Game On

Chapter 2-1

Chapter Two

It took five minutes for her to be awake enough to come down the stairs, holding the now-empty mug in front of her like a shield. She hadn't bothered to worry about what to wear, grabbing the first thing out of her suitcase and pulling it on. The old well-worn Penn State T-shirt and gray track pants would be more than enough for her mystery visitor.

Who the hell would come to see me?

Who even knew I was in town?

Jake? But what would he—

She stopped wondering as she saw the man seated at the table with her mother, chatting away as he worked on a piece of peach pie.

Hunter.

He sat at the table, looking more respectable than she'd ever seen him. The white dress shirt was tight across his shoulders, the top button undone, and a stark black tie hung loose around his neck, tempting her to give it a playful tug.

Must be at least seven… eight years?

She'd last seen him at their high school graduation. During the ceremony, Hunter proudly pulled up his robe to flash the other students with fluorescent shorts. At their own private party afterward, he'd discarded them along with the rest of his clothing one last time, a tearful farewell as they parted ways, each on their own path.

Angela bit on her lower lip at the sight of his black hair, a bit scruffier and longer than the expected norm for a teacher. Dancing on the edge of acceptable, not so different from high school.

She loved it at that length.

Just enough to grab and hold tight, dig her fingers into it, twist.

Damn. Still delicious after all these years.

Her mother looked up and spotted her in the doorway. "'Bout time you got your raggedy ass down here." Mary-Ann rose from the table and plucked the cup from Angela's hands. "I'll get you a refill and a piece of pie. Sit and be sociable." Without waiting for a reply, she strutted off to the counter.

Hunter laughed as Angela took the chair across the table from him. "Your mother is still a force of nature. As soon as I showed up at the door, she ordered me to sit down so she could feed me. Good thing I hadn't had lunch yet."

"Tell me about it." She cleared her throat. "How did you know I was here?"

He c****d his head to one side and gave her the sideway glance she knew all too well. "I have my sources."

Angela felt her pulse speed up as she remembered what else used to accompany that gesture.

Curled up around each other under the blankets in his treehouse, reading to each other as we worked on our English assignment. At least until one of us gave up and gave in to our desire…

A warm flush ran along her skin at the memory.

Mary-Ann placed a slab of pie in front of Angela, breaking her reverie. "That'll make up for you skipping breakfast."

Angela stared at the mega-sized piece. "And dinner and breakfast and lunch tomorrow as well."

Mary-Ann snorted. "Don't be a smart ass." She picked up her mug of coffee and walked to the sink. "I've got to go to the grocery store. I'll see you later, Hunter. Best to your dad."

"I'll send him your best." Hunter waved as she left the kitchen.

A few minutes later Angela heard the car start up. The sound of the old station wagon's distinctive engine diminished as her mother pulled out of the garage and onto the street.

Angela ate another bite of pie. "How is your father? Mom mentioned he was having some health problems."

Hunter didn't respond right away, and she saw the pain in his deep blue eyes.

"I'm sorry," she started, "I didn't mean to—"

He raised a hand, silencing her. "Early onset Alzheimer's. He's in St. Thomas's Rest Home. I had to put him in there a year ago when it became too hard to keep him at home. The visiting nurses could only do so much, so I made the decision." He shook his head. "Hardest choice of my life. But he's safe and they're taking good care of him, better than I could."

"I'm sorry." She couldn't think of what else to say.

"Me too." He smiled. "He remembers you at times. Asks what you're doing."

"What do you tell him?"

"You're saving the world in Philly. He likes it."

"Good." She shuffled the thick peach slices around on her plate, not sure what to say.

He paused before speaking—choosing his words with care. "I heard you were engaged."

Angela nodded. "'Were' being the important word." She sighed. "Caught him with another woman. He told me it wasn't what it looked like—as if I'm that stupid." She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "But I'm done with him now." She slashed the air with her hand, channeling her rage into the simple gesture. "Done."

"I'm sorry."

She frowned. "What are you sorry for?"

"I'm sorry I'll be in jail for the rest of my life after I kill him," Hunter deadpanned.

She couldn't help laughing. "I think I'm okay with you letting Eric live." The name felt awful in her mouth. "He's the loser in this deal. Not me."

"Hell, yeah." He smiled and she felt some of the weight lift from her chest at the familiar saying. It'd been one of their catchphrases through high school, shouted every chance they got.

Hunter looked at his watch. "Damn. I've got to get back to work, get ready for team practice. I wanted to drop in and say hello, see how you were doing." He stood up and put his light jacket on, festooned with the college colors and the mascot, the Glen Barrow Badger. "I'm glad I did."

She rose and crossed her arms, suddenly self-conscious. "I'm a little messed up, but I'll be okay." Angela brushed an errant lock of hair out of her eyes. "Caught me off-guard. Cut me deep, but I'll survive."

"I know you will." He took a step toward her and paused.

Angela saw the confusion in his eyes, the trepidation.

"I'm not made of glass." She opened her arms to him. "Please."

Her voice cracked on the single word.

Please.

Hunter almost ran to her, crossing the few feet between them in an instant. He pulled her close, his arms curling around her, his strength holding her up in her time of need.

His familiar scent filled her nose, taking her back to a less complicated time and place.

A minute later Angela drew back, releasing him with a loud sigh. "Thanks. I needed that."

"No problem on my part. I know you're in a bad place right now, but I'm here if you need to talk to someone who's not your mother." He winked. "Or anything else you'd like to do. Like, say—with the rest of that pie."

Angela gave him a weak punch to the chest. "Pervert."

"Me? I'm not the one who kissed the top cheerleader on a dare." He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "And I know you liked it." Hunter gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. "It's good to see you again. Don't be a stranger."

He pulled back and paused, staring at her.

She made the first move.

Angela kissed him hard, purging all the sadness from her soul.

Hunter let out something akin to a groan, finally pulling away to drop small butterfly kisses along her jawline, ending with a nip on her earlobe.

"Hell, yeah," Hunter whispered as he released her. He cupped her face in his hands and smiled. "I'm here for you. Take some time for yourself, as long as you need." He kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll see you around."

He walked out of the kitchen, leaving her alone.

Angela rolled her head back and studied the ceiling.

That was—

Uncomfortable.

Interesting.

Exhausting.

She mentally marked D: All of the above and went to refill her coffee.

As she added the milk, Angela recalled their tearful goodbye, years ago.

Unlike many of their peers who had screaming, vicious fights not long after graduation, the two of them chose different paths.

That was all there was to it. They'd wished each other well and headed off in opposite directions.

There'd been no birthday cards, no Christmas presents—they knew each other too well to dance on that razor's edge. A clear and plain break was the only way to go. And that'd withstood the test of time, for years. She hadn't thought about him for the longest time, pouring all of her energy into her job, and until recently, her relationship with Eric.

Now she was back, newly single and Hunter… Hunter was available. Her mother would have warned her off if he were in a relationship.

But—

Angela sat again at the table and picked at the delicious slices of peaches, the thick syrup spreading all over the plate.

Get serious, woman. You're not ready for this. It's been barely twenty-four hours since you broke up with Eric.

She was in no shape to make any sort of judgment on whether reviving her relationship with Hunter Stratham was a good idea or not.

Angela cut into the crisp pie crust with her fork.

At least she knew where she stood with the pie.