Chapter 3

He threw the ball to his brother, winking as he immediately jumped up to block him from his shot. "Just like old times eh bro?"

Nathan passed the ball through Lucas' legs, dribbled and took the corner shot making the basket. "Just like old times. I kick your butt and you cry like a baby."

"Yeah you wish." He rebounded the ball and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I'm just a little rusty. Not much basketball playing in Italy."

"So Italy is where you've been." Nathan jumped to block Lucas' shot. "I figured you were shacked up with some hot Italian woman."

"I wish. That was Paris, where a French mistress shackled me to the bed for five days." He laughed, dribbling the ball, realizing he wasn't in as good of shape as he thought. "So can you believe Whitey is retiring?"

"No I can't. Thought the old guy would be coaching till the day he died." Grabbing the ball from Lucas he broke into a trot to the other basket, jumping and dunking like he was sixteen again. He knew the minute he landed that he would be regretting that move for the next week. "Ahhh @#%$."

"Man, you better be careful. You're an old man now bro. The rate you're going, Ali will be taking care of you full time in five years." Lucas grabbed the ball from Nathan and dribbled back down the court.

"Yeah well you are not looking to in shape either. Besides, Ali is already taking care of me." Nathan smiled thinking of his daughter. The five year old was the light of his life, his reason for getting up every morning. He had done a lot of growing up when his college girlfriend had left town after giving birth, leaving him to raise Ali on his own. The thing was, he never once questioned what he had to do. The minute he held her in his arms, he knew what he had to do. He took the job as assistant coach to Whitey, finished his graduate degree at the community college at night and was both mother and father to his daughter. It wasn't easy, but he had the support of his mother, Uncle Keith and Karen when he needed it. Like now, Ali was helping out at the Café while he was spending quality time with Uncle Lucas.

Passing the ball to Nathan, Lucas looked admiringly at his brother. "She's a great kid Nate, you've done a great job."

They stopped and stared at each other. "Yeah, she is isn't she? Now let's play ball cause we are getting a little too mushy here."

Nathan dribbled to the basket making his shot and thought now was as good of time as any. "So, Haley's back in town."

Lucas rebounded the ball and stopped. Haley. Immediately, the image of her filled his mind; her beautiful eyes, her smile, her touch and the feel of her body beneath his. No. Shaking his head he turned to Nathan and continued playing ball like nothing happened. He wasn't the one who walked away, she was. He tried to contact her, she didn't care. No. It was her fault they were no longer friends, it was her fault they never got the chance to be something more.

"So are you going to pretend like I didn't say that I saw Haley?" Nathan smirked as his brother's mood changed immensely.

"Yes, yes I am." Lucas threw the ball with more force at Nathan. "Are we going to play ball or what?"

"Don't you wanna know that she is back in town to sell her house?" Nathan threw the ball back with the same force at him.

"No, I don't." Lucas hurled the ball back.

Nathan broke eye contact and spun around him, making a shot at the basket. "Yes! The elite Scott scores again!"

Lucas rebounded the ball, spun around and made a dash for the other basket. Jumping high, he dunked against the rim, hanging on then letting go. "The more attractive and sexy Scott scores!"

"In your dreams buddy, in your dreams." Nathan sighed as the topic of Haley went ignored. It was a small town, and sooner or later the two of them would cross paths and Nathan prayed to god he would be there for it.

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"Look, I don't care what you say. I'm not coming back to Seattle. Devon I told you that I need time and if you respected me, you would give it to me! Now, I'm going now and when I want to talk to you, I will call you. Goodbye."

She threw her cell phone against the bare wall and fell to the floor. "Aaaahahh!!! Why can't I just be left in peace?"

Karen stood outside the screen door with two cups of coffee and a bag of food in her hands. "Because that would be too easy."

Haley looked up and smiled. "Oh thank god." Opening the door, she grabbed one cup as Karen walked into the house.

Karen looked around in disbelief. "I can't believe this is the same house. It is so empty and void of..."

"Furniture?" Sitting down on the hard floor she tore into the bag Karen brought. "Sometimes, I think you can read my mind."

"If that was true, I would know what happened between you and Lucas." Karen saw Haley's body immediately tense up. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. It's just that I don't understand how two people who are best friends since the day they are born can just stop being friends."

"Karen, that was a long time ago. So long ago that I don't even remember what happened." That wasn't true. She could replay that day over and over in her head like it just happened. "People just grow apart."

"Yes they do. But not best friends." Karen held her hands up in defense at Haley's loaded look. "Okay, okay, I'm done." Taking a sip of her coffee, she reached for the photo albums piled on the floor. "So what was it you needed help with?"

Sighing, Haley leaned back on her hands and rolled her neck hoping to relieve the built up stress. "A couple things actually. More personal than anything."

"Haley you know you can talk to me about anything. What's going on?"

"I was offered a position over seas, which is a great opportunity for me. It is what I always wanted to do, but I...well see...Devon, my boss..he made me a proposition. He asked me to marry him."

Karen sat up straight and touched Haley's arm. "Oh wow. So what did you say?"

"I didn't. I kind of just ran. It was all overwhelming and then my mom called and asked me to come here, so I did. Ever since, Devon has been calling everyday asking about the position and his question." She took a deep breath, wishing she could erase all the questions and thoughts racing through her head. "I just thought, coming here would give me perspective. I just feel like I'm missing something, you know? Like something isn't right and I can't give an answer to any of the questions till I find what I'm missing."

Karen knew exactly what she was missing, and if she didn't find it on her own then a push in the right direction was in order. "It'll come to you Haley. When you least expect it the answer will be right in front of you."

"I'm not so sure about that. I thought opening the door to this house would magically answer it all, but it hasn't. It has only made me question it even more." She bit her lip and thought about the picture on her mirror of two young innocent souls with so much to live for. Pointing to the album Karen held she smiled. "I was thinking you might want some of those pictures. There's a lot of Lucas in it and I figured maybe you would appreciate them more than..."

"I'm not taking your memories Haley. They are yours and are meant to stay yours. Taking away pictures is not going to erase the past." Standing up, Karen held onto the book. "I'm gonna go, Keith has to get to the garage in half an hour." Placing the book next to Haley, she kissed her head and walked towards the door. "I think maybe you should go through those books, you can't figure out your future till you face your past."

Haley watched the door close behind Karen and exhaled. Opening the hard cover of the album, she smiled as the first picture she saw of her and Lucas playing in a small swimming pool. They were no older than two years old, so innocent and so unaware of how messed up their friendship would become.

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"So how is she?" Keith hugged his wife as she walked into the Café.

"How is it possible for two people to grow so far apart? Have completely separate lives and still be connected by this invisible strand of what some people say fate?" Karen sat at the counter and put her head down.

"I know that voice honey and you can't get involved. If they are meant to work this out than they will, on their own." Keith rubbed his hand on Karen's back.

"I just love them both so much and they are both so terribly miserable without each other. They were best friends for god sake Keith. Best friends! You just don't let that go."

His arms surrounded her, cradling her head against his chest. "No you don't."