Page 49 of The Singles Club

J: I’m sorry.

V: Don’t be. I deserve every bit of it.

J: Come on over, and we can wallow in our anomalousness together. My mother has a great recipe for double fudge brownies that I’ve pretty much mastered.

I laughed, wiping a tear that fell down my cheek.

V: I’d love that.

11

A New Coach

Justin

Ipulled the brownies from the oven and set the pan on the counter in front of Vivian. Her eyes were still puffy, and her makeup couldn’t hide that she had been crying not too long ago. I pulled out two forks and handed her one.

“We’re going to eat straight from the pan?” she asked.

“Yup.” I gave her a napkin. “Just be careful, it’s scalding, so let the first few bites cool down a bit first.” I took a seat on the stool next to hers and sunk my fork into the brownie. Steam swirled off the chunk, and I blew on it a few times before shoving it into my mouth. “Ohhhhh, still hot. Probably should wait a few minutes.”

She laughed and it was almost musical. “Did your mother let you eat from the pan?”

“Nope, and that’s probably why I do it now.” I winked. “The best part of being an adult is getting to do those things you weren’t allowed to do as a kid.”

“Tell me about it.” She dove into the brownie, pulling out a healthy-sized bite. “I couldn’t wait to move out of my house. Going away to university was the best thing to happen.”

“Strict parents?”

“No, the opposite, really.” She blew on the brownie. “My parents divorced when I was thirteen, so I was constantly going back and forth between two homes. My brother and I were stuck in the middle of their fighting. It wasn’t fun.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugged before the brownie entered her mouth. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. This is really good.”

“I’ll tell my mother she has another admirer.”

“What about your parents?” she asked. “Were they strict?”

“Yes and no, but I do like visiting home when I can.”

“Are they still together?” She scooped out more of the dessert.

“Yes.”

“My dad and his current wife seem pretty happy together, I guess.”

“What about your mom?”

Vivian’s shoulders tensed. “Still bitter and miserable. She doesn’t trust nor like men.”

The urge to console her deepened. I was fortunate to have the parents I had, and they were still very much in love. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for Vivian to be stuck in the middle like that. I took another bite from the pan. “What about you? Do you plan to marry and have a family someday?”

She set down the fork on her napkin and stared down at it a few moments. “There was a time I did want that, but now…”

“What?” I asked.

She looked up at me with reddened eyes. “I’m really great at dating and the attraction phase, but suck at relationships.”