Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 114951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
“Ah, so this is why it’s so crowded everywhere,” Shane murmured when we made it to the sprawling lawn of Sparkman Wharf. There was a giant screen at one end, people spread out in chairs or on blankets all across the grass. “There’s a Tarpons game today.”
The Tampa Bay Tarpons were the city’s professional football team. I didn’t know much about them other than they hadn’t had a winning season in long enough to make the fans hesitant to want to buy tickets to any game. It wasn’t fun to file out of a stadium after your team lost when you could have just watched the game from home or at a bar.
“Want to sit for a moment?” he asked, gesturing to two empty chairs.
I shrugged. “Sure.”
“I’ll get us a drink. Mimosa or Bloody Mary?”
“A little early, don’t you think?” I laughed.
“Come on, it’s almost noon now! And we’ve had breakfast. Besides, if I remember correctly, a Bloody Mary on a Sunday is one of your favorite things.”
I bit my lip against a smile. “I can’t believe you remember that.”
“Extra spicy, too. Right? Like basically pour in an entire bottle of hot sauce?”
“Bonus if they have bleu cheese olives.”
Shane wrinkled his nose, shivering like I’d scratched my nails on a chalkboard. “Animal, you are.” But he winked, and then disappeared into the crowd.
I took in the view in his short absence, marveling at the ships in the water, the buildings of downtown sprawled all around us. Kids played games on the lawn, groups of friends shared drinks, people all over donned their Tampa Tarpons gear. By the time Shane joined me again, I was smiling ear to ear.
“You know, it may not be Boston, but Tampa is pretty cool.”
“Oh, just wait. We haven’t seen anything yet.” Shane tapped his beer against my Bloody Mary. “To reuniting with old friends.”
I gave him a pointed look, but grinned, anyway, as I took the first sip.
It was spicy and perfect.
“So, you stuck around Boston, huh?” Shane asked, his eyes on some kids who were playing tag.
“I did.”
“Never wanted to go anywhere else?”
“I thought about Colorado once. But otherwise, no, not really.”
“You did always seem happy in New England.”
“It’s home,” I said, a soft smile on my lips. But my stomach twisted in the next second when I thought about how quickly we’d left, how Nathan had accepted this job without so much as speaking to me.
It wasn’t that I would have said no. I loved him, and I wanted him to chase his dreams. I knew this was what he’d wanted for a long, long time.
It was that he didn’t even think to consult with me, like I wasn’t a partner in his eyes, but rather just an accessory.
“You did move, though,” Shane said, his expression somber now. “Not long after the trial.”
“I did,” I answered carefully. “And again, when Nathan and I got married. How did you—”
“Hey, Coach!”
We both turned to the source of the greeting, and when Shane waved at the group of Tarpons fans who had recognized him, they were overjoyed. Suddenly, the people who had been oblivious to who he was in our near vicinity were paying closer attention, narrowing their gaze in question, some hopping on their phone. I wondered if they were googling to figure out who he was, if they didn’t already know.
And I felt suddenly, acutely visible.
A familiar prickle of unease crept up my spine. I imagined a photo snapped at the wrong angle, a caption taken out of context, Nathan scrolling past it later, his rage boiling until it overflowed right onto me.
I forced my shoulders to relax, but I was anything but calm inside. It’ll be fine, I told myself. I’ll just say we ran into each other. I was out running errands. Oh, why was I drinking a Bloody Mary? Well… I… they were free, actually. Yeah. There was a new bar opening and—
The fact that I was already making up stories for an argument that hadn’t happened yet had that this is wrong feeling lurching back to life.
“What do you say we walk a little?” Shane asked, shifting closer, his voice low.
Relief washed through me, quick and telling.
I nodded. “Sounds perfect.”
We did a lap around all the shops, Shane stopping to tell me a little about each of the restaurants as we did. Once I’d finished my drink, he insisted we stop for a cone from Jeni’s Ice Creams, and then we were on to our third form of transportation: rented bicycles.
It was just what I needed, that break from talking and being close to Shane. I rode in happy silence behind him, smiling at the sun reflecting off the water as we cruised Bayshore. Every now and then, Shane would pull to the side, stopping to point at something off in the distance and explain it to me.