Page 85 of Anti Player

I wonder what that was all about. I get dressed and run my fingers through my hair. I have hockey camp tonight. The food is all arranged but I need to pick up some art supplies from one of my suppliers.

I head to the lobby to meet Connor and then we head down to the parking garage. He doesn’t say much until I pull into traffic.

“What’s going on, bro?” I ask.

“What do you mean?” he says.

“Come on, I could tell by the tone of your voice something is on your mind so spit it out,” I say. I have a feeling I already know.

“Maddie is a single mom,” he begins.

“I know that.” As if it wasn’t obvious. “Wanna go to Table Turns?” I ask of a farm-to-table restaurant.

“That works,” he replies.

I make a left turn and find a parking spot out front, which is pure luck. We head inside and we’re seated at a table, which is a long light oak table with a bench on either side of it.

“Back to Maddie,” Connor says with his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Look, bro, you have nothing to worry about. Maddie and I have an arrangement. We are both very clear about what is going on between us.”

“Are you?” he says.

“Yes, we are,” I confirm.

“And what would that be, Kaleb? Because if I recall, you were a twenty-seven-year-old virgin. You had plenty of women offering themselves up to you and you never took them up on their offers.”

“That isn’t true. I just didn’t want sex with those women,” I clarify.

A waitress comes by, “I’ll have the maple cider chicken plate, please.” I pass her my menu.

She turns to Connor. “That sounds good. I’ll have the same,” he says, and he passes her his menu. She leaves and all his attention is directed at me, and it feels a little scolding. I get it, he was a single parent before meeting Ellie. I know Maddie is on her own, but she is strong and independent and completely amazing. Whatever jerks she dated before was a run of bad luck and nothing more. Now she’s into having some fun and we’re enjoying each other.

“So what if I was a virgin before her?” I whisper because we are in public. There is no one sitting at the table next to us, but I don’t need my sex life to be public news.

“Why her, Kaleb? We all saw how you were with her. I’ve never seen you that way with a woman,” he says.

“You’ve seen me with puck bunnies, Connor. You can’t compare the two. I grew up with Maddie.”

“Exactly my point. She’s special to you. You invited us all out to Coney Island on a family day. When have you ever wanted to do something like that before?” he asks.

“Never,” I deadpan. “What’s your point?”

“My point is that you got something special going with this girl,” he pushes, and no shit, I do, but I can’t admit that out loud because of what it would mean.

“We are having a summer fling. We’ve got an expiration date. We went into this arrangement with our eyes wide open. Maddie doesn’t want something serious and neither do I,” I say to him.

“I don’t believe that, Kaleb. I know what it’s like to be a single parent. She’s a good mom. She has her hands full, but it can also get lonely when you’re constantly dealing with kid stuff and have no adult time.”

“We are doing just fine managing our time.”

“Not my point,” Connor continues.

The waitress brings the food, and it smells delicious. Everything is made on the spot with fresh ingredients.

“What is your point because I’m lost,” I say to him as I eat my first piece of chicken.

“You’re blind to what is going on right in front of you. That girl cares about you,” he says.

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