Mick is making up for canceling last night by meeting me for lunch, though he never texted back to say he was canceling. I’m at a little diner nearby and I’ve beat him here. After debating for a second, I decide to go on in. It’s a bit busy, but there are three empty seats at the bar. I take the one in the middle, smiling when the guy on the left looks my way. But it’s not just any guy. It’s Brody.
Great.
He probably thinks I’m a stalker for sure now.
“Oh, hi,” I say softly.
“Hey.” He smiles.
C’mon, Mick. Please don’t be too late. He cannot think I’m a stalker. The door jingles and when I turn around to look, I almost sag with relief. Mick walks over to me, kisses me, and says, “Hey, baby. I’m running a little behind today.”
“It’s fine,” I reply. Mick sits between Brody and me. When they exchange glances, I take the opportunity to introduce them. “Mick, this is my new neighbor, Brody. Brody, this is my boyfriend, Mick.”
They shake hands, and Mick goes, “Oh, yeah, the baseball player, right?”
If I could slap my forehead, I would. Seriously? Does he ever get anything right?
“I don’t play with balls. I play hockey,” Brody answers.
I can’t help my laugh, but Mick doesn’t seem all that amused. The waitress comes and greets us. Brody says a goodbye as we order drinks. Once he walks away, I turn to Mick.
“How do you get hockey and baseball mixed up? I’m not even a baseball fan.” If he would take a minute to think about it, I wouldn’t have called him excited about a baseball player moving in next door.
“Hey, all I care about is football. All other sports are secondary to the greatest sport ever.”
“Football, really?”
“Football is a man’s sport. Hockey is more like, figure skating with sticks. All it is is a bunch of insecure men trying to feed their egos by fighting. I’m surprised he has all this teeth.” He chuckles like he’s funny. “Either way, it’s not a real sport.”
“Not a real sport? You’ve got to be kidding me.” I take a deep breath. Everyone has an opinion and although his opinion is inaccurate and stupid, I don’t want to get into an argument with him today. “Whatever. Let’s just get something to eat.”
“Are you upset because I’m right?”
I’m upset because he’s an idiot. “No, I’m not upset that you think you’re right, Mick. Let’s talk about something else, okay?”
“Sure.”
The waitress interrupts us for our order. Mick goes on and on about work, not once asking anything about my day or anything else that pertains to my life. By the end of lunch, I’m ill all over again. But then Mick says something cheesy about how he’s sorry he never got up with me last night and how pretty I look. Next thing I know, he’s supposed to come over tonight. When I get back to work, I have a few minutes before my next appointment, so I find Allison.
“Let me guess. Mick proved to be the sleaze that he is,” she says when I walk into the room.
I plop down into a seat. “He thinks hockey is figure skating with sticks and not a man’s sport.”
Allison swivels to face me. “Break up with him, Selene. Right now.”
Laughing, I add, “Brody was at the diner, which he probably thinks I followed him to, and Mick thought I told him he was a baseball player. But get this. Brody told him that he didn’t play with balls.” Allison cracks up. “Then all he did was talk about himself. He’s coming over tonight though.”
“Why?” Allison asks incredulously.
Shamefully, I tell her, “He was a little sweet towards the end. He’s not a bad guy all the time.”
“One percent of the time doesn’t count for much.”
Allison’s words echo in my mind all day long. Even when I get home, I’m still thinking about it. Bonkers is in my lap while I wait for Mick to come over. There’s a game with the Portland Vikings and Alabama Blacksmiths that I want to watch as the season starts tonight. My team’s first game isn’t until tomorrow. I can’t wait to go either. Mick walks in and Bonkers starts growling.
“Hush, Bonkers. Hey, Mick.”
When he comes closer, Bonkers barks and he says, “I wish you would get rid of that damn dog. I can’t even give you a kiss because he’s about to bite my hand off.”