Page 24 of Forever Mine
There’s a low rumble of an engine and the faint squeal of old brakes.
“Triple A just showed up. Talk later?”
“Of course. Be safe. Love you.”
She smacks a kiss. “Love you back.”
I tap the corner of my phone to my chin. Dammit. I’m pissed. How can a woman who wants nothing to do with me still disrupt my life? I should show up unannounced just to stick it to her.
“Elijah.”
I jump when Director Winters says my name.
Shaking off thoughts of my mother, I tie a towel around my waist and tuck my phone underneath to free up my hands.
“I was about to come to your office.”
His head tilts slightly as his gaze peruses my face. Ever since the Justin incident last year when I got the crap beat out of me in the men’s restroom, Director Winters has become like a quasi-surrogate father figure, a role my real dad appreciates. If Dad could bubble wrap me for all eternity, he would. I’ll probably be the same with my kids, wanting to shield them from all the ugliness in the world.
He twirls a plastic wrist coil laden with keys around one finger. “Can you come in on Saturday to help Matt do inventory? Patti will be out for the rest of the week.”
Considering I’m no longer driving to Durham, I may as well make some extra money.
“You’re in luck because my weekend plans just got canceled. What time do you need me here?”
He hands me the keys. “Around lunchtime. Matt can do it on his own, but it’ll be quicker with two people.”
I snake my hand through the stretchy ring, wearing it like a bracelet. “No problem. I’ll be here.”
Jayson comes out of the locker room, slowing his gait when he sees Director Winters.
The man must have eyes in the back of his head because he looks over his shoulder and says, “You’re gapping your fingers on your left hand. If you correct it, you could shave another three-tenths off your time.”
Jayson’s torso hunches as he scrapes the toe of his flip-flop across the concrete floor. “Yes, Coach.”
Coach? I can’t stop the grin from forming. There may be hope for him yet.
Chapter Seven
JULIEN
Rose petals stickto the soles of my bare feet as I walk around the condo to double check everything. Faint, flickering light from the various candles I set out add to the romantic ambience. At least, I hope they do. I tried to recreate our first Valentine’s together. The night Elijah and I spent in the hotel room and made love for the first time.
When I hear the unmistakable sound of keys unlocking the front door, I rush into position and anxiously wait to see Elijah’s reaction.
Elijah’s footsteps falter when he sees me standing there.
“You scared the crap out of me.”
My grin is a mile wide. “Hi.”
I hungrily drink in the sight of him. His tousled hair looks artfully mussed as if the wind played its fingers through it, messing it up. The humidity that never goes away during the summer brings out his natural curl. His face carries the sun-kissed glow of being outside all day, and a few new freckles haveappeared across the bridge of his nose. I’ll make sure to kiss each one later.
Elijah hasn’t come to any of my afternoon practices this week. He’s been spending a lot of his time at David’s new place. The football team—American, not soccer—does their stuff in the morning to avoid the heat of the day. Am I jealous? Yes, but not because of that. It’s because the guy who still has a crush on my boyfriend sees him more than I do.
I’d like David more if he wasn’t panting after my man. He’s a solid guy. I just don’t trust him. He wants Elijah, and I have a deep-seated premonition that if he glimpses the tiniest of cracks in our relationship, he won’t hesitate to move in and stake his claim.
Elijah drops his phone and keys into the small bowl on the side table. “I thought you had that thing with the team tonight.”
