Page 1 of Going for Two

Chapter 1

Lottie

I was about ten seconds away from downing my third glass of champagne of the evening. The buzz from the alcohol was the only thing keeping me from wielding the salad fork in front of me against yet another man who had managed to corner me at my table. Weddings were already one of my least favorite experiences—seeing as I was one of the last of my old friend group to still be single and I was getting further from thirty with every passing day. Pair that with men seeking me out to talk about my new job as the in-house physical therapist for the Chicago Bobcats and you have a less than enjoyable experience.

The amount of mansplaining I had to endure over the past few hours should qualify me for some kind of compensation.

“Nolan Hill should have retired after last year. There’s no way he will be able to lead this team with the injuries he has at the caliber the league has gotten to,” the man—Todd, I think—told me, as if I hadn’t pored over the medical files of every player on the team this past week and wasn’t likely to be more familiar with the quarterback’s ailments than him. “He’s keeping the rookie they just drafted from getting some experience under his belt.”

My head moved up and down involuntarily as my body slipped into cruise control. It was a habit I had to learn early on in my career whenever I found myself being talked down to by someone who had way less authority on the subject than me. The last thing I wanted to experience today was someone namedTodd trying to school me on the very thing I’d spent years surrounded by, so it was better to just let him get his opinions off his chest.

“It’s selfish to stick around for another year just to try and go out on a high note. The odds of him winning a third Super Bowl at the pace he went last year are slim.” Todd’s high school football state championship ring flashed on his finger and had me fighting the urge to roll my eyes. “He’s more likely to set the record for most sacks in a season if we have another repeat of last year.”

I could easily tell him how the NFL was full of the best medical professionals in the world—which now included myself—but I knew that would only open me up to more uneducated responses and skepticism. I could tell him that Nolan Hill had one of the quickest reaction times from snap of the ball to release of his throw ever recorded in league history. Or I could tell him that, of course, the Bobcats would stick with their two-time Super Bowl quarterback—even if he’d been plagued with injuries late in his career. But everyone’s an expert when it comes to professional sports.

My hand inched closer to the fork on the table in front of me, but the sound of a high-pitched voice had me snatching my hand back into my lap. A sigh escaped through my lips. That voice wasn’t the saving grace I had been hoping for. That voice symbolized me jumping from one boiling pot of water into another.

“Charlotte! I had no idea you’d be here.” Vera Busch, who was one of the most popular girls at my high school growing up, approached me with a saccharine smile on her face. Todd took one look at the woman in the high-end red dress that looked like it had come straight fromThe Stepford Wivesand bolted.

Okay, Todd. You talk a big game until the real enemy appears. Not so tough now, are you?

“Hi, Vera. You know I wouldn’t miss Heather’s wedding,” I told her with my best fake smile. My jaw clenched tightly as Vera gave me air kisses on both cheeks, as if we hadn’t grown up in a small farm town with one gas station and a pizza joint that was only open after Friday night football games.

“Well, it’s wonderful that you still make time for all of us, seeing as you’ve been so busy with your work.” Vera’s smile was nearly sinister as she watched me eagerly for any reaction to her words. But the last thing I’d do was fold in front of Vera Busch. That would be like giving the last Infinity Stone to Thanos.

It wasn’t a secret that I’d poured all of myself into my career and that level of dedication left little room for much else. Which was exactly why I was still single at the age of thirty-two and dateless at yet another one of my friend’s weddings. I’d never been ashamed of the sacrifices I had to make in my life to get me to where I am. Those sacrifices landed me a job as the youngest physical therapist to join an NFL team’s staff. Even having to defend myself to someone like Vera Busch wouldn’t make me regret my decisions.

“Hopefully you have time for dating with the season starting,” Vera added. “Our biological clocks are such an unfortunate thing.”

My hand inched back toward the salad fork as I tried to keep the smile on my face.

“You know, I believe Bobby is still single. You remember Bobby, right?” It looked like Vera was clearly getting some sort of sick enjoyment from making my singleness the main topic of conversation. “He’s right over at the bar. I can walk you over—”

“There you are,” the voice of my true savior rang out. My baby sister, Olivia Thompson, sank down in the open chair next to mewith two full glasses of champagne in her hands. I gave her a grateful look as I downed the rest of the champagne in my glass before taking the new one she offered.

“Vera, you must tell me the name of the doctor that did the work on your face. I’ve been searching for someone who can accentuate a resting bitch face.” Olivia’s smile matched Vera’s as she stared down the woman whose mouth was now hanging open in shock. “Careful, you’ll catch flies.”

Vera’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as her face turned the same color as the red wine she was gripping tightly in her hand before she turned on her heel and left us at our designated table in the back of the room.

“Thank you,” I whispered to my sister.

“Vera’s always been a menace and I have very little patience for it anymore,” Olivia replied, as if what she had done was just another day’s work. “Don’t listen to her. You’re doing much better in life than she is. She’s just jealous we got out of that sad little town and that’s the best that she’ll ever get.”

“Maybe,” I replied as the groom got up to give his speech to Heather.

Was I really doing much better than Vera Busch?

It wasn’t the first time I had questioned where I was in life and probably wouldn’t be the last. It first started when I got the call that I’d gotten the job with the Chicago Bobcats. I had been bursting with excitement. All my hard work had paid off over the past year. I had climbed the ladder and made all the right connections to land this job. Except when I hung up the phone, the excitement quickly died off when I realized I had no one to celebrate with. I had climbed the mountain and ended up with no one to share the view with once I’d reached the top.

That feeling had only intensified as I caught up with my friends during the cocktail hour before the reception. There was anotherengagement, a pregnancy, and the celebration of their kid’s first steps. When it was my turn to share my life update, all I could give them was the news of my new job. While there was excitement, I couldn’t help but notice the looks full of pity on everyone’s faces. As if a single, thirty-something woman was the saddest thing they had ever seen.

I’d always been proud of my independence and success. I was the most sought-after sports physical therapist in the Midwest because of the success of my private practice. I had some of the best athletes in the world coming to me for treatment. I had never cared about my lack of a dating life before, but recently it felt like all I could notice was how I hated going home at night to an empty apartment. Or how when I would take myself out to eat and tell the hostess I was dining for one, they gave me a look that made me want to turn around and walk right back out.

None of those things had ever bothered me before.

But as I watched Heather’s new husband look at her like she hung the moon, I felt something I hadn’t ever before—longing. I had never prioritized dating in my life because I hadn’t exactly had the best example of a healthy relationship growing up with parents that argued with each other more than they cared about parenting their children.

A hand covered mine and gave it a small squeeze. “Are you okay?” Olivia looked at me with concern.

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