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I slump back against the cushions, thinking through what Evan just admitted. Now that I know Nathan knows my secret, there should be nothing stopping me from sitting him down and talking this out the moment he emerges from Rory’s room… but I’m nothing if not adept at avoiding unpleasant conversations.
So, instead, I kick him and Evan out and go to bed. Well, that’s my plan at least, until I open my phone, only to be greeted by pictures of Nathan standing on his front step with Courtney Warner. When was Courtney at his house? Why wouldn’t he have mentioned that to me? A stab of betrayal hits me, which is such a shame after the night we just shared. See, this is what always happens. Every time I think Nathan and I could be something more, the universe swings a wrecking ball aimed right at me.
For the most part, I ignore Nathan’s calls and texts over the next few days, still stewing about Courtney. When I do respond, it’s quick and polite. I've refused all of his bids for anything resembling deep conversation.
Finally, it is the weekend, which means I get a break from the Dallas Cowboys… and the one particular cowboy that I’m avoiding. Jules meets me at Rory’s soccer game the way she does every weekend during the season. Have I mentioned that my best friend is a literal angel and I'd have been lost years ago without her?
We sit with our matching sun hats and sunglasses, in our matching folding chairs, with Murphy tethered to our cooler that’s full of juice boxes and La Croix. Jules calls this our Sex in the City Era, which will be followed by our Golden Girls Era. I have to admit that Jules can make even little league soccer glamorous.
“Atta girl, Rory!” Jules cups her hands around her mouth and shouts. We clap as Rory runs up the field with the ball. She kicks and scores the first goal of the game.
"Yes, Roar!" I shout.
A few feet away I recognize Kelsey Peters’s mom, Gloria. We’ve met in passing, but now that her daughter has become my daughter’s frenemy, I’m wary of her on principle. She spots me looking and waves at me in a way that can only be termed passive-aggressive. I wave back, then roll my eyes the moment her back is turned.
Jules slurps on her straw and adjusts her sunglasses so she can peer at me. “So, how was shopping with Nathan?”
“How do you know about that?” I ask, lowering my own sunglasses to match her stare.
She rolls her eyes. “I swear, do you ever go online? You’re a social media manager for crying out loud… plus I talked to Evan.”
“You talked to my brother?” I say frowning at the weirdness of separate worlds colliding. “What do you mean online? Did Nathan post something? Oh my God…” I whip out my phone, feeling the panic already setting in. “I told him to clear everything with me first.” A thousand scenarios run through my head…
…and not one of them is what I actually see when I get to my feed.
“Nathan Sterling, caught cozying up to the same mystery woman just hours before he was seen at his home with his girlfriend. He and the mystery woman were seen testing out beds… I’m sure he’s in hot water after that!”
There’s a picture of us, right after Nathan pulled me down on top of him at that stupid furniture store… and then I remember the women asking for selfies…
Damnit.
Next to that picture is another picture like the one I saw the other night of Nathan and Courtney talking outside his house.
I shut my eyes and take a deep breath.
Jules takes the phone and glances at the post, as if confirming I’ve seen the same thing she did. “So, spill… why did I open my phone today to find pictures of you cuddling the father of your child, whom you claim to hate… in public?” She hands the phone back… after subtly liking the post, which I immediately undo.
I slump back in my seat and push my sunglasses back up my nose, tossing my phone in the grass. “I somehow got roped into taking him shopping for his house, which is weirdly empty… and he was flirting. He kissed me…but nothing else happened.”
Jules cackles so loud, even Kelsey’s mom shoots us a look. “I know when you’re lying. You totally tapped that!”
“Lower your voice, we are at a children’s soccer game. Jules, seriously!”
She leans on the armrest of her chair. “So, are you like trying? With him, I mean?”
Trying? Hah. Trying to avoid him and my feelings, maybe. “Didn’t you read the post? He has a girlfriend.”
Jules scoffs. “Oh please, I’ve seen the way that man looks at you. The actress is a stage five clinger. I know one when I see one. Nathan is clearly focused on one thing only–you, honey.”
“Well, Evan kinda spilled about Rory… and I’ve basically avoided Nathan ever since, so he may not be looking my way in the near future…”
Jules lurches forward in her seat. “Evan told him Rory is his daughter? Was that before or after you had sex with him? How is this the first I’m hearing about this?”
My mouth opens and closes, but nothing comes out for a solid minute.
“Oh, Izzy.” Jules shakes her head. I truly do feel ashamed of myself, of what I’ve done. “You know? I used to wonder how someone as level-headed as you could’ve gotten into this situation with Nathan and Rory in the first place, but it all makes sense now.”
“Everything used to be so clear,” I say, reaching out to pat Murphy’s head, drawing comfort from the only consistent man in my life. “Now, it’s a big fat jumbled mess.”
