Page 84 of The Show

From the way my heart was still beating thirty seconds later when Lauren turned up, she could have mistaken me for having already been spinning. I held my breath, waiting for her to ask why she’d bumped into her half-dressed brother, but luck must have been shining on me this morning because she never said a word.

I pulled my sweater on. The warmth of early September had firmly given way to the chill now present in the air; the orange leaves of the Elm trees lining Central Park offering shade from the deceptively bright sun.

“When was the last time we went to a game together?” Lauren asked, linking her arm with mine.

I shrugged. “Can’t remember. Not this year.”

“Hope some of Penn’s players are hot. Do you reckon there are rules against dating the owner’s sister?” she laughed. “And his sister’s best friend.”

“Nope, though I’m sure Penn would have something to say,” I replied, while dodging a guy on rollerblades who was weaving in between the pedestrians.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Though it might get your mom off your case for a while, especially after you served her with a lifetime ban from your place,” she chuckled. “I can’t believe you did that.”

My cheeks puffed on my heavy exhale. Since I’d kicked her out of my apartment yesterday morning and taken away her key, I’d been awarded blissful silence. I was, however, called by my dad who told me my mom had returned home ‘very upset’, and while he did understand my position as I explained it to him, I begrudgingly agreed to go over to their place for brunch tomorrow and make up with her.

I also wished I could take back the way I’d snapped at Penn yesterday, and the look he’d had on his face as he followed me into the bathroom while I continued to fume at my mother under the shower. It didn’t bypass me how annoyed he’d become as I told him about her continued efforts to get me dating, or his own silent fuming after I’d firmly rejected his suggestion we told her about us.

But I knew the second she found out she’d be planning something. Plotting our relationship, our marriage, our future kids. It would be way,wayworse though, because Penn’s mom would be involved too.

Our moms would plot together. I’d be down the aisle before I could blink.

I scratched at my arm; I could already feel the hives breaking out at the thought.

No way. No way was I going to subject Penn to that.

No, I was going to enjoy my time with him until it inevitably fizzled out, and he went on to go live his life like a normal human being, never to be subjected to my mother’s incomparable need to have me settled down so she could run my life. If arranged marriage was part of our culture, I’d have been set up with an endowment two decades ago.

“Not sure that would make any difference. She’d find a way to stay involved. She lives to plot.”

“Ha ha, yes! She’d track his home and away games with your ovulation and make sure you were traveling. She’d run onto the field in the middle of the game if it clashed with a sex window.” She was laughing so hard she’d have fallen off the sidewalk if I hadn’t grabbed her.

“Don’t joke about stuff like that. Saying it out loud will make it come true!”

I was laughing, but deep down I could imagine that was exactly something my mother would do.

“I’ll protect you, we’re in it together.” She wiped her eyes, then stopped and waved.

I realized we’d reached the restaurant when I followed her sight to the end of the block, and saw Kit and Murray walking toward us; Murray carrying Bell, and Kit holding Barclay on his leash.

“Hey!” I hugged them both when they reached us, then bent down to cuddle a bouncing Barclay, while Lauren kissed Bell who was all snuggled up in a little warmer.

“Thank God you’re arriving with us. I told Lowe I needed a proper breakfast and could imagine Penny whisking us off before we’d even had chance for some coffee. We did a spin class this morning and it was so hard, and I’m starving,” moaned Lauren, for the thousandth time.

“Who taught the class?” asked Kit.

“Mikey,” we replied in unison.

“Ugh,” Kit groaned. “His classes have definitely gotten harder. My ass ached for days after the last time I went.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m surprised I could walk after class,” I said, stepping to one side to let an elderly couple pass us, seeing as our little group was blocking the entire sidewalk.

“Come on,” groaned Murray. “As much as I’m a fan of talking about my girlfriend’s ass, let’s get food.”

We followed Lauren into the restaurant where the host shook Murray’s hand with a nod of recognition, then left us to get to our table unguided because we all knew the way. The boys came here every weekend; they sat at the same table at the back of the restaurant, probably ate the same thing, and were mostly left unbothered by the throngs of women who were usually spotted trying to get their attention in some way or another; or even just to say they’d seen them.

As we walked through the main room, nearly every person we passed turned their heads for a proper look at Murray, and it didn’t make a difference that he was carrying a baby in one hand or his other was firmly gripping onto Kit, they’d be staring either way. Though I suspected their expressions would contain less disappointment if he was with the boys instead of surrounded by his daughter, his girlfriend, his best friend’s sister, and her friend, like we were some kind of female-only security team.

It made me wonder what would happen when Penn arrived, because according to Lauren, word had gotten around quickly that Penn was the only single one of the three left. However, since he’d been sulking for most of the summer about The Lions, this was the first time they’d all had brunch here for a few months, so it was going to cause a stir - especially as the announcement had been made on his new ownership status. His face had been on the front page of the New York Post plastered across every corner stand we’d passed on the way to the gym and back. And then to here.

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