“Yeah, that’d be great. Meet at The Landslide around five?”
“Can we do five-thirty? I need to grab my youngest from gymnastics.”
“Sure thing.”
Travis rushed intothe bar twenty minutes late. He apologized as he sat down across from me in a small booth.
“Sorry, we got derailed. Rylee couldn’t find her water bottle and it took us twenty minutes of looking behind every mat and trampoline in the place before we realized she’d never brought it in. It was in my back seat the whole time.”
I grinned.
“Don’t mock my pain, dude.”
“I would never.” I bit my lip.
“It’s exciting to have a night away.” Travis unwound his scarf and caught the eye of a server. “My wife has been trying to get me to go out more, to have a life.” He laughed.
“It’s nice she cares about that.”
I thought about Cindy, how she’d complained every time I’d tried to do something without her, accusing me of being an inattentive husband. Although there were other times she’d called me a “loser” because we didn’t have any exciting plans, as though it annoyed her we weren’t part of some elite Seattle society. Being married to her had always felt like playing a game I didn’t know the rules to, one I couldn’t win.
“Yeah, Vivienne’s the best. That’s why I locked that shit down after graduation.” Travis laughed again, and I recalled that he and his wife had gotten married right out of college and proceeded to have four babies in a row.
“Well, I’m glad you could make it, that you asked me to go out,” I said.
“For sure.” He looked over at the TV. “Who’s playing?”
“Green Bay and Minnesota.”
We stared at the screen for a while. He ordered a beer and wings for us to share. Travis was thicker around the middle, like I was. Maybe it made me a jerk, but I felt less self-conscious around him than with trim and fit people like Coach Hurley.
The game was in the third quarter and we were on our second round when Travis asked, “So, are you and Marley dating?”
“What?” I stuttered out the word. I knew the other teachers had noticed our friendship, but I hadn’t been prepared for him to ask me so bluntly.
“Sorry, man, I know it’s not my business. And if you want to keep it to yourself, I totally understand.” He looked me in the eye. “I mean, we’re all rooting for you two, but she’s been through a lot—”
“We’re not together,” I cut in. Technically, it was true. We might work our way there, but we certainly didn’t need an audience, even if Travis and the rest of the teachers meant well.
“Oh. Hmm.” He seemed confused.
“Hey, I get it. We’ve been spending a lot of time together. But I think she’s just been taking pity on me since I’m the new guy.”
Travis leaned back in his seat and tipped his bottle toward me. “Like I said, it’s no one’s business but yours. I guess with her taking care of her mom, plus everything that went down with Kasen, we’re all just hoping she gets a little happiness.”
Kasen?I nodded casually, like I knew what he was talking about, and my mind immediately went to the first day of going through Marley’s Christmas boxes. Specifically, the photo albums. There had been multiple pictures that included a leanly muscled dark-haired guy with a crooked smile. He’d appeared alongside high school and college-era Marley, usually with an arm draped over her shoulders. Some pictures were of him hugging Marley’s sisters or mother. When I’d asked Marley who he was, she’d said, “Kasen,” with no inflection in her voice, and I hadn’t pushed for more.
I mentally tucked away Travis’s mention of him. Since I hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with Marley about my own skeletons, I didn’t have the right to ask about hers.
“If you and Marley are just friends, have you thought about dating anyone else in town? I could introduce you to some of Vivienne’s friends?”
Travis’s question knocked me from my reverie, and I realized how little of myself I’d offered anyone but Marley. “Oh, um, I’m actually coming off a divorce. Finalized about a year ago. I’m not a hook-up guy and not really ready to try anything serious again.”
“Aww, man, that sucks.”
“It’s okay. To be honest, the thought of getting back out there makes me want to crawl into a coffin and bury myself.” Internally, I acknowledged that this was true for the thought of dating anyone but Marley,but I didn’t need to let Travis in on that qualifier. “Teaching at Coleman Creek is awesome. I have a great dog. And I’m making friends.” I tipped my drink at him. “It would be nice to be with someone eventually, but I’m good for now.”
“Well, we enjoy having you,” Travis said genuinely, turning back to grumble at the TV showing the lowlights from the Seahawks’ loss on Sunday. “Plus, I’m looking forward to seeing you perform in the talent show.” I barked a laugh as he gripped a spoon like a microphone, miming hitting the high notes.