing over the wrappers. "It's fine. I just… I have a lot going on right now."
Ben nodded, trying to read her expression. The wariness in her eyes made his chest tighten. He'd clearly misread the situation, thinking they could slip back into some version of their old rapport. But the Amelia standing before him wasn't the same Amelia he’d befriended, then fallen in love with.
"I understand," Ben said, trying to keep his voice casual. "It was just a thought."
A whistle pierced the air, and they both looked toward the gym. The teens who had remained in the hallway tossed their garbage, then made their way back into the gym.
“Guess I’d better get back.” Ben gave her another smile, hoping to put her at ease. “See you later.”
He walked back into the gym, wanting to put the awkward moment behind him.
As it turned out, that was easier said than done. The next day, Amelia’s reserve around him was definitely higher than it had been the day before.
The morning clinic went fairly smoothly, with the kids showing the same enthusiasm they had the day before. Ben threw himself into the activities, grateful for the distraction. Working with the kids gave him purpose, something to focus on besides the situation with Amelia.
During the lunch break, he and Luca sat with Cole and the other men, listening to their stories and laughing at their jokes.
However, his mind kept wandering back to Amelia, and he found himself wondering about her life now.
What she did outside of working at the church, who her friends were, whether she'd found any new passions after skating had been taken from her. Whether she had a boyfriend.
"You're awfully quiet today," Cole commented as they finished the cookies they’d been given for dessert. "Everything okay?"
"Just tired," Ben replied, forcing a smile. "Those kids have more energy than I remember having."
Cole laughed. "Wait until you have your own kids someday. They never stop."
Ben nodded, though the thought of having children of his own was distant. Children had never really been part of his immediate future.
Back in high school, when he and Amelia had been dating, he hadn’t thought much about kids. He’d known that Amelia’s focus was on her skating, and that until she reached her goals, she wouldn’t be interested in getting married or being pregnant.
Then they broke up, and his focus had shifted from their relationship to college and then his career. There had been no one else since then that he’d dated seriously enough to marry, let alone have kids with.
After their lunch, they made their way back to the gym. Amelia was now behind the table, preparing for her afternoon shift.
When their eyes met briefly, he could see the wariness there, and it bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He'd never wanted to make her uncomfortable.
Maybe he needed to back off and rethink his approach. Or if he should have an approach at all.
For the remainder of the week, he greeted Amelia with a smile each time he saw her, and he always asked how she was. As expected, each time she replied that she was fine.
“Are you attending the barbecue at Cole’s tonight?” he asked her on the Friday at the end of the clinic.
“I’m not sure.” Amelia closed the lid of her laptop. “Maybe.”
Cole had arranged the barbecue for the adults who had been part of the clinic that week, which included Amelia and Miss Marian, though Miss Marian had already told him she couldn’t attend because she had a date with her husband.
“Can I help you clean up anything here?”
“I don’t think so,” Amelia said as she gathered up her laptop and a stack of papers. “Since school is out, and there’s another clinic starting next week, we’ll just leave the table and chair here.”
Cole came over to where Amelia and Ben were standing, looking between them with a smile. “So, are you coming to the barbecue, Amelia?”
Amelia hesitated, glancing briefly at Ben before focusing on Cole. "I'm not sure."
"Come on," Cole urged with a warm smile. "It'll be fun. Annie and the kids have been asking if you're coming."
Ben watched the conflict play across Amelia’s face. She wrapped her arms around her laptop, clutching it to her chest.
"I suppose I could stop by for a little while," she finally conceded.
"Great!" Cole clapped his hands together.
“Can I bring anything?” she asked.
“Just yourself. Annie’s got everything else sorted out. We’ll see you there around six.”
Cole moved off to talk to a couple of the other men who had helped with the clinic. Luca was waiting nearby, looking down at his phone, though Ben had no doubt that he was paying attention to everything.
Amelia glanced at Ben. "I guess I’ll see you there.”
As she walked away, Ben fought the urge to follow her, to try once more to break through the wall she'd built between them. Instead, he turned to Luca.
"Looks like we've got a barbecue tonight," he said.
Luca nodded, pocketing his phone. "Should be fun. Will other members of your family be there?"
"I don’t know." Ben ran a hand through his hair. "I think this is just for the people who’ve been part of the clinic this week.”
They headed out of the building and made their way to the vehicle they were driving that day.
It didn’t take long to get back to the estate, and with a couple of hours still to kill, Ben went up to his room to shower and change.
Shortly before six, he met up with Luca, and the two of them drove to Annie and Cole’s place, which was a large spread not far from the estate.
Though Annie and Cole didn’t live on the estate like the rest of Ben’s family, it didn’t mean they didn’t have a strong security presence. Cole had made a deal with Ben’s dad when he’d told him that he wanted to date Annie, that he’d always provide security for her.
After being waved through the main gate, Ben drove the SUV around to the large parking area they had. There were several cars already there, but he had no way of knowing if one of them belonged to Amelia.
Ben stepped out of the SUV and took a deep breath. The smell of grilling meat filled the air, making his stomach rumble in appreciation. He could hear laughter and conversation drifting from the backyard, along with the squeals of children playing.
His sister, Annie, had never been a fan of the modern design, so the home they’d built had the look of a large log cabin.
The natural stone exterior was accented with large timbers, and the wraparound porch gave it a homey feel despite its size.
The warm yellow lights of the house glowed invitingly against the evening sky.
Though it was still light out, the sun had begun its descent, casting long shadows across the manicured lawn.
Ben loved the aesthetics of the place. It felt warm and welcoming, just like his sister and Cole were.
He and Luca made their way to the back of the house, where the sounds of conversation and laughter floated through the air.
The backyard had been transformed with string lights hanging overhead, creating a warm glow as the evening approached.
There were several tables set up with chairs around them as well as a picnic table, and near the back door was a large grill manned by Cole, who waved when he spotted them.
"Ben! You made it!" Annie called, coming toward them with an empty tray in her hands. Her smile was warm as she approached, shifting the tray to give him a one-armed hug. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd gotten lost. I thought for sure you’d be here earlier."
"Just took my time getting ready," Ben replied, returning his sister's hug. "Need any help?"
"I've got it covered, but thanks. Help yourself to a drink. We've got a cooler by the tables." She nodded toward a large blue cooler before heading back toward the house.
Ben scanned the crowd, looking for Amelia. Several people from the clinic were already there, chatting in small groups, but he didn't see Amelia among them.
"Looking for someone?" Luca asked, his voice low.
"Just seeing who's here," Ben replied, trying to sound casual. He wasn't sure why he felt so invested in whether Amelia showed up or not. She'd made it clear that she wasn't interested in rekindling their friendship.
They made their way to the cooler, where Ben grabbed a bottle of water. Luca did the same, then they made their way over to where Cole stood at the grill.
“Hey, Uncle Ben!”
Several kids ran up to him, all wanting hugs. “Are your parents here, Dani?”
The girl shook her head. “Not yet. They’ll be here later, I think. We were here all day with Aunt Annie.”
“Is Annie the babysitter these days?” Ben asked Cole as the kids ran away after getting their hugs from him.