CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Kaia
Alba was waiting for me outside the dance studio downtown, a gray knit beanie pulled over her hair, a matching scarf snug at her neck.
“Sorry I made you wait,” I said, buttoning my coat. The days were growing warmer, but Emerport’s humidity had a way of making the air feel colder than the thermometer claimed.
“It’s okay.” She slid her hands into the pockets of her parka. “It was only a few minutes. How was class?”
“Benji made me laugh with his Harlem Shake,” I said as we headed toward the marina. Asher lived nearby, and I planned to go to his place after the walk with Alba. “He was so clumsy and cute, but he’s doing great.”
“Those kids are lucky to have you,” Alba said. “You’re so patient.”
She’d come to class once and decided not everyone could teach kids, but in her words, I was made for it.
“They just need room to make mistakes and learn from them,” I said, flinching as an icy gust from the ocean stung my face. “It’s harder to learn through fear than encouragement. Ask me how I know.”
Alba looped her arm through mine. “Did you hear from him?”
Him meant my father. I swallowed and shook my head. “He must be busy with Sharon and the team.” Not that our interactions ever led anywhere good. Sad, yes, but it was the kind of sad I’d grown used to.
“When isn’t he busy?” Alba scoffed. “Texting takes a second.”
“He’s not going to change, Albita. I accepted that long ago.”
We reached the promenade overlooking the ocean.
The view reminded me of El Puerto and the beach Maricarmen had taken me to.
I snapped a photo of the high-rises and restaurants along the waterfront to send her later.
She and Dawson were coming when Asher raced in Emerport in April, and I never missed a chance to share something she’d like about the city.
“For Asher’s grandma?” Alba nodded at my phone.
“Yeah. She’s excited about the trip. Wants to see her grandson race.”
“How are you feeling? Must be hard, getting ready to be apart.”
I shrugged. “It is what it is. We’re not the only couple in this situation. Asher’s teammate has a wife and a kid—it must be even harder for him.”
Alba cleared her throat, glancing away. “I wanted to tell you something. Today isn’t the best day, but…”
A twinge of wariness slowed my steps. “What’s going on?”
“Let’s sit first.”
She led me to a stone bench facing the yachts. “My dad called. He got a job offer,” she said, lowering onto the seat beside me.
“Oh. Does he want to change teams?”
He’d been coaching in Emerport for four years—longer than most football coaches lasted. Moving every couple of years wasn’t unusual.
Alba twisted the end of her scarf. “It’s in Spain. Sport Union Madrid. His dream job. He might say no because I’m here, but I’m torn.”
Javi’s team. The best in Spain. I held my breath, waiting for what Alba would say next.
She looked skyward, chewing her lip. “I love it here. I like my college, and I have you. But he sacrificed so much for me. For years, he put me first. Now they’re offering him so much more than what he has, and yeah, I’m an adult, and he’d be fine without me, but after Mom passed, it’s just been us.
It feels unfair to make him give up his dream job. ”
A weight pressed on my chest. She was my closest friend—the one who held my hand through boarding school and breakup, the one who always showed up. It was hard to imagine my days without her.
“What about your studies?” I asked. “Can you transfer?”
Alba nodded. “A law degree takes fewer years in Spain. And it’s cheaper. Dad says it’s my choice, but I know how much prestige this would bring him.”
“So why are you torn?”
She sighed. “You. You’re my best friend, and you’ll still be my best friend, but distance is a bitch.”
“I know.”
“Yeah. So, there’s that.”
For a while, we just stared at the water, streetlights glittering across its surface.
“What would you tell me if I was in your shoes?” I asked.
Alba huffed. “To do what’s best for you, obviously.”
“That’s what I’m telling you.” My heart squeezed at the thought of goodbye, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t push her toward what she wanted? “It’s admirable your dad’s willing to stay, but if you want him to go, go with him. Asher will be in Spain a lot. I’ll visit.”
Alba leaned her head against the back of the bench. “It’s disgusting how great of a friend you are. Ew.”
“Ew.” I laughed, watery. “You won’t get rid of me so easily. And that’s Javi’s team.”
“Shit,” Alba muttered. “I know you told me, but it didn’t click. Good for Javier. My dad is the best.”
“Hmm.” I wiggled my brows. “You can always stop by your dad’s job and say hi.”
“Me and a football player? Never.”
“I mean.” I hugged myself against the chill. “Asher and Javi aren’t twins, but that’s as close as you’ll get.”
“You’re weird.” Alba rested her head on my shoulder. “I love you.”
Images of our empty apartment flashed in my mind. I swallowed the tears I didn’t want her to see. “I love you too, Albita.”
***
Asher opened the door in black sweats, hair damp from a shower. “Pasa, peque.” The smell of la tortilla drifted from the kitchen, flooding my chest with tenderness.
I kicked off my shoes and dropped my bag in the foyer. “Ready for the trip?”
“Ready to race.” He cupped my face, kissing me slow. “Not ready to leave you. Want anything to eat or drink?”
“Tea,” I said, following him to the kitchen. “And la tortilla.”
He chuckled, the sound deep and warm. I was going to miss it—miss him.
“I was right to make some for you, then.” He nodded toward the high stool at the breakfast bar. “Sit.”
Minutes later, I chewed the tortilla while watching the ripple of his muscles as he fixed my tea. The workouts his fitness coach put him through made him sharper, more defined. Lucky me.
He set a steaming mug by my plate and sat across from me, watching me eat with a soft smile.
“What?” I asked, swallowing the last bite.
“Remembering the first time I cooked for you.” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Fuck, it sucks to leave you. I’ll be back in less than a week, but after that my schedule’s packed. We’ll hardly see each other.”
I curled my hands around the mug as what I’d eaten churned in my stomach. “Alba’s leaving too.”
“Leaving? Where?”
“Madrid,” I said. “As soon as her classes end in May. Javi’s team offered her dad a job.”
Asher’s gaze softened. “How do you feel about it?”
A sigh escaped my chest. “Like crap, but I won’t hold her back. Her dad isn’t mine. He really cares about her. He’d stay here, but she thinks it’d be unfair.”
Asher slid off the stool and came around to me. “She’s not wrong. He’d make way more with the SUM. Come here.”
I turned to him, and he stepped between my knees, wrapping me in a warm hug. I pressed my cheek to his bare chest, breathing in the scent of his body wash. Tension slipped from my muscles as he rubbed my back. “What about your apartment?” he asked quietly.
“Alba says I can stay there, and I don’t need to pay.”
Asher brushed the back of his hand over my cheek. “Is that what you want?”
I lifted my chin. Our eyes met, his gaze both tender and fierce. He reached into his pocket. “Give me your palm.”
I held it out. He set a small box in the center.
My pulse sped. “Ash?”
“Open.”
Inside lay a set of keys. “Move in with me,” he whispered. “I want to see your face when I wake up. Go to bed with you every night. Know you’re here, safe, while I’m away. You can do anything you want to this place. Change it, paint it—”
I kissed him, arms circling his neck, my chest pressed to his. Another milestone, but I wanted to share a home with him.
“Is that a yes?” He licked along the seam of my lips, pulling me flush against him.
“Yes. Once Alba leaves.”
He leaned his forehead to mine. “See? The luckiest.”