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  Longing swept through Maya. What would it be like to have a life such as that? The woman appeared to be only a few years younger than her husband, and the way she looked at him made Maya wonder if she had chosen this marriage for herself rather than being matched by her family. Even after spending the past seven years outside of India, she was still amazed at the personal freedoms people had here in this country.

  For a moment, she let herself imagine what it would be like if she managed to beat this cancer. Would she too find love someday? Or would the day eventually come when her family would find her and take her back to marry Rishi? In less than a year, she would be able to apply for US citizenship and guarantee her freedom from the arranged marriage. But first, she had to survive that long.

  The hum of the vacuum cleaner sounded through the open balcony door. She continued to watch the couple below, letting herself believe her future still held possibilities.

  * * *

  Ben walked into the Beverly Hills restaurant and immediately saw Heather waiting for him at a center table. He wondered if she had deliberately asked for a table where she was sure to be seen by everyone coming and going. Regardless, he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of enduring a meal with her when all he wanted to do was end this relationship.

  This lunch had been rescheduled four times over the past two weeks, three of which resulted from him finding excuses to delay the inevitable. He supposed he had been the superficial one in their relationship by putting off breaking up with Heather so they could attend a movie premier together, but he had wanted to go, and he hadn’t wanted to go alone.

  He had to admit, Heather had looked stunning in her silver gown, her hair swept up into some complicated hairstyle. All evening, she had been attentive, and it had reminded him of her easygoing way with people and the reasons he had started dating her in the first place. Then he had driven her home and found himself bored as he’d listened to her ramble on about the people they had met.

  Heather was great when they were going somewhere exclusive or would be with people she considered celebrities. She made Ben feel like he had the same social status as everyone else, even when they were surrounded by starlets and sports legends. The more time he spent around his family, though, the more he realized she wasn’t as eager to engage with people who worked more ordinary jobs.

  Heather spotted him and gave him a beaming smile. She waited until he sat beside her before saying, “I’m so glad you made it. I have so much to tell you.”

  She launched into a one-sided dialogue about the auditions her agent had arranged, dropping several hints about how Ben should talk to a few of the actors he had met over the past few months to help her chances. Already dreading the confrontation looming between them, he picked up his menu and put it off a little longer. “Do you have any idea what’s good here?”

  “I don’t know.” She opened her menu as well, taking her time to make a selection. As soon as the waitress took their order, Heather shifted the conversation to a safe topic. She asked all of the right questions about how his workouts were going, and Ben fell into the familiar routine of small talk.

  When they finally finished and walked outside together, Ben asked, “Where did you park?”

  “Oh, actually, I had a friend drop me off. You do have time to take me home, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Ben led the way down the street to his car, fighting the urge to pull away when she slipped her arm through his. When they reached the car, he unlocked the door, waited for her to slide in, and mentally prepared for the twenty-minute drive to her apartment.

  They rode in silence for the first few minutes. Then, finally, Heather said, “I heard Shawn Nills is getting married in DC soon. Are you going back for that?”

  “I was thinking about it,” Ben said noncommittally, a little surprised that Heather even knew about his teammate’s wedding. Shawn had been pretty adamant about keeping the event private, and he couldn’t remember mentioning it to Heather.

  “I guess all of your teammates will be there,” Heather continued.

  “Probably.”

  She shifted in her seat and gave him a hopeful smile. “It would be great to see all of them again.”

  “Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”

  She let out a little sigh and, apparently, decided to take a more direct approach. “Don’t you want to have a date for the wedding? That’ll be so awkward if you go by yourself.”

  “Not really.” Ben gave a slight shake of his head. “It’s not like I don’t hang out with these guys all the time during baseball season. Besides, you seem to be enjoying the social scene here in LA.”

  “That’s true, but I wouldn’t mind a quick trip back East.”

  “As long as I pay for it,” Ben said, instantly regretting his words.

  Heather glared at him. “You think I’m only with you for your money?”

  “No,” Ben proceeded cautiously, even though she had pretty much just voiced his suspicions. “But I do think we don’t have nearly as much in common as I thought we did.”

  Her expression softened, and she put a hand on his arm. “What are you talking about? Of course we do.”

  “Look. I just think it may be time for us to take a break for a while.”

  “You want to take a break now? When we’re finally living in the same city?”

  “Actually, I’m moving back to DC.” Ben’s response surprised him as much as it did her.

  The carefully controlled mask Heather had been wearing dropped away. “What? Why?”

  “Like I said, I think we need a break from each other, and I need to get refocused on preparing for next season.”

  She waited several heartbeats, apparently taking the time to regain her composure. She seemed understanding once more when she said, “You can work out anywhere. Besides, the weather is so much better here than in DC during the winter months.”

  “To some extent, that’s true,” Ben agreed. “But I’ve decided I want to get back to my place in DC and work out there.”

  “Oh.” Apparently at a loss for words, Heather remained silent for the rest of the drive to her apartment. To Ben’s surprise, when he pulled into the parking lot, she leaned over and kissed him. “So when are you planning on leaving for DC? Maybe we can go out tonight or tomorrow.”

  “I have a lot of packing to do,” Ben told her, not sure why he wasn’t quite able to voice the words that things were completely over between them.

  “Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.” She gave him a sultry smile and leaned in to kiss him again. He turned his head so she kissed his cheek instead of her intended target. Then he got out of the car and circled to open the door for her. It wasn’t so much that his mother had taught him how he was supposed to treat a woman as he just wanted Heather to get out of his car.

  “Good luck with all of those auditions,” Ben told her, slamming the car door shut. Leaving her standing on the sidewalk, he hurried back to the driver’s side. “See you later.”

  Quickly, he started the car and pulled away. The moment he was clear of the parking lot, he let himself relax and breathe a sigh of relief.

  Chapter 8

  “Maya, I’m all finished in here,” Jessica told her, stepping out onto the balcony, where Maya had dozed for the past twenty minutes. “I have to run out to the grocery store. Do you need anything?”

  “Actually, that would be great. Can you hand me my purse there? I’ll get you some cash.”

  “Sure.” Jessica handed the purse to her and asked, “What all do you need?”

  “Just some yogurt.” Careful not to move too quickly, Maya retrieved her wallet from her purse and opened it. When she saw that she had only thirteen dollars inside, she hesitated. Not sure if she might need a cab to get to the hospital on Friday, she pulled out the three ones. “It doesn’t really matter what kind of yogurt you get. Whatever is cheapest is fine.”

  “How many do you want?”

  “Whatever t
hat will buy. I have some other stuff in the pantry, but yogurt is the one thing I ran out of.”

  “Okay. I should be back in an hour or two.”

  “Thank you so much for everything. I really appreciate all you’ve done.”

  “I’m happy to help.” Jessica stuffed the cash in her pocket. “Do you want me to help you back inside?”

  “No, that’s okay. It’s so nice out; I think I’ll enjoy the weather a bit longer. I imagine once it turns cold, I won’t get the opportunity very often.”

  “That’s true. We’ve been really lucky that it’s been so mild for the past few weeks.” She stepped back inside. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Maya tucked her wallet back into place, leaving the purse on her lap rather than expending the effort to put it away. With the fall leaves swirling on the ground below, she once again tried to find the positives in her life and fight the fear that this might be one of the last opportunities she would have to enjoy moments like this.

  * * *

  Ben pulled into the parking garage beneath his building shortly after ten on Tuesday morning. He wasn’t sure what possessed him to drive across the country instead of fly and have his car shipped. Maybe he just realized he needed some time alone to sort out his feelings.

  When he left DC the month before, he hadn’t wanted to admit that he’d been running away, that he’d needed to get out of the shadows of that last play-off game for a while. Instead, he had let himself go where his newfound fame was the thing that people cared most about. He supposed he could hardly blame Heather for seeing him that way. Regardless of why he’d left, he was back now, his car stuffed full of his belongings and a bag full of trash on the passenger side floor.

  The news that he had placed second for rookie of the year had come when he was halfway across Indiana. At least he’d had a little time to come to grips with that news. When he’d first been nominated, he hadn’t really thought he had a chance to win. Then he’d let himself start believing the hype. He really did have to stop letting the media influence his emotions.

  He stepped out of the car, pressing a fist against the kink in his back as he arched and proceeded to stretch. Deciding to leave his unpacking for later, he popped the trunk and retrieved the suitcase that held most of his clothes before heading for the elevator. Realizing that he should probably stop to check his mail, he hit the button for the main floor.

  When he reached the mailboxes, he heard his name. “Hey, Ben. Welcome back.”

  Ben turned. “Hey, Ian. Good to see you.” He motioned to the suitcase in Ian’s hand. “Where are you headed?”

  “Philadelphia. Job interview.”

  “Good luck, then.”

  “Thanks,” Ian said. He took a step toward the door and turned back to add, “By the way, I’m sorry about what’s going on with your girlfriend. I really hope everything works out okay.”

  Ben’s brow furrowed. How could his apartment manager in DC possibly know that he and Heather had broken up? Heather was still refusing to acknowledge it, and the only person he had told about the breakup was his cousin. Afraid to know what might already be floating around in the news, he muttered, “Uh, thanks.”

  Ben made his way upstairs to his apartment and unlocked the door. He stepped inside, pleased to see that his sister had apparently taken his threats seriously. The floors appeared to be freshly vacuumed and the end tables surprisingly free of dust.

  He walked through the living room to see that it looked just as he would have expected after a visit from the cleaning lady. The guest bedroom door was closed, but he didn’t have the energy to look inside. Instead, he hauled his suitcase into his room and dumped it in his closet. He would worry about unpacking and laundry later. First, he needed food.

  His sister apparently hadn’t cleaned everything out of the kitchen like she had the rest of the house. Two sorry-looking apples and three even sorrier-looking oranges were in a ceramic bowl on the kitchen counter, and half a loaf of bread was tucked into the breadbox beside the toaster. He didn’t want to think about the mold that might be growing inside after three weeks. Without peeking at the expected science experiment, he picked up the bread and tossed it in the garbage can.

  Hopeful that his sister had left something still edible behind, he opened the door to the cabinet where he normally kept his food. His eyes narrowed. Cans of vegetable broth, a six pack of ginger ale, and three boxes of saltine crackers occupied one shelf. The rest of the cabinet was completely bare, just as he’d left it. Since when did his sister eat broth? She was famous for saying that if she was going to take in calories, she wanted to chew them.

  A little curious, he moved to the refrigerator and opened it to find it empty, except for three yogurts and an open box of baking soda. Deciding beggars couldn’t be choosers, he checked the expiration date on one of the yogurts to see that it was indeed still good. Then he grabbed a spoon and plopped down on the couch to eat his impromptu snack.

  * * *

  Maya walked into the apartment, grateful that she was starting to regain some of her strength. Henry still insisted on bringing her home in the wheelchair, but if she continued to improve at the rate she had over the past few days, she hoped she could walk to the hospital for her treatment on Friday rather than spend the last of her cash on a cab.

  Thinking that maybe her stomach could handle toast, she headed for the kitchen and set her purse on the counter. Then she stared at the empty breadbox. She could have sworn she still had the better part of a loaf left, and she was sure she had seen it after Jessica had come over to clean.

  Her eyebrows furrowed. Had memory loss been one of the side effects of this treatment? She didn’t remember that on the list. Then again, if memory loss was one of the side effects, maybe she had forgotten about it.

  Realizing toast wasn’t an option on her limited menu, she pulled open the refrigerator to get a yogurt. Again, she found herself staring. She could have sworn there were still three left. She remembered distinctly that Jessica had bought her five yogurts. She had eaten one yesterday and another on Sunday. Memory or not, the side effects of her treatment hadn’t changed the basic fact that five minus two equaled three.

  Now convinced that she must be suffering from some kind of memory loss, she retrieved a yogurt and pulled open the drawer to get a spoon. A sound at the front door caught her attention. Then she heard the doorknob turn.

  Heart pounding, she grabbed the skillet hanging on the wall. Ignoring the pain the movement caused her, she held it above her head, arms trembling but poised to strike.

  She heard the jingle of keys, saw the imposing figure in the backwash of the hall light, and heard the thud of a bag dropping to the floor. Then the figure turned and must have seen her when she edged her way into the living room. Both hands went up defensively. “Whoa!”

  The surprise in the voice and the weakness in her arms caused Maya to rest the skillet on her shoulder rather than try to swing it. Though the curtains were drawn and the only light in the room came from the kitchen, Maya was able to make out the face. She’d thought about this particular face often enough over the past ten months. “Ben?”

  He flipped on the light. “Who are you? And what are you doing here?”

  “I’m Maya,” she told him, a little surprised he didn’t remember her. When he continued to stare at her blankly, she added, “Kari’s friend.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Maya? You were at my house last Christmas. We went running together.”

  She nodded.

  Ben looked farther into the apartment. “Where’s Kari?”

  Maya stared at him, not quite sure why he was so confused. Kari had assured her that Ben said she could stay here. The weight of the skillet became too much to bear, and she took a step into the kitchen to set it on the counter before turning back to face Ben. “Kari’s back in Tennessee at school.”

  “And the reason you’re here is . . . ?”

  “She didn’t talk to you.” Maya said
it more as a statement than a question. “Kari said it was okay if I stayed here for a few months.”

  “A few months?” He instantly shook his head. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “I’m afraid not,” Maya said. “She said she talked to you three weeks ago.”

  He looked at her skeptically. “I would have remembered that conversation.”

  Maya’s cheeks colored, dread and embarrassment seeping through her. “I can’t believe Kari did this.”

  “I don’t know what she was thinking.” Ben looked equally embarrassed, and his voice was apologetic when he said, “I’m really sorry, but there’s no way you can stay here, at least not while I’m here.”

  Mortified that she had been living in this man’s apartment without his permission, she managed to ask, “How long are you in town for?”

  “I’m back for good.” He glanced down at his watch, a sense of urgency now emanating from him. “And unfortunately, I agreed to do an interview with a local reporter this afternoon. If the press finds out a woman is staying here—”

  “You don’t have to explain,” Maya interrupted. “Kari has told me how hard you work to make sure you’re the kind of person kids can look up to. The last think I want to do is ruin your reputation.”

  Ben looked relieved that she understood. He glanced at the door and dug his wallet out of his pocket. “Do you have somewhere else you can stay? I can pay to get you a hotel room until you figure something else out.”

  Maya thought of Ian and Jessica, remembering that they were out of town. She wasn’t sure where else she could go, but she couldn’t bring herself to accept Ben’s money, especially since she had been living in his apartment for free for the past few weeks. “That’s kind of you to offer, but I’ll be fine.”