Juicy Rebound (IceCats 1)

I widen my eyes. “You think so?”

“Well, I sure hope not.” She grins back at me. “So, did you have a nice ride in?”

I nod as we head toward the kitchen. “I did. Your plane is almost the same as my aunt’s. Hers is a tad bit bigger, but then, she has five kids.”

Lizzy grins as she goes behind the counter. The house we’re in is one Chandler’s parents just bought. It’s on the beach and really roomy. When I asked why they bought it, he said his mom wanted a winter home. Not sure what that means, but who am I to judge? It still surprises me how well-off they are. I thought my aunt and uncle were pretty set, or even my mom, but they don’t have multiple homes in different states. Kind of crazy. The best part is that Chandler never acts like their money is his. He’s very humble about it, and I love that about him.

“I’m so glad you could join us. Chandler talks about you all the time.”

“Good things, I hope,” I say as I lean into the counter.

“Always,” she gushes as she hands me a bowl of vegetables. “Cut those for me, please. They’re for the stuffing.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As I get to work, she says, “You two seem pretty smitten with each other.”

I smile. “He’s amazing. You’ve raised a great guy.”

“I think so. He’s my everything.”

We share a smile, and then she asks, “So, tell me about yourself. I only know what Chandler says, which is that you’re extremely beautiful and very funny. Oh! He told me you were a fantastic collegiate gymnast. Finished eighth in the region your first year, right? That’s exciting.”

I grin. “He told you that?”

“Yup. He used to talk about you when he was in college. It’s sweet that you guys reconnected.”

My heart flutters. “Yeah, what are the chances, huh?”

“I think it’s fate,” she says sweetly, her eyes so kind and nice. She has to be where Chandler gets his kind eyes from. I know he’s adopted, but I feel like if you’re around someone all the time, you inherit some of their mannerisms. “Do you miss it? He told me you aren’t doing gymnastics anymore.”

“I do,” I admit. “A lot, actually. I followed my ex-husband to where he was, and I worked for a bit as a coach. But then things changed, and I stayed home.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Chandler did tell me you were divorced. Again, it’s a one-in-a-million chance you two would get together after all this time—and after both of you divorcing. It’s good, at least, that you both know what a bad marriage feels like.”

“Yeah,” I say softly.

“Have you thought about getting back into it?”

“Marriage?” I ask incredulously, and she laughs.

“No, honey. Gymnastics.”

Oh. Thank God. I nod. “I want to, but I’m a bit scared.”

“Scared?”

I bite my lip as I cut the carrots into quarters. “Well, I dropped out of school to follow my ex, and I’m worried people will think of me as a failure.”

She makes a face. “Well, that’s understandable, but I don’t like the word failure.”

I look up. “You don’t?”

“No, because I don’t truly feel like someone fails. It’s a state of mind to me. When I do something and I don’t succeed, I look at it as a learning experience. If you allow yourself to feel like a failure, then you won’t try again. You’ll let it define you. So instead, look at it as a teaching moment and try again.”

Her words knock the air out of me as I stare at her. “Wow.”

“You see, honey, I don’t know if Chandler told you, but I couldn’t get pregnant. I had fourteen miscarriages in five years.”

I press my lips together, feeling awful for her, but there is no pain on her face.

“We were devastated each time. But through it all, I knew I had to work for my goal, and that goal was to have a child to love as much as we loved each other.” She smiles as she leans on her elbows, her eyes locked with mine. “We were going to use a surrogate—my sister would carry the baby for us—but she kept telling me about this little boy who would come into her bar who had these unbelievable topaz eyes. His mom was really deep into drugs and alcohol, and she didn’t take care of him at all. My sister would feed him when his mother would bring him into the bar, drinking and acting a fool, while he sat in the corner, coloring. My sister suspected that was the only time he ate. She called Child Services on the mother over and over again, and finally, they took the child from her. My sister told me about him, and something inside me told me he needed me. I knew Charles and I could show him what love was. So after a load of money in legal fees, we became Chandler’s parents.”