The warmth of the sun beat down on his bare shoulders, drying the droplets of water dancing on his skin, as it had on so many summer days in his teen years.
Laughter drifted in the distance, both past and present. Only, in the past, Amelia had been part of that laughter. Her eyes sparkling as a smile wreathed her face. Not just the whisper of a smile but a full-on smile.
He’d loved to see her relaxed, smiling, and glowing. It made him feel like she had balance in her life. The intensity she carriedon the ice vanished in those moments, and she’d just been a teenage girl, enjoying an afternoon with her friends.
Only she’d never beenjusta teenage girl. Even at her young age, she’d carried the weight of expectation. Not just of her coach or her family. As she’d proven her ability on the ice, the expectation of a nation had grown.
Thinking back, Ben wished that he could have been there to support her as that weight had increased. He’d watched her from a distance, thrilled to see her achieving her dreams. It had made the breakup and his permanent departure from Serenity, along with his heartbreak, feel like it had been worth it.
But now she’d lost her career, and he had no idea how she was dealing with that. Was her reserve solely because of her health issues? Or was there something more that kept her from opening up to people?
“Everything okay, Benji?” Annie asked as she slid her hand through his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder.
“Just thinking about Amelia.” He figured there was no sense in brushing aside her concern. “It’s hard to see her this way.”
“It’s hard for all of us who’ve been close to her. Lexi has really struggled with how Amelia basically shut her out of her life.” Annie sighed. “I used to enjoy working with her on her skating costumes. She was so artistic. Did you know that she choreographed a lot of her own programs?”
“She was starting to do that right around the time we broke up. Losing that creative outlet must have made it all the more difficult when she had to stop skating.”
Annie nodded. “But it’s like she thinks she has to deal with everything all by herself.”
Ben wasn’t surprised by that. She had always had a fairly independent streak, especially when she set her mind to do something.
“I can’t decide if I should just not interfere in her life,” Ben said. “Or if I should try to offer what help I can.”
“I daresay that her reaction to you will dictate which way you should go.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if you decide to offer her support and she shuts you down, you’ll have your answer. Because I’m pretty sure that on your end, there’s really not much of a question on which way you’re going to go. You’re going to at least offer your help.”
Ben chuckled. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
The next day, as soon as Ben and Luca stepped into the church, Ben made a beeline for the café, with Luca trailing behind him.
There was a lineup, so he took his place at the end of it. Peering forward, he saw that Amelia was there again, but a different young woman was working with her.
He was a bit surprised at how involved Amelia was in the church. It wasn’t that she hadn’t taken her faith seriously as a teen.
It was more that she hadn’t liked to be in positions where she had to interact with too many people, which was exactly what she was doing as she served coffee. As a teen, at most, she’d volunteered to work in the nursery when her skating schedule allowed.
As he watched her, though, Ben noticed that the other woman interacted more with the customers, while Amelia took care of filling their orders.
Once again, her curls spread across her shoulders in loose waves. She had on a loose fitting short-sleeved white jacket over a purple shirt with a square neck. It wasn’t at all similar to what she’d worn as a teen, but it seemed to suit who she was now.
When Ben reached the front of the line, he asked the girl for two coffees. She pulled out two disposable cups and set them on the counter. Amelia brought a carafe over to fill them.
“We missed you yesterday,” Ben said as he moved to the side where she was filling the cups.
Amelia glanced up and gave him a rueful smile. “When I woke up, I realized I needed to just spend a day at home. Especially if I was going to be here today and be able to work all next week.”
“Pacing yourself?”
“Something like that.” She picked up a couple of lids and put them on the cups. “But I hope you had a good time.”
“We did. The weather was great, and the kids had fun in the water.” He took the cups when she held them out to him. “Maybe you can come next time.”
It was no surprise when she said, “Maybe.”
