Blake holds his hands up. “It’s okay. Really, Lovie. It’s okay.”
“It’snot,” I hiss.
“I just came to talk.”
I swallow that bubbling bile again and sit back in my seat, staring at the side of Blake’s perfect lineup.
I guess Rich was right. Stupid men like AJ don’t just let women like me get up and walk away.
Blake stabs his fork through a green bean. “I’m sure Lovie has shared with you all that her and AJ are having amoment. Hence her surprise visit earlier this month.”
“Uh-huh…” Aunt Faye nods. “And what does this ‘moment’ have to do with you?”
He sticks the lone green bean in his mouth, sighing. “Well, it has a lot to do with me. AJ is my client, and my job is to protect him.”
“Protect him from what?” she asks.
He looks over at me. Aunt Faye and Uncle Kenny follow his gaze, and it feels like all those other meetings me, him, and AJ used to have back in New York in our kitchen, except this time I’m not nursing any fresh wounds.
“Are you talking about protecting him from Lovie?” Aunt Faye asks.
He looks down at his plate. “You’ve been watching our boy play, right, Ken?”
“Yeah, I’ve…I’ve caught a game or two when I can.”
I scoff.
“Well, then you should know his performance hasn’t been so hot. Truth be told, that game in Buffalo really messed us up. His head isn’t on the field. It hasn’t been for the past month. The front office is talking.”
“And saying what?” Uncle Kenny asks.
Blake blows out a breath, looking up. “Anymore missed snaps and dropped balls and they might bring in the next man up and sit our boy down until he can move past this problem that’s got his head in the clouds.”
I choke out a bitter laugh, pushing back from the table. “This conversation has absolutely nothing to do with me?—”
“Wait a minute,” Blake murmurs, holding his arm in front of me. “Let’s talk this out. We’re all adults here.”
“There’s nothing to talk about—especially with you,” I hiss.
“You know it took him all month to finally tell me what went down between you two? He even wanted to come here by himself tonight. It took the entire plane ride to get him to understand how bad an idea that was.”
“Am I supposed to feel flattered?”
He drops his fork. “Wait a minute. What happened to the sweet Lovie who was all in for protecting our boy as long as she got to take his black card to Fifth Avenue and buy whatever her heart pleased? Who is this combative hothead I’m getting acquainted with? Being back home has really done a number on you, huh? Or has this always been you?”
My chest tightens. “Why don’t you tell them why I got that black card? It wasn’t given to mejust because.”
“Are we throwing out more allegations here?”
“Allegations?” I laugh. “So this is why you came, huh?”
I look from Uncle Kenny to Aunt Faye. “This is why he was so happy to come here in case it hasn’t clicked in your heads yet. He’s doing damage control and Uncle Kenny ushered him right on in to do it.”
“I’m simply trying to talk about what you’ve been going around alleging to folks.”
“They’re not allegations. They’re my truth.” I stab a finger in my chest. “Mine.”
He angles his body toward Aunt Faye and Uncle Kenny. “Since we’re being so frank, I’ll just put it all out on the table so we can stop dancing around the elephant in the room—did Lovie ever show you all any evidence that AJ…abused her in any way?”
