Page 59 of Mine

“Oh my God, it is you!” she screamed, settling up in front of Phoebe. “What are the odds! I tried to talk my husband out of coming to this game tonight and look who I meet!”

A heavyset guy ran up behind the cheerful woman with a hand on his hips and out of breath.

“Mickey, what in the world has gotten into you?” the man huffed.

“It’s Eden!” Mickey was saying. “In the flesh!”

“Actually,” Phoebe started when Mickey’s husband glanced at Phoebe then Quentin.

“Quentin Davidson!” the man said, holding his hand out. “Oh man, it’s so good to see you in person. I’ve tried to get in your class several times, but there’s always a waiting list of about a thousand people and as you can see, I really need the guidance.”

Phoebe glanced from Mickey to her husband and decided not to let them know she wasn’t Eden.

“Oh by the way, I’m Earl, and this here is my wife, Mickey.”

“Good evening, Earl and Mickey,” Quentin greeted, “As you know, I’m Quentin, and this beautiful woman here is Phoebe.”

Mickey gasped. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry, hun. I can never tell you three apart.”

“Shouldn’t have been calling names out then,” Earl fussed.

“Oh, I was just so excited when I saw you.”

A crowd began to grow around them, and Quentin clutched Phoebe’s hand. He slipped his other inside his coat pocket and retrieved a business card.

“Contact my assistant tomorrow afternoon. She’ll have your name, give her your info, and we’ll get you in the next class,” Quentin said to Mickey. “You folks have a nice night.”

Quentin wrapped Phoebe under him and quickly walked away.

“I’m sorry, Phoebe!” Mickey apologized.

“I thought you said I would be noticed first,” Quentin said.

“First time for everything,” Phoebe retorted, and Quentin laughed.

They moved through the crowd at the same pace, weaving around and about. Ducking off into the arena came with an exciting delight. The stadium was like a thunder dome with a massive crowd of fans. The sea of people wore red and black to favor their team’s color. The game was underway with the Chicago Bulls with the ball. Quentin slipped Phoebe in front of him and guided her down the steps to the VIP section on the second row right behind the team. They found their seats, and Quentin helped relieve Phoebe of her coat.

“Thank you!” she shouted as the crowd went wild when Rajon Rondo made a two-point shot.

“My pleasure,” Quentin responded, tossing their coats over the seat next to them.

Phoebe looked over at him. “Don’t those seats belong to someone?”

“Yeah,” he said, “me.”

Phoebe smiled. “Did you plan on bringing more people?”

“No,” he said, “just you.”

Phoebe didn’t press him on the issue further, deciding he’d gotten the extra seat for that specific reason, as a coat rack. They both got comfortable, Quentin tossing an arm across her seat and propping his leg over his thigh. Phoebe also crossed her legs as she sat back in her seat and cuddled under him.

“You know I’ve never been to a live game before,” Phoebe shouted.

“What do you think so far?”

“It’s pretty exciting.”

“Let me know if you still feel that way when it’s over.”

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