Like, I swear he was watching me earlier. Just like every other practice before. He’s only talked to me a handful of times, but I swear he’s definitely won my son, Ty, over. Ty thinks he’s the coolest man ever.
“So how’s work going?” Krissy asks me, forcing me to pull my eyes off the field in front of us.
“Good.” I answer her softly. I don’t advertise to everyone what I do. I like for my blog to be as authentic as possible, and if a bunch of women that I know start reading it, then I know it’s going to affect my writing. But from the beginning, Krissy and I have hit it off, and she’s always been authentically interested in what I do. “I’m actually thinking about doing a new series for the blog.”
She leans forward and whispers excitedly, “Ooooh, what is it?”
I roll my eyes and look at the women around us. They’re not paying any attention to us because they’re all talking about Kade. I do my best to ignore them because hearing Kimber talk about everything she’d like to do to him always makes me physically ill. Turning toward Krissy, I bite my lower lip. Krissy is the least judgmental person I know, but I’m still a little nervous talking about my idea. “Well, uh, I’m thinking of doing a series called Dating after Divorce.”
Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t say anything.
I cover my face. “You hate it! It’s a bad idea, right? Forget it.”
She’s shaking her head. “No, I mean, I think it’s a great idea. I think it’s way past time for you to start dating again.”
I search her face, wondering if she’s being truthful or if she just doesn’t want to hurt my feelings. “If you think it’s a horrible idea, tell me. It won’t hurt my feelings.”
“No, it’s not that. I really think it’s a great idea, I’m just worried about you, that’s all. Like what are you thinking? Surely, you’re not going to go out with some stranger, right?”
I shrug my shoulder because that’s exactly what I thought. “Well, I mean, I’m a single mom that spends all my time working or watching my kid at baseball fields. There’s not really a lot of opportunities to meet anyone, so yeah, I was thinking about trying a dating app or something like that.”
“A dating app!” she bellows at the same time the parents all start to cheer when one of the boys hits a ball that goes over the fence.
I grab on to Krissy’s hand and tug her toward me. “Keep it down. Geez, I don’t want everyone to know my business.”
She gets herself together. “I don’t know, Megan. What about someone you already know? Grif and I have single guy friends; let’s get a double date going. Ooh, I know, how about Kade... he’d be perfect.”
I look over at the coach and back at Krissy. “Your brother-in-law? No way.”
She looks at me in surprise, but I’m putting my foot down on this one. Even though my every waking thought is consumed by the buff coach, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to take a pity date from him. I can just imagine his reaction if Krissy even suggested the idea to him. Nope, this will be my first date since the divorce, and I definitely don’t need the rejection. I grab on to her hand when I can tell she’s not going to let it go. “Look, let’s just talk about something else.”
She opens her mouth and closes it again. “Okay, fine, what do you want to talk about?”
But before I can answer her, Kimber’s voice carries loudly over all the women sitting together. “I’m doing it. I’m going to ask Kade out.”
She looks at Krissy. “What do you think, Krissy? He’s your brother-in-law. You think I have a chance?”
I can feel Krissy’s eyes settle on me, but I refuse to look at her. A second later, her voice is soft and hesitant as she answers Kimber, “Well, you never know until you ask.”
My stomach does a somersault, and I know I flinch, but luckily, no one is looking at me. No, they’re all looking at Kimber wide-eyed, wondering if she’s going to actually do it. Kade pretty much stays to himself and doesn’t mingle with the parents much. I definitely haven’t seen him seek her out but what do I know? Kimber’s blond, thin, and beautiful. As a matter of fact, she looks just like the pictures of women he’s dated in the past. Yep, I’ve searched him online.
The conversation continues around me, but I tune it all out. The rest of the practice goes by in a blur. Everyone talks around me, and I try to insert an answer when it’s expected of me, but for the most part, I sit here, stewing. Not that I have a right to do that. I don’t. I have no claims on Kade, and he—of course he can go out with whoever he likes. I wait patiently for practice to be called, and finally, I hear Kade holler to the boys. “All right, good practice. Bring it in.”