Fight For It

by Jessie Harper

  Kat's smirk is even harder to hide than my goofy grin. "Julia was just telling us about going back to work. Allegedly you give good advice."

  "Of course, I give good advice. You just never ask me for any." I swipe a taste of the pie filling. Chocolate. "And you wouldn't take my advice even if I could make you listen to me."

  "This is true," Kat concedes. "Quit putting your fingers in the food."

  My mother turns and gives my hand a swat but I'm unrepentant. "It's good. Do we need two pies though?"

  "Someone will eat them." My mother slides the second pie in the oven next to the first. "We had to make two to test out a theory."

  "Oh?"

  "Julia puts a little coffee in chocolate things. We made one with and one without to see if we could taste a difference." My mother pats Julia on the arm as she moves back toward the counter.

  "It's an experiment," Julia says as she holds out the spoon she's been using. It's still covered in chocolate and I take it and pop it into my mouth.

  "So you and my mom are in a friendly competition?" I'm hoping it's friendly.

  "Not a competition! We're teammates!" My mother gives Julia another pat. "She has a few tricks I hadn't seen before."

  I try to keep my knowledge of Julia's tricks to myself but that doesn't keep Kat from choking on her wine. I thump on her back and give her a warning look. She waves me off. "Back to the job stuff. You and Zach can talk about Julia's tricks later."

  Julia's face goes crimson and she reaches for her wine glass. "Well, like I was saying, there isn't much to tell. I'm still trying to decide what to do."

  "What are you looking for? What's the plan?" Kat loves a good plan and she's getting that sparkle in her eye that tells me she's more than ready to boss Julia around. She's not shy about sharing her opinions.

  "There's no plan yet. I have a little runway so I'm trying out different things."

  "Like what?" Kat nibbles on a carrot stick meant for the salad. "Have you got a dream job in mind or anything like that?"

  "No. Zach told me to find something I love—which would be great—but I'd settle for something I like at this point."

  "What did you do before?"

  Julia laughs. "Nothing."

  I grunt in disagreement and all eyes turn to look at me. "You weren't doing nothing. You were home with kids. That's not nothing."

  "That's true," my mother confirms from her spot at the stove. "Being at home with the three of you was harder than anything else I've ever done." She gives my sister and me a smile. "Worth it though. I'm going to go and bring your father another beer. Can one of you give this a stir every few minutes?"

  Julia moves to the stove and takes over the stirring duties. Kat gives me a raised eyebrow, but my mother seems more than happy to hand Julia the spoon.

  "So I wasn't doing nothing, but I can't put 'Professional Mom' on my resume and expect to get much traction." Julia sighs. "But I have to start somewhere."

  "What's your background? What did you study?"

  "I almost finished a teaching Masters, but my heart's not in that anymore. I'm not sure it ever really was. It was more Paul's idea than mine, I think." At the mention of Julia's husband, the room grows quiet. "So now I'm a little stuck."

  "And before that?"

  Julia looks at Kat. "Before what?"

  "Before you became a wife and a mom. What did you want to do then? What was your major in college? What was your dream job?" She's firing questions like we're at the gun range and I can't seem to get her attention to tell her to back off a bit. Julia doesn't know that this is Kat's way of being helpful and Kat doesn't always realize that what she thinks of as helpful might not be helpful at all.

  "Julia's a photographer," I announce. "She actually just took some new photos for my website. She's pretty good." I curse myself for not thinking of a better adjective than "good" to describe Julia's work.

  "Are you going to freelance?" Kat asks a wide-eyed Julia. "Have you got a portfolio?" She's relentless.

  "Maybe we should go check on the boys," I suggest. I don't want Julia's first taste of my family to be my sister terrorizing her.

  "They're fine," Amy tells us, breezing back in from the den. "They're entertaining Dad with all kinds of football stories. They know more stats than most grown ups."

  "Yeah, sorry. They watch a lot of football with my father. He's kind of religious about it." Julia looks relieved to change the subject.

  "They're really cute. I didn't know you were friends with Graham Stevens." Amy makes sure to enunciate friends in a way that sounds like so much more. I can feel that tiny knot of jealousy I keep for Graham's place in Julia's life beginning to grow a bit. He's gotten his second mention in less than an hour. Maybe we would all be better off talking about Julia's job prospects.

  "Graham?" Julia stands her ground. "We've been friends since high school." She looks to me for support, waiting for me to back her up and show my sisters that I'm totally fine with her friendship with Graham.

  "He's a good guy," I grind out, fully aware that my sisters will be asking about this later. If they keep this up I'll need more than beer to get through this evening. I move closer to Julia and rest my hand on her back.

  "Here, can you take over sauce duty while I go and check in on the boys?" Julia turns and plants a kiss on my cheek. "I'll be right back." I'm not sure I believe her. After the five minutes she's just endured with my sisters I wouldn't be surprised if she's actually going to pack them up and run for the door.

  Once Julia's safely out of earshot I turn on Amy and Kat, letting the full force of my irritation out. "What the fuck was that?" I can barely keep from yelling and the surprise on my sisters' faces doesn't help matters. "Next time you ask me why I never bring women here you can just remember this moment right now."

  "We're just asking questions," Kat begins. "I mean, hello? No job and no idea what to do with her life? Red flag."

  "And what about super hot former professional football player ex-boyfriend? One who takes her kids to games? And her parents love him? Even bigger red flag." Amy's barely gotten the words out of her mouth before Kat's nodding in agreement. I almost expect them to start high-fiving each other for their superior investigative skills when it comes to Julia's suitability.

  "First of all, you guys don't know everything there is to know. And, no, I'm not going to enlighten you because it isn't any of your business. Julia and I have talked about all of these things. None of it is a big surprise or anything. If you have questions you can feel free to go ahead and ask them, but you might not get the answers you want. I might not even answer them. And 'super hot'? Really, Amy?"

  Amy knows better than to further explain her attraction to Graham.

  "Running Julia off with your questions isn't going to keep me from getting hurt. I appreciate the big sister bullying tactics for what they are, but Julia doesn't need you two to threaten her. You'll screw things up more than you'll help. Trust me."

  "Fine." Amy raises her hands in defeat. "We'll back off."

  "Agreed," Kat tells me. "She seems able to hold her own though. And mom likes her so you're safe there. But you still have to set the table—girlfriend or no girlfriend."

  "I wouldn't dream of trying to get out of that."

  35

  Julia

  "Time to spill it, Julia. No more stalling."

  I gulp. Cassie may be my best friend, but there are some things I won't share, even with her. "Spill it?"

  "Yes! You've been seeing Zach for weeks now and you've told me barely anything. I love that you like your job and that you're back taking photos again but you're holding out on me. Get to the good stuff."

  "Well." I pause.

  "Is the sex bad?" Cassie reaches for her drink and takes a long sip. "Am I going to need something other than sweet tea for this conversation?"

  "That really isn't any of your business." I pretend to be very interested in my enchilada plate.

  "So, there is sex." Cassie looks impres
sed. "Julia, you surprise me. Good sex?"

  I try to keep my face neutral, but the smile I've been wearing for the past month finds its way back onto my face.

  Cassie lets out a whoop that has the entire restaurant turning to look at us. "No need to give me the dirty, dirty details. Unless you want to, of course." She snickers as she puts another nacho in her mouth. She chews thoughtfully and then asks me the question I've been dreading. "Is it getting serious?"

  "We're just having fun," I lie, even though I know Cassie will call me out.

  "That sounds about as likely as me finding prince charming and riding off on a white horse. You mean to tell me you're not catching feelings? That doesn't sound like you."

  I let out an exaggerated breath. "I like him," I confess.

  "Then what's the problem?"

  "It seems too easy."

  "Too easy?" Cassie reaches for another chip from the plate of nachos on the table between us. "What do you mean?"

  "We told the boys; I've met his family; we get along great."

  "You left out the hot sex," Cassie reminds me. "Has he met Fran and Steve?"

  "Not yet. Soon."

  "And they'll love him. I don't get it. If everything's going great, then why are you making that face?"

  "Because it can't just keep going along like this, can it? The other shoe has to drop eventually, right?"

  "Why are you looking for problems?" Cassie asks. "You could just try to enjoy this for a while. Not every relationship has shoes dropping all the time."

  I move the food around on my plate. Cassie's right. I'm probably looking for problems where there aren't any. "You don't think it's too fast?"

  "Too fast for what? You aren't moving him in or anything; you're dating. Have you talked to Zach about this?"

  "No, he's got his own stuff to deal with." And I have to keep protecting my heart. Having a discussion about my feelings isn't the best way to do that.

  "I'm sure he'd make time for you in between wrestling matches." Cassie rolls her eyes.

  "It's not just work, he's got Abbey, too."

  Cassie makes a face. "Why is she still hanging around? That girl needs a new hobby."

  Unfortunately, from what I've heard, Zach is her hobby. "I overheard his sisters talking and apparently Abbey owns half of the gym."

  "Seriously?" Cassie's mouth opens in shock.

  "She won't let him open another location. She's actively sabotaging him."

  "She sounds like a nightmare. But Abbey isn't in charge of him, Julia. They're divorced. She'll move on eventually and you're just having a good time, remember?"

  "Right." I say it more to myself than to Cassie.

  "Don't worry about Abbey," Cassie tells me. "Just worry about you for a little bit, Jules. You deserve drama free."

  Let's hope the universe agrees.

  36

  Zach

  "For this move to work you need to be closer than that. A little closer. Closer. Maybe one step closer." I bend down and grab Julia by the waist and haul her over my shoulder. She screams and tries to wiggle free, but I keep her where I have her for a few seconds longer before finally lowering her back down to her feet. I let her body slide against mine until her toes touch the ground and then catch her lips in mine. She stops resisting immediately and we stand there for a minute, locked together.

  "I'm pretty sure that wasn't a regulation move," she says, our mouths still pressed together.

  "In a real fight you would have to fight dirty. I've told you that."

  "I can see how this could get dirty. But there is no way I'm letting you fuck me on these mats."

  I startle a bit at her choice of words, but my body immediately responds. I close my eyes. "Hmmm. What else won't you let me do to you on these mats? It would help if you could describe it in detail. Don't want to start something only to be disappointed." I open one eye to see Julia standing with her arms folded in front of me.

  "You wish."

  I direct her attention to the tent in the front of my shorts. "I'm not denying it." I reach for her again.

  She smiles but backs out of my embrace. "We don't have time. I promised your sister I'd come by with my portfolio today. How can I eliminate freelance photographer from my options if I don't let her tear apart my work? I think even she won't accept the old 'wrestling' excuse."

  I let her go, reluctantly, keeping one hand in mine. She doesn't go far and lets me pull her back in for one more kiss.

  "I'm serious, if I don't go now, I'll never leave. You can come by tonight, if you want. The boys and I can make you dinner."

  "Can't. I organized guys for pick up matches tonight. They were starting to complain that I had cancelled so many weeks in a row. You could come and watch."

  Julia scrunches up her nose. "As much as I like seeing you all sweaty, I think I'm going to pass. You could come by after, once the boys are asleep, and shower at my house." Julia lifts an eyebrow suggestively.

  "I thought you liked dirty." I move back in to get my hands on her.

  "Oh, I like dirty, but I like clean too. I like you any way I can get you." She surprises me with a slap on my ass. "But I seriously have to go. Don't want to jeopardize this thing with Kat."

  "Fine, but I'll be expecting great things." The look on Julia's face tells me she thinks I'm still talking about the shower she promised me. "I'm talking about work," I clarify. "I'm expecting great things from your career. And anyway, Kat loves you." And I love you. I bite that part back.

  Julia moves toward the back room to get her things together and I watch her leave like the world's most love-struck puppy. I'm lucky she can't see my face with her back turned toward me. If she could she'd easily figure out what I've been holding back these last few weeks. That I'm crazy about her. That I can't stand to be away from her. That I'm absolutely in love with her.

  The fact is I'm dying to tell her. But it all seems too fast. I don't want to scare her off. Waking up next to her, although it hasn't happened as often as I'd like, is how I want to start every single day. But that means having a serious conversation about where things are going and I'm not sure she's ready. And things right now are perfect. Julia and I spend as much time together as we can, my family loves her and her kids, and I'm as happy as I've been ever. I've even got Julia running with me in the park every so often. Maybe pushing things would ruin all that. So I keep biting back the L word until I'm sure she won't bolt.

  My phone vibrates with a text from my mother. "Do you want to come to Sunday dinner? My mom wants to know," I yell back to Julia. "She wants to make some special cake for Charlie and Noah."

  "Sunday? Should be fine. Tell her we'll come if she'll teach me how to make the cake." Julia knows the way to my mother's heart. Their kitchen “competitions” usually result in a tie and no one in my family’s complaining about the extra baked goods.

  When she comes back toward the counter, I'm disappointed to see Julia covered up in a bulky sweatshirt. I put my hands on her waist and pull her toward me. Her hair's out of her ponytail now and I bury my nose behind her ear. Even slightly sweaty she smells delicious. I keep her pressed up against me until we're interrupted by the tinkle of the bell over the door. Why the hell can't I remember to bolt the door when I'm here with her? I groan, but loosen my hold on Julia enough to peek around her.

  Abbey stands in the doorway. She's clearly uncomfortable, but I don't bother letting go of Julia. If this upsets Abbey I don't care. My hands flex involuntarily and Julia turns to see who's walked in. She stiffens when she sees that it's my ex-wife, but I tighten my grip on her, keeping her close to me.

  Abbey clears her throat. "Sorry to stop by unannounced. I should have called, I guess."

  "I was just leaving," Julia offers but I don't let her go. Instead I pull her closer and give her the longest goodbye kiss I can manage without looking like I'm putting on a show. Even though I am because Abbey can kiss my ass.

  "Don't go because of me," Abbey tells her, obviously hoping she still
has enough sway to cause the people in my life to do what she'd like.

  "She isn't." It comes out a bit too forceful, but fuck it. I don't care about Abbey's feelings. She's the intruder here and I don't mind making her feel how that stings.

  "I'll see you later." Julia pulls away from me. "And Sunday's fine. Just remember to tell your mom."

  I nod and let her go. Julia gives Abbey a cursory glance as she leaves and I watch her walk through the front door and out to her car. She's pulling away before I focus any attention back on Abbey who's standing like a statue in front of me.

  "I thought you two were just friends." She has the gall to act hurt.

  "That's not your business."

  "And I guess she's coming to Sunday dinners now. That must be fun for her." Abbey spits her words out dripping with sarcasm. In her mind there's nothing worse than having to endure Sundays with my family.

  "It's fine." It's perfect. Better than I could have ever imagined. I keep my face flat. "What do you want, Abbey?"

  "Some things came to the house addressed to you. I thought I'd drop them by." She reaches into her oversized purse and pulls out a handful of obvious junk mail.

  "You didn't need to bring these," I tell her, fully aware she's not here because of the mail. This is the woman who used to make videos of herself destroying my stuff whenever she found something of mine still in the house. I used to be treated to weekly texts detailing new additions to the landfill. She's not here to give me some mistakenly delivered mail.

  "I also thought you might want to know that Jonathan and I broke up. I caught him cheating so I ended it."

  "Oh. That sucks." I know she's expecting me to tell her I'm sorry, but all I can think is that karma's a bitch. Someone's done to her the very thing she did to me and I'm not too proud to admit that I hope it hurts. I hope it's fucking killing her.

  "I know you want to gloat. Go ahead and say 'I told you so.' I deserve it." Abbey looks so lost and hurt that some of my venom dissipates. Even if I think she deserves what she's getting, some of my anger is replaced with something else: pity.