Rekindled
Authors: Susan Scott Shelley
REKINDLED
Susan Scott Shelley
Copyright © 2015 Susan Scott Shelley
Sale of the electronic edition of this
book is wholly unauthorized. Except for use in review, the reproduction or utilization
of this work in whole or in part, by any means, is forbidden without written
permission from the author/publisher.
Susan Scott Shelley, publisher
This book is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons,
living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved, including the right
to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
Please visit my website at
www.susanscottshelley.com
True love has a habit of
coming back.
ONE
Beside her, Jocelyn pointed a gloved finger to the snow covering
parts of the ground and gave an exaggerated shiver. "What idiot decided
that jumping into a lake at the end of January would be a smart idea?"
"Well, actually, you did." She laughed and dodged her
best friend's swat. The foreign laugh was something she hadn't experienced in a
long time. Life wasn't funny while a career, and a dream, floundered like a
fish suffocating on dry land. Twenty-four hours ago, she'd stood staring at
palm trees, wondering if she'd ever see the West Coast again. Hopefully, a dip
in the nearly frozen water would shock an answer into her system.
Murmuring about hypothermia and frostbitten toes, Jocelyn stamped
her fur-lined boots against the ground. "My dad and brother decided this
would be a good thing. If it were up to me, we'd hold a bake sale
instead."
Gemma sidestepped two little girls twirling in circles, giggling
over the chance to wear their bathing suits in the middle of winter. "Your
charity will raise a lot of money this way."
"I'm thrilled about that part, but I'll leave the jumping in
the lake part to you crazy people. I’ll stick with my duties of organizing the
event, helping out with pre-plunge participant check-in, and handing out hot
drinks at the refreshment stand after the plunge."
"I'm happy to help you pass out the hot chocolate."
Amid banners promoting Hudson Contractors' Caring Home Repair
Fund, people were jumping around in creative attempts to keep warm. But there
weren't any signs of Mr. Hudson or his first-born son.
"Are your dad and brother here?" Straining to keep her
voice casual, she peeled her sweatshirt over her head. Goosebumps seemed to pop
out on top of goosebumps. The warm temperatures of L.A. had never seemed so far
away.
"Dad's probably checking to see if the mic's working for his
speech. He's bummed about not jumping in the water this year. The cold weather
is too hard on him." Jocelyn's smile dimmed. "Ever since his heart
attack, he just doesn't have the same stamina."
The heart attack and triple bypass surgery that followed had taken
a toll on Jocelyn's entire family. Gemma squeezed her hand. From three thousand
miles away, she hadn't been able to offer more than prayers and a sympathetic
ear. "What about your brother?"
In the whirlwind rush of packing her bags and arranging for the
dog's travel and flying home to Hunter's Peak, she deliberately hadn't asked
Jocelyn about Adam, preferring to put off the conversation for as long as
possible. A decision she now regretted. If he showed up, she'd have to rely on
her acting skills to help her get through the encounter.
"Adam is supposed to be here but I don't see him. You know, I
just realized something. The first time we held the plunge was the first time
you two met." Jocelyn's voice took on the extra-cheerful tone she always
used when talking to Gemma about Adam. Being her ex-boyfriend's sister could
have meant an awkward end to their friendship, but Jocelyn seemed just as
determined as Gemma to maintain their relationship. And when she occasionally
hinted at trying to get them back together, Gemma ignored her and changed the
subject.
"It doesn't matter. I'm doing this for me. Not anyone
else." Her hands shook as she shimmied out of her yoga pants. She dreaded
seeing Adam now that she'd reached her lowest point. Her stomach clenched, and
she searched the crowd. No sign of him. A deep breath eased her nerves.
Jocelyn glanced at her and shivered. "This isn't exactly the
welcome home I'd choose, but to each her own."
She needed to do it. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe she would regret
it. But maybe, just maybe, she'd get her wish and figure out what to do next.
She handed the shirt and pants to Jocelyn, and they slowly
shuffled into the crowd of people waiting for the Polar Plunge to begin.
"Do you think someone will recognize you and ask for an
autograph?" Cradling the clothes and a few towels, Jocelyn tugged her hat
tighter onto her head.
"I doubt it." Four years of landing bit parts in
B-movies didn't translate into a large fan base. Heck, it hardly translated
into any fan base. And while four years of catering countless parties had
improved her culinary skills and paid the bills, it didn't guarantee loyalty.
Frosty chaos? Yeah, that was her life for the past three days. A
job lost. A rejection from the last production company she could find. Both had
dumped a bucket of icy water onto her acting dream and thrown her into a
tailspin. Admitting her exhaustion, frustration, and fear to her parents
resulted in a plane ticket home. They didn't care if she had her name in bright
lights, but she sure did.
Jocelyn's dad, wearing a Hudson Contractors jacket, stepped onto a
wooden platform on the shore. The crowd's noise lowered to murmurs as he gave a
speech about the charity. When he finished, Jocelyn nudged Gemma's arm.
"I'll wait for you by the fence near the parking lot. Don't turn into an
icicle out there."
An air horn's wail blared. The crowd surged and swept Gemma to the
water's edge. She forged ahead, splashing into the lake. Frigid water slapped
her skin. Some enterprising soul dove into the water headfirst. His belly flop
sent a swell of water over Gemma's chest and chin.
Sucking in a breath, she stiffened her muscles. She had known it would
be cold, but she wasn't prepared for the frigid temperature. She should have
been. She'd done this before. But back then, she'd had Adam's hand to hold. And
being in love with him made the entire world seem warmer, safer, more
comfortable.
But that ended when he boarded a plane bound for major-league
baseball in Northern California and left her behind.
Teeth chattering, body shaking, she fought the bone-numbing chill
seizing her system. The stark cold was a sharp reminder of her lonely reality.
All around her, people grabbed onto each other. Shrieks and screams accompanied
laughter. Someone shouted an idea to swim across the lake. The couple next to
her shook their heads and headed back to shore. Chill turned to an ache. Her
toes hurt, her legs hurt, but she kept moving, determined to stay in the water
just a little longer.
When the water level reached her chest, she turned back. Her foot
slipped on a rock, and she pitched forward. Water rose up to meet her and
closed over her head. It flowed into her nose and into her mouth. The shock of
cold seized her muscles. She sank further. Heart pounding, she kicked out and
felt for the lake floor. She pushed up and broke the surface, sputtering and
coughing.
A large hand curled around her elbow. "Are you all right?"
The rough gravel of his voice, sharp and sexy, pumped fresh
adrenaline into her system. Continuing to cough, she regained her balance and
looked up the muscled torso and into the face of Adam Hudson. His firm mouth,
straight nose, and intense brown eyes were just as she'd remembered.
The small scar running through his left eyebrow hadn't been there
before. He'd earned the mark eight months ago, but not being a part of his life
meant she didn't have the right to check up on him.
News of Adam Hudson, starting pitcher for the Sacramento Storm,
getting hit by a line-drive that fractured his skull, had made national news
and scared her enough to drive six hours up I-5 North to see him for herself.
Heavily medicated, he hadn't known she was there. And the cool blonde who
slipped into the room when Gemma stepped out, solidified the notion that Adam
had moved on. In the months that followed, the only way she'd been able to
keep informed of his recovery had been phone calls with Jocelyn or scouring
sports news sites.
His brows lifted, and his fingers loosened and then tightened
their hold. "Gemma."
The surprise in his voice cut through her discomfort. They stood
in the crowded water, staring at each other. A rush of memories crashed into
her like a tidal wave. Emotions jumbled together—longing, regret, wanting,
need.
"Are you hurt?" He stooped, and his gaze searched her
face. His other hand gently tapped against her back.
"I'm okay." She stammered through trembling lips and
coughed a few more times. Why did he have to find her at such a disadvantage?
So much for her plan to appear cool and collected if they met.
"What are you doing here?"
"F-f-f-freezing." Attempting a smile was difficult when
frozen cheeks and frozen lips wouldn't cooperate.
Something passed over Adam's features, too quickly for her to name
it. "Your lips are blue. Come on, mermaid, time to get out of the
water." His hand gripped hers, and he led her through the crowded water to
the shore.
Feet like blocks of ice couldn't feel the lake floor. She curled
her hand more securely in his and followed his lead, saying a silent prayer
that she wouldn't slip under again.
When they reached dry land, his grip remained firm around her
fingers. "Where's your towel?"
"Jocelyn's holding my stuff." Her arms trembled. Shaking
fingers formed fists in a useless attempt to keep warm. "She was supposed
to wait for me by the fence, but I don't see her."
People darted around them, scrambling into dry clothes while a few
brave souls ventured back into the icy waters. She pulled her arms in close to
her body. She'd forgotten how painful the cold could be.
"You can use mine. Come on." He pulled her through the
throng and over to a grassy patch of land spotlighted by sunlight. After
rummaging in his gym bag, he handed her a towel. "My sister didn't tell me
you were in town."
"I arrived last night."
"I thought your parents were in Florida this time of
year."
"They are."
For a moment, they locked eyes and the chaos and noise surrounding
them faded. He didn't smile, just watched her with a neutral expression.
"They usually have someone rent their house when they're away."
She nodded and wrapped the towel around her waist. Was he happy to
see her? Angry? Anything? "I'm staying with Jocelyn."
His mouth hardened. "How long are you staying?"
"I haven't decided." Clutching the towel tighter, she
took a step back and drew in a deep breath to ease the tightness in her
chest.
Goosebumps dotted his skin. "Let's get you dry, and then some
hot chocolate. You'll warm up."
"What about you? Your lips are blue, too."
"I'll be fine." He rubbed his hand through thick, dark
brown hair, dripping rivulets of water down his skin. His response echoed their
last conversation, when they'd ended their relationship. If he remembered it,
he didn't let on. Instead, he pulled another towel from his bag and draped it
around her shoulders. "I'll look for my sister. Wait here."
Gemma watched Adam stride into the crowd and rubbed the towel over
her skin. The shock of the water was nothing compared to the shock of seeing
him again. In all the ways she imagined they'd meet again, a sputtering
half-rescue in an icy lake hadn't made the list. But he'd been more than civil,
he'd been kind. Maybe they could end up being friends.
The hollow feeling in her gut eased but didn’t disappear. Being
this close to him again only reinforced how much she’d missed him over the last
four years.
She wrapped the towel more securely around her body and stamped
her feet and wiggled her toes, willing warmth to return. Workout clothes hung out
of his open gym bag. She longed to pull on the socks and sweats.
Within a few minutes, Jocelyn and Adam strode toward her. Heat
glittered in Adam's eyes. A smile beamed across Jocelyn's face. With a
flourish, she held out Gemma's clothes. "Sorry, I was helping set up the
refreshments."
Gemma tugged her sweatshirt over her torso, then wriggled out of
her bikini top. With her towel wrapped around her waist, taking off the bottoms
was nearly impossible, but she managed to slip them off and shimmy into her pants
and sneakers without giving anyone a glimpse of something they shouldn't see.
"No coat?" Adam stood in front of her, dressed in sweats
and a jacket. His fingers brushed hers when she handed him the towels.
She shrugged and pretended the barb of heat hadn't jolted her
senses. "I gave away a lot of stuff before I moved to L.A. I didn't
anticipate needing a wool coat anymore."
His gaze fixed on her chest and a muscle in his jaw jumped.
"You kept my shirt."
She glanced at the scarlet logo of his minor league baseball team
emblazoned across the fabric. Heat flooded her cheeks. Keeping his sweatshirt
after the breakup was one thing, but now he knew that she'd kept it. No way
would she mention how many times she'd worn it or slept in it over the last
four years. Why, why, why, did she have to wear it today?