I pressed a button on my car’s stereo and instructed it to call Mara.
“Hey there, future Mrs. Royce,” Mara answered.
“Hey, I’m here with Liam. We’re headed to a Reds game.”
“Aw, fun. Hi, Liam!”
“Hi, Mara,” Liam said.
“So, what made you send that text? And what is Jeanine talking about?”
“Oh.” Mara paused. “Did no one tell you?”
“No?”
“Fuck,” she muttered, and a small voice piped up in the background. “Oops. Yes, one for Mommy in the swear jar!”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“You should probably talk to Royce, but, shoot, they’re flying now and this is a longer flight. I don’t want to ruin your day out. You guys go have fun at the game.”
“I think you better tell her,” Liam said. “She’s white-knuckling the steering wheel.”
“Right. Well,” Mara let out a nervous laugh, “A picture of you two from the parking lot last night was sent to a lot of the team and their partners.”
A cold sweat prickled on my neck and the car suddenly felt too small. Someone had been watching us. Someone watched us while we had sex for the first time. And yeah, it was our fault for being in a parking lot, but it still felt violating. “Like, what kind of picture?”
“You’re just holding hands,” she said.
“Ooooooh!” Liam teased, and I actually laughed, partially because my son was a goober, and partially from relief that it wasn’t a picture of us having sex. But someone was probably watching us while we did. They probably also had pictures of that. I shivered at the thought.
“Just wait till your kids are teens,” I joked to Mara, but the reality floated in. “Oh god, I don’t want to get fired.”
“Oh, jeez,” Mara said. “I hope you don’t. Getting fired sucks.”
“Mom, you could make SoUPCYCLE happen,” Liam said.
“What’s SoUPCYCLE?” Mara asked.
“It’s just a stupid idea I’ve had for a few years,” I started, but Liam cut me off.
“No, it’s Mom’s really smart idea to turn food waste into soup for soup kitchens and shelters. Coordinate with grocery stores who have on the verge produce.”
“Wait, that’s a great idea,” Mara said. “You know I used to be a grocery buyer, right?”
“And your husband’s rich so he could invest,” Liam said.
“Liam!” I scolded him, but Mara just laughed.
“No, really. I think this might have legs. We should get together soon. See if we can draft up a business plan.”
Liamand I snuck into some seats in the sun. April baseball can be so unpredictable, where it could be snow or boiling hot. There was a cool breeze this day that would be perfectly countered by the sun. This game was poorly attended, so we were able to sprawl out like lizards and soak up the rays.
Liam perked up as the Reds hit a line drive into left field. “Go!” Once the runner was safely at second base, he looked over at me cautiously. “Mom, who is stalking you?”
I stretched my arms overhead, hoping that would quell the shaking in my hands. I didn’t want Liam to pick up on the darker implications of what Mara said, but he wasn’t a kid anymore. I couldn’t fool him with Tooth Fairy logic forever. So, I answered honestly. “I don’t know.”
“Last week, I saw some random lady parked outside our house. And she was just staring at it.”
