The whistle blew and the game started.
From the first kick, Annie performed well, fast and decisive, reading the play two steps ahead of everyone else. She and Bella worked well together, passing to each other with what seemed like instinct, as if they always knew where the other was. I'd watched hundreds of her games, and I could never quite believe that this athlete was my daughter.
“She’s impressive,” Dorian said quietly, after Annie threaded a pass through two defenders to Bella, who nearly converted it.
“She loves it,” I said. “And I don’t know where she got it from.”
“You didn’t play sports?”
“No, I was more the arty, slightly geeky type. What about you?”
“Yeah, I ran cross-country in the fall. Track in the spring. Nothing with a ball though. Track is so individual, whereas soccer’s all about the team. I love seeing kids playing like this instead of on their devices.”
“Agree. It helps to grow up in a place like Willet Cove.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that it’s beautiful here, which inspires outdoor activity. Plus, there’s a sense of community that makes it easier to raise children, especially as a single mother.”
“And you have your friends too.” Dorian said.
“Oh for sure. We’re a village. Have been since the kids were five years old.”
“Do you ever fall out with one another?” Dorian asked.
“We squabble occasionally but nothing serious. We made a pact a long time ago to talk through whatever was bothering us before it grew in to something bigger. Although, things are different now that they’re all married.”
“Changes the dynamics?”
“That’s right.” I leaned closer to him, catching a scent of his citrusy cologne. “Especially because they’re all so stinking rich now.”
He chuckled. “I understand. I’m friends with the guys. No one blinks over a hundred dollar bottle of wine. Except for me.”
“But you’re doing okay, aren’t you? Is the store profitable?”
“I’m doing fine, yeah. The house and the shop in town are paid for, thanks to my mom. And I have my Navy pension. So no complaints. Why do you ask?”
“No reason. Money’s just been on my mind lately. The gallery’s doing okay, but I always worry.”
“And you have your pottery, right? Gillian told me you do well with it—selling it up and down the coast.”
“Feast or famine, but yes, okay.”
Gillian returned with a satisfied Leo. Alex put him back into the pack and Gillian sank into her abandoned chair with a sigh.
“You okay?” I asked.
“I’m good. A little tired these days,” Gillian said. “But that’s to be expected. It’s a lot easier than the first time around—when it was just me and Grace. There was no one around to take turns with. Alex is wonderful that way. Very hands on.”
“That’s obvious,” Dorian said.
“You sound envious,” Gillian said, teasing.
“I am actually,” Dorian said matter-of-factly. “The bachelor life gets old after a time.”
Interesting.
The game moved up the field. A Willet Cove midfielder took a shot that sailed wide, and the parents around us groaned collectively.
