Page 86 of The Offside Rule
“She asked if I was eating real food with Isla away.” His eyes flicked to mine, and for the first time since I’d walked into his apartment, he looked genuinely nervous. “She invited me to lunch.”
I stared at him. He stared back. Then we both looked at the bed. The very messy bed. The bed where I had just been naked with him.
“OMG,” I whispered.
“Yeah.”
My phone buzzed again.
Mom: ??
I swallowed and typed fast.
Me: Sorry. I went to Taylor’s after brunch with the girls.
I sent it, then immediately felt like a terrible daughter, terrible person, and terrible liar. Hunter was still staring at his phone.
“What should we do?” I asked.
He looked up. He was worried. “You should go with your parents.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“I’ll tell Holland I can’t make it.”
His phone beeped again. He looked down, and his shoulders tensed.
“What?” I asked, my nerves skyrocketing.
He turned the screen toward me.
Holland: Don’t argue. Isla is away, and you need to eat something that isn’t protein powder or chicken. We’re going to The Orchard Table. Meet us there in twenty.
I stared at the message. This was bad. I stared at Hunter. He was quiet for too long.
“Say no,” I said.
His laugh was short and humorless. “To Holland?”
“Yes.”
“Catherine.”
“What?”
“She’s your mother.”
“I’m aware.”
“She’s also married to Cole.”
“I’m also aware.”
“And Cole is my coach.”
The room went quiet. There it was. My father was not just my father. He was Hunter’s coach, his friend, his boss, and a man who trusted him. Hunter’s eyes dropped to the floor for a second, like the weight of that landed on him all at once.
“I can’t walk into lunch with them like this,” he said.
