Page 18 of Tormented Bastard
I studied her. She looked to be my age, early thirties, dressed casually in shorts and a tank top, flip-flops on her feet, her hair pulled into a ponytail. But she had a look about her that screamed class in spite of the dressed-down attire. She certainly didn’t look like she had kids.
And what, pray tell, are women who have kids supposed to look like, Eden?
“How many kids do you have?” I had no clue what to say.
She smiled. “Two. That I gave birth to anyway. They’re rambunctious, just like their dad. They keep me running, but I wouldn’t change it.”
There was a peace about her I envied. She had the look of a woman who was truly happy and content to be standing in the middle of a small-town grocery store as long as she had her family.
“So, first time on the island during a hurricane?”
“Yeah, what gave me away?”
She laughed. “The deer in the headlights look was my first clue. I remember the look well.”
“How long have you lived here?”
“Oh, I don’t live here permanently. We’re more part-time residents. We split our time between here and California.”
“Really? That must keep things interesting.”
“Girl, you have no idea. Things are always interesting when Chance is around.”
“Oh, I met Chance earlier today.” I smiled. “You must be Aubrey.”
The blush that spread across her face was so sweet. It was evident these two had been together a while and yet they acted like they were still newlyweds. She held out a hand. “Aubrey Bateman.”
I shook her hand. “Eden Mitchell.”
She tilted her head, her eyes studying me. “Ah, yes. He mentioned you. Said you were here to see Chase.” One side of her mouth curved up. “Said it was quite the show.”
My cheeks warmed and I looked away, tapping a finger on the cart handle. “I’m a bit embarrassed by that. I don’t…”
Aubrey waved a hand. “I get it. Men can be a pain in the ass. Especially men that look like those two. Add in all that testosterone and the athlete thing?” She sighed. “Well, let’s just say I know I’m going to have my hands full with my son sooner rather than later.”
I chuckled, thinking that if her son looked or acted like his father, she would need stock in wine and a good supplemental insurance policy.
“So you’ve known Chase a while then. Before he was in the majors?”
I nodded, picking at the plastic bag of bread in my cart. “We, um, dated in college.”
She nodded and made a noncommittal noise. “And since then?”
For a part-time resident, she had the permanent resident drilling of outsiders down pat. Maybe it was because I knew she was still a bit of an outsider too, but my mouth opened and continued to spew information. “I haven’t seen him in four years. At his wife’s memorial service. We didn’t keep in touch.”
The thought panged me and yet I was the one who’d put those walls up. Looking back, it made sense at the time, but I wondered if I had done the right thing. Chase and I had been lovers, but we’d also been friends. He’d comforted me when my mother and I fought, which had been more often than not. He’d been the only one not to abandon me.
Until he did.
Her nod was one of understanding. “After Chance and I got together—on a wild road trip no less—we didn’t speak for two years. We’ve been through our fair share of being apart and having to heal.” She stared into space a moment as though reliving the memories. Her green eyes came back to mine and a smile lit up her face. “But we were meant to be, in spite of all the shit that tried to keep us apart.”
I bit my lip and couldn’t believe my eyes started to tear up. I cleared my throat and shook my head. “That’s not in the cards for Chase and me. I’m here for work. I’m hoping he’ll help with an event my company is managing.”
“Really? What kind of events do you manage?”
“Well, this particular one is a charity fundraiser for a group of businessmen in New York, where I’m from. But we manage and organize all sorts of events. We’ve done everything from large deals like this one to wedding receptions to bar mitzvahs.”
“Interesting. Do you only work in New York?” she asked.
