CHAPTER SEVEN
Ben handed Amelia’s phone back to her, waiting for her to look down at it.
Her head popped back up, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Ben the Man?”
“Yep,” he said.
“As opposed to what?”
“Well, in case you still have me in your phone from years ago, I wanted to make sure you knew this was Ben the man as opposed to Benji the teen.”
“You’re not in my phone anymore,” she said. “And when you were, you were Benji, so there would be no chance of me mixing you up.”
“Well, if you decide you want me to have your number, just send me a text.”
He was trying his best not to steamroll her into anything, but it was hard. When they’d been friends—and later, in their relationship—he’d often coaxed her into doing things.
However, he’d never tried to get her to do anything she really hadn’t wanted to. Nor had he pressured her to be physically intimate. That went against everything he’d been taught, both by his father and the Bible.
There had been times, however, when she’d been reluctant or apprehensive about going places or hanging out with people, so he’d tried to encourage her to go with him just to give her a bit of a break from her training. And he’d always done it with Lexi’s approval.
Even though Amelia might have seen him as a distraction, all he’d ever wanted was for her to succeed and to achieve her dreams. Which was why, when she made it clear that she felt his presence took her focus away from that, he’d taken his broken heart and stepped away.
Now, more than ever, it seemed that she needed encouragement to spend time out and about with people. But it was more than that. From things Annie had said, Amelia needed to find her zest for life again.
He understood that her health held her back, but it was hard to see the spark she’d once exhibited now being absent.
“Are you going to come on the boat tomorrow, Amelia?” Annie asked as she sat down beside Ben, slipping her hand through his arm.
Amelia set her phone face down on the table, then crossed her arms. “I don’t know yet. Maybe.”
“Please come, hon,” she said. “It’s going to be a beautiful day. You don’t have to do a thing. Just show up and enjoy.”
Amelia’s beautiful face was expressionless, and Ben had no idea what she was thinking. Back in the day, she’d never hidden how she was feeling when she was around him, though she’d definitely done it around other people.
“I’ll think about it.”
“We’ve told people to be at the marina by one if they want to go out on the boat with us.”
“Who all is going?” Amelia asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” Annie said. “We’ve invited a bunch of people. The boat is big enough for a crowd.”
“It’s huge,” Ben agreed. “I guess you decided to go for the biggest boat available, huh?”
“Cole wanted the largest one we could use at the marina. Since he comes from a big family, he never wanted to run out of room for whoever wants to come.”
“Have you ever had all the family on the boat?” Ben asked.
“Not yet. It seems not everyone is a fan of being on the water.”
There was a bit of commotion as the kids let out whoops and ran towards their parents, who had just arrived to pick them up.
Annie got up as well and went to greet them. Ben stayed at the table with Amelia, sensing that she was getting ready to leave.
Angie and Kiara came over to the table while Julian and Jude made their way to where Cole stood.
The women greeted Amelia with smiles as they sat down at the table with her and Ben.
“Thanks for keeping the kids today, Annie,” Angie said. “Even with the barbecue tonight.”
“You know I didn’t do it all on my own. Mrs. Stevens and one of her daughters came to give me a hand. I know my limits.”
They chatted for a bit about how the week had gone at the basketball clinic. Ben could see that Amelia was preparing to leave, so it was no surprise to him when she said, “I think I need to head home. It’s been a long week.”
“Thanks so much for coming tonight,” Annie said, reaching across the table to touch Amelia’s arm. “It’s been great visiting with you.”
“It was nice,” Amelia said with a small smile, and Ben was pretty sure she actually meant it.
When she got up to leave, Ben stood up as well. She gave him a questioning look but didn’t say anything when he fell into step beside her as she headed for the front of the house.
As they approached her car, Ben gave it a critical look.
It looked sturdy enough, but it definitely showed signs of age.
He almost said something about it, but he bit his tongue instead.
He had to remind himself that she wasn’t in the same financial position as he was.
And if this was the best she could afford, who was he to make any sort of comment on it?
Plus, her dad was a mechanic, and Ben was pretty sure that he wouldn’t let her drive anything that wasn’t trustworthy.
“Thanks for coming tonight,” Ben said. “I know you weren’t too keen on it.”
“True.” She gave a small shrug. “But I’m glad I came.”
“Good. I hope you’ll be able to come tomorrow.”
“I’ll try.”
She opened the car door, then slid behind the wheel. Ben moved to stand beside the open door, watching as she buckled her seatbelt.
When she reached for the door, she looked up at him, her eyes wide. “Bye.”
“See you later,” Ben said, sliding his hands into his pockets.
He got another quick smile from her, then she pulled the door closed. Soon she was heading down the driveway to the front gate of the property.
Long after Amelia's taillights had vanished down the driveway, Ben remained rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the empty road. He was struggling to know how to deal with her.
Deep inside him was the boy who’d fallen in love with her. The boy who had cared so much about her that he’d done as she’d asked when he’d walked away.
And now that he was back in her life, the urge to help her was strong.
But he was hesitant to push her too hard. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He really didn’t want her to pull further away than she already had.
Ben turned and walked back toward the gathering, the sound of laughter and conversation drifting through the air. Luca was sitting at a table with Cole, Julian, and Jude, nodding at something Jude was saying.
Though Luca was technically an employee, all of their long-term personal bodyguards were more like family members, thanks to all the time they spent together.
As Ben approached, Cole glanced up. “Did Amelia leave already?"
"Yeah." Ben slid into an empty seat. "She seemed pretty tired."
Cole took a sip of his drink. "She doesn't get out much these days. Annie rarely sees her anymore outside of church."
"I invited her to go on the boat tomorrow,” Ben said. “I figured that was okay.”
“It’s fine,” Cole assured him. “But don’t be too surprised if she doesn’t show.”
"I hope she does," Ben said. "I think it would be good for her."
"I agree," Cole said. "But Amelia's been through a lot. We try not to push her too hard."
Ben nodded, understanding Cole's perspective. Still, there was something about Amelia's isolation that bothered him.
The woman he remembered had been driven and focused, and yes, she’d been reserved around people. However, she'd never been withdrawn like this.
Whatever her health issues were, they seemed to have affected more than just her physical capabilities.
"Do you know much about what she's dealing with?" Ben asked, keeping his voice low. Annie and Lexi had shared a bit with him the previous week, but he wondered if perhaps Amelia’s mom, Charli, had shared anything more with Cole since he was her brother.
Cole shook his head. “I think the only people who know the details of her health issues are Charli, Blake, and Layla. And obviously her medical team, which may or may not include Gareth and Misha. Annie thinks it’s an auto-immune disease, but we don’t know for sure or which one it is, if that is what she has. ”
It didn’t surprise Ben that she kept her health issues fairly private.
“I wish she would be more open about it,” Julian said.
Ben looked at him in surprise. “You do?”
“Sure. Burke Pharmaceuticals and Burke NeuroTech are on the cutting edge of medical research. It’s possible we have something that could help her.”
Ben considered Julian’s words. It was true. Many of the most recent medical breakthroughs had come from their company. He didn’t know the details, however, as his job wasn’t tied to the medical divisions of the family company the way Julian’s was.
“Has someone from the family told her that this might be an option for her?” Ben asked. After all, they’d been around her for a couple of years, ever since she’d had to retire from skating.
“I don’t think so,” Julian said. “I haven’t, and from what Annie’s said, Amelia has shut down any conversation about her health.”
Maybe he needed to come right out and ask her about her health situation. Whether she’d share anything with him or not, only time would tell.
The next afternoon held the disappointment that everyone had warned Ben it might. One o’clock came and went with no sign of Amelia. Cole even waited until one-thirty before slowly guiding the boat away from the dock.
Though Ben enjoyed the time with his family and had fun with his nieces and nephews in the water, Amelia lingered at the back of his mind.
Standing at the back of the large pontoon boat, Ben gripped the smooth metal railing and stared out across the water. Memories drifted through his mind, taking him from the present to the past.
The warmth of the sun beat down on his bare shoulders, drying the droplets of water dancing on his skin, as it had on so many summer days in his teen years.
Laughter drifted in the distance, both past and present. Only, in the past, Amelia had been part of that laughter. Her eyes sparkling as a smile wreathed her face. Not just the whisper of a smile but a full-on smile.