Nisha answered for them. "The guys travel all the time when they're on the team, and then when they retire, they either open a bunch of car dealerships and spend all their time there, or worse, they'll travel again with the broadcasting team."
"Or, even worse, they don't know what to do and just hang out at home all day," Denice added. "That's really the worst-case scenario."
"I want to hear all about your excitement," Nisha said. "How does it feel to be in everyone's ears?"
"It's kind of thrilling, actually." I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "And I got my first big break… I'm going to be opening for Dimefront on their upcoming tour."
Karie frowned, and Denice actually groaned.
"What?" My heart sank, because they were all being so nice. I figured they'd be happy for me.
"You'll do so great. Good luck with your future," Denice said as she and Karie patted my arm and headed for their seats.
"Why did that sound ominous?" Angela asked.
"Because, honey, they don't think Maya's going to last." Nisha pursed her lips. "But they like you, so that's a plus."
"Why don't they think I'm going to last?" I was genuinely curious. I mean, Sloan and I were going strong, and I was here supporting him.
"You're a performer, and you're already moving up the ranks as an artist." Nisha counted on her fingers. "This is Sloan we're talking about, and he might not be back next season." That was number two, then she counted the third finger—"And the two of you have a super couple name. Usually, anyone who ticks any of those boxes doesn't return for a repeat. But then you just added number four, and you're going to be traveling, and he's going to be traveling, and"—she draped her arm around my shoulders—"they've seen it happen before. It's hard to get close to someone and then have them break up."
"Sloan and I aren't breaking up," I assured. I actually considered explaining our situation and how we continued to slash expectations by working through them with salt and pepper shakers. I decided against it since it probably wouldn't make sense to anyone but us.
Pinpointing Sloan's location on the field wasn't hard at all. Funny, I had sampled those muscles the night before, so I knew what he tasted like. And yet the sight of him down there on the field, looking like a snack, made me want to lick him all over again.
I swear at that moment, he looked up in my direction. I nearly waved, but there was no way he could see me this far away, so instead, I just watched him toss a ball.
My hands got clammy as an intense desire to put my hands on Sloan, touch him, ensure we were okay, took hold.
Deep breaths.
"Don't worry about what they think," Angela assured. "They haven't seen you two together."
"I think you have a solid shot at staying in the game as the new Shelby," Nisha added.
My brain got all jumbled thinking about the nonsensical pieces of my life. I should try what Emily did, saying the first thing that came to mind.
"I do things all awkward. All out of order," I said, not really expecting that to be the first thing out of my mouth. "Which is why I've had multiple marriages that don't even count, but now, I have Sloan."
Maybe I should just go sit down? But then again, getting all of this out of my head made me feel lighter. Like gravity wasn't so intense right here in that stadium.
"Everything you've done to get to this point in your life has made you who you are," Angela said, totally serious. "We get stuck and think we're spinning our wheels. I get that. But just because you can't see the progress doesn't mean it's not happening."
"Your friend is smart. Listen to her," Nisha said.
I nodded and settled into my seat between Angela and Nisha. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Sloan. He moved with a graceful strength as he finished warming up, each stretch and jump a display of power and control. The muscles in his arms rippled as he tossed the ball back and forth with his teammates, his focus unwavering.
"The thing is, I want to keep him. We're happy. I enjoy being married to him," I said.
Nisha nodded as I spoke.
"A crappy day doesn't really matter because I wake up with him."
Angela squeezed my hand. "That's what matters. That's what moves you forward."
Nisha's eyes went soft, and she pulled her lips to the side. "Well, I don't know the future, but girlfriend, I'm sold."
Good. So was I.
