Chapter Seven
West
Blue clutches a store-bought key lime pie, my hand settles on her hip, and we stare at Coach’s front door with practiced grins plastered on our faces. We gave each other pep talks the entire time we dressed and during the ride over, now all we need is for things to go exactly as planned.
Light, easy conversation.
No veering into forbidden territory.
None of Pandora’s bullshit.
The door swings open. “Well, aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes,” Meg says, her southern drawl reminding me of Mom’s family in Louisiana.
“It was so sweet of you to invite us over.” Blue presents the pie to Meg, only for Meg to immediately shove it into Coach’s arms. All so she can bring Blue into a tight hug. Then, a few seconds later, her attention shifts toward me.
“I swear it, West Golden, you get taller and broader every time I lay eyes on you. Is that even possible at your age?”
Laughing, I lean in and kiss her cheek as she hugs my neck.
“Not sure, but it’s good seeing you again, Mrs—” A stern side-eye has me retracting my statement. “Good seeing you, Meg.”
The harsh look she aimed at me fades into a smile. “That’s more like it. None of this Mrs. Wells nonsense. You two are family.”
“Then how about you let them come in off the porch, honey,” Coach Wells says, drawing a laugh out of Meg when she realizes she hasn’t invited us inside yet.
“Oh, dear. I suppose you’re right. Come in, you two. Make yourselves at home. Kick your shoes off on the rug, then come have a seat in the dining room. Dinner’s just keeping warm in the oven.”
She leaves us with Coach and disappears into the kitchen.
“I swear that woman gets so excited when we have company. Probably because Kasey hardly makes it home to visit these days.”
That name nearly throws me off my game, but I remember what Blue and I rehearsed, remember how we promised to pretend being here is simple and easy.
“Well, we’re happy to have a home-cooked meal,” Blue chimes in. “I’ve been so busy at the center it feels like all we’ve had is takeout lately.”
“Nothing wrong with that. I’d have pizza once a week if my wife would let me,” Coach says. He leads us into the dining room where a set of white plates trimmed in pink flowers are set out for us.
“Not with that high cholesterol of yours,” Meg calls out from the kitchen, and I smile when Coach rolls his eyes.
“I swear she’s got the hearing of a damn bat,” he grumbles, but even in his complaining, the love between him and Meg is obvious.
As if she just heard me think her name, Meg hurries into the room carrying a platter of meatloaf still steaming from the oven.
Coach rises from his seat, and a few seconds later, he comes back with a bowl of mashed potatoes in one hand, and a gravy boat in the other.
Meg doubles back for the broccoli and dinner rolls, then takes her seat beside Coach as Blue and I begin fixing our plates.
“Everything looks great, Mrs… Meg.”
I smile when she playfully narrows her eyes at me, then she winks as she places a slice of meatloaf on Coach’s plate.
“Thank you,” she drawls. “The meatloaf is my grandmother’s recipe. I tried for years to get Kasey to let me teach her to cook, but she never wanted any parts of it. That girl doesn’t have a domestic bone in her body.”
A light laugh leaves her when she finishes, and I shove mashed potatoes in my mouth to hide that I’m becoming more uncomfortable by the second. But blue and I agreed we’d only linger long enough after dinner that we won’t seem rude. Then, our plan is to get the hell out of here.
Before shit has a chance to go sideways.
I’m reaching for the gravy when I notice Meg’s eyes glued to Blue, and I can feel it in my gut. Meg’s about to do it. She’s about to fuck up our plan.
“I hate to bring this up so soon after the two of you walked through the door, but… I’m worried about you. Both of you,” she adds, shifting her gaze to me next. “We’re not on social media, and we don’t follow that godawful Pandora person, but… news travels fast.”
She stops there, and I know what she’s getting at. That even without following Pandora, word got back to her and Coach.
Blue opens her mouth to speak, and I hold my breath, knowing her emotions are still raw after having put treatment on hold for a bit. But Meg interrupts again, stalling Blue’s response.
“Now, before you say anything, I just want you to know that I understand what you’re going through.
We needed help getting pregnant with Kasey, which is why she’s an only child.
But I cannot even imagine facing something so sensitive, so personal, only to have some evil, attention-seeking devil telling it to the entire world. ”
Her lip trembles, tears pool in her eyes. Blue reaches across the table and grips Meg’s hand, and the silent moment shared between them is intense, raw, saying so much more than words.
“I insisted on you two coming over for dinner simply so I can say that you’re not alone in this. And if there’s anything we can do to see you through it, please, please don’t hesitate.”
She squeezes Blue’s hand tighter before letting go.
“Yes, ma’am,” Blue answers, and I don’t realize she’s shed a tear, too, until she brushes it away with the back of her hand.
“Used to be a time when a couple could keep things private. Just between them,” Coach chimes in, his tone sounding more gruff than usual. Apparently, Meg isn’t the only one upset by Pandora’s latest antics.
“Yeah, well, neither of us really know what that’s like,” I say with a quiet laugh, but there really isn’t a damn thing funny.
“That Pandora’s been on you two for years now,” Coach acknowledges.
“Seems like someone would be able to stop her,” Meg says, “but considering how the world thrives on gossip and drama these days, I don’t imagine she’ll be going away anytime soon.”
Hearing her grim prediction makes me sick to my stomach, frustrated by the truth within the words.
“But enough about that,” Coach jumps in, and I breathe a sigh of relief, hoping he’ll suggest a lighter dinner topic.
One that won’t have me losing my appetite.
“I’ve been meaning to check in and see how the guys are coming around. I know they can be a bunch of hard-asses, but I’m hoping they’ve started acting like grownups now.”
I’m torn between possibly disappointing him with the truth and lying.
I push a piece of broccoli around on my plate while I think, and apparently my silence is all the answer he needs.
A deep, frustrated sigh leaves him. “Trust me, I get that Reed is a bit wounded by the changes I decided to make, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why he’s taking it out on you and not me.
I mean, for Pete’s sake, I’m the one who made the decision, and if he digs deep enough and gets brutally honest with himself, he would’ve jumped to accept my offer if he were you. ”
“What my husband is too polite to say is that Reed Lawson is a total ass, and you taking his place is just giving him ample space to showcase that he’s a total ass,” Meg clarifies, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard her swear.
But apparently I’m not the only person Reed rubs the wrong way.
“I’ll talk to ‘em,” Coach offers, but that isn’t the solution.
“No. Respectfully,” I add, hoping he understands I’m not trying to overstep.
Coach tilts his head. “You’re sure? I have no problem telling those guys to get their heads out their asses and back in the game.”
I’m already shaking my head, disagreeing with his idea.
“It’ll do more harm than good. The guys will think I came to you crying because I can’t handle things on my own, and that won’t help build trust. And that’s what we’re lacking right now.
More than anything.” When I pause, Coach still looks concerned, but he nods.
“Okay. We’ll do it your way.”
“Thank you. This is just one of those situations that’ll have to work itself out. With time.”
Coach nods again. “Well said, and I suppose I can’t argue with that,” he says with a quiet laugh. “As much as I’d like to.”
“Thanks. Just seems like the best way to handle it.”
Meg nods, agreeing with me. “Men respect those who show they deserve respect. Not those who simply demand it. So, for what it’s worth, I believe your strategy is the best course of action, West.”
With how much I respect her and her husband, it means more than they know that they’re both willing to let me take the reins here.
“Much appreciated.”
Meg flashes a smile. “Of course.” Her gaze shifts to Blue next. “And what about you, sweetheart. Have the ladies been welcoming to you, Josslyn, and… um…”
“Tiffany,” Blue cuts in, reminding Meg of her name.
“Yes, Tiffany.”
Blue smiles and lowers her fork. “Well, do you want me to be honest?”
Meg arches a brow. “Of course.”
Blue takes a breath, gathering her thoughts. “Well, because April’s in Reed’s corner, she’s naturally not Team West and Blue, which I can somewhat understand, but… it’s clear the rest of the ladies chose a side, too.”
“And it wasn’t your side, I take it.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Blue says with a smile.
Meg tilts her head. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry. The last thing you two need to worry about is pettiness from the Empress Circle or whatever the hell they call themselves.”
Blue laughs, and as I watch her, I’m starting to think we were wrong to assume that coming here was a mistake. Maybe we needed this, a little outside support from two people we both respect. Two people we know have our best interest at heart.
“For what it’s worth, I steer clear of April and crew as much as possible. I mean, sure, they’re all smiles and polite hugs when they come around, but it all just feels so…”
“Fake?” Blue chimes in, prompting Meg to smile.
“Exactly,” she laughs.
For the first time tonight, my heart is settled. Seated beside my wife, in the company of good people, I’m actually not worried about anything. I relax deeper into my seat as we eat in comfortable silence, and all the drama feels miles away for once.
But of-fucking-course… my phone chimes, then Blue’s does the same half a second later, and my heart drops straight to my stomach.
Blue gets to her phone first, maybe because I’m intentionally stalling without realizing it. But as my screen lights up to reveal a post from Pandora, I catch Blue’s expression in my peripheral vision.
And she looks fucking horrified.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
My eyes are glued to the screen, the words. Words that have the potential to ruin my entire life, and I’m frozen in my seat, not knowing what to do, what to say. Blue looks just as stunned, and I can feel Meg and Coach’s eyes glued to us both. But then, their eyes aren’t glued to us.
Because Meg rises from her seat when their phone begins to ring in the kitchen.
Without question, I know exactly what someone’s calling to say, because they must’ve just read the same post Blue and I read.
I’ve woken up in a cold sweat many nights, imagining this very situation playing out.
Now, here I am, living it in the flesh. So, while I know there’s nothing I can say or do that can pull me out of this nightmare, I have no choice but to face it.
Head on this time.
“Meg, wait. Please. There’s… something I need to say to you both. Before you hear it from someone else.”
Coach arches a brow at me, and Meg stops cold. I swear the phone seems to get louder and louder as the room starts closing in on me.
“Coach, I…”
Blue’s hand slips into mine underneath the table.
“I—”
When I try to speak again, Coach is visibly confused at first, but the tension on my face seems to alert him that this is serious.
“Let’s chat in my office,” he says. “Would you ladies please excuse us?”
“Of course,” Meg answers, then shifts to Blue again. “Is everything all right?”
“It will be,” Blue answers, and as Coach closes the door to his office behind us, I cling to those words.
It will be.
It has to be
*
@QweenPandora:
So, here’s the thing, peeps. I’m not big on empty threats. You could say I’m a girl of action, which is why I’m taking MAJOR action tonight.
Remember that little stunt #KingMidas and #SexyBeast pulled last night? Visiting ghosts from the past? Peeking underneath stones that were best left unturned? Then, you also remember that not-so-tiny secret of #KingMidas’ I’ve been holding onto out of the kindness of my heart.
Well… I’ve got a special announcement, and you’ll want to tag friends in the comments. No one should miss this.
We all know #KingMidas and #NewGirl have needed some help growing the royal family. I also mentioned that #KingMidas has no trouble in the baby-making department. If you’ve wondered how I’m so certain about that, keep reading.
It’s story time.
Once upon a time, at the tender age of seventeen, #KingMidas, along with #PrettyBoyD and #MrSilver, ventured to a faraway land to partake in every teenage boy’s favorite rite of passage—the crashing of a college party.
It was at this party that #KingMidas became smitten by a particularly outgoing partygoer who had no idea she was flirting with a future NFL star.
Thanks to a lack of supervision, the underaged drinking commenced, and this young lady was soon equally as inebriated as our king.
Now, I love a good scandal as much as the next person, but before you kids get carried away, you should know this particular fiasco was pre #NewGirl, so no cheating was involved.
BUT… don’t worry. This is still some pretty juicy lore. Mostly because #KingMidas was a tad reckless that night.
One thing led to another, and this partygoing co-ed forgot to enforce the “No-Glove-No-Love” rule when things got wild between her and #KingMidas.
So, a few months later… this mystery girl was staring at a plus sign on a pregnancy test, and it was only brought to #KingMidas’ attention after she’ already decided she wasn’t quite ready to raise a kid with some guy she didn’t even know.
So, while there isn’t a Golden prince or princess roaming around Cypress Pointe just yet, the fun definitely doesn’t end there, beautiful people.
I wouldn’t be the queen of gossip if there wasn’t a juicy plot twist.
If you’re dying to know who this mystery girl is, she’s been right under our noses this whole time. Well, kind of.
I can at least guarantee Coach Wells has had contact with her recently.
Seeing as how she’s his one and only daughter, Kasey.
Wow, does anyone else feel lighter? Guess it’s true what they say about the relief you feel once you’ve unburdened yourself. I can’t speak for #KingMidas or the other parties involved, but I know I’LL certainly be sleeping like a baby tonight.
Whoops.
Too soon?
Later, peeps :)
—P