“I can’t make her accept my lifestyle, Mom. It’s a pretty heavy commitment. And she does have her own career. And Nathan.”
“She’s a strong woman. She can handle it. You need to give her some time.”
“I’m not big on leaving things be. I’m proactive. I like to go after what I want.”
Her lips twitched. “I know. You’ve always been the one to get things done. This time I think you need to sit back and let her stew for a while. If she loves you like you say she does, she’ll come to you.”
“But—”
She squeezed his hand. “Let her come to you, Michael. Don’t push her, or she’ll feel cornered. She knows she loves you. And she knows you love her. Now let her come to realize it.”
“I’ll try.”
His mother gave him a knowing smile. “You do that.”
TARA PUT THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON HER PROPOSAL, saved the file, loaded it up in the e-mail, and pressed send, offering up a fervent prayer to the business gods that the proposal would be accepted.
It was a big client and would mean a lot of money for her business if accepted. Now she just had to keep her fingers crossed.
She grabbed the prospective client’s file, along with other files that littered her desk, and went to the cabinet to do some much needed filing. She’d been working nonstop for the past two weeks, trying to get back in the groove of work. Nothing but work. That and Nathan starting school, which fortunately kept him busy with football practices and team meetings and getting his schedule.
He wasn’t happy with her at all, had taken her breakup with Mick personally, and had reverted to his old sullen attitude, though he and his coach and team had loved the revised televised and print piece on him and his team. His coach had personally thanked her for putting the team on the map, even though she’d had nothing to do with it. Coach had asked if Mick would be able to attend any of the Friday night games, and had looked crestfallen when she told him she and Mick were no longer seeing each other.
She was the one who had been dating Mick. Not Nathan, not his friends, not his coach or his team. So they were all just going to have to deal with it. Mick was out of her life. Out of their lives. They’d all get over it eventually.
Even she might get over it. Eventually.
After she finished filing, she went back to her desk to pay a few of the bills she’d been steadily ignoring for the past few days.
Her door opened and Karie, Ellen, and Maggie walked in, their expressions determined.
“Get out,” Maggie said.
Tara’s brows lifted. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. It’s Thursday night, six o’clock, and Nathan’s first game is in an hour. Go home, change clothes, and go to his game.”
She lifted her gaze to the clock on the wall. “I’ll make the game. I just have a few things left to do here.”
“Whatever those things are, they can wait,” Ellen said.
“Bills can never wait, and I’ve been putting them off because I was busy with other stuff.”
Maggie marched over and snatched the bills from her desk. “I’ll pay the damn bills. Now go. You’ve been working yourself nonstop since you dumped Mick. You can’t hide in here forever.”
“I am not hiding. I am focusing my attention on this company. Which, I might add, pays your salaries.”
Karie went behind her and pulled her chair back. “We’re profoundly grateful. Go home.”
“I’m the boss. I could have you all fired.”
Ellen held out her purse. “You wouldn’t fire us. We’re the life-blood of this company. You’d crumple into the fetal position and suck your thumb without us.”
Tara snorted. “You’re probably right.”
She walked out of her office, turned around, and all three of her employees—her friends—guarded the door to her office. “Good night.”
“Bye,” they all said.
Tara rolled her eyes and left the office, drove home, and hurriedly changed into her jeans and Nathan’s team T-shirt. She grabbed a sweater, knowing it would get cool once the sun went down, then drove to the high school stadium, parked, and headed toward the junior varsity field.
Nathan was starting the game tonight and he was nervous and excited. Even though they’d been at odds the past few weeks, he still searched the stands for her, gave her a tilt of his lips when he saw her sitting in the third row at the forty-yard line. She gave him a little wave, and then he was off to warm up on the field with his team.
It was just like the first game she’d seen Mick play. Tara’s fingers curled into her palms and she had to force herself to relax when, after the kickoff, her son took his place behind the center and counted off the numbers to the play. The center hiked the ball into Nathan’s hands, and, instead of shifting the ball off to a running back or throwing it to a receiver, Nathan saw the hole the offensive line had opened up in the middle and ran through it.
Oh, God. Run, Nathan, run!
Tara held her breath for the entire nine yards until Nathan slid and was piled on by three tacklers. She didn’t breathe until he jumped up, grinned, and headed to the huddle. Only then did she exhale amid the wild cheers.
Smart-ass. Thought he was a scrambler, did he? She’d never seen him do that before.
By midway through the fourth quarter the score was close. The team they were playing had made the playoffs last year, so they were good. But Nathan’s team had showed a lot of improvement so they were playing tough, but were behind by six points. Tara had to shift her attention from the game to the scoreboard, chewing on a ragged hangnail and hoping time wouldn’t run out before Nathan could march his team down the field and score again, and that the defense could keep the opposing team from putting more points up.
There were two and a half minutes left when the defense held and Nathan got the ball back in his hands. Tara could only imagine the pressure he felt to keep his team in the game. Was this what Mick went through every game? It must drive his mother crazy.
Stop thinking about Mick. And about his family.
She missed Kathleen, wished they could have stayed close. She could have used her counsel through all of this, but it would hardly be appropriate to call Kathleen to talk to her about her own son. The son Tara had dumped.
She shook off thoughts of Mick and concentrated on Nathan. First down was a run and they picked up five yards. Tara breathed in, then out, trying to calm down her raging heartbeat.