Page 15 of Catching the Coach
Lucy smirks and shakes her head as she watches him head towards the back. Without Hudson, an awkward silence falls over the table. Lucy’s looking at everything but me. I clear my throat and ask a question I feel she won’t answer, but ask anyway.
“So Hudson's father, is he…” I start, but she interrupts before I can finish my sentence.
“He’s not in the picture and never has been,” she says with an edge to her voice. She looks to the bathrooms, then at me, looking me in the eye for the first time since we sat down. “We don’t talk about him. End of story.” She holds my gaze for a few more seconds giving me what I can only think of as a fierce mama bear stare, then looks back over my shoulder. Her face softens and a few seconds later Hudson sits back in his seat.
I know that’s not the end of that story, but I respect her wishes and don’t push any further. It’s none of my business, and she definitely doesn’t want to talk about it, especially in front of Hudson.
I talk with Hudson about baseball while we’re waiting for our food. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was a kid.
“So Lucy,” I say, turning my attention towards her. “I don’t think I caught what it is you do, besides coach Hudsons team.”
“Oh. I’m a physical therapist,” she says, as if it’s nothing.
“Really?” I say, trying not to sound surprised, but apparently fail.
“Yes, really. You don’t think women can be PTs?” she challenges sitting forward in her seat.
I hold up my hands. “No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. What I meant was that it’s impressive. Especially being a single mom.”
She visibly relaxes, sitting back in her seat. “Thank you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get defensive.” She gives me a small smile.
A few minutes later Tony comes to our table and sets down two identical pizzas.
“Two Loaded Luces,” Tony announces.
“You like the loaded Luce?” Lucy says, eyebrows raised in surprise.
I grab two huge slices and plop them down on my plate. “It’s the best pizza here. Nothing else comes close. I dare anyone to fight me on that opinion too.” The pizza is perfection. A delectably thin, yet sturdy crust, topped with salami, pepperoni, bacon, olives, mushrooms, and spinach. All held down with three different types of cheese. The finishing touch is the fresh avocado on top after it’s baked. Chef’s Kiss. “Tony, you broke the mold when you created this masterpiece.”
Tony chuckles. “Well Mr.Kessler, I did not create it. You are sitting across from the creator.”
I pause mid bite and look over at Lucy. Her cheeks flush red as she hands Hudson his plate and dishes herself up. “You created this pizza?”
“Uh well, technically Hudson created it. I had a craving when I was pregnant with him.” She shrugs her shoulders.
An image of a pregnant Lucy pops into my head and makes my stomach do a weird flip. What the?
Slow down.
I just met her.
Tony laughs. “Craving? My Lucy was obsessed. I made this pizza every shift you worked for a month straight. People saw it and asked what it was, and it just grew from there. It’s one of our most popular pizzas.”
Lucy smiles warmly at Tony. “Glad my pregnancy cravings came in handy.”
Tony lets out another laugh. “I will let you enjoy your meal.”
Tony heads back to the kitchen and we eat in silence for a few minutes.
“So how do you know Tony?” Lucy asks after inhaling her first slice. She’s not one of those women who pretend they don’t eat. She has two more slices on her plate.
“My apartment is a couple blocks from here. I was jogging past one day shortly after moving here and the most amazing smell hit my nose. My stomach grumbled and I came in. Ordered the Loaded Luce.” I give her a smirk. “And the rest is history. I come here for my cheat days.”
She makes a hmm noise and finishes what’s in her mouth before she speaks. “I wonder if we ever crossed paths and I just didn’t recognize you?”
I stare into her eyes. “I would have noticed you.”
She blushes and casts her eyes back down to her plate. “I doubt that.”
