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“What?” she asks, turning from the window to look at me. “Why would you say that?”
“I’m just wondering if you’d marry the guy you’re dating. He seems nice enough, from what Tom says.” I have other opinions of the guy without meeting him, but she probably won’t appreciate what I have to say.
I’ll just say this. If I knew a girl like Allie from a young age, I wouldn’t have left to go to school without locking things down with her. I would have staked my claim on this girl long before we knew what it even meant.
I mean, damn. Who wouldn’t?
No, Ted waited, knowing she wouldn’t dare see another guy when she had a small kid. Nothing against it, but it’s not her character. Without meeting the guy, I’m ninety-nine percent sure he wanted to get his fill and have his fun before settling with the girl he left back home.
“Oh,” she says, relaxing into her seat. I caught her off guard with that question.Interesting. “Yeah, I mean, I don’t know. He and I have always liked one another, and we have fun and he cares about me and about Jadon, so I guess if he asked I wouldn’t say ‘no,’ exactly.”
“That’s not the confident answer of someone who is in love.”
“Yeah, well, not my fault. I don’t trust so easily and don’t want to wind up alone if a guy decides he’s done with me.”
Okay, I’m not saying she’s not justified, but the same excuses are getting old. I need to figure out how to get on her good side so she sees me as the friend or whatever we can make this into. She is, by far, the most challenging person I’ve ever met.
I pull into the school parking lot, and we walk up the front steps together. She waves goodbye when she walks into the front office, and I head toward the coaching office for the morning meeting.
Tom greets me when I get in and asks how the drop-off went. “It was fine. He went straight for some kids and started playing with them right off the bat. He’s gonna be fine there.”
“That’s good,” he nods. “I’m sure Allie cried.”
I don’t really want to answer that, because I know she’s sensitive sometimes with Jadon, so I just grimace and log in to my laptop.
“Yeah, I figured. She’s always getting all worked up over everything with him. I don’t blame her. When she was in the hospital, she was afraid he wouldn’t make it. They called me on the way in the ambulance, but I was two hours away for a game. I had to rush back and leave Barry in charge while I tried to get there without getting into an accident myself.”
“I didn’t know. Did you get there before the delivery?”
“No, by the time I got there, they had pulled him out and she was asleep. They had him in surgery while I was back and forth with nurses and doctors, trying to make sure both of them were going to be okay. He was so small, but he made it, though. And she’s been worried about him ever since.”
Every time someone talks about Allie and what she went through, I want to punch myself in the dick. She was a teenager, hit by some asshole, and had her baby all by herself in the hospital. Fuck, this is awful.
“Did you ever find out who hit her?”
I don’t miss how Tom’s shoulders tense. “No, but I have an idea.” He eyes me for a second before going back to his email. “Well, I guess it’s time to get out there. You know how Barry likes to give them extra warm-ups in the morning.”
When lunch rolls around, I decide to head to the office to see if Allie needs a ride to go get anything. I left early this morning and forgot to grab some food to bring to work, so I was going to go out.
When I reach the office, I overhear a conversation between Allie and some guy. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out it’s Ted. I stand where they can’t see me, just listening for a second before I head out to my car.
So. He visits her at work. Insecure much?
“So where are we going this weekend?” she asks him.
“I told you, it’s a surprise,” he says.
“Okay, but like, I need to know what to wear and how to dress.”
“You can wear whatever you want, babe. I’m fine if you don’t even wear anything at all,” he tells her. I just roll my eyes at his bullshit line. Then she giggles like he’s a fucking comedian. How can she stand his voice? It’s like nails on a chalkboard, if you ask me.
“No seriously, are we going to any nice restaurants or going hiking or anything? It’s a critical matter of whether I bring heels and a nice dress, or my waterproof shoes.”
“Okay…” he’s stalling, not wanting to tell her where he’s taking her. Sounds like a serial killer. “Take a dress for Friday night, and something comfortable to wear, like jeans, and maybe take some sandals or something where you can take your shoes off easily. Maybe a swimsuit, too.”
The beach. Just tell her you’re going to the beach, Mr. Smooth.
I walk away before I have to hear any more of their littlechat. She better be safe and not get pregnant again. Seems like Jadon is enough for her, and even if Ted acts like he has good intentions, I don’t trust him.
