Page 8

They got set up in their booth and began their pre-game discussion of the teams’ records, top players, coaches, and possible outcomes of the match. Then, it started.

Kendra thought that she and Wyatt had a good back-and-forth. They gave each other space to make their points, didn’t interrupt, and had some laughs while offering insight and analysis that, Kendra hoped, was approachable to those who didn’t know the game very well.

“Ev is back without the kiddo. Want to head out for that drink? It’s been a while since we could hang out like this.”

“Sure. Do you know where we’re going?”

“There’s a place we go to whenever we’re in town. Great margaritas.”

They walked over toward Everly, whom Wyatt kissed, and Kendra couldn’t help but be a little jealous. She wasn’t sure exactly how long they’d been together, but she’d gotten the story of how they’d met, gotten engaged – although, everyone knew that story because Wyatt had proposed on television right after winning the Olympic gold medal – a little about their wedding, and some of their struggles with getting pregnant until little Julia came along.

“So, who is Julia with? You don’t live here. How do you have a babysitter here?” Kendra asked as they sat down in a booth.

“The coach’s daughter is in college at Nebraska. She watches Julia for us the couple of times a year we’re here, if we need her to,” Wyatt explained.

“That works out well.”

“We’ve pretty much got a babysitter in any of the league towns,” Wyatt said. “We rarely actually use them, but they’re there when we want to hang out with a friend we haven’t seen in a while.”

“We all live in LA now since we moved back from San Diego when I got the job at USC, but we never see each other there,” Everly added as Wyatt wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Because she’s always traveling,” Wyatt pointed out, nodding at Kendra.

“It’s the job,” she replied with a shrug.

“Hey, how have you been since… you know?” Everly checked.

“Since my girlfriend of two years dumped me?” Kendra finished for her. “Good. It’s been a few months, so I’m okay with it now.”

“She acted like you weren’t traveling for work when you two got together,” Wyatt huffed.

“It gets old for some people. I’m, unfortunately, used to it at this point. She’s the third one I’ve lost since college, specifically because I’m gone too much. I’m getting older, too, so… I’m guessing, the next woman I date, whenever that might be, will also have a problem with it eventually. They’re going to want to have someone at home with them, just like she did, and right now, I can’t do that. Did I tell you that she asked me to give this up and just work at a news station? Be an anchor there or something.”

“No, you didn’t,” Wyatt said.

“I don’t want to be a news anchor. I don’t even want to be a local reporter of any kind. I’ll admit that I’m tired of the travel myself. I think when she put that out there, and I knew I wasn’t willing to do that for her, knowing how tired of traveling I am, too, it made me realize that it wasn’t meant to be anyway.”

“What can I get you?” their waitress asked.

“Babe?” Wyatt asked Everly.

“Um…” Everly gave her wide eyes. “Water for me.”

“I’ll have a water, too,” Wyatt said.

“Waters? Am I the only one drinking?” Kendra asked. “We came here for margaritas, I thought. Maybe I should just have a water, too.”

“You can’t have a table if you’re just ordering water. Unless you’re getting food,” the waitress said abruptly. “Are you getting food?”

“Wyatt, get a drink. It’s fine,” Everly told her wife.

“No, it’s solidarity.” She looked up at the waitress. “Can I get a sparkling water?”

“She’ll have a margarita. I’ll have a sparkling water,” Everly said and put her hand on Wyatt’s thigh.

“I’ll have a margarita, too,” Kendra added.

“Great,” the clearly disinterested waitress replied and walked away.