Page 103 of Body Shot

HAYDEN

I throw myself into work the rest of the week, and even though my mood is low and my body sluggish, I go see Aunt Gina and Uncle Colin on Saturday as usual. I called Aunt Gina to see if there’s anything I need to pick up for them on my way and I was surprised when she said no, that Uncle Colin went to the grocery store just yesterday.

I walk in with some of my aunt’s favorite strawberries, anyway. “Hi! It’s Hayden.”

“On the patio, dear.”

I walk through the kitchen to check things out on my way to my aunt. Another surprise—it’s clean. Well, relatively. Not spotless, but there are no dishes or leftovers sitting on the counter and the floor has been swept and mopped.

I step out onto the patio just as Aunt Gina takes a few steps toward me with her walker. “Hey, you’re doing great,” I say, hugging her over the walker.

Aunt Gina smile. “I am. Feeling much better. Less pain, and stronger.” She makes a face. “I’d really love to get rid of this walker, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”

“It might. You’ve been going for your physical therapy?”

“Yes, and they are making me work hard.” Aunt Gina sighs. “And I do my exercises at home. I have to do it.”

“Where’s Uncle Colin?”

“He’s doing laundry, if you can believe it.”

“Wow. That’s great. It looks like there’s not even much for me to do. Here, I brought these for you.” I hand over the strawberries.

“Oh, thank you. You’re such a sweetheart. Have a seat.”

I drop into one of the wicker chairs. Wow, sitting and visiting with my aunt is unusual these days. Usually when I come over I’m buzzing around cleaning and cooking. “The yard looks nice, as always.”

“Itisbeautiful.” Aunt Gina gazes out at over the lush grass and bright flowers. “Where’s Beck?”

My heart bumps against my breastbone. “Oh. Uh. We aren’t seeing each other anymore.”

“What?” Aunt Gina’s face falls. “Why? He seemed like such a nice young man.”

Nice.There’s a bland word to describe Beck. Okay, heisnice. He is also insanely charming, exciting, and fun, and so sexy he makes my panties wet just thinking about him. Okay, inappropriate thoughts around my old auntie. I sigh. “Well, it wasn’t anything serious. I got some bad news at work this week and I realized I’ve been wasting way too much time on trivial things, and not paying enough attention to business.”

“Trivial things? Like a boyfriend? A relationship? Love?” Aunt Gina stares at me. “You think those things are trivial?”

I blink at her.

“Love is never trivial,” Aunt Gina adds sternly.

“It wasn’t like that with Beck and me.” My heart squeezes.

“Well, no, because you wouldn’t let it be. That man couldn’t take his eyes off you, Hayden. But if all you do is work, howcouldit be anything more?”

“I don’t have time for anything more.”

“Oh, sweetie. That’s no life.” She eyes me with a notch of concern between her eyebrows. “We’ve been worried about you for a while. I thought with Beck in your life, things had turned around, but . . . “

“But . . . what?”

“But I guess not.” She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip as if trying to decide what to say. “Listen. When your parents died, I know it was hard for you.”

I nod. Of course it was.

“But you barely cried after your mother passed away. You were so stoic and composed. You were just starting college and you threw yourself into your studies. We wanted you to have fun at college, but of course you were grieving. Only, you never got past that. You just kept working, then starting your business, grad school.”

“I had fun in college.” A little.

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