CHAPTER EIGHT
Monday morning got off to a slow start for Amelia. She’d spent the previous afternoon at her parents’ house, hanging out with them, and Layla and her kids.
Being around her immediate family was the one time she felt like she could just be herself. For the most part, they accepted the bad days without demanding detailed explanations.
It had taken a little while to get to that point, though. When she’d first started struggling with her health, her symptoms had been erratic. Exhaustion. Nerve pain. Joint pain. Muscle pain. Sometimes the pain had just been… there, and she hadn’t known how to explain it. Everything had just hurt.
Her symptoms still varied from day to day, but her family no longer tried to pin them down the way they had at first.
And maybe she wasn’t always completely honest with them about how she was feeling. Truth be told, there were times when she was sick to death of talking about her health. It now dominated her life in the way her skating once had.
She was sure that Ben was curious about her health. But anyone he would have asked about it wouldn’t have had the details he probably wanted. He hadn’t asked her directly yet, but she had a feeling that question was coming.
Would she tell him? She wasn’t sure yet.
As it was, she was struggling with his reappearance in her life. It was a reminder of a time in her life that she’d tried hard to put behind her.
After getting up, she had a cup of coffee and some eggs, and a piece of sourdough bread. Layla had hopped on the sourdough bread baking trend and gave Amelia a couple of loaves a week.
After a bit of consideration, she ended up picking out a pair of denim capris, which she paired with a black tank top.
Over that she wore a cream-colored knitted top with sleeves that came to her elbows.
It had a loose weave to it, so the tank top was visible beneath it.
To finish it off, she added a narrow belt that sat low on her hips.
It had taken some time to get used to dressing the new shape her body had taken on. She’d never really been into fashion. Or at least not everyday fashion.
While skating, her life had been a bit of a fashion dichotomy.
When training and off the ice, she’d lived in the most comfortable clothes she had, which were mostly leggings and sweatshirts.
For competitions, however, her outfits had been elegant, flowing, and sparkly.
That on-ice elegance had never transferred over to her life off-ice, however.
Once she’d gotten a job at the church, she’d had to find clothes that were appropriate for an office setting, which hadn’t been very fun. She’d often been at the mercy of what she could find on sale or at the thrift store.
Now, she’d finally built up enough pieces in her wardrobe that she wasn’t wearing the same things over and over.
She spent the morning doing a few things around the apartment, then right before leaving for the church, she ate a quick lunch. The clinic that week was just for the older kids, so it was only running in the afternoons.
When she pulled up to the church around twelve-thirty, there were several cars in the parking lot, which meant it was likely that Ben was already there.
Amelia sat in her car for a couple of minutes, preparing for what was to come. She wanted to avoid Ben. She wanted to not see or talk to him. That would be for the best in order for her to protect her heart.
But there was no way to do that and still do her job.
With a sigh, Amelia got out of her car. She looped the strap of her purse over her shoulder, then slid her phone into her back pocket.
When she got to the office, she found Marian still there. After greeting her, Amelia put her purse into a drawer in the desk, then locked it.
“I hope the afternoon goes well,” Marian said as she gathered up her things. “It was quiet this morning. Though that’s not too surprising since it’s summer.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.” Amelia picked up the laptop and the notebook she used for notes as she worked. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She made her way through the quiet halls of the church and the school until she reached the table outside the gym. There was a folder already on the table. The cooler of drinks was there too, along with a box that she knew held the snack packs for the break later.
“Hey, Amelia.”
She looked up, her stomach fluttering at the sight of Ben. He wore a loose tank top and a pair of long basketball shorts. The lanyard with his name on it hung around his neck.
His tan and highlighted blond curls made him look like a California surfer boy. But she knew he was so much more than his good looks. He was a genuinely good person.
She set the laptop on the table, curling the cord on top of it. “Hey.”
“Ready for another exciting clinic?”
“Not so exciting for me, but I’m sure the kids are very excited about it.”
“Does it bore you?” Ben asked. “Sitting here?”
“Not at all.” Amelia touched the laptop. “I’m able to do my regular work here, so I’m not bored.”
“It’s not too noisy?”
Amelia couldn’t help but give a soft chuckle. “Noise has never interfered with my focus.”
Ben paused for a moment, then grinned. “No, I suppose not.”
It had never been outward things that had interfered with her focus. The only times her focus had been fractured had been when she’d been experiencing internal turmoil.
Like when she and Ben had broken up.
Thankfully, her long program that year had been skated to Broken Vow by Lara Fabian, which had been about a couple who’d gone their separate ways. It had been the perfect song for her because she’d been able to pour all her emotions into the skate.
It had been somewhat therapeutic to skate to it at each competition, and it had been very popular with the fans.
“Did you enjoy your weekend?”
“Sure. It was quiet, which is what I like.”
“Hey you two.” Cole joined them, clapping Ben on the shoulder. “Ready for another clinic?”
“Yep,” Ben said.
Cole picked up the folder and flipped it open. “These are all the teens participating today. The nametags are all ready to go.”
Amelia took the file when he held it out. “Thanks.”
The kids began to arrive, but Ben didn’t go into the gym right away. He lingered at the table, chatting with a few of the teens as they arrived, asking about their weekends. His easy way with them made Amelia both envious and nostalgic. She'd once been comfortable around him like that too.
"I should probably head in," Ben said finally, glancing at his watch. "Cole will be looking for me."
"Probably," Amelia agreed, settling into her chair and opening the laptop.
Ben hesitated, as if he wanted to say something more, but then simply nodded and headed into the gym.
Amelia let out a breath when he disappeared into the gym. Though she tried to mentally prepare herself for seeing him again, the reality was still challenging.
He was just as charming and handsome as ever, and the familiarity of his smile still stirred something inside her that she'd tried hard to bury.
Amelia forced her attention to the laptop, opening her email and diving into her work.
The church bulletin wouldn't create itself, and she had several announcements to incorporate from various ministry leaders.
Most of the programs were on hiatus for the summer, but there were still a few that ran year-round.
Work had become her refuge—a place where she could focus on something other than her health or her lost dreams. And she was thankful the church had given her the position when Miss Marian had decided to go part-time.
It definitely wasn’t anything she’d ever dreamed of doing, but it was steady and not too demanding. And now that she’d learned the ins and outs of the job, she felt more confident doing it.
The sounds of basketballs dribbling and sneakers squeaking against the gym floor created a rhythmic background noise as Amelia worked.
Occasionally, she'd hear Cole's voice calling out instructions or Ben encouraging someone.
Once in a while, she glanced toward the open gym doors, catching glimpses of the teens running drills.
During one such glance, she saw Ben demonstrating a play with one of the other men, his body moving with athletic grace.
The memory of how they'd occasionally shot hoops at the park near her house flashed through her mind. He'd always been patient with her, never making her feel inadequate, even though basketball really wasn’t her thing.
Then there had been the times when he’d joined her on the ice. Though skating was technically her job, she’d never tired of it.
And while sometimes being on the ice could be painful and even stressful, when she’d skated with Ben, it had been only fun and happiness. Hand in hand, they’d circle the ice, music blaring from the speakers in the arena at the resort.
Just like he’d always been the better basketball player, she’d been the better skater. But in those moments, it hadn’t mattered who was better. It had only mattered that they were spending time together.
The memories were bittersweet. Moments of connection and happiness that belonged to a different time, a different version of herself. Amelia pushed them away, refocusing on the church bulletin layout on her screen.
The basketball clinic continued for another hour before Cole blew his whistle for a break. Soon, the teens filed out of the gym, their faces flushed and shirts damp with sweat. They lined up at the table where Amelia had set out the drinks and snacks.
"Help yourselves," she said as the teens approached the table.
They were all polite to her, though as they moved away from the table, there was plenty of joking and teasing. There were a couple of girls who seemed to fit in with the boys just fine.
Amelia did notice that Jessi, the teen girl who’d arrived late at the start of the previous clinic, wasn’t present. And she wasn’t the only one not there at the clinic that week. There were also several new faces, kids who hadn’t been there the previous week.