I’m sorry I embarrassed you.
Blue texted right back.
Blue
You didn’t. Forget it. They were trying to get under your skin. Enjoy your time with Kate. She’s awesome.
I didn’t like that I left Blue back there with the buzzards. What if being around them made him rethink…me?
Like we shared a telepathic connection, another text came through.
Blue
I’m heading to the basement to play some Madden on the Xbox. Don’t worry. No girls allowed.
I sent him a kissy face emoji and slipped my phone back in my bag.
Kate walked us right past the kitchen and opened a sliding door leading to the back deck and an unbelievable view of a pristine golf course. The sun was shining but the air had a nip to it, like Mother Nature couldn’t quite decide whether it was fall or winter. I pulled my thin sweater tighter around me as Kate led me to a pair of women seated at a teakwood table.
“Ladies.” She gestured at me. “This is Anna.”
“Blue’s girlfriend!” A dark-haired, petite pregnant woman jumped up like she didn’t have a baby the size of a beach ball under her knit dress. Then she squealed and pulled me into a hug. “I’m totally Team Blupree. Wear my sweatshirt every time I go in public.” She pointed to herself. “Mariana, by the way. I just adore your love story.” Her green eyes twinkled and the smile lines told me she laughed a lot or was just generally a happy person. Her hands went to her heart. “Fate tore you apart and then your uncle got you back together with the whole nation watching.” At the mention of Ford, her eyes closed, and she hummed like she’d just bit into something delectable. “That man’s voice is…” She fanned herself and grunted.
“Smooth, rich, and intoxicating, like a glass of perfectly aged bourbon,” the nameless woman finished for her.
I guffawed at her description of Ford. “And his morning breath smells like year-old roadkill. The size of his loogies in the winter are unrivaled. And he still doesn’t know how to pee in a toilet. Just shoots it straight out of the second-story window. Look out below!” I don’t know what had gotten into me. I was probably just releasing my pent-up aggression from a few minutes ago. But I never could pass up a chance to humanize Ford to his fans. It was too fun.
Kate chuckled.
Mariana waved her hands. “Uh uh, don’t you ruin him for me. No, ma’am. I would marry that man based on his voice alone. Even if he looked like the lovechild of Danny Devito and Donald Trump. Which hedefinitelydoes not.”
The other lady raised a glass. “Amen to marrying Ford Dupree for his voice. But I’d marry him for the eyes too. How they look into the camera like they’re coming for your soul. Oh. My. Word.” Ford had gorgeous light blue eyes.
“Two of my uncles have those eyes.” I laughed. “And another’s are equally beautiful.” Silas’s were a pale translucent gray. Same as Momma’s.
“Are any of them single?” Mariana asked. “Asking for a friend.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Such a flirt. Don’t believe her for a second. She is stupidly in love with her husband who happens to be the best defensive line coach in the country and one of the best husbands I’ve ever known.”
Mariana lifted her hands. “He’s just as big a flirt as I am.”
“They flirt even harder with each other.” The other blonde pointed at Mariana’s baby bump. When they clinked glasses, I realized Mariana’s was filled with orange juice.
Kate gestured for me to sit next to her. “Anna, this is Alexa.” She pointed to the other blonde.
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled.
They picked up the conversation about Ford again. Younger people geeked out over my uncle all the time. But to see a group of mature, well-educated women fawn over him was just weird. I knew they were well-educated because I’d read about the coaches’ wives online. TheKnoxville Gazettehad done a piece on them last year. There wasn’t a single one who hadn’t graduated from college. Most had gone on to earn master’s degrees.
Mariana’s eyes gleamed. “Anna, do you think if we pooled our money, we could take him on vacation and he would sing us to sleep every night? White sand beaches, warm saltwater waves, and the hottest member of Double Dubs.” She raised her hands to the sky. “Sounds so relaxing.”
“I feel a girls’ trip coming on.” Kate did a little dance in her seat.
Alexa looked around conspiratorially. “We just have to come up with a story to tell our husbands.”
“Maybe.” I giggled. “Would you like me to ask him?” I reached for my phone.
“Seriously?” Mariana squealed.
