“That’s what he told me. He said he doesn’t, like it’s a rule he’s adopted for himself. I was wondering if he might have told you why.”
“No.”
“Well, shoot, now that I’m thinking about it, that was a rude thing for me to ask. If he did tell you, it could have been private, and I shouldn’t be trying to get you to break his confidence. Sorry about that. Sometimes my mouth moves before my brain can tell it to stop.”
“That’s okay. It’s not something we’ve talked about, so I really don’t know.”
She shrugged. “Oh, well. I’m sure he has his reasons.”
The announcer came on the loudspeaker to call the starting lineups, and everyone got to their feet. I clapped and cheered with the crowd and tried not to worry about what Melanie had said.
It wasn’t like it mattered. Whether or not Theo dated in general didn’t have anything to do with me.
Pushing all thoughts of Theo and dating, and even my own relationship failures, out of my mind, I focused on the game.
It was thrilling, a nail-biter with an intense back-and-forth between the two teams. By the end of the fourth quarter, it was tied. Timberwolves had the ball, but they were on their five-yard line—ninety-five yards away from a win. The center snapped the ball, and I held my breath. The quarterback faked a pass, then handed it off to Owen Haven.
Owen broke free from the line and the crowd went wild, chanting his name as he ran, the other team’s defense scrambling to catch him. Melanie and I clutched each other, watching as he passed the fifty, the forty, the thirty, the twenty, the ten.
Touchdown!
We threw our arms in the air and cheered, adding our voices to the roar of the crowd. Down on the field, the players jumped and danced and celebrated. The last few seconds ticked down and the game was officially over. A few of the players ran to get the big water cooler and dumped ice water all over Theo.
It was amazing.
Once the cheering and celebrating died down, people started to file out. I said goodbye to Melanie and Luke, then went to the railing to wave to Theo. He was busy talking to Coach Lewis, but right as I was about to give up and walk away—I’d congratulate him later—he turned and smiled at me.
My heart seemed to swell as I smiled and waved. He winked and held out his fist. I did the same, giving him another long-distance fist bump.
And tried not to cry at the thought that it was the last season of Theo’s career in Tilikum. Soon, it would be over. And he’d be gone.
CHAPTER 20
Penelope
I spentSunday afternoon visiting with Grandma Colleen while Theo went to his parents’ house. For once, there weren’t any Maury Haven shenanigans. The weather was nice, so we went outside and fed her squirrels for a while, then had dinner in the cafeteria.
It was almost six o’clock by the time I left. My stomach swirled with nervousness as I got in my car and drove to the Timberbeast to meet Sean. It was something I needed to do, but that didn’t mean I was looking forward to it.
I parked and got out of my car, glancing down at my black sweater, jeans, and tennis shoes. I wished I would have dressed a little sexier—or at least cuter. It was a perfectly fine visit-your-grandma outfit, but not a great deal-with-your-ex-boyfriend outfit.
Oh, well. I adjusted my glasses, shouldered my purse, and went into the bar.
A little smile crossed my lips as soon as I heard the nineties grunge playing in the background. It felt serendipitous. I loved nineties music. Sean hated it.
I found him sitting at a table, facing the door. He had a beer, and it looked like he’d ordered a cider for me. I let out a frustrated breath. I wasn’t there to have a drink with him. I just wanted to sign the lease paperwork and move on.
He stood with a smile when he saw me. I walked to his table and stopped.
“Hey, ba—” He closed his mouth before he could finish the wordbabe. “Have a seat.”
“What do you need me to sign?”
“It’s right here. But have a drink with me. It’s the One Tree caramel cinnamon cider that you love.”
“Fine.” I pulled out the chair and sat. That was one of my favorite ciders, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to drink it or not.
“I know you’re mad,” he said. “And I don’t blame you. I’ve been a real asshole and I’m sorry.”
