25. Lark
TWENTY-FIVE
LARK
“Oh my God, look at you!” Monroe says as she approaches where I’m waiting for her outside the café. We ran into each other at the last home game and agreed to meet for brunch when she and Riggs returned from their trip to Houston for the All-Star Game. Other than Hailey, I don’t have many friends, so it’ll be nice to get to know her more.
I look down, smoothing the pink baby tee I paired with my cutoff jean shorts, knowing we’d be going out in downtown Daytona. I used to cover myself with yoga pants and oversized tops, but since I’ve known Ace, I’ve wanted to do more with my appearance. Not because he’s made me feel like I need to—but because I feel it myself. When I was married, Ryan never went out of his way to tell me I was beautiful or sexy. I stopped caring and started dressing like Adam Sandler whenever I wasn’t forced to wear business-casual attire for work, which was a far cry from the trendy outfits I loved in my younger years. But when I wear stuff like this and Ace can barely keep his hands off me, it makes me feel good. Plus, there should never be an age limit on looking cute, no matter what kind of clothing is involved.
“Hi!” I reply, caught off guard when she steps in and wraps me in a tight hug. I return it, pulling away with a smile as I reach forward, gripping the door handle and pulling it open for her. “How was your trip?” I ask, following her to the end of the line where people are waiting to place their orders.
“It was fun!” she replies, pushing a hand through her long dark hair. “I was expecting everyone to be super serious because it’s all the best players in the league, but honestly, all they did was fuck around. It was a nice little reprieve from regular games, where my boyfriend gets all bent out of shape if he doesn’t play perfectly.”
I laugh. I haven’t been around Ace long, but I notice the way his demeanor changes after a loss. He’s quick to snap out of it when we’re together, but I imagine it’s hard on them, knowing their positions are never really guaranteed. He’s told me many times that his biggest fear is getting sent back down to the minors, although I suspect he’s worried over nothing. His teammates love him, and so do the fans. They’d be crazy to get rid of him.
“I’m glad you guys enjoyed yourselves. Now it’s back to the real world tomorrow, huh?” The guys have two home games this week, followed by one on the road, and we’ll return to Daytona just in time for Ace to take his final over the weekend before the eleven fifty-nine deadline on Sunday night. He wants to do one more big review session, but I know he’s ready. He’s worked his ass off over the last six weeks.
“Yep,” she replies, stepping up to where the barista waits for us. “I’ll have a medium caramel macchiato and a chocolate croissant, please.” She turns to me. “What are you getting? My treat. Don’t argue.” She points an accusing finger my way, shooting me a playful side-eye. I relent, ordering a coffee and a muffin as we take our food and sit in a corner booth to eat.
“So,” she says, sipping her drink, “how’s life? You’re tutoring Ace, right?”
“Yeah. He needed some extra help with his Human Sexuality course, and since I already passed it, he talked me into taking the job.”
She laughs. “He looks like he could be very convincing. Riggs said he’s trying to graduate for his grandma, but what are you going to school for that you’d need that class?”
“Well,” I say, pausing to take a bite of my muffin, “I’m not technically going to school at the moment due to some unfortunate tuition issues, but I was taking night classes to become a sex therapist.” I look down, because as laid-back as she seems, I’m used to being judged by the people in the Dawson family’s circle when they find out about my prospective career change.
“Wow. That’s cool,” she says as I look up at her, my eyes full of surprise. “Imagine how many shitty sex lives could be turned around if people decided to talk out their problems with a professional. Before I met Riggs, I swore there was something wrong with me because of the things I liked. I had no idea they were normal, so I just settled for subpar experiences, hoping that one day my body would stop craving them. It would’ve been nice to have someone to work that out with. I wasn’t raised to be open about things like that, so I just kept it inside. That definitely didn’t do me any favors, you know?”
“Yeah,” I reply quietly. This is exactly why I wanted to go into the field in the first place. Coming from a situation where I settled for underwhelming sex with a partner who didn’t care enough to put in the effort, I understand wanting more. I also understand how not having someone to talk to can make you feel like you’re the problem, when in most cases, it just takes knowing yourself and your partner to make everything crystal clear.
“What kind of tuition issues are you having?” She pauses, putting her hands out between us cautiously. “You totally don’t have to tell me if it’s private. My best friend Grace is the nosiest person on the planet. She’s obviously rubbing off on me.”
I laugh. Normally, I’d be hesitant to tell the whole story to someone I don’t really know. But for some reason, I feel like I can trust Monroe. She just opened up to me about something pretty private, and it’s nice having someone to talk to besides Ace.
“Actually, my ex-mother-in-law is the dean of the school. I used to work there, and as a perk, I got free tuition. Ever since she found out I was going into a field that, in her words, is ‘trashy’, she’s been doing everything she can to get me to go back to my maiden name because she’s worried I’ll make her family look bad. I conveniently got fired after my divorce was final, and now I have to save up to continue pursuing my degree.”
“What a bitch,” she replies. “I hope you at least told her off.”
I chuckle, sipping my drink. “I told her I was going to open a practice with her last name in big letters across the front of the building.”
She shoots me a devious grin. “I knew you were a bad bitch. I could feel it in my bones the day we met.” I smile, taking a bite of my food as she changes direction. “So, you started tutoring Ace, and what? He just decided to use a hands-on approach to learning?” My eyes go wide, and I try to speak, but she cuts me off. “I get it. That man’s ass is immaculate. Good for you.”
I huff a breath, rolling my eyes playfully. “It was not my intention to sleep with him. In fact, I didn’t even want to be friends at first. Even at the paintball park, I begged him to keep things between us because I didn’t know how you guys would react. He’s so much younger than me, and he’s got his career all mapped out while I’m scrambling to start over. But he made it difficult to stick to my plan. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I know I like who I am when I’m with him.”
“Girl, you are in love ,” she replies. “I’m guessing he doesn’t know yet.”
I shake my head. “I—no,” I sputter. “We both have baggage—mine being an ex-husband with a mother who’s still trying to have a say in my life—and I want him to decide if this is even something he really wants before we dig into the emotions.”
She looks at me, her expression going soft. “That’s understandable. I had a truckload of issues when I met Riggs. I pushed him away and pretended I hated him, but I think he saw through it. He was just waiting for me to let him in so he could show me what I deserved.” She reaches across the table, setting her hand on top of mine. “You’re going to do big things, Lark. Let Ace be the one you lean on while you build your new life.”
Tears prick at the backs of my eyes. It’s nice to feel this kind of support when everyone in my life has been complacent for so long. Now that Ryan is out of my life, I’ve been slowly mending the broken relationships with my parents, which were my own fault for choosing him. All they wanted was to save me from an unhappy marriage. But we aren’t even to a point where I’ve told them what I want for my future. And God knows Ryan and Gail were only on my team when it served them.
“Thank you,” I say as she squeezes my hand before pulling away and returning to her food. She’s right. I am going to do big things, and I can’t think of anything I want more than to celebrate every single one of them with Ace by my side.