Below the Belt(61)

She nearly swallowed the second half of the cookie before she’d chewed. It was rather scary how close her mother was to the identity of her condom-user. “‘Score one of those.’” She turned to her father. “Really, Dad? This is the stock I come from?”

“Genetics are a mystery,” he said, and turned the TV on. Marianne hoped that would be the end of that, but he muted the damn thing.

“Ignore him, and keep going.” Mary touched her daughter’s knee lightly to indicate she was listening.

“Work’s really interesting, actually. The coach is down for alternative workouts, like Pilates and yoga. Kara’s been helping me. You remember Kara, right Daddy?”

“Sure do. She’s got a son . . . Dax.”

“Zach, but yes to the rest. She comes in and does yoga with the guys. It’s pretty hilarious, to be honest.”

Mary grinned at that. “All those yummy butts in the air for downward dog? I can imagine it’s more than hilarious.”

“Mom. Dad’s right there.”

“I’m immune,” he said, waving it off with the hand clutching the remote. “They might have yummy butts, but she comes home every night to me.”

Mary reached over and patted her husband’s knee.

Marianne wasn’t sure whether to be encouraged at her parents’ love and affection or to mime gagging, like Zach would. Fine line. “Anyway, I was just feeling a little restless, and it’s too late to head to Kara’s. Zach’s got a strict bedtime.”

“So interesting, that your high school friends are becoming parents now,” Mary said, not at all smoothly.

“Yes, so interesting that one friend from high school—who was two years ahead of me—is a mother.” Marianne rolled her eyes and picked up another cookie.

“Children are such a blessing. And when you get to share those children with a man you love . . .”

“Mmm, so good,” Marianne broke in, moaning loudly. “These cookies are amazing.”

“Marianne.”

“They’re delicious. So yummy.”

“Mari—”

“I’d have a baby with this cookie.”

“Marianne!”

Her father wheezed out a laugh, causing the recliner to heave him forward. Mary shot her an irritated look.

“Sorry, Mom. But come on, you’re coming on a little strong.” Especially when I’m trying to hide from you that I’m in love already. “Just let me do my own thing, like an adult, and stuff will fall into place.”

Maybe it already had.

Then again, maybe not. Brad had shown up just after yoga hour had concluded, given her a quick smile, then went straight into his workout. She hadn’t expected a long, drawn out explanation of where he’d been. She wasn’t his parole officer. But a simple “Sorry, forgot to warn you” or something wouldn’t have been missed. After practice, though, had been the icing on the snub cake. Ignoring her rule of icing in the training room, he’d come in, charmed Nikki out of a bag of ice and left without a word.

That she wouldn’t let fly. If he intended to stop by later for a booty call, she’d just be unavailable. And she’d taken herself out to her parents’ house to ensure that was actually true.

So maybe she was using her parents as an excuse to not deal with the issue. But it was only temporary, and only until she figured out how much she wanted to push Brad for answers.

Why, oh why, had she fallen for one of her athletes?

Bad Marianne.


*

SHE was nearly home when her phone rang. She hesitated, then, when she hit a red light, pulled her phone from her cup holder to check the readout. Brad.

Two choices. She could ignore it and talk to him tomorrow—he’d blown her off, and she could do the same. Or she could be the bigger person and answer.

Before she’d reached a good stopping place, the phone stopped ringing. She calmly pulled into an Applebee’s parking lot, picked the phone up and made a call.

“Hello?”

“How old are we?”

Kara huffed out a laugh. “Please don’t make me say it. No matter how old we get, you’ll always be younger, anyway. I’ll never win this game.”

“Why does my brain want to revert to middle school tactics?”

“Because at the end of the day, we’re all thirteen forever?”

Marianne groaned.

“Do you want a pep talk, or a suck-it-up talk?”

“The second.”

With the ease of old friendship, Kara said, “Suck it up, buttercup. Whatever it is you’re trying to avoid, get out of doing or give up on, just do it and get it over with.”

She let her forehead fall to the steering wheel. “Life was so much easier when we were thirteen. Nobody expected us to be mature.”

“But we couldn’t have a nice glass of wine to get us through life’s curveballs, either,” Kara pointed out.

“Okay.” With a slow breath, she forced herself back up. “Here we go.”

“Whatever it is, good luck.”

She waited for her phone’s screen to clear, then called Brad. “Hey.”

“Hey. You still awake?”

“Was on my way home, actually.”