Page 10 of Just Say Yes

I pushed open the door and exhaled in relief to find him alone, reading a newspaper in his chair.

“Good morning,” I said, pushing my cart to the side of the room.

“A pleasure to see you, as always.” Arthur smiled and stood. He walked toward my cart, ready to take his daily medication.

I noticed that, despite the sunshine outside, Arthur’s curtains were drawn closed. “It’s a beautiful morning. Would you like those open?”

“With you here, I have all the sunshine I need.” He smiled.

I smirked at him. “Don’t try to butter me up now. I have a feeling our dinner last night was a setup.”

Arthur gave me a sheepish smile. The man had knownexactlywhat he was doing.

“Can you forgive an old man?” he asked.

I eyed him. Arthur was dressed in a cozy brown cardigan over a T-shirt. His slacks were neatly pressed, and his sneakers were as white as his eyebrows. If I could have conjured the most charming old man, it would be Arthur.

I exhaled with a smile. “Of course.” I moved toward the curtain. “Now let’s get some life into this cramped old room, shall we?”

Arthur nodded with a grin, and I walked toward the large windows. I snapped the curtains open, and warm morning sunlight filled the space. As I turned, a photograph of a man with a group of young boys, covered in mud, caught my eye.

Arthur came up behind me, plucking the frame from his desk. “Sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago.” He held the frame out to me. “I coached Logan when he was first starting out. It was easy to see from the beginning that he was something special.”

I accepted the frame and looked at the man in the photo. Clearly, it was a much younger Arthur. The short stature was the same, along with the way his eyes always seemed to be smiling. His grin was wide as he stood, sandwiched between the muddy teenagers.

My eyes landed on the sweet, one-dimpled face of Logan. Mud streaked across his chest and legs. He looked sweaty and happy as his arm draped over the shoulder of his grandfather.

I scanned the other teenage faces.

My blood ran cold as I stopped on one face—standing next to Logan, with his arm around his waist, was a face I had hoped to never,eversee again.

Trent fucking Fischer.

The room spun, the air thick with the weight of a thousand memories I’d spent years trying to forget. The laughter, the lies, the cold silence that followed when he was done with me. And now he was here, smiling, charming, digging through the cracks in my carefully built walls.

I felt sick.

I swallowed hard as I tried to find my voice. “Was this your team?” I asked, pointing to Trent in particular.

Arthur nodded. “Some of them.” He smiled down at the photograph, his eyes wistful with memories. “Logan’s there.” He then pointed to the other boys. “John played for a while but never went pro after college. Tim was a good kid—enthusiastic but didn’t have an ounce of talent. Brent had a real shot but had a bad ankle break that took him out for good.” Arthur’s bony finger tapped on Trent’s face. “Trent—too busy chasing girls and glory.” He shook his head like he was disappointed. “I still tell him that whenever I see him.”

“Oh, you ...” I swallowed thickly. “You still keep in touch with some of them? That’s nice.”

“Trent and Logan stayed close. Best friends, even now.” Arthur was too busy looking at the picture and recalling memories to see the way all the blood had left my face.

Best friends.

When Arthur looked up, he must have seen the way I’d paled and misinterpreted it for disinterest.

“Well.” He sighed. “You don’t need me taking up all your time. You’ve got old people who need you.”

I did my best to recover and fake a smile. “It’s too bad you’re stuck in here with all the geezers,” I joked with a wink, hoping he didn’t notice the subtle change in my mood.

Arthur laughed and clapped his hands together. “Don’t I know it.” Always the gentleman, Arthur walked beside me toward the door. “You have yourself a good day, MJ. And don’t forget—my grandson is a catch. He might be worth a second chance.”

I was still reeling from the revelation that Logan and my ex-boyfriend werebest fucking friends, so all I could manage was a weak nod.

I stared at his back as he slowly made his way down the corridor toward the common areas.

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