Page 103 of Time Out

Davis stepped up next to me, either prepared to handle her wrath on my behalf or explain himself. Neither necessary.

“With my job, I have to follow a very strict diet plan. Most of the players cook their own meals, or maybe their wives do it, but I’m not married. If I didn’t learn to cook, I’d have a hard time following the requirements from our team doctor, and I need to do that to stay healthy more than most.”

She understood. I saw the moment she got exactly what Davis was saying, but I also knew what her struggle was. The boys in our family had never stepped foot into the kitchen. Not to load their own plate or grab their own knife. They had never so much as poured their own glass of water or milk. She had to see how insane that was, but I wouldn’t push her, either.

She might have wanted me safe and to save her own hide today, but that didn’t mean she wanted to throw away an entire lifetime of teaching, either.

“Ruth…”

She turned eyes that mirrored mine on me. “I don’t know what to believe. What’s right and what’s wrong. Mark and Beth said so much—”

“No one’s asking you to change your entire worldview, Ruth. We wanted you safe. If you have questions, ask them, and we’ll answer anything. I can sit with you any day you want and tell you what I’ve been through, why I’ve changed and what I haven’t changed my ideas on at all, but all I’m asking is that while you’re here, you ask those questions nicely.”

She flinched and managed a chagrined look after a moment. “Deal. You like it here though?”

“I love everything about my life.”

I didn’t realize it was true until I said it. I had a job I liked, my dream on the horizon. An incredible man, and more… I settled my hand on my stomach and her eyes almost popped right out of her head.

“You’re pregnant?!”

Oh dear.

I hadn’t even thought to warn her.

“Well, that went well.” Davis was staring at the doors outside, where Ruth stormed off to after screaming at me.

Not that I blamed her.

Beth Clancey was out there with her, and from what I could tell, both women were sitting in chairs, staring at the pool or the dark sky, not saying anything.

I hadn’t even seen Beth’s lips move once since they went out there, and yet Ruth didn’t seem to mind her company.

“I’m not sure what to do.”

“Well, she pretty much thinks if you weren’t going to hell before, you’re on a straight ticket now, and you can’t really blame her for that one.”

“Jenna!” Mark scolded.

“What?” Jenna was next to me, not trying to be cruel, and at any other moment, I’d appreciate her honesty.

If only she didn’t have to be so brutal about the delivery.

“You can’t just say those things.”

“She can, Mr. Clancey. It’s okay. I get it.” The drinking was bad. Kissing a boy was worse. But sex before marriage? My father and his church were going to freak, and it’d come out eventually. It’d have to, especially with that stupid singing stuff going viral.

Next to me, Davis had taken my hand at some point and squeezed. “You should go talk to her.”

“Yeah. How about I shove toothpicks beneath my fingernails and call it even.”

He chuckled, brought our connected hands to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “I think we can hold off on personal torture for a bit.”

“Fine.” I might as well have been walking to my doom as I stepped outside. The cool air skated across my skin. I crossed my arms over my chest, rubbed my upper arms, and Beth stood as I approached.

“I’ll let you two talk.”

“Thanks.”

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