Page 41 of Off the Mark
“Thank you, Tab,” I said earnestly. “I know it’s a lot to ask, pretending and all.”
“Except it’s really not.” She picked up her phone and work bag, glancing at the wall clock. “I would do anything to help Alice. And if the bonus is helping out the centeranda friend in need, how could a girl possibly say no?” She placed a hand on the top of Dean’s head, gave it a quick scratch. “I need to go meet with Bianca, but we’ll swing by after, fill you in on our marketing plan.”
She spun around to leave, but Dean snatched her wrist. Pulled her in for a kiss that had her blushing. When she finally left, his expression shifted, from devotion to disbelief.
I crossed my arms over my chest, prepared for an interrogation. “What do you think about all of this? You haven’t said much, big guy.”
He chewed the last of his donut thoughtfully. Took his time. I was used to his pauses, the deliberate way he chose his words. But the coiling in my gut was because he was making me nervous.
“I’ve got no problem being your alibi on this. And strange as it sounds, I know why she came up with the idea,” he said. “The media likes all that romance shit, plus you’re a former athlete, a local, they’ll latch onto it. But I’m more worried about you pretending to be the boyfriend of a woman you legitimately like. That’s the problem I see, not the lying part.”
“I do like Charlie, but you know it’s not like that with us,” I protested. “Sure, I had a thing for her when I was twenty-two. But that was forever ago, and I’m only doing her a favor.”
He bounced his knee up and down. “Are you? Or do you want things to be real between you two?”
“I’m doing her a favor,” I repeated.
Dean nodded deliberately like he didn’t believe a single word out of my mouth. Which was a problem—the next few weeks hinged on my ability to lie.
“People change over time,” he said. “You’ve changed too, even if you can’t see it. The summer that Tabitha came home, you told me to be careful. I’m tellin’ you the same now.”
The reason I’d said that was because he and Tabitha were having sex. Andthatwas clearly off the table with Charlie.
But I knew where he was coming from. Knew it and appreciated it.
I held up my hands in defeat. “You’re right. I’ll be careful, I promise. It for sure has the potential of becoming a little sticky.”
His expression turned rueful. “Sticky’s a decent word for it.” Then he cocked his head. “Are you sure you’re okay? I know the summer’s tough. And it feels like everything went fromI’m the new EDtowe’re running out of moneytoI’m a fake boyfriend nowsuper fast. If you’re overwhelmed or something, you can always talk to me.”
And for a single second, Ialmostblurted out the truth about the funding nightmare we found ourselves in. But I didn’t. Couldn’t. Dean had been through so much since his early retirement, had struggled with the listlessness we all felt once we were sent back out on our own. No coach, no team, no fans.
Over the past two years, between Tabitha and this job, it felt like Dean was finally himself again.
He had done way too much for me—his family had done way too much—for me to cut him loose.Again.
“I’m okay, but I appreciate you saying something. It isweird, that’s for sure. And I wanted to tell you because I’ll need someone I can confide in about it. Even get some advice on how to do the whole boyfriend thing. I trust you, Dean. More than anyone else.”
This answer seemed to satisfy him. He tossed our food garbage and gave me a nod by the door. “Benny’s tonight?”
“To watch the Phillies smoke the Padres? Hell yeah.”
He paused, halfway out the door. “In terms of the boyfriend thing, you know more than you think. At least you always seemed like the expert on that stuff. I always felt like the amateur.” He smiled sheepishly. “Sometimes still do, though Tabitha swears otherwise.”
I forced an easy grin. “Yeah, you’re right. Don’t know why I’m doubting my skill set when I didn’t use to before.”
“You’re fake dating a woman that you once had a thing for. That’s confusing and would have a lot of people second-guessing themselves.”
Then he left, leaving the door open, and I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
You’ve changed too, even if you can’t see it.
I didn’t think that I had. I still felt like the guy who never stayed the night—so much so that when Charlie needed a friend tofakea commitment, she knew I was the one to call.
Was I the problem in these situations? Or was I just not built to fall in love the way that Dean and Tabitha had?
Or the way my grandparents had.
And my parents.
