“What?” My voice is strained.
“Audience?” Jamie asks excitedly.
“Looks like Ryan’s invited someone…”
Fuck.
“Who? Let’s hear it…”
“A woman…” Ian starts.
“So, this is your business now?” I interrupt him.
“Hey, your business is my business.”
“It shouldn’t be.”
“That was Riley, she just bumped into Chris in the stands.”
“Who’s Chris?” Jamie asks, turning to me.
“No one.”
Jamie crosses his arms. “Do you want me to call a team meeting and tell everyone that you’ve invited a woman to the game?”
If he wasn’t our captain, I’d have knocked his teeth out by now.
“I invited her son, and I had a spare ticket, so…”
“Son? How old is thisfriendof yours?”
“Thirty-two,” Ian answers for me.
“So you like an older woman…?”
“Can you just drop it?”
“And how old is this son?”
“Sixteen,” Ian pipes up again.
Jamie looks at me, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Okay, so what?”
“Boys! Let’s go!” The assistant coach saves me from my embarrassment.
I stride past them without making eye contact, but Jamie grabs hold of my arm. “We’re not done here.”
I roll my eyes and head for the changing room door. If I thought I was nervous before, I’m actually about to throw up now. The thought of her being in the crowd wasn’t enough – apparently, I needed their comments to douse me in anxiety, too.
Okay, so I invited her. Her son was coming along, she was on her own…What’s wrong with that?
Nothing, that’s what. It’s not a big deal. It’s just a match, end of story.
So why, when I step out onto the field and join the others in the centre, do I glance over to the stands and smile like an idiot when I see her bright red hair lighting up the row?
* * *
