“Someone’s extra smiley this morning.” Amber, one of the instructors of the older kids comment from where she leaned on the front counter as I walked into the lobby of the dance studio.
“That’s because her boyfriend is coming home today.” Karen answered from her perch behind the front desk, using her new favorite word, boyfriend. Ever since Jamie and I went on our date Karen used that word every opportunity she got.
“Boyfriend?” Amber raised one of her blonde eyebrows as she looked at me.
I sighed as I approached the desk, lifted my dark sunglasses away from my eyes and laid my keys on the counter. “First off, he’s not my boyfriend, we’ve only been out a few times and secondly, is it really that hard to believe that I would have a boyfriend?”
“Considering you’ve been working here for 3 years and I’ve never seen you commit, yes Beth, it is hard to believe.” Amber said as she bite into the red apple she held in her hand. “So what’s his name?” She asked with a devilish smile and I don’t know if it was the way she looked at me or because of the question but I could feel my cheeks redden.
“Jamie,” I bit back a smile as Amber’s eyes widened.
“The Jamie.”
“Seriously,” I took a deep breath and rubbed my hands over my face before I looked between Karen and Amber. “Are there no secrets around here?”
Karen and Amber both looked at each other before turned back to me and in unison replied, “Nope.”
I shook my head and swiped my keys off the counter.
“So you going to see your boyfriend tonight?” Amber wiggled her eyebrows as I passed her. I turned, but Karen already beat me.
“She totally is, they’ve only been texting each other every day for the past week.”
I could feel my cheeks heat up at her comment, so I quickly turned away and hoped that the pair didn’t comment on that as I walked into the first open studio. Luckily Karen and I didn’t have class for another hour so that gave me some time to clear my head, because as much as I didn’t want to admit it, Karen was right. Today was the day Jamie came home from his 3 game five day road trip and truthfully I couldn’t wait to see him tonight and not just because I was desperate for sex, but because I actually just wanted to see him.

---

I had my leg up on the high beam to stretch out my hamstring when a movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention and I pulled the earbud from my ears. “What up Amber?” I asked the blonde as she took a step into the studio and leaned around the corner.
“There’s someone here to see you?”
“Someone here to see me.”
“Yea,” she shrugged.
“Okay, I’ll be right there,” I told her and she nodded before she disappeared. I removed my headphones and hoped that whomever it was, probably just a parent of one of the kids I instructed, didn’t mind my after dance appeal.
I took a deep breath as I stepped into the lobby surprised to see the familiar dark haired man. “Jamie,” I questioned as two heads perked up from behind the reception desk and he looked up at me from behind his phone with a smile.
“Beth,” he greeted as he stood up from the plastic chairs that was set up for the parents and tucked his phone in his jacket pocket.
“What are you doing here,” I grinned and tried to ignore the two pairs of eyes that bore into my back as I approached Jamie. “I wasn’t expecting to see you until tonight.”
“Yea well,” he bit his lip, “I may have lied. Our plane actually got in this morning. I just figured if you weren’t expecting me until tonight then I could surprise you for lunch.”
I nodded with a smile, “okay, just…um, let me grab my things.” I pointed over my shoulder in the direction of the studio from where I just left.
“Yea,” he nodded.
“Don’t worry Beth,” Amber beamed as she leaned over the counter, “we’ll take care of him well you’re gone.”
“That’s exactly what I was worried about.” I said as I turned around too looked at the pair and Amber putt her hand over hair heart like she was offended, but my comment didn’t seem to have any effect on Karen who just stood up with a smile.
“I’m Karen,” she grinned and she extended her hand to Jamie over the counter as I exited the lobby, quickly, before Karen got too carried away.

---

“So I’m sorry about them,” I apologized as Jamie and I sat in the corner booth of the diner down the street from the dance studio.
“There’s no need to apologize,” Jamie laughed as he dipped a fry into the cheese cup. “They were…”
“Crazy,” I filled in the word for him as I sipped on my water.
“Well yes…” Jamie shrugged.
“And to think you haven’t ever meet Veronica yet.” I joked with a glance up at Jamie and he met my eyes with a smile.
“Yea, well you think they’re bad, wait til you meet my brother.”
“You have a brother?” My brows pulled together as I looked up at Jamie as I stabbed my fork into my salad.
“Yea, and a sister.” Jamie told me as he brought another fry to his mouth. “But she’s in Vancouver so who’s knows when you’ll get to meet her.”
“But your brother’s here?”
“Yea,” Jamie beamed. “He’s plays for the Stars too.”
“Oh,” I racked my brain trying to recall the night Veronica and I went through the roster, and hoped against hope that Jamie’s brother wasn’t one of the guys I slept with. Because it’s one thing to have slept with his best friend, but his brother. I didn’t even want to think about it. “So what’s your brother name?”
“Jordie.”
I nodded, that name didn’t sound familiar so hopefully that was a no.
“So I have something for you,” Jamie cleared his throat as he reached into his pocket and slid a white envelope onto the table between us.
“Aww Jamie, an envelope, you shouldn’t have.” I beamed jokingly as I picked it up.
“Just shut up and open it,” Jamie shook his head, but he couldn’t hid his smile.
I gave him a smile before I turned my attention back to the envelope and lifted the flap, as my smile grew. “You got me tickets to one of your games.”
“Yea, three tickets to tomorrow night’s game.” Jamie smiled, like a little kid, and I laid the envelope back onto the table. “I figured that way I can meet Veronica and Karen, well now Veronica,” Jamie laughed, as I took a sip of my water, “and well you can meet the guys.”
“Yea,” I coughed, as I sat my glass of water back down on the table. “I don’t know if that’s the best idea Jamie.”
“Is that because of Daddy and Tyler, because I’ll make sure there are their best behavior.”
I sucked on my bottom lip with a laugh. “Well, yea and no.”
“They weren’t the only ones, where they.”
I glanced up at Jamie, not sure how he would react, “no.”
“It’s okay Beth, I understand you have a past.”
I nodded, “You just need to know that that was before we… before this.” I wasn’t sure what to call it, so I pointed between the two of us and a nod of his head told me he understood.
“I believe you Beth.” Jamie smiled as he rested his open palm on the table and I laid my hand in his. As long as Jamie understood, I mean I may be a slut, but I am not a cheater. I wouldn’t put anyone through that kind of heart break, especially not Jamie.

Notes