Bowling Dreams & Cheap Wine

Chapter 16

Paul is in a reflective mood on Sunday night. Please Don't Go Girl is playing at what feels like a louder volume than normal. I walk into Downtown Bowl and push back the hood on my coat. It's raining hard outside and the entry floor is streaked with wet footprints.

Sitting behind the counter on a high barstool, Paul is talking to one of the Alley Cats in what looks like serious conversation, but she's standing under a vent and it causes her boa to flutter dramatically like this is a photo shoot and her scowl loses its severity. Or maybe she's going for the sexy bowler vibe. I have no idea.

The other employees are busy checking in bowlers, taking drink orders, and handing out shoes. The line for the food is long and the employee, aka the window washer, is scrambling to take orders and pass them to the woman handling the deep fryer and the ovens. Not to worry. Those rock-hard abs of his are propelling him right along and I catch a few gazes clinging to his biceps.

Steph is already at Lane 10. She picks up the ball from the ball return and waves at me. She's already warming up. I am proud to say that's something we actually do now—warm-up our bowling game, not just our mouths or our hands reaching for the drinks. We are still an alcohol-free table and we wouldn't dream of sneaking a mini bottle with the scrutinizing eyes of the Spares watching our every move.

I look to Lane 3, to the birthday celebration in progress. Balloons in the shape of champagne bottles are attached to the chairs. A cake is in the middle of the table. Tara's sitting at the head of the table, her gaze meets mine with a conciliatory moment I wasn't expecting. I see her as a mom, as a widow for just a second, and I allow myself to be reminded that she is a mother doing this on her own.

It's also then that I notice half her team has neon eye shadow like one big pack of highlighter markers.

Standing here, watching their table with bowling shoes dangling from my hands, I know I can't continue with the bet. Nate deserves not to be in the dark about this. And we have already both kissed him. Whether Tara and I tell him is a different story, but I think it's time we focus on the bowling and leave him out of it. Maybe he will find the whole thing funny instead of a sad idea two grown women came up with. I haven't seen her picking up or dropping off Noreen lately, and I can't help but wonder if she's moved on, maybe she's like me and ready to forge ahead as bowlers and competitors looking to snag a trophy, not a man.

"It's a shame your team keeps losing members," Jenny's snarly voice ruins the teen high-pitched bridge of Please Don't Go Girl.

My gaze moves to Jenny. I gasp and jump back at the swath of rhinestones decorating her eyelids. "Worry about your own team." 

She blinks like her eyelids are heavy. "Cami tells me Opal's going to have the lead in the winter performance. I knew with her being my friend and all, she would make sure that happened."

Oh. Hell. No. I face glitter-face fully. "I haven't selected the positions yet."

"Oh no?" her voice isn't disguised. She's not even trying to be subtle. She picks at one of the rhinestones. "Guess Cami hasn't told you yet." She shrugs like she's done with me. But now I'm worried about her eye. She keeps blinking hard...

Lisa walks through the doors and catches my gaze. She takes in the scene with Jenny.

"I'll have to talk to Cami. I'm sorry if she led you to believe Opal's in the lead. We have a process. We have tryouts, which you know because you're at the rink every day."

Her gaze flares with a nasty edge. She flat out tears one of the rhinestones off. "I'm at the rink because I have two daughters who will go farther in ice skating than you ever did." She lifts her chin. "You don't think the moms don't talk about you? That we don't talk about the fact that every other coach at the arena has had one foot in a national competition? We're not sure how you've managed to teach this long."