“He sleeps like his dad. He’s fine. There’s a guy you didn’t tell me about?”
If this wasn’t the same person who I used to text STARTED MY PERIOD. PRAISE JESUS to, I would tell her that she didn’t need to be all in my business. But she was. I didn’t feel bad about not telling her everything because this hypocrite hadn’t always told me juicy gossip the moment it happened in her love life. She seemed to think I had a big mouth.
And she would be right because I did.
“It’s nothing, really,” I hissed over at her, eyeing Sammy to make sure he hadn’t woken up. “I mean, it shouldn’t be anything. He’s married—”
“Goddammit, Diana—”
“He’s separated. Jesus. Calm down. You know I wouldn’t mess around with a married man. He’s separated from his wife and has been for a while, either way, there’s nothing going on between us. He’s Ginny’s cousin and Josh’s coach. He’s really nice to me and the boys because his mom was a single mom….”
“But you like him.”
I sighed. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone more honorable in my life, Vanny. I don’t want to like him. I have to tell myself all the time that he’s married, and he takes that shit seriously. When we first met, he thought I was trying to flirt with him and he got all weird and defensive on me until I told him I wasn’t, but the more I’ve gotten to know him… the more I like him.” I listed off all the things he’d helped me with, except Anita coming over. “And you don’t even know how hot he is in his own way. The first few times I saw him, I thought his face was nothing to write home about, but he is. He really is.” Unfortunately.
“So?”
I sighed. “So, you bitch, besides the fact that he isn’t single and that I know better, we became sort of friends. And I started to trust him.” This was the painful part. “And one day at Josh’s game, the day I left to come see you, that mom I got into an argument with a while back started saying some really mean shit to me, and I just broke down. I didn’t tell her anything back for once in my life. I cried and he gave me a hug to make me feel better, and I basically told him I liked him a lot and that his wife must have brain damage for not being with him.”
I paused. “And I live across the street from him.”
Vanessa’s silence didn’t unnerve me. She was either thinking about what to say, or knowing her, counting to ten multiple times. Finally, she went with, “As soon as I’m not dying, I can fly to Austin and do to that mom what we did to your boyfriend junior year.”
I had to throw my hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t bark out a laugh, remembering exactly what she was talking about. “He deserved that potato in his tail pipe.”
“You’re damn right he did,” she agreed. “We’ll do it to that lady this time.”
I grinned and she grinned back, looking so tired but just as pretty as always, even with her six-inch roots and the brassy orange left over from her last teal dye job that had faded over time. I needed to find her a hair stylist close by, and soon.
Van reached over and poked me. “You said he’s separated and you’re not doing anything wrong. There’s nothing that says you can’t be attracted to someone you have things in common with. He’s not the only guy in the world, Di. I know things have been tough for you after Jeremy—”
She’s said the name I didn’t ever want to hear again.
“But he was an asshole, and you know that. If this guy is as great as you think he is, he won’t make it a big deal about you liking him—if he even puts two and two together to figure out that you do—so you shouldn’t either. Maybe he won’t always be separated. Maybe he will.”
Maybe she had a point.
Van kept going. “After Aiden and Sammy, you and Oscar are what I love the most in the world. I want you to be happy, D. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know, buried deep beneath that little bitch shell—”
I had to put my hand over my mouth again to crack up.
“—you stubborn, pain in the ass. If you ever want to date a football player—”
“Nope.” I couldn’t handle all the women throwing themselves at a football player. Vanessa’s husband was an exception. He didn’t like anyone but her. The only reason he put up with me in tiny increments was because that’s how strongly he cared for her.
“Fine then. One day you’ll find some poor idiot to love you.” She smiled at me, reaching her hand across the bed, and I took it. “If you don’t, we’ll pay someone to pretend they do.”
*
The next week went by in the blink of an eye. I hadn’t remembered how much work babies were, but good God, it was a lot. Vanessa’s mini-defensive end in the making ate like a teenager going through a growth spurt. I stayed with the two new parents twelve days total, but accepted that I needed to get back home to the boys and a little thing called my job. On the way to San Diego, I had called all my clients and explained to them I had a family emergency—and promised a discount for their next service—so the second I got back to the salon the day my flight arrived, I rescheduled everyone. The next three weeks were going to be busy, balancing all the clients I’d had to fit in from the weeks I’d unexpectedly taken off, while also planning on taking more walkins than usual to make extra money.
I was going to be really busy, but I’d make it work. Plus, what could I have done differently? Not been there for Vanessa? The boys and I could live off Ramen for a while and it wouldn’t be a big deal.
*
“TIA!” was the shout heard from around the field as this boob-level kid ran full speed toward me.
My first thought was: God, I hoped he didn’t trip and fall. An emergency room visit was the last thing I could afford right then.
My second thought was: I missed the hell out of this guy. Louie and I had talked on the phone every single day, but it was different than seeing him in person.
My third and final thought was: I felt stupid for having started to dread coming to baseball practice. For the earlier part of the day, after I’d agreed with the Larsens to meet them at the ballpark to pick up the boys, I’d started thinking all over again about how I didn’t want to see the other parents on the Tornado. How I didn’t want to see Dallas.
And I was worried if I saw Christy, I might do something everyone would regret.
But now, as Louie raced toward me and took a running leap with this smile the size of the sun on his adorable face, I hated myself for worrying about those people when I had someone so perfect waiting, happy to see me. It was people like Louie and Josh, like the Larsens—my family—who really mattered in life. Everyone else’s opinions and perception shouldn’t even begin to factor in my day.
And as I caught Louie with an “oomph” that knocked half the wind out of me, I accepted that I’d go through everything with Christy all over again if I had a homecoming like this from my boy.