Page 72 of Savannah Royals
Abe coughs pointedly, and I drop my hand. Too late. Matthew has already seen.
I quickly lose all sympathy for Abe when he proceeds to knock down two perfect shots off the break. I keep my hands to myself for the remainder of the game.
Matthew and Abe bond from the outset, united by a shared bloodthirst for my head. Matthew is easy to love, so I’m not surprised when he has Abe laughing within minutes. I am, however, surprised by how quickly Abe manages to ingratiate himself in return. He asks countless questions aboutMatt’s work at the hospital—a surefire way to his heart—and follows up with several insightful comments.
“Enough about me,” Matt eventually declares. “What do you do, Abe?”
The answer comes quick, sliding off Abe’s tongue like liquid mercury. “I’ve been working odd jobs lately, contracting for different things here and there.” He shrugs, keeping it deliberately vague. “I’m between positions at the moment.”
“If you’re looking for something steady, I could put you in touch with people at the hospital,” Matt offers. He bends over to take a shot and drops yet another ball. Beside me, Bobby winces.
Abe hesitates. “I don’t know if the medical field is right for me.”
Matthew shakes his head. “There’s a lot more work to be had at the hospital than medicine. That’s a common misconception. What are you interested in? Business? Maintenance? Administration? Security?”
“Security could be interesting,” Abe ventures. His eyes briefly meet mine before landing back on Matt. “I have some prior experience there.”
“Swell, I’ll put you in touch. I’ll give Kat the info and…and she can get it to you?” He looks to me for confirmation.
I nod faintly, shocked by this turn of the conversation.
“Thank you, Matt,” Abe replies. He seems a bit discomfited by the offer of an inside track. It’s certainly not something Abe is used to.
“Consider it done.”
Bobby and Mellie excuse themselves after the first game—massacre—leaving me to navigate my way through the most awkward threesome of my life. We chat and shoot aimlessly, passing the pool stick back and forth. Our shots become more and more outlandish the longer we play.
“You’re unbelievable,” Abe says after Matt sinks a ricocheting trick shot.
“Please, Abe, his ego needs no inflating.” I laugh as Matthew slings an arm around my shoulders. He turns his head for a kiss, and I oblige, putting everything I have into it. Fathomless depths of unsaid meaning. BecauseI’m so grateful to him tonight, for his maturity and grace. He has absolutely taken my breath away.
As we part, Matt smiles, and my gut seizes with the certainty he knows exactly what I was trying to say. When I look at Abe next, there’s no recrimination in his eyes. In fact, he’s grinning. Then he announces he’s going to take his leave.
“This was a real gas.” His sincerity is apparent. “Thanks for letting me join you tonight. It was great to meet you, Matt.”
“Likewise. We’ll have to do it again sometime. We’ll grab a drink, shall we?”
Over my dead body.
I walk Abe to the door alone, pausing to lean against the frame. After a quick glance to ensure Matthew is far from earshot, I turn to Abe. “What was that all about?”
“All what?” He checks his wristwatch, very nonchalant.
“You and Matthew were certainly…chummy.”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy. If I had to be here spying on you, I wasn’t going to lurk in the corner alone. That’s no fun at all.”
“Why were you working him about the hospital?” I ask, suspicious.
“I wasn’t working him. If he does give you the contact info, I want it.”
“Why?”
“This life we lead, Kat…surely you realize it can’t be permanent? It’s not forever, and it would be good to have something stable to fall back on.”
“Paul isn’t going to like you taking a day job,” I say. “Whoever will he send to spy on me in your stead?”
“Paul doesn’t own me, Kat.”
