Breaking Elle (4 page)

“Okay. I’ll call you,” I say, leaning in to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning to leave.

“Love you.”

“Love you too, Mom,” I call over my shoulder before I jog down the road, eager to get away from the negative vibes that infiltrate my house. I am halfway up the street when I get a text from Tyler. We meet up on our days off to go to the youth center where we both work so that I can visit Cane, and Tyler can play some ball.

Tyler: Where r u ? Can’t keep a guy waiting.

Elle: I’m coming ;)

I need to vent after seeing my mom arguing with Corey again. Tyler has been the steel in my backbone for so long. I can always count on him to put me in a good mood. I don’t need to explain anything since we know each other so well. I slow down when I see him, waving as I check for traffic before jogging across the street.

“You make running in a skirt look sexy, Elle.” He gives me an approving once over, stops bouncing his basketball, and places it under his arm.

“
Grazie.”
I curtsy. “Patience, though. You have to work on that.” I laugh, throwing my hands on my hips, feeling refreshed. Running does that for me.

I started running after my parents’ divorce. It helps clear my head and gets me out of a house that feels foreign and incomplete without my dad. Everything looks the same but nothing is. It took months for me to get used to not seeing my dad every morning. Once he left, we tried to keep some semblance of what life used to be, but our family had deteriorated just like their marriage.

“You have to work on being more punctual.” Tyler pushes his light brown hair away from his thoughtful brown eyes; I’ve found so much comfort in those eyes over the years.

“Really? You’ve known me all my life! Have I changed?” I mock.

“Obviously not.” He smirks, nudging me with his elbow.

“I just hit a little bump in the road today.” I frown, anxiously twirling my hair.

“Your mom and Corey?” Tyler frowns, kicking at a pebble on the sidewalk.

“Bingo!” I cringe at the mere thought of Corey.

“Listen, if your mom needs a shoulder to cry on.” He shoots me devilish grin and rubs his chin playfully.

“Oh geez.” I laugh, punching him softly on the arm.

“Seriously, your mom...” He whistles suggestively, arching his eyebrows while rubbing the spot I punched.

“Okay. I don’t want to hear about it.” I smile, pushing out my hand. “I’m aware that my mom is stunning.”

“Well, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.” Tyler grins, flipping the hair off my shoulder while his fingers lightly brush against my skin.

“Thanks, you’re so kind.” I smirk.

“You still don’t take compliments very well, do ya?” He jokes, running ahead of me to avoid another jab.

“Yeah, yeah,” I reply, jogging to catch up to him. “So did you get lucky the other night?”

“Ehh...” He replies. “I was too busy making sure you were safe.”

“Come on. I don’t need your protection. I can fend for myself, you know?” I gaze up at him. “Do I have to keep reminding you?”

“I don’t know. It’s like second nature to me. Can’t help it.” He blushes, looking down at me charmingly.

Tyler’s feelings run a little deeper than mine. He was there for me when my parents went through their divorce, and the subsequent pain it had caused me. He filled the empty space my parents created in my life at the time. He made me laugh and was there when I needed to cry on his shoulder. I’m not sure I could have gotten through any of it without him.

“So, does your brother plan to visit this summer?”

“Travis should be here next month.” He grins. “I haven’t seen him since Christmas. Grad school is really kicking his ass right now. Hasn’t had time to fly out.”

“Your dad must be beside himself.” I say, watching his face light up. Tyler admires his big brother, because Travis was the rock in his life when their mother passed away, and supported Tyler’s blossoming baseball career.

“Dad was the one who told me.” He glances over at me. “Speaking of Pops, he misses you. Since you started dating Cane, you don’t come by as often as you used to,” he says, raising his eyebrow. “It’s nice to have a female in the house once in a while.”

“I know.” I drop my shoulders, looking at him through my eyelashes. “Tell him I’ll come by; I pinky promise.” I laugh, extending my pinky to him.

“Good,” he says, looping his pinky around mine. “He’s been a pain in the ass about it.”

“More than you?” I giggle, playfully pulling my pinky off his.

“We’re like neck in neck in that department.” He winks, nudging me softly.

Since I spent so much time with Tyler growing up, his dad became a father figure when my dad wasn’t around. Our relationship wasn’t one-sided either; I’d been there for Tyler when his mom lost her three-year battle with breast cancer.

His mom Karen’s cancer diagnosis came the summer before we started high school. The day is permanently ingrained in my memory. Tyler and I were watching the Red Sox game with his dad and Travis. When she came home from a routine physical and told us they’d found a lump. It was the first time I’d ever seen him cry, and I cried along with him.

She seemed healthy and young. That made it hard for Tyler and his brother to digest the news. I spent a lot of time with Tyler and his family during that time because they needed me. I wanted to be there for him, his family. She died in April, a couple of weeks after my seventeenth birthday. Physically, she was half the person she used to be, but her spirit and her strength were larger than life.

After their mom’s death, Tyler and Travis both got their first tattoo of a pink cancer ribbon. Their mom’s name and the date she passed forever inked right over their hearts. Tyler needed me with him, so of course I went. I can’t forget the tears I saw in his eyes that day. Tyler and his dad visit her grave every month. Tyler also goes on his own or with me when he wants to feel closer to her. Life just isn’t fair sometimes.

“So, did I tell you today?” He smiles crookedly.

“Tell me what?”

“That you look hot?” He smirks.

“Hot describes the weather.” I grimace, fanning myself with my open hand because the temperature is spiking into the nineties today.

“Wait, that’s not right.” He pauses; his eyes sparkle when I turn to look at him. “You’re gorgeous. My best friend is drop dead gorgeous.” He grins, tilting his head to the side.

“Come on, let’s go.” I giggle, grabbing his arm. “You’re so dramatic.”

“
See.
You never take compliments very well.” He chuckles.

We walk another block and arrive at the Pierce Sports Center where I work as a counselor and shift supervisor for the youth program. It’s where I met Cane. He has worked here during the summer since his freshman year in college. He just graduated, so he now works full-time and plans to go to grad school in the fall at Boston University where I’m finishing up my degree in biology. I’m in the process of applying to medical schools, possibly in Florida, but definitely some place where the winters aren’t so harsh.

Cane hangs out with my brother, Jace, who’ll be a freshman at Boston College, majoring in History and plans to go to law school. They get along and share the same disturbing dedication to all of New England’s sports teams. Sundays usually find us glued to the TV watching games. I don’t mind it so much. I love sports, but I always get crap for my allegiance to the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees.

Tyler opens the door to the center, and the cool air is a welcome reprieve from the weather. We enter and Tyler takes off for the courts to
play basketball with some other counselors. Feeling a little off from the rush over here in the heat, I head to the bathroom to freshen up. That’s when I see him standing in the lounge where the counselors hangout. Tousled brown hair and piercing blue eyes greet me. His hands are in the pockets of his torn jeans. A fitted white t-shirt stretches across his broad chest and biceps, and a tattoo peeks out from underneath his sleeve on his right arm. He’s staring right at me as if I’m his next meal, and I watch as his lips curl into a sexy smile. Surprised, I lower my head and turn away, unsure of what to do or how to react. As I attempt to calm my breathing, I fidget with my phone, forgetting what I was doing before I noticed him.
Who’s that? And why does he look so familiar?

“Hey babe, I didn’t expect to see you here.” I turn at the sound of my boyfriend’s voice, clearly knocked off kilter by the guy standing across the room. Cane’s thick blonde hair is disheveled and sexy. He’s wearing khaki shorts that hang low on his slim waist and a black t-shirt that emphasizes his hard upper body. I inhale deeply at the sight of him and smile.

“Hey, baby.” I murmur, wrapping my arms his waist. “I wanted to come and visit you. I couldn’t stay home,” I say, shrugging my shoulders and hugging him tighter. He gives me a knowing look with his smoldering brown eyes, gently squeezes my hand, and kisses my forehead.

“Perfect timing, babe. I’m on break. Do you want to go grab something around the corner at the sub shop?”

“Sure,” I reply, peeking back over my shoulder in the stranger’s direction. I’m curious to see what he’s doing. I’m not quite sure why my eyes are drawn to him or why he looks so familiar.

The stranger kneels in front of a boy, pointing at the white stitching on the football in his right hand, and demonstrating how to position one’s fingers on it. He slowly lifts his arm, showing him the correct way to throw the ball. His arm flexes, and his tattoo peeks out just a little more, his movements fluid and precise as if he’s practiced them for years. When he finishes, he tosses the ball to the little boy, gesturing for him to throw it back exactly how he showed him. The little boy throws a perfect pass. His face lights up, and they high-five each other. A guy that’s good with kids? He just increased ten-fold in sexiness.

“Oh wait. Before we go, I want you to meet someone,” Cane says, turning us in the direction of the stranger.

“Okay,” I reply in surprise, lifting my eyes as he grabs my hand. Before I can ask Cane who he wants me to meet, the space between the handsome stranger and me disappears. We stop only a few feet away from him. Seeing him across the room makes me speechless; standing in front of him leaves me breathless. I can’t deny that, even though I feel drawn to this gorgeous stranger, Cane is all the eye candy I’ll ever need. He’s been a constant over the last two years.

“Hey, Reed. I want you to meet my girlfriend, Elle. She’s a counselor and fills in as our boss sometimes.” He winks, throwing his arm over my shoulder. I smile at him and squeeze his hand.

Reed glances at Cane before focusing on me. With a grin, he extends his hand toward me. For some reason, just the thought of his touch makes me anxious and excited. His hand feels strong and soft as he wraps it around mine. My body reacts in a way that I’ve only felt with Cane. It scares and confuses me at the same time. I give him a half-smile, meeting his inquisitive blue eyes.

Elle, so nice to meet you.” He smiles. He’s from down South somewhere; his voice is rich with a slight drawl. I’ve only heard this type of accent in the movies, and I find it much sexier experiencing it firsthand. “I think we met or more like we bumped into each last night at Gypsy Bar. I don’t know if you remember?” He tilts his head curiously.

“I think so,” I answer, recalling the collision and the reaction I had when we touched. I never imagined that I’d see him again. “That could be why you look familiar.” I answer, swallowing the knot in my throat. He hesitates as I slip my hand from his and return my attention to Cane who doesn’t seem to notice anything.

“Reed moved here from Texas. He started working here as a counselor a couple days ago.” Cane pauses, then adds, “Since he’s attending the graduate program in sports medicine at Boston University, he’s gonna be around here in the fall.”

So he’s sexy, sweet, and smart. This is interesting.

“So, from Texas?” I ask. I inspect his features intently, but I can’t find one flaw. His chiseled face shows a hint of a scruff and he has full, kissable lips. Being attracted to a guy like him is a first for me.

“Born and raised.” There’s that drawl again. I should seriously consider going to medical school in Texas just to expose myself to that sweet, sexy sound every day.

“You’re going to like this, Reed.” Cane pauses, looking between us. “My girlfriend here is a Cowboys fan,” he says with a shake of his head.

“I knew there was something I liked about her.” A slight grin crosses his face. I blush, thinking that one little gesture could get any girl to do just about anything for him.

“So when football season starts around here, you guys will be alone together, surrounded by Patriots fans.” Cane laughs out loud, squeezing his arm around my shoulders.

Alone with him? I don’t know what I’d do. For starters, there wouldn’t be much talking going on if I had my way. Based on his reaction to me, I think he’d be okay with that too.
Where the hell did that come from? What’s wrong with me?
I shake the lustful thoughts from my mind and rejoin the ongoing conversation. I slip my arm securely around Cane’s waist and breathe in his familiar scent.