Page 40 of Power Play

Dad’s brows rose, and Mom pulled her head back.

“What do you mean?” She sounded as if I’d broken up with her.

“I already told you. She and I were in different places. She thought we were more serious than I did. It just wasn’t working out.”

Joey snorted. “You mean she thought you were in a relationship and you didn’t.”

I nodded. “Exactly.”

“Oh, but she was so sweet.” Mom’s shoulders dropped.

“You did the right thing. If your heart wasn’t in it then it’s better to end it now than lead her on.” I smiled at my Dad. At least I had one parent on my side.

“This has to do with Taylor, doesn’t it?” Joey asked, making Mom perk up.

“Oh really, honey? Do you still have feelings for her?”

I shot a glare at my brother, fighting the instinct to sucker punch him like I had growing up. “It had nothing to do with Taylor.”

Well, not entirely.

Mom pursed her lips. “You just happened to break up with your girlfriend right after running into her?”

It was time to tell them the whole truth. “That wasn’t the first time I’ve seen Taylor.”

They stared at me, their sudden silence drawing more attention to our table than if we were screaming.

“I ran into her the night before the first game in Raleigh.” I left out the part about the drink in my face for both our sakes.

“And you didn’t tell us?” Mom’s voice was too quiet, wounded.

“The past two weeks have been an absolute blur. Things have been happening so fast, and honestly, I didn’t think much about it.” Total lie. “She was staying at the same hotel as us and became friends with some of the women that traveled with us. I guess she was having a really hard time finding a job out there, so they offered to help her find something out here. I didn’t know about that until I saw her in the parking garage. I was as surprised as you guys.” There, that was true.

“What are the odds?” Dad shook his head.

“It’s fate,” Joey said and waggled his brows.

Unfortunately, that set Mom off. “You’re right! She’s here and now you have the chance to catch up and see if that spark is still there.”

“I’m not sure she’s interested in me like that anymore.” Where was the waiter? I could use an interruption right about now.

“You two were each other’s first loves. You don’t ever forget that. I bet if you two gave it a shot, things would fall right back into place.” Mom’s pleading eyes nearly broke me. Until I remembered the look of hurt and betrayal on Taylor’s face when she saw me the first time in that sport’s bar. That wasn’t love or attraction.

Mom might think we were some storybook love story, but she never knew the whole truth. I never told her the real reason why I didn’t call Taylor that summer, or why I didn’t have her meet me in Ottawa like we planned. I kept that buried deep in my heart. If she, or anyone, knew about that, they would understand why there was no future for me and Taylor.

“I don’t think so, Mom. We were together a long time ago.”

“Four years isn’t that long.” Joey was really pushing me. If we weren’t in public, I’d shove him off his seat.

“It is when you consider we were eighteen the last time we saw each other. We’ve both changed and moved on.”

“We’ll see about that when we have dinner with her.” Mom set her jaw. Oh boy. She was already planning our wedding. I could see it in her eyes.

“Please respect her privacy, Mom. If she says she’s not interested or that she’s moved on, you have to let it be.”

“We all just want you to be happy. We remember how in love you two were and want that for you guys again.” Dad leaned back as the waiter appeared and placed two pizzas in front of us. They must have placed the order before I got there.

“I appreciate that, but this is all still very new. She’s here to find a job, not reconnect with me.”