When Marianne ran at her, nearly plowing her over at the airport, Kara knew she’d made the right decision.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe you did it! You came! This is insane!” Jumping a little, she looked like a loon, with her bright blond hair fluttering around her face like feathers. “You’re here!”
“Yes, I’m here. Now, how the heck did you manage to get out to come get me?”
“I stole Reagan’s car and came over.” She grinned. “Reagan gets a rental, thanks to the travel work order, but I didn’t. So I took it. She’s busy all day, anyway. First matches are tonight. Baggage?”
“No, just this.” She held up her small bag—her gym bag, because she didn’t have luggage—and smiled weakly. “I haven’t really had a need for luggage, and it seemed like an impractical purchase for this one trip, so . . .”
“Who cares? If it holds your stuff, then it’s good enough. Whoops, rhymed. I’m just so jazzed!”
“No kidding,” Kara said dryly as they walked arm in arm toward the parking lot. “It’s like talking to a five-year-old before their ADHD meds kick in in the morning.”
Marianne’s steps bounced as she walked along, keeping up with Kara’s longer strides. “Maybe. The competition is getting to me. I can’t help it. The scrimmages were fun and exciting, but nothing compared to this. The teams are all looking good, and we’re ready, but once you get in the ring it’s anyone’s match. It’s an intense atmosphere in practices, with everyone sort of side-eying each other, and—”
“Okay, you have to stop.” Kara pulled up short, pulling Marianne to a stop beside her. “You’re making me nervous along with you. I can’t do what I need to do if I’m nervous.”
“What are you doing? What’s there to be nervous about? Oh, Zach? He’s totally fine. My mom texted me to say she’d picked him up and they were making cookies using that recipe on your blog. I sent her the link,” Marianne added.
“Yes, I know. Mary texted me the same thing. I mean you’re making me nervous about seeing Graham.”
“Oh, that.” Marianne waved it off and started walking once more toward temporary parking. “Don’t worry about it. He’s golden. The man has strategy like nobody’s business. Probably why he’s so good at his normal job. You know, that whole ‘knowing your opponent’s next move’ bit has to work well in court. Here we are!” She stopped by a midsized sedan in a light tan color, unlocking it with the key fob. “Just toss your stuff in the back.”
“I meant seeing him and dealing with the fact that he proposed to me.”
“He . . .” Marianne opened the driver side door and stared at her over the top of the car. “He proposed? You’re kidding me.”
“Right, because I find marriage humor to be the best sort.” Sliding in, Kara hissed as the backs of her thighs hit scorching hot plastic. “Jesus!” she yelled, hopping back out again. Her legs were on fire. Actually melting. She was melting from her ass down to the backs of her knees.
“Yeah . . . I was going to warn you, but you sort of stupefied me with that whole proposal thing.” Without getting in, Marianne reached in and started the car, then closed the door again. “It has to cool down for about five minutes before it’s safe to get in. Texas is no joke with the heat, man.”
They stood in silence a minute. “So, we just stand here and wait?”
“Yeah. It’ll be okay, just give it a minute.” Her best friend watched her speculatively. “Are you going to say yes? Did you already say yes?”
“I said nothing yet.”
“And what are you going to say?”
“I’m going to say it to him first, Marianne. Whatever it is.”
“You don’t know?” Marianne’s eyes widened. “How do you not know? Isn’t that one of those instinctive gut things?”
“Not when you’ve got a kid to worry about. Jumping with your gut isn’t usually a good choice.”
“Right. Forgot.” She waited another few seconds. “He’d make a good dad.”
“Yes, he would. That’s not reason enough, though. I’ve known the man two months. We’ve only been together, like that, for two weeks. It’s so fast . . .” Kara nibbled on her lip. “How soon did you know with Brad?”
“That I loved him? Couple weeks . . . we sort of jumped into bed a little faster than you and Graham though.” She opened her door and laid a palm on the seat. “We’re safe.”
“The fact that you have to feel a car’s interior before you get in is scary. Texas is scary.”
“Kara, you haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait.”
*
GRAHAM flexed his hands once more before sliding his boxing gloves on. After they were secured, he wouldn’t be able to move them freely until after the match. He savored the last minute of flexibility before he lost it.
“How you feeling?” Brad sat down beside him in the locker room. By Graham’s estimation, they had another five minutes or so.
“Good. I’m good. Really good.”
Brad glanced around the locker room. “We’re alone. Nobody else here.”