Page 81 of Half-Court Heat

I had to grip the paper bag a little tighter to keep from dropping it.

“Hi,” I said, trying to summon some version of my voice.

Eva glanced at me over her glasses. “Kate was just stopping by.”

My face or body language must have broadcasted my displeasure.

Kate didn’t move to leave. She sat back in her chair, looking like she was settling in for the long haul. She stretched her legs out in an effortlessly athletic way.

I walked slowly to the table and set the ice cream down with a thunk.

“Rocky Road,” I offered.

“Aw,” Kate cooed. “You still like that stuff, Eves? I thought you outgrew it after that food poisoning debacle sophomore year.”

Eva pursed her lips, amused but noncommittal. “Clearly not.”

I took the empty chair on Eva’s other side and tried to keep my shoulders relaxed. The soft hum of a space heater in the corner of the sunroom seemed louder than it should have been. Somewhere down the hall, Mrs. Montgomery’s heels clicked faintly on hardwood. Eva’s stiff knee brace peeked out beneath a blanket, stark against the afghan’s soft fabric.

“You’ve got a nice setup here,” I said, trying to sound normal.

Kate laughed, and I wasn’t sure why it irritated me. “It feels a little Ivy League, doesn’t it? I used to tease Eva about growing up in a Nancy Meyers movie.”

Eva turned her glass in her hand, but didn’t saying anything.

Kate leaned back in her chair. “I’m glad you graduated to actual ice packs for your knee.” She flashed a quick look in my direction. “I had to beg her to stop icing her knee with frozen peas our freshman year. She wouldn’t believe me that ice packs were a thing.”

Eva rolled her eyes. “The peas worked just fine.”

“Sure,” Kate smirked. “Until they exploded in your gym bag. Twice.”

Eva finally smiled, and it made something shift uncomfortably in my chest.

I knew they had history. I wasn’t naive. But sitting there, observing the memories, the little shared jokes, the way Kate casually touched Eva’s arm when she reached for her drink—it was like watching a play I hadn’t been cast in.

I stood abruptly. “I’m gonna put this ice cream in the freezer.”

“Yeah. You do that,” Kate said, leaning back again. “We wouldn’t want it to melt.”

I shovedthe pint of ice cream into the freezer with a little more force than necessary.

It wasn’t just that Kate was here. It was how easily she fit in. How natural she looked in this setting, how at home she seemed in Eva’s childhood world. She belonged here in a way I wasn’t sure I ever would.

I needed to vent. Mathilde would get it.

I grabbed my phone from my back pocket and typed out a message.

Kate’s here. Again.

I stared at the words for a second. I considered editing them down to something cooler, more neutral. But that wasn’t the point. I didn’t want to play nice.

I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do. It’s like I’m invisible.

I hit send before I could overthink it.

My phone buzzed almost immediately.

What the hell? Is she just showing up?