“I’d bet on you, but Diane always tells me gambling is a bad vice to get into.”
“Yeah, don’t gamble on us. I don’t like being responsible for someone going bankrupt because I had a mild case of butterfingers.”
Barry chuckled, although I had been serious. “I’ll be sure not to bet my entire wealth on the final score. I’ll just watch the game at the bar, and I’ll cheer you on and shout that you’re my boy, and I’m so proud of you unless you lose. Then I don’t know who the heck you are, mister.”
I laughed at that and shook my head. “Ha ha. Hilarious.”
My eyes never left Kayla for long. She appeared to have a million things on her mind.
We needed to talk. And soon. Preferably without the parents listening.
Fuck if I knew how long this torture would last or if Kayla would ever say anything. I wanted to do something to comfort her, but I wasn’t flush with ideas that wouldn’t draw attention. Something with my foot? Or would that just make it some sort of weird footsies?”
It was set to be a long night.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
KAYLA MARTIN
What can I say about how I know Tyler?
Hey, future stepmom, you were there at his birth, and I’ve seen him in his birthday suit?
And then there was when she asked me if I had any hobbies. “What do you like to do outside work?”
Playing with your son and his teammates was the only true answer, based on this week, but that would lead to a load of questions that no one wanted to discuss.
“I don’t know. Mostly been doing work, then going home and relaxing. Just the usual stuff.” I must have sounded so dull and boring to everyone who was sitting at that table.
“She’s very dutiful,” my father added. “Shows up even on days when she’s not expected to. My eternal employee of the month.”
“Oh, Kayla.” Diane had that look about her. The look that said she felt sorry for me. “You have to have something you want to do beyond work. Perhaps you want to run your own bar one day; is that why you live for work?”
If I answered truthfully: Hell, no, it might sound like I was dissing my father. “Running a bar is a hard job, and my father has three and makes it seem easy. But that’s not the life I want.” But I had to think about the point she made.
Do I live for work?
“You know, you’re right, Diane. I do need to start doing more things for myself, the sort of things that make me happy.” I dared to look at Tyler. “You only live once, right?”
He put up his thumb. “You are dead right.”
Sure, that’s what I needed. A mild existential doubt about my place in life where I have been working too much: I secretly like the boys and can’t choose between them.
“If you would excuse me. Uhm, I need to go to the little ladies’ room. Yeah.” I pushed myself up from my seat and headed toward the door. Not of the bathroom, but the restaurant.
I actually needed some air, but I didn’t want to make my father worry more about me.
Outside, near the restaurant but away from the smokers, I found a small bench to sit on. Not that it helped any. I gulped it in, but the air didn’t solve anything.
Four guys had been in pursuit of me one way or the other over the past for days, and I couldn’t make sense of why they’d do that. I hadn’t replied to Ethan or Tyler’s messages, as it seemed I only ran the risk of setting myself up for embarrassment. They each had their fun with me, but why in the whole of America’s history would they want to see me again?
And there was last night, the Rollins twins. We’d hung out; it was nice, but they left early in the morning since they had to stop by their own home before going into work. I had little understanding of what they did when it was not a game day, but apparently, it was a full-time job.
The thing with the twins was so different from what happened with Ethan and Tyler.
With Ethan, we’d talked a little, but not much. With Tyler, we chatted more after the deed rather than before it. But with the twins, we’d hung out like buddies for most of a day, and it was fun.
Discovering one of the four players was about to step into my life in a new and permanent role was strange.
I felt guilty about being more focused on the weird stuff in my life rather than being super happy for my father’s future happiness.
“You hanging in there okay, babe?” Tyler apparently read my mind and followed me outside, which worked better than him following me where I’d said I was going.