“Guess I’d better get back.” Ben gave her another smile, hoping to put her at ease. “See you later.”
He walked back into the gym, wanting to put the awkward moment behind him.
As it turned out, that was easier said than done. The next day, Amelia’s reserve around him was definitely higher than it had been the day before.
The morning clinic went fairly smoothly, with the kids showing the same enthusiasm they had the day before. Ben threw himself into the activities, grateful for the distraction. Working with the kids gave him purpose, something to focus on besides the situation with Amelia.
During the lunch break, he and Luca sat with Cole and the other men, listening to their stories and laughing at their jokes. However, his mind kept wandering back to Amelia, and he found himself wondering about her life now. What she did outside of working at the church, who her friends were, whether she'd found any new passions after skating had been taken from her. Whether she had a boyfriend.
"You're awfully quiet today," Cole commented as they finished the cookies they’d been given for dessert. "Everything okay?"
"Just tired," Ben replied, forcing a smile. "Those kids have more energy than I remember having."
Cole laughed. "Wait until you have your own kids someday. They never stop."
Ben nodded, though the thought of having children of his own was distant. Children had never really been part of his immediate future.
Back in high school, when he and Amelia had been dating, he hadn’t thought much about kids. He’d known that Amelia’s focus was on her skating, and that until she reached her goals, she wouldn’t be interested in getting married or being pregnant.
Then they broke up, and his focus had shifted from their relationship to college and then his career. There had been no one else since then that he’d dated seriously enough to marry, let alone have kids with.
After their lunch, they made their way back to the gym. Amelia was now behind the table, preparing for her afternoon shift.
When their eyes met briefly, he could see the wariness there, and it bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He'd never wanted to make her uncomfortable.
Maybe he needed to back off and rethink his approach. Or if he should have an approach at all.
For the remainder of the week, he greeted Amelia with a smile each time he saw her, and he always asked how she was. As expected, each time she replied that she was fine.
“Are you attending the barbecue at Cole’s tonight?” he asked her on the Friday at the end of the clinic.
“I’m not sure.” Amelia closed the lid of her laptop. “Maybe.”
Cole had arranged the barbecue for the adults who had been part of the clinic that week, which included Amelia and Miss Marian, though Miss Marian had already told him she couldn’t attend because she had a date with her husband.
“Can I help you clean up anything here?”
“I don’t think so,” Amelia said as she gathered up her laptop and a stack of papers. “Since school is out, and there’s another clinic starting next week, we’ll just leave the table and chair here.”
Cole came over to where Amelia and Ben were standing, looking between them with a smile. “So, are you coming to the barbecue, Amelia?”
Amelia hesitated, glancing briefly at Ben before focusing on Cole. "I'm not sure."
"Come on," Cole urged with a warm smile. "It'll be fun. Annie and the kids have been asking if you're coming."
Ben watched the conflict play across Amelia’s face. She wrapped her arms around her laptop, clutching it to her chest.
"I suppose I could stop by for a little while," she finally conceded.
"Great!" Cole clapped his hands together.
“Can I bring anything?” she asked.
“Just yourself. Annie’s got everything else sorted out. We’ll see you there around six.”
Cole moved off to talk to a couple of the other men who had helped with the clinic. Luca was waiting nearby, looking downat his phone, though Ben had no doubt that he was paying attention to everything.
Amelia glanced at Ben. "I guess I’ll see you there.”
