by Jacob Chance
Shoving the whistle between my lips, I let out the shrill sound once more and gain a small sense of satisfaction when Amelia pulls away from Jase. She scurries over, falling into the back of the group.
“We’re starting with a longer warm up first since you’ve all been on a mini vacation. “Grace, lead everyone through the basic set of stretches.” Watching as she starts them off with simple toe touches, I let my mind wander through a list of things that Jase could possibly be hugging Amelia for.
It’s a short list. A very short list. Fuck.
Sinking down onto the metal bench, I lean forward, elbows resting on my thighs. My head hangs downward as fatigue abruptly washes over me. I’m tired of wanting someone I can’t have. Maybe pursuing anything long-term would be too much work. Shouldn’t it be easy if it’s meant to be?
Checking my watch, I blow my whistle signaling for them to stop. Rising to my feet, I gesture for them to follow me over to two large, orange cones at the near end of the field. “Split into two single file lines and start with broad jumps up to the next set of cones. Then switch to skater jumps as you continue onward. At the third set of markers you’ll do twenty reps of scissor jumps and bound to the far end of the field. Remain there until everyone is done and then we’ll begin again. Are you ready?” I question the first two girls in line. At their nods, I blow the whistle and they begin. Only feigning interest in what they’re doing, my main concern is what my brother wants with Amelia. Speaking of Jase, I haven’t seen him since we began ten minutes ago and he’s nowhere to be found.
Tugging my phone from my pocket I send him a text.
Me: Where are you?
It only takes a minute before he answers.
Jase: I’m at Goliath’s having a beer.
Of course he is. He can find available females and cheap beer wherever we go. I think he sniffs them out. Whatever it is, he has an innate talent for finding the most popular places with minimal effort. Of course he’s at the bar where Amelia works. Is she on the schedule tonight? Shoving my phone into my front pocket, I return my focus to practice.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Amelia
“What’s wrong?” Grace and Leah corner me in the locker room after practice.
“Tell us,” Leah prods, with a concerned expression on her face.
“Did you see that guy I was talking to earlier?”
Leah nods. “The hot blond one?”
“Yep, that’s my ex.”
“And this was an unexpected visit?” Grace inquires.
“It was, and also an unwanted one. He cheated on me and denied it even though I caught him kissing someone else. I know damn well he fucked around with her, too.”
“So why’s he here?”
“He said he’s visiting his brother, but he told me he wants me back.”
“Did you tell him to go fuck himself?” Grace prefers the blunt method of turning someone down.
“No, not in so many words. I was stunned and sad when I saw him. I spent the first two years of college with him. I thought we were going to be together forever. Now, when I look back, there were red flags all over the place, but I didn’t pay attention at the time.”
Leah pats me on the arm. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. We all want to think the best when it comes to someone we’re in love with.”
“I’m not sure I was ever in love with Jason. Maybe it was the idea of him and what I thought we were. And since none of that was true, that means our love was also a lie.”
The locker room door swings open and we quiet down. I appreciate that Grace and Leah know not to continue. I don’t want the whole team knowing my business.
“I forgot to tell you guys I spent the night in Coach’s bed,” Kerry tells anyone who’s listening. I want to slap the smug look from her face.
“Coach Zeke?” One of her friends gasps.
“Yes.” She grins.
Zeke left the beach early and had Kerry in his bed that night? Oh my God. I’m going to be sick. My arms wrap around my stomach as I swallow down the wave of nausea. How could he say all those romantic things to me and then fuck someone else?
“Okay, I have a confession to make,” Kerry announces. “While I was fucked in Coach’s bed, it wasn’t by him. I met his younger brother, Jase, at C’s and went home with him.”
She met Zeke’s brother? Closing my eyes, I exhale a large sigh of relief. It wasn’t Zeke.
“Didn’t you see me talking to his brother before practice?” Kerry continues. My eyes pop open. Zeke’s brother was here? “He was the dark blond with the University of Baltimore t-shirt on.”
Oh my God. Oh my God. Jason is Zeke’s brother? How did I not know this, or at the very least figure it out?
“Holy shit,” Grace whispers as she makes the connection.
“What?” Leah still hasn’t figured it out.
Swallowing convulsively over the lump in my throat, I blink away tears.
“What?” Leah repeats her question. Grace glances at me and sees I’m in no condition to speak and fills her in.
“Amelia’s ex is Zeke’s younger brother.”
Leah’s eyes grow round as her brows rise impossibly high on her forehead. “And Kerry slept with him?”
“Yes.”
“Holy shit. This is like an episode of some crazy reality show.” Leah appears as stunned as I feel. “What kind of asshole comes to win his ex-girlfriend back and fucks someone else?”
Grace looks murderous. “A piece of shit.”
Glancing at the clock on the wall, I snap into action, grabbing a towel and my clothes. I have to be at work in thirty minutes. Fuck. How am I going to make it through the rest of the night without breaking down?
Owen pulls me aside behind the bar. “What’s wrong with you tonight? You’re not your usual ray of sunshine.”
“It’s been a long day.”
He looks at me skeptically and then mutters, “Okay. But if you need to talk, you know where I am.” Why couldn’t I have fallen for Owen? He’s gorgeous and sweet and doesn’t have a younger brother I used to sleep with.
“Thanks.” I offer a small smile and deliver the tray of drinks to a table full of football players.
“Amelia,” Trevor calls out, patting his lap jokingly.
“You want the drinks in your lap?” I jest.
He pouts his lips - if you can call it that. Really, he just makes himself look even more attractive. “That’s the kind of treatment I get after opening my house to you?” Hesitating, I’m torn between feeling guilty and wanting to escape from anyone who knows me. I’m an emotional mess and don’t want to burst into tears inexplicably. Anything could act as a trigger and set me off.
Walking around the table, I pause beside Trevor and kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks for the great weekend.”
A chorus of “Oohs,” is sung out. My cheeks flush pink as I realize what this looks like.
Trevor holds up a hand. “Amelia and I are just friends. She friend zoned me from day one and now that we’ve surfed together I realize we’d never work as a couple.”
“What’s her surfing have to do with anything?” One of the hulking guys sitting next to him asks.
“She’s a better surfer than me and my ego can’t handle that kind of abuse.” The guys laugh and Trevor winks at me. I mouth ‘thank you’ as I walk away.
Returning to the bar, I almost trip when I notice Jason sitting on a stool. Fuck me. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been in this wonderful establishment for a few hours. I arrived while you were practicing. Did you miss me, Mel?”
“Don’t call me that. My name is Amelia.”
He skims his fingers down my arm. “I prefer Mel.”
Yanking free of his touch, I glare at him. “I prefer you disappear.”
“I know you’re mad, Mel. I get it. But don’t you think it’s time you got over this temper tantrum and came back to Baltimore?”
My fingers squeeze the edge of the emp
ty tray in my grasp. I war with myself on whether I should smash it down over his head, or walk away. Eeny, meeny, miney.
“Amelia.” Eyes raising, I find Zeke standing behind Jason. He shakes his head as if he can read my thoughts.
“Call her Mel,” Jason tells him.
“Mel? Isn’t that your ex-girlfriend’s name?”
“It is, but I’m hoping she’s not going to be my ex much longer. What do you say, Mel?”
Zeke looks confused. His eyes shout questions at me that I don’t want to answer.
What the fuck is he talking about? How much has Jason had to drink?
I sigh and try to take his mind off what Jason said. “Zeke, would you like a drink?”
Ignoring my question, he asks, “This is Mel?” He jabs his thumb in my direction.
“Yep. Isn’t she gorgeous?” Of course he’d say that. I’m like some trophy for him. A status symbol. A loyal girl to hang on his arm.
“Jason, that didn’t stop you from fucking around on me, though did it?” My eyes flash with anger.
“Jason?” Zeke raises a brow.
“That’s what she calls me. Cute, right?”
I want to stomp my foot and shout No. No, it’s not. Nothing about this situation is cute or sweet. Everything is fucked up. The earth has flipped on its axis. Nothing is as it was twenty-four hours ago.
“Did you know Jase is my brother?” Zeke looks accusingly at me.
“Yes, I—”
“You knew?” He cuts me off. Our eyes lock and neither of us can find the strength to end the connection.
“Wait a minute. Is there something going on between you two?”
Kill me now.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Zeke
“What did you say?” My head snaps in Jase’s direction. No longer looking at Amelia, I’m envisioning pummeling the cocky grin from his face.
“Is there something going on with you guys?” Jase repeats the question, looking between Amelia and I.
“I’m her coach.” I keep my expression neutral.
“Just checking because I’m pretty sure you’d both be fucked if there was more to it.”
“Jase, you’re barking up the wrong tree.” My eyes narrow threateningly. “Don’t make accusations that could hurt Amelia’s career. She deserves better than that.”
He looks slightly ashamed, giving me hope that deep inside him a shred of decency still exists. “I’d never do anything to hurt Mel.” Amelia snorts and rolls her eyes, before she walks off.
“It seems like she might think differently.”
He waves a hand dismissively. “I fucked up and messed around on her, but now I’m ready to commit fully.”
“Is that why you screwed Kerry? To prove how committed to Amelia you are?” Thick sarcasm oozes from my tone.
“I hadn’t seen her yet so it doesn’t count.”
“You came to visit me so you could get back together with Amelia?”
“Yeah. Maybe you could put in a good word for me being her coach and all.” Running a hand over my face, I exhale with a combination of frustration and annoyance. Is there no end to Jase’s level of entitlement? He’s such a selfish bastard and he’ll never know how much his latest move has put the screws to me.
“I don’t get involved in my players personal lives. I’m the offensive coordinator and that’s all.”
“Don’t be selfish, Zeke. Can’t you help me out? It’s not like I ask for much and the girl hates me now. How am I going to get back in her good graces?”
“Maybe you should do it the old fashioned way and treat her with respect.”
“So I should tell her she’s hot and pay attention to her. Maybe buy her things?” He’s never going to get it because he can’t see past himself. But why do I still feel a sense of guilt over what’s between Amelia and I?
“Why don’t you try talking to her and being honest with her?” Why am I helping him win back the girl I might be in love with… the girl I know I’m in love with? Old habits really do die hard. “Honest. Okay. I think I can do that.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger, I’m at a loss of what to say or do. Raising a hand, I flag down Owen. “I need a shot. Screw that, just give me the bottle.”
Amelia has kept her distance since I first got here. When she comes to the bar to pick up drink orders she stands all the way down the other end. Jase left an hour ago, around the same time as a cheerleader I saw him talking to. If he’s in my bed when I get home I’m going to kick his ass all the way back to Baltimore.
Even though Jase has gone, Amelia is still upset. I can tell by looking at her that she’s frazzled. She’s barely smiled and her interaction with other customers has been shorter than usual. I’ve watched her at work before, and this is unusual behavior.
Aside from avoiding contact with me, she won’t even glance my way, never mind meet my eyes. She’s avoiding me in every possible aspect. I can’t help but wonder if she’s guilty about something. Did she know Jase was my brother all along? Was I some part of a revenge plot to get back at him? Was becoming involved with me premeditated? Because sleeping with her ex’s older brother who just happens to be her coach… that’s a crazy coincidence. And I’m not a big believer in those. After what Claire did to me, I’m not sure trustworthy people exist. These days I live by the motto guilty until proven innocent.
I’m leaning against the front of Goliath’s when Amelia is done with her shift. Hesitating when she notices me, she slowly walks over. Pausing in front of me, she frowns. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m walking you home.”
“Zeke, I’ll be fine.”
“We need to talk and I can’t think of a better time.”
“Fine,” she sighs resignedly and begins to walk in the direction of her building. Pushing off the brick, I start moving and immediately catch up.
“So you and my brother, huh?”
“Yep.”
“You guys were pretty serious if I remember correctly.”
“Are you asking me if we were?”
“I guess I am.”
“Yes, we were. At least I was.”
“Did you always know he was my brother?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? Because it seems a little convenient how it all worked out. And the timing is amazing. We fucked and the next day he’s here.”
“Fuck you, if that’s what you think.”
“You already did.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“I never said I wasn’t. I want answers - straight ones.” My voice raises.
“I’ve answered every question you’ve asked me, and honestly, too. If that’s not good enough for you, then you can piss off.”
“When did you find out Jase is my brother?” My heart pounds painfully hard as I wait for her answer.
“Tonight, after practice. Kerry was bragging about spending the night in your bed. At first I thought you came home and screwed her. That hurt. She went on to explain how she went home with Jason.”
“That must have sucked for you to hear.”
“It did. But not for the reason you probably think. It’s not because I care about him anymore. I’m so disappointed in his behavior. How were we together for so long and I didn’t even know the real him?”
“I’m feeling that way myself. We were always so close until I left for college. What’s happened in the last four years to change him? Or was he always this way and I never noticed it?”
“Do you know what the worst part of all this was?” I shake my head. “When I thought you’d slept with Kerry. My stomach sank to the ground and I literally grew nauseous. I was so hurt.”
“I’m not that kind of guy, Amelia. When I’m with someone, I’m with only them. I’ve always been that way and I always will be.”
She nibbles on the corner of her bottom lip, hesitantly meeting my eyes. “What does this mean for us?”
“When I asked you to
be my girlfriend Mark was the only obstacle we were facing. But now that I know you were with my brother and you guys were in love, I don’t see how we can happen. He wants you back, and I can’t be the reason why you guys don’t reconnect. I won’t do that to Jase, no matter how much of a donkey I think he’s being. My parents and I are all he has. Did you know his parents passed away when he was three?”
“No, he never told me.”
“He’s my cousin. His dad was my father’s younger brother. He and my aunt died in an accident and Jase joined our family. We were brothers from that day on. I’ve always done what’s best for him and I can’t stop now.” Pinching the bridge of my nose, I find the strength to say what I must.
“You and I have only just begun. We can still salvage a strictly professional relationship relatively easily. The way I see it, that’s the only feasible way it can go. Besides, I know my brother wants to win you back, and maybe you want him to and you haven’t realized it yet.”
“No. I’ll never go back to Jason. I’d never trust him again, and what kind of relationship can you have without trust? He’s a dead end.”
“You say that now, but give it some thought. You were together a long time. Those feelings don’t just disappear.”
“Are you speaking from experience, Zeke?”
“Yes, I am. You can say you hate someone because they hurt you, but that doesn’t cancel out all the good times you shared. Those memories stay, making it easier to forgive the person who wronged you.”
“I’ve already forgiven him, but I’ll never forget what he did. And I don’t want to. I prefer to learn from my mistakes, not repeat them.” Falling silent, she studies my face as if she’s trying to memorize each individual feature. Reaching forward, she runs a hand slowly down my arm briefly catching my fingers. “Thanks for the memories, Coach.”
Silently, I watch with a lump the size of a golf ball in my throat as she walks to the main entrance of her building and disappears inside. Fuck. My fingers sink into my hair and tug on the strands. Did I make a huge mistake by letting her go? Putting an end to us for my brother’s sake is the right thing to do. Isn’t it?
