I don’t need his help, but I feel weird leaving him hanging, so I grab it and slide into the hard white backseat of the cart.
“Why are you here?” Rush asks Tiger, and it’s the rudest I’ve seen him act in a long time.
“Having dinner with you and Mia. It’s Mediterranean tonight, and I was invited to tag along.”
He looks for me out of the corner of his eyes.
“We’ve got extra pita and hummus,” I say awkwardly.
“Fine, get in,” he growls.
Rush presses on the accelerator so fast that both Tiger and I go jerking backwards.
“Hey!” I protest, but Rush doesn’t even apologize. He just silently drives us over to the area where he’s working with Carter.
There are various tables set up on the sides of the field close to the bleachers and I happily unpack and spread the food on one of them sort of buffet style. The canteen gave us so much food that even if Carter wants to nosh, there’s enough for all of us.
Rush is still acting like a total dick and is giving Tiger an icy glare as he chews ravenously on a skewer of chicken. I guess he’s only eating chicken and shrimp today. He never eats out-of-order like this. Normally he would have had the roasted veggies first.
“So what was Rush like in school?” Tiger asks, trying to make conversation.
I eat a forkful of my perfectly seasoned roasted vegetables before I answer.
“Very much like he is now.” I look at Rush. “Quiet, talented, and a great friend.”
“And what were you like?” he asks.
“Loud, talented and the best friend a man could have,” Rush answers before I can respond.
“Bestfriends?” Tiger questions incredulously.
“The best,” Rush retorts yet again.
Rush watches for my reaction after he’s said the words, but I’m okay. The semi-charade we’ve been up to is over, which is fine with me. I think that everyone on the team is viewing me as a valuable therapist now. They’ve seen what I can do.
“Oh, I didn’t realize.”
“Well, you wouldn’t,” Rush counters. “You’ve known her for what, two seconds?”
“Rush.” I admonish him. “You’re being really grouchy today.”
“I’m fine, Mia.”
Carter jogs over and disrupts the reckoning I was almost ready to give Rush.
“Ready, Rush?” He asks eagerly.
Rush looks hesitantly between me and Tiger, grabs a shrimp skewer, and then responds to his new protege.
“Let’s go, Carter. We’re working on speed today. You’ll start with twenty-five sprints.”
“Got you.”
Carter and Rush head further out onto the practice field to work on his sprints as Tiger and I sit and get to know one each other a little better.
“Stay on the balls of your feet!” Rush shouts over to Carter. “Swing your arms from eye to hip. Not across your body.”
“Do you think Rush is annoyed that I’ve interrupted your dinner with him?” Tiger asks.
