______________________________________________________
Adam entered the hotel cafe alone, his mind set on a huge, delicious breakfast.
As the blond man crossed the threshold, he caught sight of the redhead sitting at a table. She was alone, and he arched a brow in surprise. Then, instead of waiting to be seated, he made his way to her.
"Amy?"
The young woman looked up at him, her arms hugged around herself as though she were chilly.
"Adam... Hi." She managed a tiny smile.
"Morning... I'm surprised to see you here all by yourself," he said. He couldn't help but wonder where Matt was.
"Why don't you come join me...?" she suggested, her hazel eyes fixing on his green.
Adam glanced around uncomfortably.
"Do you think Matt would mind?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "Besides, we had a bit of a fight. I needed some time away from him." She casually focused on the glass of water in front of her and took a few sips.
"Oh..." The tall blond man's gaze remained fixed to her as he seated himself across from her. "Sorry to hear that."
"Don't be," she protested, raising a hand as though to ward off his words. Thing were tense lately between Matt and herself, and, as she looked up and met Adam's green eyes, she knew the reason behind it...
She wasn't in love with Matt and never *had* been. The man sitting across from her now was a vivid reminder of that fact.
Adam nodded, not wanting to continue. It wasn't as though he enjoyed Amy and Matt getting along, anyway. On one hand, he felt guilty because he truly wanted the redhead to be happy - her *and* little Mandy.
A waitress came over to quickly take Adam's order, and after, the blond man again faced the young woman.
"Well... what's your agenda for today?"
Amy sighed.
"My first match is happening tonight," she reminded him. "So I think I should do a little training for awhile today."
"Not a bad idea." Adam looked up and moved his arms away so the waitress could place the plate of his breakfast on the table. He dug into his eggs benedict and was thoughtful for a moment. Then, after swallowing, he spoke again. "I have some free time today - if you want, I can help you with your training."
The redhead looked up, cocking her head to the side as she regarded him. Old times flashed through her mind and she recalled having trained with him over six years earlier.
"Sure," she answered with a small nod. "I think I'd like that, Adam."
The tall blond man was silent and thoughtful for another moment as he sipped at his coffee. He couldn't help thinking of Amanda, who was again back home for her week of school. She would be back on Friday early evening.
"Amy, you know," he began, pushing his food around the plate with his fork. "Don't get offended by me saying this, but... Well, I've noticed Mandy bears no resemblance to Matt..."
The redhead raised her gaze to his green eyes, her heart thumping hard. In fact, she suddenly felt faint. Oh, God... Was this *it*? She swallowed hard before speaking.
"Well... that's because Matt is not her father."
"He's not?"
She shook her head, her gaze falling to the cup of tea in front of her.
"I met Matt and started seeing him when Mandy was almost a year old."
Adam frowned, templing his hands beneath his chin as he gazed into her face.
"Where's her father, then?"
Amy felt even *more* faint, but somehow, she managed to meet his eyes.
"He... He hasn't been around," she replied vaguely. She hated herself at that very moment, felt like the worst person alive, swallowed hard again, this time noting the lump in her throat.
"Ahh... I know all about that," the blond man revealed, his expression growing sad.
"What... what do you mean?" Amy asked as she perked up a bit.
"My father was never in *my* life, either... In fact, I never even *knew* him."