Page 45 of Beauty Of Her

Sara chuckled, covering her mouth while gazing out the window, and Zoe stared back with deadly daggers.

“Stop laughing,” said Zoe through gritted teeth to Sara.

“Sorry,” Sara whispered.

As we pulled up to the soccer field, I spotted the other kids huddled together, with their coach giving instructions. The girls hurriedly grabbed their bags from the cramped backseat, ready to join their teammates. Sara seemed more excited than Zoe, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. On the other hand, Zoe had her arms crossed tightly across her chest, a scowl etched onto her face.

"Alright, girls," I said as they clawed out of the car. "Have a great practice, and remember to have fun!" I even shot them two thumbs up. Who the heck was I becoming?

“Who are you?” Zoe twisted to face me while walking away.

“You know, I was asking myself the exact question.” I pointed to Zoe, but she continued to the field, ignoring me.

“Thanks for the ride, Brett.” Sara skipped by me. “Usually, all the parents stand over there and watch.” She motioned to a group predominantly of mothers, chatting away over fifth cups of coffee for the day if I had to guess.

As the girls joined their teammates on the field, I found myself standing alone near the group of parents. Clearly, I stood out like a sore thumb amongst the mothers, who exchanged knowing glances and whispered to one other. It didn't help that I was the only man in the vicinity or that some curious eyes would dart in my direction occasionally. I tried my best to act casual as I leaned against a nearby fence, pretending to be engrossed in checking messages on my phone. However, it was impossible to escape the knowing looks of some of the mothers.

“You look so familiar,” said one of the moms, sporting a matching navy workout suit.

My eyes lifted from the blank phone screen, and I popped my brow. “Do I?”

“Yeah,” said the mom, glancing at her other friend, who wore almost the same outfit but in maroon. “Do you work at Stelvio’s?”

“Yes, I do.” I rocked on my heels. “It’s my family’s business.”

“Oh, okay. So, you must always have something great to eat every night,” said the navy mom, scanning me from head to toe before nudging her friend. “Nancy and I go to the ready-to-eat counter almost every day.”

“I swear, without those meals, our families wouldn’t eat dinner,” said Nancy, licking her lips.

A quick laugh escaped me. “I won’t lie, they’re pretty awesome.” I swallowed. “I’m sure I would have recognized you. But I don’t work that counter often, so my apologies.”

The mom dropped her eyes, fighting a blush and a stray hair behind her ear.

“Oh, I’m Rachel, by the way,” said the first mom, extending her slender hand toward me.

Accepting it, I nodded. “A pleasure. I’m Brett.”

The sound of cheering drew my attention back to the soccer field. Sara laughed and high-fived her teammates, her face flushed and chest heaving. On the other hand, Zoe stood at a distance, her eyes fixed on the ground as she kicked at the grass with frustration. I frowned, wondering what Zoe’s deal was, anyway. What was this constant brooding mood she carried? I felt it didn’t have to do with me being a new fixture in her mother’s life, either.

“Who are you here for?” asked Rachel.

I tore my gaze away from Zoe and turned back to Rachel. "Oh, I'm here for Sara and Zoe," I replied, my voice laced with a hint of concern. "Their mom, Julia, asked me to give them a ride today. She was having car issues, and I was available." I shrugged. “Here I am.”

Rachel's eyes flickered with recognition. "Julia?" she repeated, her brows furrowing. “Are you the twins’ uncle?”

I chuckled at the question. "No, I'm not their uncle. I'm actually...with their mom…" my voice trailed off as Rachel's eyes widened in surprise.

"As in... romantically involved?" she asked, her tone filled with curiosity and a hint of judgment.

I nodded, unable to hide the small smile that crept onto my lips. "Yes, exactly. Julia and I are in a relationship."

Rachel exchanged a knowing glance with Nancy before returning her attention to me. “Well, what a find. Julia will never have to worry about groceries again.”

All three of us laughed, but not one sound was genuine. It was as forced as this small talk. Ugh, these women were terrible. It amazed me Julia could stand amongst them, but there was no question that she wasn’t friends with one of these moms. If I knew Julia correctly, this crowd was far from anything she represented.

“Brett!” Julia shouted.

My head shot to the sound of her unmistakeable voice, and my eyes focused on a frazzled Julia, nearly falling out of an Uber, running to me. Completely ignoring my two new show friends, I jogged to Julia. Her chest heaved, and her face was flushed. Under her eyes looked a bit puffy. Was she crying?