A Million Miles Apart (Wish 4)

19 - Friends

Ben looked down at his cast. It was cumbersome and a reminder he couldn't play when his team needed him most, but at least the pain had subsided. Dr. Edwards assured him he would make a full recovery and be ready for spring training.

Kenzie and his father had been annoying. He heard from or saw one or the other every day. They probably knew the truth, which was that he felt bored and useless. The only thing that saved him was moving into his new place. The designer had hit a home run and Ben loved everything about it.

Once Angela found out he was home and injured, he couldn't get rid of her. It took her two days because she only got her news from Facebook. Apparently, her brother asked her how he was and she was mad at Ben because she looked like a fool. Ben didn't know if it was to rectify herself or get back at him, but she posted the first picture of him. He was on the sofa wearing shorts and a tee with his splint elevated. He didn't care about her reason because either way he was through with her. She didn't think he was serious, but after a long conversation which reminded him of the ones he had with his mother, he told her to leave.

Kenzie was always right. She pegged Angela, and he didn't believe her. She also trusted Sloane when he didn't. He felt like shit for the way he treated her. Two days living in his new condo, the guilt was eating away at him. He debated who to reach out to. He knew Jett and Kenzie would make an enormous deal out of it, so he contacted Edward Calhoun. Ben told him that he wanted to thank his sister but didn't let on that he knew her name.

It took him several edits before he had the wording just right. Texting one handed was hard enough. He left it simple.

Come see the new condo? BL

He didn't put in a time and waited for her response. It was a long forty-eight minutes before she replied to him. When? She didn't ask where.

Feeling over anxious, he didn't want to put it off. Now or whenever works for you.

Okay.

Okay! Was she coming? He looked around. The place was clean, but he looked like a slob. Showering was difficult with a cast. He changed into clean jeans and shirt. He kept his hair short, so it never looked messy, but ran some crap through it to hide he needed to wash it. He pulled the covers up on his bed and made it the best he could one handed. Ben had been spoiled having daily maid service. She probably never made a bed in her life.

He jumped when he heard the security buzzer. Through the video screen, he saw her looking around. She looked as uncomfortable as he felt. He pressed the button to unlock the door without speaking to her. She knew which condo had been hers, which made this awkward meeting easier.

Ben opened the door to let her in and his eyes glanced down at her short skirt and long legs. He moved aside and let her look at his place.

"It's beautiful, but why am I here."

"It's yours."

She shook her head. "I gave it up. Who told you? My brother?"

"The doctor in the emergency room. I was a jerk. I accused you of having an affair with your own brother."

"You accused me of a lot of things."

"I shouldn't have." He looked down, not wanting to face her.

"Why now because you know I'm not just a crazy fan? So I'm a crazy rich fan, but somehow that's okay."

He shook his head. "I judged you. I should have listened to Kenzie. I was mean to you and it was wrong. You deserve respect."

"How do I know I can trust you and you don't want something because my last name is Calhoun? When you didn't know my last name you were rude, but now you're what?"

She was stubborn and not making this easy. He deserved it. "I'm sorry and if you don't want the condo, then I'll keep it. I just don't like to feel guilty."

She smiled. "You are guilty of being rude. I gave up this condo, because it felt good to help my favorite player."

He sighed. She hadn't accepted his apology. He lived with enough guilt over how he abandoned Kimmy, he couldn't have more on his conscience.

"Your brother said you found a different place to live."

She smiled. "I moved into his girlfriend's apartment. She moved in with him next door."

"That woman said she was his wife."

She waved her hand. "She's a bitch. They're divorced, and she is seeing someone but forgets when it's to her advantage. Apparently, Mia is too common, so she assumes she's a gold digger." She put her index finger to her temple. "Uh, sounds familiar."

"I'll apologize again. I'm sorry. So when you were at the game behind the plate?"

"I was with my father. He has season tickets. The time I sat with Kenzie, he was there with a client."

"And he took you to your first game, and it was your best day."

She smiled. "You remember. Baseball was my way of being noticed. Ted is the oldest and Tori is the youngest. She's also beautiful. I'm sure you noticed her at the gallery." He shook his head. "You should have. She's everything I'm not, petite and beautiful."

Her words shocked him. Did she not know she was beautiful? Her legs and willowy figure were mesmerizing when she walked. She was only slightly shorter than him with her heels.

"I thought the doctor's wife could be your sister."

"No, I had just met her, but then you made me leave."

"I..." He shook his head, because she was right. "Good thing your prince saved you."

"Prince!" She broke out into a fit of laughter. "Monty Whitby is a lot of things, but not a prince. He walked me to my car because he wanted to vape. We all drank too much in high school, but he hasn't stopped." She looked around in the silence. He didn't know what to say. "The place looks great. Enjoy it."

He realized she was leaving, and he remembered something else. "Hey Sloane, why did you keep the info I told the doc to tell you about the break private?" He held up his cast.

She froze. "Because I only wanted to know how you were. Mia didn't want her sister's husband to get in trouble. I'm a private person. If you google me, you won't find anything personal."

"Is that why you hid who you were?"

"I didn't exactly hide."

He shook his head. "When I confronted you at the gallery, you laughed. You could have told the truth."

"You didn't deserve the truth. I recently realized some people in my life deserve the truth. My best friend did and your sister does. Please let me tell her."

He nodded and held out his hand. "Friends."

She stared at him for a few minutes, before she took his hand. Her fingers were long but were still lost in his large grip. The warmth of her hand felt nice. He reluctantly released it and watched her walk away, hips swaying. Shaking his head, he couldn't believe she didn't realize how beautiful and sexy she was.

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