“I hope you guys brought your wallets,” Grady said. “Everyone but Howard is pitching in for the pay.”
There were calls of mock disappointment from the group, but everyone was smiling. We walked into the club and ended up in the VIP area. It was obvious they had all had been here quite a few times before because a lot of the staff knew them, some even greeted Grady and some of the other guys by name. We found a bunch of seats arranged in a group with enough room to fit all of us.
“All right! Everybody, get settled down. Say what you want before the waitress gets here.”
“Just order beer, and get plenty of it! Does anyone want anything else?”
“Hey, I want some chips! Can’t drink on an empty stomach.”
Grady ignored the rest of the guys shouting out what they wanted and turned to me.
“What about you? Anything you want?”
“Just beer is fine, though chips do sound nice. They don’t serve food here, do they?”
“Nope, no food. We can go eat after we drink.”
I wanted to come out with some common sense that it would be better if we ate before drinking, so the food could soak up the alcohol. If everyone got piss drunk, they might not even think of eating later, but I didn’t want to wake up tomorrow on my day off hungover.
Instead, though, I went along with the atmosphere. I’d blown them off before and doing this every once in a while wasn’t bad. Everyone was finished listing everything by the time a waitress appeared. Grady gave her the orders, and she walked away. The others chatted lightly among themselves, and I was even pulled into a few conversations.
Because I’d been on several teams before, I knew how to act as if I was having the time of my life even when I wasn’t feeling it. The waitress came back with a few bowls of chips and some beer. It wasn’t nearly enough for everyone. Then, I almost dropped my jaw in surprise when other waiters and waitresses came back with the rest of the beer.
No wonder they’d have to pitch in to pay. If one person paid for all of this...
No one else was as surprised, so this was clearly not out of the norm, either. I wondered how many extra bottles they’d added for me.
“Drink up, kid,” Grady said, handing me a beer.
“Isn’t all of this a bit much?” I couldn’t help asking. There was enough on the table for everyone to take three bottles and there’d probably be more leftover. While it wasn’t the expensive stuff, it wasn’t really cheap beer, either.
Well, not as if I wasn’t tempted to have a good drink, I just wouldn’t allow myself to do it while I was alone for safety reasons.
“Nah, it’s all fine. It’ll be two whole days before our next practice, so everyone can get drunk and have some time to recover. We don’t do this all the time, it’s just special circumstances. Besides, there’s a rule in this team.”
“What rule?”
“Two weeks before the season starts, up until our last game, we’re not allowed to drink, at all. It’s one of coach’s rules. He’s not going to spy on us to make sure we aren’t breaking the rule, but he will get mad if he finds you breaking the rule before the last game of the season.”
“I don’t plan on breaking it,” I muttered.
I didn’t doubt if he caught me, he’d used it as an excuse against me. The only rule Ben set that I had every intention of breaking was to let go of Zoe. It had only been a week, and the team didn’t meet up every day for practice, either, we had days off in the week, so I didn’t see her every day, but it was still unbearable.
The first day, she’d at least looked for me afterwards. I couldn’t help thinking back to that time in my car, how beautiful and sexy Zoe had looked. Fuck. I should have made her ride me, then I’d really have something nice to remember. I was going to be thinking back to that time a lot, because Zoe was going along with what I wanted, even though she kind of resented me now.
She was avoiding me. No picking up my calls, no responding to my texts. I’d hoped we could at least meet up away from work, but I thought this was a kind of punishment, and I couldn’t exactly blame her, because I’d started it.
Fuck, it might have been a good idea to talk to her before we came to this. I even had the perfect opportunity when I spent the weekend at her house, and I’d tried to bring it up several times, but each time it was like the words froze in my throat, and I left on Monday morning without saying anything.
I didn’t blame her for being angry. I’d asked her to go along with the plan, but I couldn’t help regretting it, because it could be weeks before she would talk to me again.
A drink might actually do me some good right now.
I grabbed a bowl of chips for myself, crunched on a few chips and sipped my beer. I hadn’t eaten since lunch, so I had to be careful not to drink too much on an empty stomach, or I’d regret it in the morning. I’d done it enough times in the past to know I wouldn’t like it.
In the end, I still had one too many drinks. By the time we broke off the party after a few extra orders of beer, it was dark out. I couldn’t take a risk driving, just as well since I’d grabbed a ride with one of the guys. The ones who brought their cars had to leave them there. Some of the guys stayed behind, while those of us leaving headed outside to grab a taxi and headed home. As I’d guessed, no one was up to looking for something to eat after drinking so much. I planned to get home, drink a lot of water, and then fall into bed. I could have breakfast in the morning.
I was stumbling on the sidewalk when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, frowning when I saw it was Ben’s number.
What could he possibly want from me?
I opened the text, and my eyebrows jumped up, before I brought the screen closer and squinted my eyes to make sure they weren’t playing tricks on me. Ben... was inviting me out for dinner?
“Howard? What are you doing? Get over here.”
I looked up and saw a couple of the guys had got a taxi and were waiting for me to join them. Instead, I waved them off.
“It’s fine, I need to go somewhere, you guys go ahead.”
They shrugged. “If you say so.”
I watched as they got into the taxi and it drove off. It was dark already, and I wondered just how much time we’d spent in that club. The cold air sobered me up a bit, but not much, as I waited for a taxi, and gave the name of the restaurant Ben had asked to meet. I could tell just by the name it was probably something fancy, but if he was asking me to come, then it had to be something important. I could pretend as if I wasn’t drunk, too, though pretending had nothing to do with the smell coming off my clothes.
Whatever.
It would probably just be a short visit, anyway.
The taxi dropped me outside the restaurant, and I walked up to the entrance. I looked around, trying to find Ben. The moment I caught sight of him, I took a step forward, about to approach his table, only to pause when I realized he wasn’t sitting alone.
What the heck is this?
Zoe was there. Not only her, even my mom. No one had warned me about this. The three of them were seated together smiling all happily, like a family. Suddenly, I felt a bit more self-conscious about my current state. Really, I should have hesitated to come when it was just Ben since I was trying to rebuild his impression of me, but maybe because I was drunk, I’d thought it would be fine.
If it was Zoe and my mom, though, I couldn’t face them like this. I turned and stumbled away, feeling an ache in my chest I completely ignored.
Chapter Ten
Zoe
I left the house, because I felt like I’d go crazy if I stayed there any longer. I figured I was overdue for a night out. The first person I thought to call was Howard, but I quickly changed my mind.
He and I had barely talked after we’d started this little game. I decided, if he was going to ignore me around other people, then I wasn’t going to talk to him at all. I wouldn’t receive his calls because I was still a little bitter. I’d only just started replying to his texts a
few days ago, and only because the bitterness in my chest was no longer sorely pointed at him. Now, I wondered if it wouldn’t be best for us to just stop seeing each other like this for good.
It was no wonder Dad didn’t want us being together. Before, I’d just figured it was him being protective, but it was more than likely his selfish side rearing its head, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. A part of me felt like I should be angry that he could do things without talking to me, but I needed to talk him into accepting what I wanted, and he was being stubborn about it.
Well, he is the dad, so it’s different.
It still wasn’t fair, though.
There was no way I could face Howard at the moment, anyway, and not just because of his avoidance game. I didn’t know if he knew yet, but this affected him, too. So, instead, I called a friend of mine. It was a weekday, but this late, she should be off from work. I was relieved when she answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Zoe! It’s been a while. How’ve you been?”
“Sorry, Kayla,” I sighed. “I’ve just really been busy recently, but hey. If you have some free time, would you like to meet up? I feel like going out tonight.”
“Really?” Kayla sounded excited. “Of course! I want to go out too but I couldn’t find someone with the free time. You saved me from going alone! Where are you? Do you want me to come pick you up? Or do we meet up somewhere?”
“We can meet up somewhere. I’m about to grab a taxi.”
“All right.” Kayla gave me the name of the place to meet her. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
We cut off the call. Since she was going to take her time getting there, I walked for a bit. I was dressed in a black, knee length sheath dress and short black heels that should be fine for whatever Kayla had in mind. When I got into a taxi and headed to the place she’d mentioned, I sent her a text and realized I’d arrived early. We were meeting at a bar. I could see the inside from the door, and it looked like a classy place. I figured the drinks would be expensive, but just as well, I didn’t plan on drinking too much since I still had to go home.
Kayla appeared five minutes later, and pulled me into a hug. Kayla was shorter than me by about two inches, with red hair she had up in a ponytail and green eyes. We’d known each other since high school, and since I couldn’t turn to Dad after Mom’s death, I’d gone to her often when I needed someone to talk to. She and I were close, but Kayla had gone the business track in college while I went sports and had a nine to five office job now, so we couldn’t meet up as often as I’d like.
We went inside, Kayla tugging me by the arm. The place was a little crowded, and we had to go around a few tables and people walking around. We made it to the bar and found some room, then sat down.
“What can I get for you, ladies?” The bartender asked, coming over.
The lighting in the room was low, with strobe lights and some music playing. The bartender was tall, probably around our age with blond hair and blue eyes. Kayla gave him a dreamy look, and I had a sudden idea why she’d thought to bring me here, specifically. Surprisingly, even though he was built and definitely handsome, I didn’t feel the slightest attraction to him besides noting in my head that he was a little pretty.
“We’ll have some cocktails, please. Zoe, is that okay with you?”
“It’s fine.”
“I’ll be right back with you.”
Kayla watched him as he walked away, and I nudged her. She caught the smile on my face and pouted a bit. I laughed.
“What,” she said defensively. “I can look if I want to, can’t I?”
“I didn’t say anything. I do wonder how often you’ve been coming here to stare. Ever think of doing something more, maybe? You didn’t actually need to come here with someone, right?”
She sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Honestly? Yes, I have thought of it. But I feel like he’s out of my league, and while he is pretty, he gives the same smile to whoever walks in here, so I don’t know if he’s interested or just really good at his job.”
“You could always make the first move.”
“Maybe I will, but for now, just ogling the eye candy is good enough for me. Besides, you and I are the same kind of girl who’d hesitate to make the first move. Anyway, what’s up with you? I feel like it’s been weeks since we last saw each other. Is work keeping you busy, or...”
Her smile was coy, and I pursed my lips so I wouldn’t smile back. Being around Kayla always made me feel relaxed. Even when we were talking about heavy topics, she was someone I felt I could open up to. If I could talk to no one else about this problem, I would definitely talk to her and she would be supportive. I’d definitely made the right call instead of coming out to brood by myself.
“I really have been busy, but today... I just wanted to come out before I explode. Honestly, Kayla, I don’t know how I managed to stay sane over the past few days. It could be because I’m still partly in shock.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows arched. “What happened?”
“My dad got married,” I blurted out.
Kayla’s eyes widened. “Wow. When did that happen, and why wasn’t I invited to the wedding?”
I growled. “That’s the thing. There wasn’t a wedding. I only just found out about it a few days ago and I’ve been slowly losing it ever since. Can you believe he told me over dinner with his new wife there? He just completely blind-sided me and I could only sit there like an idiot, because I didn’t know if I should be happy for him or what, but I was mostly just shocked out of my mind. I can’t even tell you how the rest of dinner went after I heard that.”
Our cocktails arrived, just at the end of my long rant, and I picked up my glass and had a sip of the drink. It was cool and fruity, and I sighed as the taste slid down my throat. Having gotten the words out, my chest felt a little less suffocated, but not by much.
“So, your dad married Katie?” Kayla asked. “That was the woman you told me he was dating before, right? Unless there’s someone else.”
I nodded. “Yeah, Katie. I only knew about her some weeks ago, and I don’t even know how long before then they were together. Then suddenly they’re married! Dad didn’t even warn me! He just called me out to dinner, I didn’t know what was going on, but she was there, and then he told me they were married already right in the middle of dinner, can you believe that?”
That part was what made me most annoyed. He’d called and told me he had important news. He didn’t even warn me that Katie would be there. I’d acted as if everything was fine, but how could I not feel awkward around Katie? The last time I met her, all four of us, including Howard, were there, and that was when Dad announced they were dating.
Actually, when I thought about it now, I should have known it would be something like that the moment I saw the two of them there at that table. I’d let my guard down because Howard wasn’t there, and I thought Dad just wanted me to be close to his girlfriend.
“What about the wedding?” Kayla asked. “Or did they just sign the marriage papers, so there wouldn’t be a wedding? A lot of women would insist on a wedding, even if it’s just a small ceremony.”
I groaned. “They eloped. He went out last weekend and I had no idea why, though to be fair, it’s not like I cared. It turns out, though, they were going to get married. Again, to be fair, neither of them have relatives and one kid, so not having a ceremony isn’t so far out there, but dammit, at least involve your kids in it. Dad did tell me he’d be out for the weekend, and maybe he would have told me why if I’d bothered to ask, but I do wish he’d offered up the information earlier!”
“Would you have tried to stop him?” Kayla asked. “Even if you guys had known, would you have tried to stop your parents from running off to get married?”
I opened my mouth, only to pause because I didn’t know what to say to that. Would I have stopped him if he’d told me he was eloping? My first instinct was to say yes, but I knew that wasn’t right. I would have at least
tried to talk them into thinking of a different solution, but the truth was, both Howard and I didn’t have any right to stop our parents from getting married.
We were all adults. While I still lived with my dad, at twenty-eight, Howard lived alone and supported himself. I didn’t know if he would have tried to stop his mom, but I knew Dad deserved to be happy. Learning he was moving on had been a surprise, but the biggest surprise was that it had to be with Howard’s mom.
I was more worried about Howard and I becoming step siblings than Dad getting married to another woman.
“Probably not,” I muttered. “But I would have loved the warning. He ran off to Vegas on the weekend without telling me. Who does that? And now Katie’s even moving in with us. That was the other big surprise. She hasn’t moved her stuff over yet, but they’ll be doing that over the week. I don’t know what they’re going to do about her house.”
I hadn’t heard Howard’s side of the story. He was supposed to be there for the dinner, but for some reason, he didn’t show. Dad had even waited, and it had been a surprise when he’d said he invited Howard himself, though that could have been why he didn’t show. I didn’t know if he’d found out yet, which was kind of another reason why I’d avoided talking to him until the last few days.
What would Howard think about it?
I didn’t doubt that he’d be as bothered by it as I was. From his words to me, I didn’t think he wanted to end things between us, so he would have to see this as a problem, right? Or would he ignore it and think of it as inconsequential?
What about his mom moving into my house? He’d told me already, that since he left to go for college, he hadn’t slept over at his own house since, though I figured that was more because he didn’t want to keep being a nuisance to his mom. Still, it was the house he grew up in, so if his mom sold it, would it bother him?
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