Читать книгу Here and Now - Michelle Monkou - Страница 9

Chase Westfield pulled out his personal data assistant and reviewed the list of reminders. Technically he didn’t need the mental nudge. Every year, since high school, he remembered one particular birthday. First love, like a meteor, had the power to crash into the system with enough impact to throw every feeling, thought or memory off kilter. One woman had such a forceful effect on his system.

He sighed heavily, fingering the thin red ribbon tied around the small gift box. The box fit neatly on his palm. But its meaning was larger than anything in his office. His birthday gift served dual purposes, one more important than the other, that included being considered a peace offering.

“Mr. Westfield, the staff meeting is about to begin,” his secretary prompted.

“Thanks, Sandy.”

She didn’t move until he looked up from the gift box and set it aside. Chase still had to get used to the various meetings that consumed his entire day. Every appointment appeared to come with a special announcement tag or a bold heading marked as important or urgent. All these command performances grated on his nerves. He was a man used to listening to his own internal directives.

Now, a typical day was spent in meetings with the department, the track team and assistant coaches. If he could manage, he escaped to the track field armed with a stop watch. While his peers headed for home around five o’clock, he ended his day with more coaching and the occasional one-on-one mentoring sessions.

With no background in coaching, he had to rely on his college coach’s tricks and tips to nudge the best from his team. By year-end, heck by month-end, these young men had to understand that talent alone didn’t breed success. Razor sharp focus, coupled with one hundred and ten percent commitment, had to become their mantra.

After all, he should know. The emotional high from winning a medal didn’t do anything for those days when consistently crossing the finish line in second or third place threatened rankings in the sport.

He opened his desk drawer to return the small box. His hand paused over the gift. Finding a way to present this token, especially on her first day of work, might prove to be difficult. Well, presenting it was one thing, having it accepted could be near impossible since he’d broken almost every promise that he’d made. He frowned, now wrapped up in his worry.

Shaking off the doubts that tested his conscience, he headed for the conference room. His tardiness already earned him a reputation that made him the butt of many jokes. He’d better hurry. Meanwhile, the clock in the hallway gave him three minutes before the meeting started. As he approached the coffee machine, the steaming pot begged for his attention.

“What the heck,” he muttered, heading toward the scent of freshly brewed, addictive coffee.

Training as a sprinter didn’t afford him the luxury to deviate from a strict diet. To his credit, he carried a super lean physique with a metabolism likened to the Japanese bullet train. Now as head coach, retired from his first profession at the age of twenty-six with a blown Achilles tendon on one heel and a torn ACL in the other knee, he enjoyed breaking the rules that were once his personal code.

Some people who suffered self-medicated with booze. He chose to drown his sorrows in vast quantities of coffee.

He sipped the dark liquid, savoring the robust flavor. Now his day could begin. With a ready smile, he pushed open the conference room door. A quick survey showed most, if not all, of the staff in attendance. The clock on the conference room wall now declared him five minutes late. Darn!

“Ah, Chase has joined us. Okay, let’s begin.”

Chase peered at Roger Freeman, his boss, trying to read if sarcasm was in play. Freeman’s wide grin set his mind at ease. However, muffled laugher and teasing about his tardiness from the rear of the room followed him to his seat.

Freeman held up his hand until there was some semblance of calm. “As you know, we had a little shake-up in staff personnel three weeks ago. Out of the slight chaos we managed to land our very own Olympic medalist, Chase Westfield.” Freeman paused, allowing his staff’s roar of approval to play out. “Before we begin the staff meeting, I’d also like to introduce our latest addition. I’m pleased with our recruitment efforts in adding another qualified physical therapist to our staff. We can count our lucky stars that the board of regents didn’t recommend any cost cutting measures for our departments.” Freeman stepped out of the room.

A dull murmur filled the room. Much to Chase’s embarrassment Freeman had mentioned his arrival to the department as if it were something new. Of course, he knew what an asset he was to any university, even if in name only. At least his colleagues played along with their excited boss at each meeting.

However, at each meeting, mentioning Freeman didn’t eclipse their unease when cutbacks and the board of regents were also part of the discussion. Topics like this placed Chase at a disadvantage. Chase’s income had spiked like a rocket as he won numerous championships, broke records and raked in various endorsement deals. Today, he commiserated with a few of his fellow coworkers out of a need to belong, to fit in with his new world.

He’d turned into an everyday kind of man now.

Freeman stepped back into the room. He was always the character, with his disheveled, shocking white hair and twinkling, vivid blue eyes, now grinning with boyish exuberance. He turned toward them. “She’s here.”

His pose reminded Chase of a game show host opening the magical Door No. 1 with a great deal of theatrics. He’d heard that his boss belonged to an amateur actors group.

Chase eased to the edge of his seat, craning his neck to see around the head of another eager observer. As an afterthought, he set down his empty coffee cup on a nearby window sill. He didn’t trust his hands with the task of holding on to anything. Anticipation zipped through his body as if on roller blades, shooting to the tips of his fingers and toes. Jitters from the stomach-knotting tension grew without regard to his fervent wish to remain calm. His nervousness took him back to his competitive days, waiting in the starter box for the race to begin.

And then, Laura Masterson entered the room.

A few of the men sitting nearby paused in their conversations.

Chase gulped.

The girl he knew on the cusp of womanhood had rounded the turn. Nothing less than a confident, sexy young woman stood at the front of the room.

He’d have loved to offer up a whistle of appreciation. But she didn’t deserve anything so common. All he could settle for was his heart beating on hyper-speed on the verge of a panic attack.

“Welcome. Welcome. Come on in. They don’t bite,” Freeman offered with a deep, underlying chuckle. He indicated an empty chair close to him. “Everyone, please introduce yourself to Laura Masterson, our new physical therapist.” Freeman’s chest puffed with pride like an old lion looking over his dominion.

One by one, the staff welcomed Laura. She acknowledged with a soft, personal smile for each person. What they said to her held no importance for him. Right now, memory had to catch up with the current, real version of his former love.

Only the woman in the front of the room mattered, sporting a tightly secured ponytail, a stylish navy blue pantsuit on her slender frame and sensible shoes.

Chase eased back in his chair, pushing it back toward the wall. He wasn’t hiding, but simply wanted to lengthen the time that he could study her without her knowledge. He’d broken her heart once. He didn’t expect her initial reaction to be along the lines of a happy family reunion.

As his colleagues stated their names, Chase scrutinized Laura’s face noting that she wore more makeup now. The soft colors accenting her eyes enhanced their roundness. Years ago, he used to trail the length of her nose playing connect the dots with the tiny freckles sprinkled against the natural beige tone along the bridge. The small rounded tip of her nose had a cute uplift that got her teased as a teen for being a snobby nose. And who would have figured that when provoked, her dainty small mouth could curse like a sailor?

Right now, that small mouth with full lips shimmered with a coppery glaze. She smiled at each introduction. He noticed that her lips trembled ever so slightly. Occasionally, she ran a shaky hand over her hair, adding credence to his summation. Wow, she was nervous.

With only two colleagues separating her from him, Chase hoped that she wouldn’t be too blown away by his sudden appearance. He took a deep breath. His hands grew clammy. Heck, he couldn’t deny that he also was nervous.

Then Laura shifted her ready smile from the assistant coach to him. Her eyes widened and the smile drooped as her mouth shut in a decisive snap. With an imperceptible shake of the head, she again turned on the smile, reviving it to its original brilliance. Gone, however, was the warm, curiosity in her face. He knew a fake smile when he saw one and he could sense a deep-seated grudge with his eyes closed.

“Miss Masterson, I’m Chase Westfield.”

“He’s the senior assistant director of athletics and head coach for the men’s track team,” Freeman added, still beaming from his chair.

“Very nice to meet you. I know that you’ll like it here. Welcome.” His voice had lost its smooth quality and turned into a froggy version.

Just as well. If he had any more time to talk, he may have slipped and turned it personal. He could’ve commented on how the longer hair suited her with the thick ponytail lying over one shoulder. Or follow that compliment by mentioning how well the navy blue suit fitted her slender body. And the curves had become curvier. But that would get him punched in the eye.

As a sophomore in high school, he’d patted her behind as part of a bet. The act had earned him a solid punch to his right eye and ridicule from his friends. Like that day, he didn’t walk away from a challenge. Did he really expect that Laura would run carefree into his arms with sincere well wishes?

No, not when he’d broken her heart.

“Laura, Chase temporarily oversees your department. The reporting structure is in a state of flux.” Freeman’s voice boomed over the conversation buzz.

Laura sucked in her breath. She’d often wondered if constantly thinking about someone could make them appear. Being level-headed proved to be difficult in this case. She felt as if she’d done an aerobics tape on fast forward. All she could see was the instant that she moved from the assistant coach, whatever-his-name was, to Chase. That image looped repeatedly. Then his lips moved. She tried to concentrate on what he said. But, her thoughts bounced around like a ping-pong ball with one possibility, then another and even a third idea of why she was standing in front of Chase. When his lips stopped moving, she knew it was her cue to speak and hopefully sound sensible.

“Thank you,” she responded. Of course, “kiss my butt” would’ve been more appropriate. She’d save that for later.

“Laura, you can take a seat. Then, we’ll get started.” The boss pointed her toward a vacant chair.

Grateful that it wasn’t near Chase, she hurried over to the opposite side of the room. Although on the other side of the room, the distance didn’t help matters when she had such a clear view of his profile. The 90’s haircut had been replaced by a layered cut along the sides and back. She remembered how soft his hair felt when she’d ran her fingers along the wavy grain of his hair.

And that thick head of hair always belonged to a handsome face. Chase’s smooth skin earned her envy with its clear, unblemished, even tone. Why were long lashes, a milk chocolate complexion and chiseled features wasted on someone like him? She wanted to work the paper from her pad into a ball and throw it at his profile. If she thought that Mr. Freeman wouldn’t be appalled and fire her on the spot, she’d let one rip.

When he stood at the end of the meeting, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. And why didn’t he look the least bit surprised or uncomfortable at seeing her? Right now, he chatted with his colleagues, slapping their backs in friendly fashion, gesticulating with grand hand motions. He was all business. His coolness irritated her.

In a quick moment, he looked up, caught her eye and then looked away. Good, she hadn’t blinked or averted her gaze. Although his eyes didn’t rest on her for any lengthy period, it was enough that their eyes connected. She kept up her scrutiny. Seconds later, she was rewarded when she noticed him tugging at his collar. The dashing smile had faded. Maybe the act had come to an end.

“Laura and Chase, stop in my office for a few minutes,” Freeman invited.

“After you.” Chase stepped over to the side, exaggerating the distance provided to her.

Laura walked past, careful to maintain the distance between them.

“Have a seat.” Freeman indicated the chairs in front of his desk.

Laura sat and glanced over at the chair next to her to see if Chase intended to step away from the door to join them. She looked up at Freeman to see if he’d tolerate Chase not exactly following directions.

“I’ll stand, thank you,” Chase offered, folding his arms and leaning against the door frame.

“Suit yourself.” Freeman turned his attention to Laura. “When you’d interviewed a month ago, Coach Nichols was still employed.”

Laura nodded and leaned forward. Chase had not been mentioned when she underwent the extensive interview process.

“Coach Nichols suffered a family crisis that required his immediate attention even though the school year had begun. We got wind that Chase was being heavily recruited after he retired. How lucky were we? Still can’t believe that he’s here.” Freeman’s open admiration matched its owner’s effusive nature.

If Laura didn’t have an ounce of admiration for Chase, Freeman could brainwash her in minutes with his enthusiasm.

“Let’s not overwhelm Miss Masterson. I’ll be chatting with her after your meeting. Hopefully, she’ll want to work with me, the poor substitute to the renowned Coach Nichols,” Chase remarked in a droll voice.

Freeman chuckled, his wide girth vibrating with his amusement. He pushed back his chair and stood. Laura looked into his eyes which reminded her of Newman’s intense blue ones. She really enjoyed being in Freeman’s company. His easygoing attitude set her at ease. She wished that he had more to say or that she could create a reason to delay heading off with the man standing behind her.

“Let me get going to my next meeting,” Freeman said. “I’ve got a busy morning ahead of me. Laura, again, we are so pleased that you’re on board. Chase, take care of this young lady, she’s valuable to our department and your team.” Laura headed for the door where Chase still leaned, looking like he didn’t have a care.

He grinned at her.

She didn’t return the gesture.

He had the audacity to wink at her. They walked down the hall with him leading the way. Freeman walked with her, also heading to his next appointment. They approached a cross section of hallways. To her dismay, Freeman waved and headed down another hall. She stopped, debating whether to follow Freeman, in which case, she’d have to think of a reasonable excuse to be tagging behind him.

“Laura, aren’t you coming? My office is this way.”

Again he grinned. With a long sigh at Freeman’s retreating figure, she reminded herself that she was a big girl. She could handle her ex-boyfriend popping unexpectedly into her life. Offering a tight smile, she followed him. But he slowed his steps, until they were shoulder to shoulder.

“How’s the family? Is everyone still in Hampton Mews?” Chase asked.

“Fine. For now, everyone is in Maryland.” Good gracious, now he wanted to have small talk.

“Your brother? Pierce?”

“Married.” Now where did that smugness in her tone come from? They’d only discussed marriage once. It had been in the final words before they went their separate ways. Four years later, she had done a good job pushing her feelings six feet under and sealing them with a thick layer of indifference. The effort took hard work, discipline and focus. The three reasons he’d used for calling it quits.

Chase pushed open a set of double doors with a bright EXIT sign overhead. She stepped through, then stopped short. Laura looked up at him for an explanation.

“Figured we could delay the trip to my office for a few minutes,” Chase explained.

She nodded, still not sure why they were outside the building. Outdoors, she could regroup. Laura raised her face, enjoying the sting of the brisk coolness even in Georgia. Autumn with its crisp temperatures, golden leaves and themes of harvest appealed to her sense of family. Her mother had said that it was a time for gathering those close to you. As the long winter came, you use the longer time indoors to bond. But with four children and no father, maybe that story was to keep them from fighting and arguing.

“Never could understand why you loved the cold weather so much.” Chase looked at her, bearing a wide smile. Without lingering, he continued leading the way from the building across the road to the enclosed stadium.

Traffic on campus during the midmorning hours didn’t differ too much from morning rush hour. Mostly compact cars zipped past, screeching to a halt at the four-way stop signs that dotted the campus roads, then racing off with tires squealing. Students on bikes made up the other major group, while clusters of young men and women hurried along the sidewalks and footpaths.

Campus life energized Laura with its similarity to a small city. There was lots to do and see. As a student, she’d thought of pursuing a teaching career, maybe even becoming a professor. These dreams she’d shared with Chase. Out in the real world, she hadn’t had time to think about what she really wanted to do. Maybe seeing her big brother, Pierce, settle down with his family made her realize that she was letting time slip away.

Chase recited facts about the University of Atlanta, dates of key political figures who had been students and the institution’s rankings in various athletic divisions.

In other words, her feet rested on hallowed grounds. In her small way, she hoped to participate in making an athlete’s dream come through. She’d tried to do the same with Chase in much different circumstances and with negative results.

Many evenings, after Chase had practiced, they’d talked about their future while sitting in the bleachers. Those were the days when they were giddy with their love for each other, turning up their noses to life’s realities. Back then, nothing seemed to be an obstacle. At least where Chase was concerned. She’d listened to his aspirations, bursting with confidence to be the world’s best sprinter. Then she hadn’t been in his life for his only Olympic experience. She could only imagine how his dreams and expectations skyrocketed.

From the sidelines, she witnessed his popularity soar. Even though they had gone their separate ways, she couldn’t eliminate him completely. Endorsements paved the rapid path to his superstardom. He popped up in various advertisements featuring sports drinks, underwear, designer suits and even a mobile phone where he was calling his sweetheart to propose on camera. That ad she could do without seeing.

“What brings you here?” Chase asked.

“I might ask the same of you,” Laura replied.

“Last I knew, you’d thought about following in your brother’s footsteps to be a doctor.”

Laura shrugged. It was one of many career options that fizzled. Sounded good until she took a look at the curriculum.

“Not to say that I’m not glad for the career switch. Gives us a chance to visit some unfinished business.”

Laura shrugged again. His tentative offer taunted her, trying to lead her down a path that she didn’t want to go. Guess he wasn’t going to act as if they didn’t have a past. Good for him. Didn’t change much with her, though.

“After I tore a tendon in the world games and couldn’t heal enough to make the last Olympic trials, I had to make a decision. The window was sliding shut on me,” he stated with a matter-of-factness.

A slight change in his voice alerted her. She detected bitterness, maybe even remorse. His pain must hit him deeply for him to display those emotions with her.

“Don’t count yourself out of the race,” she advised, fighting the natural urge to put her arm around him.

“Always the optimist, right? May not have appreciated it, but it’s nice to hear. I didn’t count myself out. My body quit on me.” He sucked in his breath and exhaled with a heavy sigh. “A decision had to be made. I quit.”

“You retired.”

Chase shrugged off her correction. A class jogged around the field, his gaze followed their progress.

“Are you in a lot of pain?” Silly question, but she didn’t want him to open the subject and now close the shutters around it.

“Somewhat. Guess I’m turning into my grandfather who could tell when rain was coming because his knees ached. Actually, I was dead on with my prediction last Wednesday when we had that thunderstorm.” He grinned, adding a teasing wink.

They had emerged on to the track field.

“Wow!” Laura exclaimed.

The stadium had groups of various athletes probably divided into their class sessions. For Laura, many hours waiting for Chase were spent seeing the good and bad with the male athletic egos, aggressive coaches and the many girlfriends. Unfortunately, many of those relationships didn’t survive. Multi-tasking wasn’t a priority.

Chase had focused on what was important. She’d helped him, until he no longer wanted her help. She had to accept the sacrifice to walk away.

A coed class noisily jogged past them. Some of the sweat suits had the lacrosse team logo printed down the leg. Two stragglers brought up the rear, earning them a very vocal reprimand from the coach. Yep, she had witnessed those heated discussions with Chase and his coach. She wondered if he’d felt pressure to retire, rather than lose his ranking.

A flock of birds in arrow shaped formation noisily flew past them. Laura looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes in the process. She followed them until they disappeared from view.

“What?” she asked, flustered to catch him staring at her.

“Nothing.” He shoved his hands in his pocket and kicked at the gravel. “Getting used to seeing you.”

Laura led the way to the bleachers. Chase sat beside her. Her pulse jogged a few beats faster. Thankfully, he left several inches of space between them. Otherwise she’d have to slide away from him for sanity’s sake. Regardless of what her mind logically concluded, her heart had a tendency to be weak. There was no need to test that with any casual contact of body parts. She touted her emotional strength, but she wasn’t that strong.

“Don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around me,” Chase spoke, his gaze fastened straight ahead.

“Shouldn’t be a problem. You’ve got your job and I’ve got mine.”

“Mind sticking around after hours so the team can meet you?” Chase asked.

Laura pretended to mull over the request. Let’s see. She had to go to the grocery store, head home and whip up her one-person meal, then catch the latest reality show. Boring. “Sure.”

“Great. Let’s head back. I’ll take you over to your area.” He looked at his watch. “Folks should be heading out to lunch in a few minutes. Maybe we can catch a few of them. It’ll be a good bonding time for you.”

They walked back to the building, down the long corridors where students milled. The various halls and offices had a honeycomb effect. She envisioned several instances where she’d be wandering the halls looking for the correct office.

Chase stopped in front of an open door. “Since we’re now at my office, I want to give you something.”

They walked in large area room where the receptionist desk stood as the gateway to various offices on either side. The block of offices and rooms housed the department of the entire coaching staff. One wall held the various bulletin boards all covered with colored papers announcing the meets, university information and other official news.

Laura stopped near the receptionist desk. She could see into Chase’s office, which wasn’t more than a closet.

“I’ll get it,” he said before entering his office.

Chase wanted to re-think the birthday gift. His imagination had failed him, making him believe that giving a gift to an ex-girlfriend who happened to be working for him was normal. As he approached Laura and saw the suspicion cloud her face, he felt ridiculous. All he could do was act as if this was no big deal.

“I know that I’m a day late, but I think it still counts. Happy Birthday.” He handed the box to her. Although shock registered, he noted the smile that tugged at her mouth.

“I don’t know what to say.” She shook her head. Her eyes lifted from the box to his face. “Why?” She shook her head again before accepting the box. “Thank you.”

Chase didn’t mind her bewilderment. He anticipated that his thoughtfulness would be unexpected. What he hoped against was her rejection of the gift. Not that it would deter him. He’d simply have to move to Plan B, whatever that happened to be.

“Should I open it now?” She held the box on her outstretched palm.

“Sure. It won’t blow up.” He attempted to lighten the moment. Thank goodness Sandy had left for lunch. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of his secretary.

He watched her pull off the ribbon around the box. Then she took a deep breath and removed the lid.

“Lots of shredded stuff,” she remarked.

“Kinda grabbed it out of the shredded paper in the back.”

She handed the wad of paper to him. “Well, I guess you’d better get the secrets back before you’re prosecuted for espionage.”

Their fingers grazed each other. Yet he wanted to repeat the motion again. He wanted to feel her long fingers, warm and soft, sliding over his hand.

“Chase! You shouldn’t have.”

He looked at her face closely to see if, despite her words, she did like it. Her flat statement telling him that he shouldn’t have, matched her unwavering gaze, as in he really shouldn’t have. Of all the responses, this was not in the top list.

A delicate gold charm bracelet with three charms dangled from her fingers where it lightly rested. Gold tiny loops formed the bracelet. He’d initially seen the piece at a Costa Rican jewelry shop while on vacation six months ago. When he’d stopped to admire it Laura came to mind because of her slight obsession with charms.

“I do think it’s absolutely beautiful.” Laura sighed. “But…this is a bit much. First, seeing you. Working for you so unexpectedly. Now this.” She bit her lip, frowning deeply at the jewelry. She laid the bracelet on her palm and turned each charm flat against her palm.

“I remembered how much you liked unicorns.” He saw the small nod when he mentioned the first charm. “And you wanted to go to Trinidad for their Carnival.” Her finger traced the distinctive shape of the small Caribbean island. “Do you recognize the third?”

She stared down at the last charm. Her finger hovered above the tiny shape. Voices approached from down the hall. Classes had been dismissed and the halls filled with students and teachers. He didn’t have much time left.

The third charm was a treasure chest. He looked at her face willing her to say something, anything. Could their childhood adventures with pirates, kidnapping and all out war resonate with her as it did with him? Or maybe it was the kiss that she demanded from him as ransom for his GI Joe action figure during one summer afternoon. She had shoved her girlish tendencies aside when she and Chase had played. When they were young, she had always declared herself to be the pirate.

“I recognize it.”

“Don’t give it back. It would mean a lot to me if you’d keep it.” He placed his hand under her open palm and gently closed her fingers over the bracelet.

“I know that you’ve put a lot of thought into this. I also think that you knew I would be here. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have given it to me. I’m not sure where you are in your life or what problems may be plaguing you. But you can’t expect me to fill in the hole,” she remarked, her voice hardening.

“I’m not trying to buy your affection. Friends wouldn’t do that to each other.”

“Take it back.” Her voice shook slightly, but her eyes were clear of any tears. She pulled her hand from his and dropped the bracelet in his shirt pocket. “When I took a job here, it was because this was my goal after I got my physical therapist certificate. I’m here to work. I want nothing more from this. You’re now my boss, and I want nothing but an employee-boss relationship. Anything more or anything less and I’ll have to find another job.”

After Laura had long disappeared down the hall and around the corner, Chase only had her lingering, gentle scent and the memory of touching her hand to keep him company.