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“Iris!” Mom yells, waving back frantically in return. “Come sit!”
My cousin squeezes in on the other side of me, and Mom practically shoves me out of the way to give Iris a hug. Once she lets her go, I squirm my way back in between them, turning to Iris. “Where’s Bronwyn?”
“She’s down there.” Iris waves a hand toward the bottom of the stands. “She’s got the hots for someone on the JV team. He’s a sophomore. I keep giving her shit for liking younger men.”
“Who is it?”
“Not your brother, so don’t worry.” Iris grins and pops the bright blue gum in her mouth, making me grimace. I hate when she chews gum. She’s so loud with it sometimes. “His name is Hartford.”
“Hartford?” Mom asks, leaning into our conversation. “Is that his last name?”
“Nope, his first name. It was his mom’s maiden name I think.”
Alarm flits across Mom’s face. I don’t think Iris notices it, but I sure do. “What’s his last name?”
“Morales,” Iris answers, punctuating her sentence with another popped gum bubble.
“Wait a minute. Is his mother Natalie Hartford?” Mom’s expression is downright horrified and even Dad is paying attention to our conversation.
“I don’t know. I think so?” Iris shrugs.
“Oh my God,” Mom breathes, turning to Dad. “It’s her.”
“Babe. Her son started last year. You didn’t put that together?”
“I don’t pay attention to the student roster. Why didn’t you ever mention it to me?” Mom’s tone is vaguely accusing.
“I’m sure I did. I wouldn’t let that tasty little morsel slip by you.” Dad smiles and Mom gives him a gentle shove.
“Who’s Natalie Hartford?” I ask Mom.
“Well, her name is Natalie Morales now. She married Eric Morales.” Mom is frowning. “She was my worst nightmare back in high school.”
“I don’t know if I’d take it that far,” Dad starts, but Mom silences him with a look.
“It’s true,” Mom tells me and Iris. “She made my life miserable there for a while.”
“I’m sure she regrets her actions,” Dad says like he’s trying to console her.
“Ha! I doubt it. That girl was a total bitch.”
I gape at my mother, shocked to hear her call this Natalie person a bitch. She rarely has bad words to say about anybody, and I suppose if she doesn’t like someone, she always keeps her opinion to herself.
Apparently not with this woman.
“Ah, come on now. Who got the last laugh, huh?” Dad leans in and kisses Mom’s cheek, but she pulls away from him, scowling.
“This isn’t a contest, Crew. I just—I haven’t had to think about her in a long time, and I’d prefer to keep it that way.” It’s as if realization dawns and Mom’s head starts swiveling this way and that, scanning the stadium. “What if she’s here right now, watching her son play? What if I run into her? I really wish you would’ve mentioned this to me sooner.”
“I didn’t think about it because Morales didn’t play last year. With the football team’s success, they gained a lot more players this season,” Dad explains.
“Hmm.” Mom crosses her arms, looking put out. “I don’t want to resort to violence if I bump into her.”
“Violence?” Iris chokes out on a laugh. “Come on, Aunt Wren. You would never.”
“I might,” Mom murmurs, surprising me.
It’s so interesting, seeing this different side of my mother I’ve never witnessed before. She’s feisty, with a determined jut to her jaw and anger simmering in her gaze. Mom rarely lets something ruffle her feathers like this, so this Natalie woman must be awful.
