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Um, why on earth should I have to do whatever Carla wants?
“No, thanks.” I pat Leo’s arm. “Leo and I were about to leave.”
She shrugs. “Oh, well. I guess you might as well. After all, if you did play against us, you’d just lose. I happen to be very good. And Eric? He could have been in the Olympics if he hadn’t decided to be in business.”
She turns to Leo.
“No offense. You look like you’ve been working out, but no one beats my sweetheart at tennis. Or at anything, for that matter. So yeah, you two should just go.”
I want to, but her ego has me in awe. Earlier, she was falling apart. Now, she’s putting on airs again? Why can’t she just accept the fact that I can get a hot boyfriend, that I’m better than her? Why does she still feel the need to squash me?
“Actually…” Leo squeezes my shoulder. “On second thought, we’ll take you up on that match.”
I look at him. We will?
He meets my gaze and grins. “Come on, darling. You and I don’t back down from a challenge. Besides…”
He turns to Carla with narrowed eyes.
“We’re not that bad at tennis.”
~
“Not that bad at tennis?” I scoff at Leo as I wipe my sweat with the towel around my shoulders after the match. “You could be a pro.”
Sure, Eric had a mean swing and a killer smash, but Leo was just faster, smarter. It was as if he could tell where the ball would go each time and where exactly to hit it on the return.
“You weren’t so bad,” Leo tells me before bringing his water bottle to his lips.
I snort. “Oh, stop. You won the game mostly on your own.”
He and Eric were practically playing singles, in fact. Carla and I, we were mostly just standing at the back, jumping out of the way so that our partners wouldn’t collide with us. I was just slightly better at that.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” I say. “You were always good at sports. Basketball. Volleyball. Swimming. Table tennis. Except chess. Antonio always beat you at chess, and then…”
I stop as my internal editor catches up with me, pointing out that I’ve just brought up the one person Leo probably doesn’t want to talk or hear about. True enough, as I glance at him, I find his shoulders are now bent, his fingers frozen around his water bottle, his gaze on the floor.
Shit. Now I’ve ruined everything.
“Sorry,” I apologize quickly. “I didn’t mean to bring him up. I know you must not want to be reminded of him. Not that I’m saying you’ve forgotten him, of course, which is impossible. I just…”
I realize I’m talking too fast and not making much sense, so I draw a deep breath and start from the beginning.
“It’s hard to convince yourself a part of you doesn’t exist anymore, isn’t it?” I let out a deep breath. “But what can you do if it’s the truth? You just have to live with the loss, or at least try and hope that someday you’ll be able to gain something that will make you feel complete again.”
“I’m fine, Jodie,” Leo tells me. “I’m not going to cry just because you brought him up.”
But he’s still upset. I can tell.
Quick, Jodie. Bring something else up. Something light or funny.
Funny? That reminds me…
I grin as I lean back on the bench. “I have to say that look on Carla’s face was priceless.”
“Which one?” Leo asks as he sits up. “The one when you told her you had a boyfriend or the one after she found out her boyfriend wasn’t as great as she thought he was?”
I chuckle. “Both.”
I wish Gladys had stuck around to see it. I’m pretty sure Carla is never going to look down on me again after today. She might be more of a bitch, which I can handle. Leo has given me the strength to stand up to her.
I look at Leo. “Thanks.”
He meets my gaze. “For?”
I shrug. “For stepping in when you did.”
“I’ve stood up to bullies all my life. It’s what I do.”
Like he did during that party many years ago. I may not have approved of how he went about it, but he did save me.
“You didn’t have to go so far as to pretend you’re my boyfriend, though,” I say.
“Why not? I’m good at pretending, as you already know.”
I frown. Is he testing me, trying to see if I’ll snap again? I’m in too good a mood, thanks to the adrenaline still pumping in my veins.
“Well, you did good,” I pay him a compliment instead of jabbing at him. “That’s why I’m thanking you.”
Leo shakes his head. “It was a team effort.”
Somehow, I blush. Why? Is it because it sounded to me like he thought we make a great team, a good couple?
