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I rolled my eyes.
“What?” he asked defensively.
“It’s just typical, Matteo. That’s all. ”
I hated typical, which is why I attempted to steer clear of Jack in the first place back in college. I’d labeled him as the most predictable kind there was. I had been wrong.
“Ah, come on, she’s a beautiful girl. I’d have to be blind to not be attracted to her. ”
“Well, I’ll let you know if it doesn’t work out with her and her boyfriend. ” I winked.
“Would you?” He nudged my shoulder teasingly, and I looked back toward the field.
Trina never came back, and Matteo and I spent the rest of the game making idle chitchat and wondering where Trina disappeared to. I realized that having him there made me less concerned with my surroundings, and who violated my space.
When the game ended, I stretched and almost lost my balance. Matteo’s strong arm grabbed my back, holding me steadily in place. “Thanks,” I said, before moving away from his grip.
“Can’t let you get hurt or Jack will kill me. ”
I shrugged, unable to disagree when, amid the chaos of people shuffling around, I heard someone shout, “Replace Jack already, Cassie?”
I shook my head in disgust. I wanted to yell back, “If I’d replaced him, then why the hell would I be at his game?” But I didn’t. I hated not defending myself. I convinced myself that I discouraged the heckling by staying silent.
Matteo tensed behind me, his body closing the space be
tween us defensively. “Are you OK?” he whispered into my ear, and I jumped.
I swatted near my ear. “I’m fine. Don’t do that. ”
“Sorry. Just making sure you’re OK. ”
“If they’re gonna insult me, they could at least be creative about it. ” I tried to smile, but disgust twisted my lips instead.
He followed close behind me until we reached the private entrance to the clubhouse. “I’m going to wait for Jack down here. We’ll meet you at the car. ”
“OK. I’ll see you at the car. ” He nodded before walking away.
I rounded the last corner when I spotted Trina sitting on a bench. “Hey,” I shouted toward her, hearing my voice echo off the walls.
She stood up and walked toward me. “Sorry about that. I got stuck on a bunch of phone calls, and now I have to leave for Brazil in the morning for some big photo shoot. ”
“I’d say that’s insane, but I get it. ” I shrugged, understanding all too well the last-minute trips and how unplanned work can come up suddenly. I hadn’t experienced it yet firsthand, but watched my coworkers handle it without complaint.
“Kyle won’t be happy. ” She frowned, and I half smiled sympathetically. “He hates it when I’m gone. I think he secretly wishes I’d stop modeling and pop out some kids. ”
“Would you do that?” I asked, remembering the argument Jack and I had last night.
“One day, yeah. But not right now. ” She let out a deep sigh. “It’s hard though, trying to balance working and being there for Kyle. He’s on the road so often and he needs so many little things taken care of. I feel awful that I’m not around to handle it, but not awful enough to give up my career for him. ”
I nodded my head, letting her know that I understood everything she said, but I didn’t want to get into it any deeper at that moment. There was a time and place for that discussion, and it wasn’t right then. At least not for me.
“Do you think I’m a horribly selfish person?” She closed her eyes tightly, as if she didn’t want to see just how selfish she might be.
“No. Of course not. ” I touched her shoulder and her eyes reopened. “Why do we have to give up our careers for theirs? I mean, why is it one or the other?”
“Because it’s really hard to work and have a relationship at the same time. Neither one of us is in a typical sort of job, really. ” She cast a glance toward the mean girls. “None of them work anymore. I heard that Kymber gave up some huge career to be a wife and mom,” she lowered her voice, “I think that’s probably part of the reason why she’s so ugly to us. She’s full of resentment. ”
I nodded. “I don’t ever want to be like that. ”
