CHAPTER EIGHT #2
Ben and Luca appeared and picked up a couple of bottles of electrolyte water on the table. Ben came around the table, then slid down the wall to sit on the floor beside Amelia’s chair. Luca moved across the hall and settled on a bench beneath the wide window.
“How’s the clinic going?” Amelia asked, feeling like she couldn’t just ignore him.
“Great.” Ben grinned. “Somehow it’s making me feel both young and old at the same time.”
“Really?”
Ben nodded. “I’m reminded of being their age, but my body reminds me that I’m definitely not.”
“Why didn’t you go on to play pro ball?”
Ben uncapped the bottle he held and took a drink, then tipped his head back against the wall.
“It wasn’t just one reason,” he said. “Once I got to college, I realized that I might not be good enough to go pro. But honestly, that wasn’t the main reason.”
Amelia stayed quiet, waiting to see if he would go on.
“I probably could have worked hard enough to make it because while I wasn’t the best, I was still better than a lot of my college team.
And who I was might have helped.” Ben picked at the label on his bottle.
“But I saw other college players who needed the opportunity more than I did. I saw guys who were working super hard, hoping for the opportunity to play professionally. Hoping for the chance to help their families.”
“You gave up your dream so you wouldn’t take away someone else’s opportunity?”
Ben shrugged. “I guess so, but I don’t regret it. I’ve still played basketball over the years, but it’s just been for fun.”
“Or to help teens at a clinic?”
Ben tilted his head toward her and grinned. “Yes. Or that.”
His revelation was surprising and yet… not. He’d never taken his wealth for granted, nor had he forgotten that not everyone came from the privilege he did.
“I appreciate Cole giving me the opportunity to help him with the clinics.”
“I’m sure he appreciates your help.”
They’d both ended up with lives that hadn’t followed the paths they’d originally thought they’d be on. When they’d talked about the future… their future… they’d planned to get engaged following her winning the Olympic gold. It had been such a certainty in her young mind at the time.
Benji had said he didn’t mind waiting for that to happen. Even if he were still playing professionally, he’d said they could get married once she’d won the gold and retired.
Her plan had always been to go into coaching with Lexi once she’d retired from skating, which would have worked well with marriage and motherhood.
It was her own fault that the relationship hadn’t worked out, but she’d had no control over the forced retirement.
Her thoughts circled back around to the verse her dad had shared with her when she’d questioned why her life was suddenly going off the rails. At the time, she hadn’t wanted to hear it, but she’d never truly forgotten the verse, and now it seemed that it applied to Ben’s life too.
It was a verse in Proverbs that talked about how a man could plan his life, but God would direct his path.
She would be the first to admit that she and Benji hadn’t spent much time praying about the future they were planning together. It had seemed a natural progression from where they’d been at that point in their lives.
And yet, relationship aside, neither of them had ended up with the plan they’d each had for themselves.
A loud whistle had Ben groaning as he got back to his feet. He drained the water bottle, then dropped it into the nearby recycle bin.
“Back to work,” Ben said with a grin and a wink, then turned to follow the teens back into the gym.
She watched him until he disappeared from view, then shifted her gaze to the large window across from her.
Did it surprise her that Ben had decided not to aggressively pursue having a career in pro ball? Not really.
Even as a teen, Benji had always been thoughtful and generous. She’d known he was wealthy, though she didn’t realize how wealthy until they’d been dating for over a year.
But even before that, Benji had always been friendly and generous with those around him. He hadn’t been friends with just the kids who were popular and rich. He’d been kind to everyone.
But what had struck her the most was that even though he was kind to everyone, he was especially kind to her. She’d never doubted that he loved her, because he never gave her reason to.
And yet, he’d walked away from her without a backward glance when she’d broken up with him.
A pang of pain pierced her heart, and Amelia took a deep breath to ease the tightness in her chest.
It was useless to try to dissect what had happened all those years ago. Everything was irrelevant to where they were now.
She’d made her decisions… her choices… and dealt with the consequences already. Now she just needed to keep focused forward. One step at a time.
Some days it felt like it was one step forward and two steps back, but she had to keep moving. Though she’d had days when she wanted to give up, she hadn’t. Not yet.
Glancing toward the gym door, Amelia caught a glimpse of Ben, and she knew that while he was around, she had to keep going. To show that she wasn’t defeated by her health issues.
She didn’t want him to think she was a failure, even though she’d never attained her goals.
It shouldn’t matter what he thought, or how he perceived her, but for some reason it did.
When the clinic ended for the day, Cole had all the men gather for a recap of the afternoon, and then they prayed together before leaving.
Amelia could have left as soon as the kids did, returning to her office to finish off her day. The clinic had ended at four, but her workday usually went until five.
For some reason, however, she lingered, taking her time to finish up the work she was doing.
When the men eventually left the gym, Ben came out with Luca by his side, smiling when he saw her. Rather than head straight for the exit with the others, he came over to the table.
“Are you finished with your day?” Ben asked as he watched her close the lid on the laptop.
“Not just yet.” She leaned over and unplugged the cord. “I work until five.”
Ben paused for a moment, glancing over at Luca. “Any chance you might want to grab some dinner with me?”
The invitation surprised Amelia. Was this a… date?
“Why?”
Ben smiled, appearing to not be surprised by her question. “I just thought we could catch up. Talk a bit more. I’d like to know what’s been going on with you.”
She wanted him to clarify if the meal was a date, but she also didn’t want to.
“You have to eat, right?” he said. “And I have to eat. Let’s eat together. Just friends, having dinner.”
Just friends. That answered her question but also brought with it a disappointment that she didn’t want to think too deeply about.
Still, even though she knew she really should avoid being around him, Amelia nodded. “Okay.”
When Ben grinned, her heart skipped a beat. “Great! Is it okay to just leave your car here? I’ll bring you back after we’ve eaten.”
“That’s fine.”
“Perfect. We’ll be back in a little bit.”
As they walked away, Amelia picked up the laptop and cord and clutched them to her chest. Cole had already picked up the file, so there was nothing more for her to do but return to the office and wait for five o’clock.