I was hoping to put Jack’s silly suspicions to rest when I relayed the news Greg shared last night.‘Due to a last-minute out-of-town work trip,’I’d told him,‘your dad won’t be able to attend any of the next three games.’
If these games are the supposed rendezvous place for Greg and Trish, I doubt Greg would have been so anxious to leave town. Still, I really did expect to see Trish today. I was planning to prove Jack wrong. But now, theone timeI replace Greg, expecting to see Trish like Greg would have, Beau shows up instead.
Probably because Trish weaseled her way out of coming. It’s a miracle she came to any of them, as prissy and pampered as she is. She probably still brings that stupid fan I saw her with at practice a few times. I hate admitting to myself that I spent an hour and a half looking for this pair of earrings because I wanted Trish to know she wasn’t the only girl in town who owned Gucci.
Ugh. I hate me sometimes.
You know who else I don’t like? Beau. He’s short-tempered, standoffish, and just as snobbish as his wife is. If I’m being honest, I feel like I can’t be myself around people like them. I feel like I have to sit up straighter. Look prettier. Sound smarter. And as a woman who hit the big four-oh last year, I don’t have the energy for it. I outgrew this insecure and unsure stage in life, so why now is it creeping back, making me focus on superficial crap I don’t usually think of?
“Sup?” says Beau as he plunks his lawn chair on the grass beside me.
“Hey.” I keep all levels of energy from my tone because I don’t want him to think I’m excited to see him. I’m not. Most women would be as ridiculously attractive as the man is, but he should know that not every single woman in the world is ready to fall all over themselves at his feet. Especiallythishappily married woman who got the cold shoulder from him last week after theirour-spouses-aren’t-cheatingchat.
Lenny puts Jack’s lesson to good use by driving a straight shot right past Parker and deep into the corner of the net.
“Parker,” Beau yells. “Are youfreaking kidding me? What did we just talk about?”
I roll my eyes. “It’s apractice,” I can’t help but say.
“So what?”
“So, just be glad that Lenny’s getting better. They might make it to finals after all.”
From my periphery, I see Beau roll his shoulders back in irritation before he breaks into a pace behind me. I don’t know why he even bothers bringing the chair. It’s not like he ever sits on the thing. Unless Trish came too. Perhaps she stayed back in the car to finish painting her nails or something.
“Is your wife on her way?” I ask, purposely not using her name. The guy didn’t knowmyhusband’s name, so why flatter him?
His face scrunches, but he doesn’t take his gaze off the field. “No.”
“I thought it was her turn,” I say.
When he doesn’t reply, I lift my tea and take a sip. After I set the warm cup back in place, I glance at the opposite drink holder in the collapsible chair; I hate that I picked up an extra one for Trish, and she’s not even here. I’m more agitated than I should be, I know that, but the acknowledgment doesn’t change anything. I’m just really bugged all a sudden.
“Why isn’t Craig here?” Beau asks.
I lift a brow. He means Greg, but since it’s close enough I don’t correct him. Honestly, I’m impressed he remembered the general sound of it. “Work trip,” I say.
“Does he have those often?”
I snatch the extra tea from the drink pouch and lift it over my head toward him. “Yep. And you might as well have this. I brought it for Trish.”
When he doesn’t take it from me, I glance back to see him staring at the cup like there’s vomit inside.
“What is it?”
“Matcha tea from the Coffee Loft. My sister owns the one on—”
“No thanks.”
Agitation revs hot in my blood. So hot that I suddenly pry off the lid, dump the tea onto the grass beside me, then shove the lid into the cup. I stuff the empty container back into the cup holder and bring mine back to my lips, eyes fixing back on the field.
Beau doesn’t speak to me again, which suits me just fine.
And though Jack’s team takes the win once the game is said and done, my mood doesn’t lighten.
CHAPTER4
Beau
