“Scott and I did talk about traveling across America once,” I confide.
Anders nods, his gaze steady on mine. The sun moves out from behind a cloud and strikes his face, lighting up the amber fleck in his eye. He lifts his hand to shield himself as he says, “Laurie and I wanted to do that too.”
It’s the first time he’s willingly brought up his late wife.
“How long were you married?” I ask gently.
He takes his hand down, but squints against the light. “A year and a half, before the accident, but we were together for a couple of years prior to that.”
“How did you meet?”
He leans back in his chair. “She worked in PR for the team. She came to most of the races.”
“Where did you live before the silk lofts?”
“In Broad Ripple, about half an hour north of here. You’d like it there too, actually.”
“I won’t ask you to take me.”
“I don’t mind taking you.”
It wouldn’t bring back too many bad memories? That’s a good sign.
“Are you okay after yesterday?” he asks, his eyebrows pulling together.
“Yeah, sorry, that was embarrassing.” I wriggle in my seat and my leg knocks against his.
“Not at all.” He sits forward again and rests his elbows on top of the table. “Your ex upset you somehow?”
“No, it wasn’t anything he said. I sent him some pictures of Bambi because I thought he’d like to see what we’d done and we had a nice text exchange, but I guess I’m still coming to terms with some stuff.”
His eyes narrow with concern. “Did he have an affair?”
“No, but he fell for his co-worker and realized that she was the one. And I wasnotthe one.”
“He’s an idiot.”
I laugh, but he barely cracks a smile.
“What does he do?” he asks as I brace myself against the intensity in his expression.
He makes me feel like I’m plugged into an electrical socket when he looks at me like that.
“He’s a landscape gardener. He runs his own business.”
He nods, his gaze still holding mine.
“Nadine, his new girlfriend, works with him. She’s not a bad person. When she realized she’d developed feelings for him, she tried to hand in her notice and walk away. I think I happened to see the moment Scott finally accepted that he’d fallen for her and couldn’t let her go.”
His bottle hitches against his lips and he brings it down, giving me a quizzical look.
I tell him about that day in the park. “Scott had this expression of longing on his face when he stared at her. It’s hard to explain. But when she met his eyes and neither of them broke the contact, I sensed there was an attraction between them. I felt sick,” I remember with a shudder.
“I’m sorry,” Anders murmurs.
“It’s okay. Really, it’s okay. I can see now that we weren’t right for each other. I think Scott—or maybe Nadine—did us both a favor.” I smile at him. “So tell me about Wilson. Is he one of your teammates?”
“No, actually.” He snaps out of his reverie. “I met him at a live blues bar called the Slippery Noodle. He’s a musician.”
