“I thought you found someone else already. Who can you hire on short notice?” She asked.
“No time with me traveling, but I will. Money is not an object.”
“Look at you.” She joked.
“Anyway, make sure you’re free tomorrow.”
“I’ll make a note of it. Thanks for the heads up.”
Lance cleared his throat. “Are you alright?”
“I am. Why?” Did she hear balls clanking in the background?
“No reason.”
“You’re worried about me? That’s sweet.”
“I have no reason to be. Goodnight, Chantelle.” He hung up with no other explanation.
Chapter 18
Lance stuffed his phone back inside his pocket. Chantelle was probably out somewhere in town or… with… Javier. He didn’t know that. Rubbing the back of his neck, he returned to the pool table with his friends. It wasn’t his business. It repeated in his mind like a broken record.
TVs played bolted in corners, while sports paraphernalia decorated the walls. Glasses and bottles set on tables as music blared through the system. Lance grabbed a few pretzels to eat despite his dry mouth. Between his parents and the wedding, he needed to unwind again with his friends.
“Everything good?” Grant asked.
“We’re good.” Lance then grabbed his chilled glass and took a gulp of his drink. “I can’t wait for the wedding to be over.”
“If it’s anything like mine,” Grant said, “Have your tuxedo. Know where the church is.”
“I think it’s all for the women, anyway.” Pete added.
“No more talk of weddings,” Craig said.
Lance ate a few more pretzels. He didn’t want to talk about weddings anymore either. He needed to call and check on Andrea.
“Alright.” Pete rubbed his hands together. “Let’s get back to the game. I think we were beating you two.”
Lance scraped the chalk cube against the cue’s tip. “Other way around.”
Grant nudged his shoulder. “I say let’s finish it.”
Lance took his shot, feeling the smooth slide of the cue shaft along the crook of his hand. The balls knocked against each other, while one shuttled into the pocket. “Need I say more?”
Pete rolled his eyes, leaning on his stick.
“Haven’t lost your touch man.” Grant leaned over and took his turn. He missed.
Craig laughed. “I guess you lost yours.”
Lance didn’t think about wedding plans for the rest of the game. By the time he said goodnight to his friends, he walked downtown. It must have rained since the concrete glistened. The smell of wet cement filled his nose, but he paced along the streets, heading for downtown.
He bypassed the coffee shop, deli, and the post office. He spotted an empty bench and sat, grateful that the seat was dry. Lance sighed and grabbed his wallet. He hadn’t looked in a long time, but he pulled out a black-and-white photo.
A sonogram. His baby. Chantelle’s baby. The child that would have been here if things didn’t go wrong. Hearing his phone buzz in his pocket, he answered.
“I was just about to call you.”