“I’d love to,” I say miserably.
“Don’t cry,” Molly says with mock solemnity. “You’re going to get through this. Come on.”
She grabs my hand and starts leading me through the crowd along the curved walkway of the stadium toward, I assume, the gift shop. The intimacy of this gesture confuses me. Which is not to say I don’t like it.
“So why are you here, anyway?” she asks.
“To watch the Cubs beat the Dodgers.”
“No chance.”
“Want to bet?”
“I don’t gamble.”
“Except on your friends’ relationships.”
She frowns. “I suppose you must feel quite smug. Two to zero. For now.”
I’m confused. “Uh, what?”
“Well, Emily and Gloria seem quite happy and are with child. And Marcus and Marian are always posting lovey-dovey updates on Facebook.”
I smile the way a man does when a person he feels mild animosity toward does not know something he does.
“Molly, Marian is in a relationship, but it’s not with Marcus.”
“Oh. Then who is it?”
I squint out at the game on a nearby flatscreen and locate the Cubs’ star outfielder. A ball comes flying at him and he leaps and catches it right against the stadium wall. The camera zooms in on his handsome face, grinning.
“That guy,” I say, pointing.
Molly cocks her head like a confused parrot. “Javier Ruiz?”
“Yep,” I say.
“You have to be fucking kidding me. Isn’t that guy worth like two hundred million dollars?”
“Yep,” I say.
“Okay, wait. How does Marian evenknowa professional baseball player?”
“Marcus introduced them. He’s Javier’s agent.”
“Jesus Christ. But she doesn’t even live in Chicago.”
“They’re long-distance.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I’m here with her. She invited me because she knows I’m a huge Cubs fan.”
“You’re here withMarian Hart?”
“Yes. Who is a lovely, generous, thoughtful person kind enough to think of me. It’s quite an experience, being here with the team. Did you know there’s a whole suite for the visiting team with free drinks and catering? I had prime rib and a Manhattan before the game.”
“Well, good for you. And good for Marian. I would fuck that guy right into the ground.”
