Page 27 of Worth the Try
Right. I’m right.
Wait. Is she saying—? I squint at her. “You say I’m right, but why does it feel like I’m actually wrong?”
Rosie giggles.
Elodie bites her lower lip, considering. “I mean that you’re right. And…that you should probably tell yourself that, too.”
Oh.Oh.I shrug. “Living the single dad life makes things pretty straightforward,” I say. “If I want something done, then I’m the one who does it. No one else.”
Her eyes soften as she regards me. “It’s funny.”
“What is?”
She wipes her mouth and lays her napkin on the table. “Just…I’m the same way, kind of.”
“How so?” I lean back in my chair.
She slides a glance at Rosie and shakes her head. “Doesn’t matter. Anyway,” she sighs, “I’m still trying to figure everything out about the new adventure.”
I nod. It’s clear she’s giving me the stiff-arm, and just like on the pitch, there’s nothing to do but respect it. So I stand and say, “Sounds good,” like an absolute goober, before grabbing my plate and glass in a desperate need to breathe without taking in her vanilla and sugar scent.
Later, after Elodie is long gone and Rosie is asleep upstairs, I let myself back outside to the dark of the screened-in porch, a small glass of whiskey in my hand. It’s loud outside, with all the nighttime crickets, cicadas, and frogs calling to one another. It’s one of my favorite sounds. I settle onto the couch, glass balanced on my knee, and take a deep breath to relax.
Or at least, attempt to relax. Once upon a time, I could count on this time of night to provide a sense of contentment. Of a day well-earned. But these days, the best I can hope for is for the constant swirl of anxiety to recede a bit.
I force my thoughts away from Elodie and the endless to-do list that surrounds my daughter, and focus instead on the team. We’re working hard, pushing ourselves on the pitch and in the weight room to within an inch of our lives. No one’s happy to be practicing this intensely in the sweltering heat of an Atlanta summer, but the improvement I’m already seeing tells me I was right. There’s been some chatter about updates to the roster, but that’s nothing I can concern myself with. My job as captain is to set the example, keep everyone focused, and execute the drills that Coach gives us.
I take a sip of whiskey, feeling the familiar burn course down my throat, and run through the list of plays we’ll do tomorrow.
A few minutes later, a light blinks on in the guesthouse bedroom.
My breath catches. I should turn away, but I’m rooted to the spot, watching Elodie move around the room through the gauzy curtains. She’s left the blinds open, leaving me easily able to see her from where I sit in the dark. She’s in a tank and skimpy sleep shorts, and as I watch, Cleocatra leaps gracefully onto the bed, her tail swishing as she arches her body beneath Elodie’s outstretched hand. After a moment, Elodie leaves the room, but returns with a glass of water that she places on the bedside table. She reaches up and pulls her hair out of its customary bun, and I whimper. Her hair is its own fantasy, thick and waving down her back. But my joy is short-lived, because she pulls it back to the top of her head and binds it loosely before climbing into the bed. With a languid stretch, she reaches over to the bedside lamp, throwing the room into darkness.
It’s only then that I realize what an absolutely horrible thing I’d just done. Spying on the nanny? What if she’d been naked?
Then that would have been amazing.
I shake my head. No.
After tipping the rest of the whiskey back, I stand and head inside.
Chapter 10
Elodie
It’s been a week, and Ansel hasn’t invited me to have dinner with him and Rosalie again. It stings a little, if I’m being honest. I know it’s for the best, I do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t wish he’d offer. On the plus side, I’ve almost managed to keep from obsessing over how ridiculously incredible he looks clad only in swim trunks, so there’s that. I’m not constantly thinking of the way his eyes darkened as he looked at me in the pool and said,caught me. And I’m definitely not considering taking him up on his offer to stay in this perfect little guesthouse like a modern-day suburban Disney princess, waking up each morning to birds chirping outside my window and literal deer strolling on the edge of the woods across the street.
Silver linings, right?
I finish putting the finishing touches on my makeup and step into the short pink dress I’ve laid out for dinner with Kari. It’s my favorite style of dress, the short hem and bias cuts serving to highlight my curves instead of hiding them. I’m a tall girl, 5’10”, so I usually stand out, anyway. I hated it as a teenager, but now that I’m thirty? Nothing to do but embrace it, and short dresses with cute tennis shoes make me happy. After a close examination of my hair, and subsequent giving in to the chaosthat is my head of curls, I spray a tiny bit of perfume onto my wrists and get ready to leave.
Cleo follows me to the door, meowing her discontent at me leaving her alone for the night. She’s gotten utterly spoiled these past few weeks, thanks to Rosie’s insistence on daily visits. I’ve settled into an easy routine, but I refuse to let myself get comfortable. Not when I’m finally focused on doing something good for myself. Something that even my mother might be proud of, if I were brave enough to tell her.
I give Cleo a scratch beneath her chin, make sure I have everything in my purse, and step outside. Only to make my way across the yard and see Ansel and Rosie sitting down at the outside table for their Saturday night dinner.
“Oh, you look so pretty!” Rosie hops up and bursts through the screen door to give me a hug. “Mm, you smell good, too!”
I laugh and wrap my arms around her, reveling in her sweet smile. “Thanks, bug.”
