Page 51 of The Sweet Spot

“She implied I had no chance with you.”

His face immediately hardened. All the joy we’d just shared had been sucked out of the room. I could see the way he was holding in his shock. Dammit, I shouldn’t have said anything.

“What an awful thing to say. Why would she even say it? I don’t remember her being such an asshole.”

I should have cut and run at that moment, because he was clearly irritated, but I forged ahead. “She thought you wouldn’t be into someone like me. She now maintains she meant that I fall for people I work with, but I’m not so sure.”

Oh damn. I should have kept that last part to myself. Questioning Tangi’s explanation was not good in this situation.

“Well, it shows how much she doesn’t know me.”

“You’re right, and it’s not worth being pissed about. She and I worked it out. We are good,” I said, even though I hadn’t told her about me and Brandon yet.

I decided it was best to end the conversation there, and I changed the subject by telling him the history of bedtime stories, and the segue worked like a charm when he finally nodded off to sleep.

I brought Chloe some homemade doggie biscuits, and she was instantly my best friend. I played fetch with her mangy tennis ball while Jill prepped drinks and snacks. We planned to watch the game together, but I had more pressing things, like telling her what had gone down with Brandon.

“You clearly have something to tell me,” Jill said, handing me a glass of chilled white wine.

“Do I ever! Brandon and I had sex, and it was fucking fantastic,” I said, almost screaming the news.

Jill’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit! I wasn’t expecting that, but I want to hear the details.”

I told her about the secondhand shopping, which Jill had to tell me she was right about. I then told her how I talked about my feelings with him, and that I was honest and went for it.

“I’m happy for you. I know Ethan can’t stand him, but that’s because Ethan isn’t the brightest bulb.”

It was no secret that Jill still harbored some resentment toward Ethan. I saw her point; Ethan had broken Tangi’s heart once, and she feared he would do it again. Thankfully, Ethan had smartened up, but he had never liked Brandon, and when Brandon was rehabbing with the Ravens—the Kodiaks farm team—Tangi was his physiotherapist. They’d gotten close, and Brandon had made a play for her, but that was in the past, and it gave Ethan a reason to dislike Brandon.

“Ethan needs to get over his hatred for Brandon. It’s old news.”

“I can say with confidence that Jeremy has nothing but respect for Brandon. I don’t know much about Brandon, but I do know when he first started playing with the Kodiaks, the guys thought he was a pain in the ass. He was the type of guy who wanted everyone to give it their all, one hundred percent of the time. I think he even called out the slackers, so you can imagine how that went over. It definitely caused some discord in the dressing room.”

“Sounds like that is a throwback from his dad. Brandon has never come out and said it, but it sounds like his dad is a tyrant.”

“Makes sense,” Jill said, scooping up salsa onto her tortilla chip. “But I think he’s breaking the cycle. Jeremy says he’s mellowed out. The last thing you want is someone like his dad in your life.”

“I don’t see that tyrant in him at all. I get he’s reserved and keeps to himself a lot. He rarely mentions friends, and I don’t see him hanging out with people.”

“I think he commits himself to the game. More guys could learn from him.”

After sitting down to watch the game, I ventured into thesubject of Tangi. “I haven’t told Tangi anything,” I said, scratching Chloe behind the ears. She loved that.

“You’re going to need to tell her before Thanksgiving. I think she’ll notice,” Jill said with a sly smile.

I groaned. “I worry what she’s going to say.”

“You can’t worry about that. But can I give you a piece of advice?”

I nodded.

“If she gets out of line, tell her to mind her own damn business. If you are happy, that’s all that matters. I’ve made it clear I don’t like this odd position she’s taken. Makes me wonder if things aren’t so rosy with Ethan. Maybe she regrets missing out on her opportunity with Brandon.”

That shocked me, but at the same time, it went back to Jill’s dislike of Ethan.

“I don’t think that’s it. I think she meant what she said but didn’t catch herself before saying it. Regardless, I have to move on. Right?”

“Hell, yes. What’s important is that you are happy. Fuck her feelings.”

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