Sweat (Sweetbriar Lake #1)

by Rebecca Jenshak

  “Brenda here just got back from a tour in Iraq.”

  “You’re in the military?” Ryan asked, trying to keep the shock out of his voice.

  “Air force,” Brenda said coolly.

  “Alright, you two. I need to get home. Brenda, make sure you lock up when you leave.”

  “I should get home, too. Nice to meet you. Good night, Karen.”

  Ryan entered his small apartment above the bakery and grabbed a beer from the fridge. It had been a hell of a day. The gym was coming along as scheduled, but he spent so much time in meetings and making business decisions. He had never missed his clients and the ladies at water aerobics more.

  And Elle. Fuck, he missed Elle. Not even the good-looking girl downstairs had been able to erase her from his mind. Brenda was intriguing though. She seemed tough as nails. Maybe he would ask her out. It was a hell of a lot safer than taking Marie up on her offer for drinks. There was no way that was going to end well.

  Ryan downed the beer and decided to call it a night. Tomorrow he’d ask Brenda out. He had to do something to get Elle out of his brain and heart before he lost his mind.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  IT HAD BEEN three weeks since she’d been released from the hospital, and Elle was starting to feel more like herself. Well, herself with a giant hole in her heart. Brock had returned to Kansas City after she finally convinced him that staying in Sweetbriar was what she wanted and that they were better off as friends. Her mother was so thrilled she was staying in Sweetbriar she hadn’t pushed Elle to talk about what had happened with Brock and Ryan.

  Elle found solace at the gym, which surprised her. She hadn’t been sure she would be able to go back to the place that held so many memories of Ryan. She saw him everywhere she went and heard him in every song and every sappy romantic comedy she had binge-watched. Being at Fit Club, she felt closer to him, but she also was finding herself.

  She was working back to the rigorous workouts Ryan had designed for her and had also begun learning to box. It had started one morning when Claire and Elle had been watching Jake and Chris go at it in the ring. Elle had liked the idea of being able to defend herself now that she had been attacked. She knew it wouldn’t change what had happened, but it made her feel more prepared for the future to be working on improving all facets of her life. Chris had been excited to teach someone the basics, and it had become her ritual to show up early on Friday mornings for his lesson. Elle had taken to it and loved the high she felt when she landed a punch. Chris was a man of few words during their workouts, but he was comfortable to be around, and she appreciated the time he spent teaching her. Like Ryan, he seemed to be disciplined and stoic when it came to his fitness routine.

  It was after one of their boxing lessons that Elle decided to get to know Chris a little better. Aside from his interest in boxing, all Elle knew about him was that he had gone to high school with Ryan, and he had a construction company that seemed to be doing well.

  Ryan and Chris were close, this much Elle knew, and she didn’t want to cause trouble.

  “Hey, Claire and I are going to head to Cliff’s tonight. Do you wanna come meet up with us?”

  Chris studied her for a moment as if trying to decide if she was coming on to him or being friendly.

  Elle continued to ease his mind. “I think a few others are going to join, too. It’s my first night out since the shooting. Claire thinks it’s cause for a big celebration.”

  Chris smiled, showing his crooked white grin. It made him look much younger and friendlier than his usual serious stare. “That does sound like Claire. Sure. Jake has the night off, so we were planning on going out anyway.”

  “Cool. See ya later.” Elle smiled and gave a small wave as she walked off and headed to work.

  She hadn’t returned to the office yet, but Clive had been sending her small projects to work on from home to keep her busy. Coming off her high of boxing that morning and the excitement for a night with friends, she decided to head into the actual office building instead of holing up in her condo.

  The law firm seemed emptier as Elle walked through the door at Morgan & Associates. She found Clive in his office looking over some business documents. There was something different about him. He had a rock station playing over his computer speakers, and Elle was surprised to see him mouthing along with the words as he appeared to be scanning briefs.

  As he noticed Elle at his door, he gave a sheepish grin and turned down the volume on the music. “Elle. I didn’t expect to see you for another week or two,” Clive said.

  He motioned for her to sit, and she took a seat in one of the brown upholstered chairs in front of his desk. She confided in him her need to get back to real life. “I’m getting cabin fever. I was thinking maybe I could work part of the day in the office and the rest of the day from home. I really need some more human interaction.”

  “Absolutely, I’m glad to have you back. Work from home or the office, whatever you need,” Clive said. He glanced at his computer screen. “Actually, I have something for you to work on. Fairly standard document, partnership agreement. I’ll email you the details.”

  “Sure,” Elle said. She was eager to take on more work, especially now that Clive was paying her so much more than before. She needed to start pulling her weight.

  Her eye caught a photo of Amanda on his desk. It was a recent addition. Amanda was grinning but not looking at the camera, her eyes focused on something or someone above the camera.

  Clive must have noticed her interest and commented on the recent picture. “I had just asked her to marry me. I think she was still trying to decide whether or not to make a run for it. Lucky for me, she said yes.”

  “Oh, that’s great. Congratulations.” Elle smiled, genuinely happy for them.

  “Where is Amanda? I didn’t see her when I came in.” Elle wondered if things would be different around the office now that they were engaged, and now that Amanda was no longer fearful of her stalker.

  “Business has really taken off for her now that she’s putting herself out there.” Clive smiled, and Elle could see the pride on his face at Amanda’s success. His face became serious as he seemed to realize the reason for her newfound bravery.

  “I know I’ve said it before, but I hope you realize how sorry I am for the whole thing. In trying to keep Amanda safe, I neglected to keep you out of harm’s way,” Clive said.

  “Nonsense. You did exactly what you should have done. No one could have predicted what happened or that I would be mistaken for Amanda in some cruel twist of fate,” Elle said.

  “Amanda and I are having an engagement party in a couple of weeks. I hope you’ll join us.” Clive looked hopeful.

  “Of course I’ll be there,” Elle smiled.

  “Good to have you back,” Julia said following from her desk as Elle entered her own office with a small box she had brought from home.

  “Thanks. It’s good to be back.”

  Julia picked up one of the flower arrangements that were littered around the office and handed it to Elle. “So you and Ryan, huh?”

  Her eyes widened at the mention of Ryan, but Julia rattled on before Elle could respond.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. I sent him guns blazing into the patio that night after you and Brock. I’m so sorry. I had no idea you two were a thing.”

  Elle sat down and placed the flowers on the top of her desk. “That’s how Ryan found out,” she said more to herself than to Julia. She shrugged and met Julia’s stare. “Well, it doesn’t matter much anymore. He’s gone.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be back.” Julia offered a small smile, turned on her heel and walked out of the office.

  Elle left out a deep breath and looked closer at the balloons and plants taking up the entirety of her office. Clients, associates from other firms, and people from the community had all sent their well wishes. It was touching. Elle wiped a tear from her face and went to work on the box. She pulled out her framed law degree, a
picture of her parents, and a Renoir print she’d found on sale at Target. She set to work hammering nails and hanging the items on the wall.

  “There,” she said to the empty office when she was finished. It was a start.

  She opened her laptop and got to work. She wrote a to-do list for the day, hoping to get through several items in the few hours before she was meeting up with Claire.

  Her email dinged with the sound of a new message, and Elle opened the partnership agreement details Clive had sent.

  She gasped when she saw the names. Ryan was making Tori a partner of Fit Club. Julia was wrong. He wasn’t coming back. Tori was taking over the Sweetbriar branch for good.

  You can do this. Elle gave herself a silent pep talk before she got busy. The document was routine, and Elle finished it quickly and moved on to the next item on her list.

  Elle crossed off the last item just as Claire sent her a text that she was on her way to Cliff’s. The last thing Elle wanted to do after finding out Ryan wasn’t coming back to Sweetbriar was to go out and celebrate, but it was too late to back out now.

  Cliff’s was already crowded when Elle and Claire arrived. Claire, who always commanded the attention of a room when she entered, was the cause of jealousy for every woman there and lust for every man tonight. She had outdone herself in a sheer black top with a black leather mini-skirt and bright red stilettos. It was an outfit few would be brave enough to wear and even fewer could pull off. Claire seemed to be on the prowl.

  Any reservations that Elle had about hanging out with Ryan’s friends without him were quickly put to rest as the four of them fell into an easy chatter. Claire got to know a little about the men whom she had only ever known as Ryan’s friends. Jake was charismatic and attentive. He made people feel at ease around him, a trait Elle appreciated after the recent incident she had gone through. Chris was quieter, but when he spoke, he was thoughtful and funny. As the night wore on, the foursome paired off in conversation, and Elle had a chance to talk to Chris. She had almost forgotten she was talking to Ryan’s best friend when he asked her the question she had asked herself a million times over the last month.

  “So what happened with you and Ryan anyway?” Chris said as he took a drink of his beer.

  Elle found herself contemplating how much to share, but the buzz of the night and the alcohol kicking in had her telling him the whole story. And because she had already trusted him with so much information, she also asked the one thing she had been unable to ask anyone else. “How is he?”

  “Honestly. I’m not sure. He doesn’t call or text much. He was pretty shaken that night. I was with him at the club when Jake got the call. I’ve never seen him like that. Then again, I’ve never seen him fall for someone so hard either. Ryan isn’t one to half-ass anything. He’s an all or nothing kinda guy in all aspects, relationships included,” Chris said.

  Elle pondered the situation, wondering for the thousandth time how she had screwed things up so badly. She was about to ask Chris about his own dating life when she saw him staring across the room at a couple at the bar. She was surprised when the girl turned her head and made eye contact with him. It was Tori and her boyfriend, Luke. Chris and Tori stared for a moment longer than what could be considered friendly before Tori quickly refocused her attention on her boyfriend. Chris’s face became tense before Elle put it together.

  “Oh my gosh. You have a thing for Tori?” Elle smiled as his face remained focused in Tori’s direction.

  Chris said nothing but took a long drink of his beer and then set it down on the table with more force than was necessary. Elle wondered if they had a history, but based on Chris’s refusal to acknowledge his feelings, she didn’t press the issue. Suddenly, she found herself wanting to ask Ryan about it and then realized that she couldn’t. The night had taken a depressing turn. Elle decided she’d had enough. Claire and Jake were still happily chatting away but had apparently noticed the change in demeanor in their friends and agreed to leave as well.

  As Elle and Claire took a cab back to Elle’s condo, Elle teased her friend. “So, is Jake meeting you back at my place?”

  Claire blushed but quickly denied the possibility. “No way. We were just talking. He seems nice.”

  “Oh… Claire thinks a guy is nice. And you didn’t invite him back. You’re in love, aren’t you?” Elle teased.

  “Oh please. The guy has been divorced for like five minutes. I don’t want that kind of baggage,” Claire said declaratively, but Elle had a feeling she was trying to convince herself.

  “ANOTHER ROUND?” BRENDA shouted over the music.

  Ryan nodded and smiled at the raven beauty who had walked over to the bar to get their drinks. He’d made a habit of hanging out with Brenda on nights he wasn’t busy with the club. They kept the conversations light and avoided personal questions by some unstated agreement. But he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Elle yet. Maybe she would always be branded into his memory and soul. Still, he enjoyed Brenda’s company and hoped it was a step in the right direction to moving on. She was a straight-shooter, and Ryan liked knowing exactly what she was thinking at any given moment.

  Tonight, they were at a dive bar across from the bakery, and Ryan was feeling like this might be his last chance to push things forward with Brenda before he got moved into the friend-zone. It wasn’t that he hadn’t had the chance to kiss her; it was just that it hadn’t felt right. Some part of him still felt like he belonged with Elle, no matter how many times he told himself that she was not his, and he no more belonged to her now than he ever had.

  Brenda slipped into the booth across from him and slid his beer across the table.

  Pointing toward the drinks, he fumbled through a lame attempt to get her back to his place. “Wanna finish these and head back to my place? I think I have a cheap bottle of tequila stashed away in the cabinet.” Ryan was determined after one, maybe two more drinks, he would be ready to move past Elle. Maybe fucking Brenda would finally help erase that broken relationship from his mind once and for all.

  She seemed to contemplate his invitation before responding. “Let me ask you something first.”

  Ryan nodded for her to continue.

  “We’ve been hanging out now for what — two, three weeks?” Brenda asked, twirling her black hair around a long, polished, finger.

  Ryan nodded again while he finished off his drink.

  “In all that time, you haven’t so much as held my hand. Now, I know I’m a catch, so I can only assume you are nursing a broken heart. Am I right?”

  Ryan grimaced at her, wishing for once she wasn’t so quick to say what was on her mind. He figured he owed her at least the honesty she had already guessed at, so he nodded again.

  “I knew it!” She leaned back in the booth and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, since we both know you aren’t over her, sleeping with you while you’re hung up on someone else is not my thing. If we ever sleep together, I want your cock and thoughts with me only. So instead, why don’t you try telling me about her,” Brenda said coolly.

  “I liked you so much better when you didn’t ask personal questions.” Ryan realized that wasn’t true, but he was hesitant to tell her about Elle.

  Two drinks later, Ryan had divulged everything from their first chance meeting at the country club to the last day at the hospital when he had overheard Elle’s parents with Brock. He hadn’t even told all of this to his friends, but it felt good to get it off his chest now.

  “So, you just left without even telling her. That’s cold.” Brenda gave him a look of disapproval.

  “Me? I’m cold? She used me to get back with her ex!” Ryan growled.

  “I don’t know. Maybe that’s how it started, but in my experience, women don’t fake entire relationships with men. I think you should at least hear her out. The not-knowing would be too much for me. I’d rather just know one way or another so I could move on. Then again, that’s just me. I like to know where I stand with people and vice ve
rsa. I like to keep it all out in the open,” Brenda said.

  Ryan conceded that perhaps the worst part was the uncertainty and inability for closure.

  Brenda grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her, kissing him deeply for just a moment before pushing him back. “Figure it out. Then if you’re still interested, call me.” Brenda smiled at him and grabbed her purse. “See ya.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  ON WEDNESDAY, CLIVE closed the firm for the remainder of the week so they could all enjoy a long Thanksgiving weekend with their loved ones. He and Amanda were heading to St. Louis to be with her family and celebrate their engagement. They were hosting an engagement party in Sweetbriar next weekend, and Elle was excited to revel with the happy couple. As excited as someone with a broken heart could be about such a thing.

  Thanksgiving had always been one of Elle’s favorite holidays. She helped her mother cook all the traditional foods: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, and a pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream. They always made way too much food for just the three of them, but cooking all the bounty with her mom and then listening to her father rave over their hard work was a family tradition that she enjoyed.

  Elle knew Claire spent Thanksgiving with Tori and her family, but she had invited her to the country club for the annual Hastings’ Thanksgiving tennis match that they held before the feast.

  It was a cool and clear morning as they played on the club’s outdoor courts. It was fun to have enough people to play a real doubles match.

  She caught herself daydreaming about what it would be like to have Ryan here playing tennis with her family and then spending the rest of the day watching football with her dad. She shook her head, quickly dismissing the idea. Ryan was gone. They were over. She took a deep breath and tightened her resolve to not think about him.

  Claire was a hopeless tennis player, but Elle more than made up for it, and they held off her parents in the first match. She fell into a rhythm, moving around the court with ease. She had once loved playing tennis more than anything else in the world, and she remembered that now as she played like she once had. It was amazing what a difference being in shape was for her love of the sport. Tennis was a killer cardio workout, and she kicked herself for letting such a big part of her life go because she’d been too out-of-shape to enjoy it.