Page 40 of Biggest Player
“That’s so neat,” she gushes. “I can’t wait to tell Wyatt.”
I humph, shoulders slouching.
Perk up when the bartender returns with a basket of chips and another beer for me. Margot digs in immediately, chomping down on a chip. Moans as if it’s the best thing she’s had all week.
“What made you decide to start dating? Or go on an app, I mean. I bet you have women throwing themselves at you left and right.”
I nod. “My friends are dropping like flies, and I was getting jealous of hearing about it.” I laugh. “Once my friend Landon moved to a city to play football and to be with his girlfriend, I ...”
She waits for me to finish, swirling her glass and staring down into it.
“It’s about time to grow up,” I say, jerking my head at the end of my sentence as if to say period point blank.
“But you don’t want a family.” Margot is about to pop another chip in her mouth.
“Nah, too busy for one.”
“But you want a girlfriend?” Her nose is wrinkled up now, which tells me one thing: I said the wrong thing.
“Sure.”
She chews.
Swallows.
Then.
“Why?”
“Why do I want a girlfriend?”
A nod. “Yes. You just said you were too busy for a family—wouldn’t that same rule apply for a partner? Wouldn’t that make you too busy for a relationship?”
“No, dude—a girlfriend can travel with me.”
“So while you’re working, she can follow you around the United States, waiting for you to get done with your games?”
I sigh with relief. She totally gets it!
“Exactly!”
Margot laughs. “That is thestupidestfreaking thing I’ve ever heard.”
It is? “Why?”
She shrugs. “For so many reasons, but you know what? It doesn’t matter what I think because your dating life is none of my business. Whatismy business is your dragging my daughter into your dating drama, knowingly or not—she’s done nothing but plot and plan more money-building schemes to involve you in since she met you.”
“She is not.” I chuckle. “And if I may be so bold to point out, she earned that money through hard work.”
I hope she isn’t going to beat this subject into the ground—I already explained why I paid her kid. We had a deal, and I honored it.
“We’re not here to talk about what I should or shouldn’t do with my money; we’re here because you were going to give me some advice.” We’re also here because: why not. We connected on the app, shared some barbs, pissed each other off, and now we have one thing in common: we’re both single and ready to commiserate.
She could have easily given me dating tips within the app, but after meeting her in person at the restaurant, this seemed like much more fun.
“It sounds like you know what you’re looking for,” she says after a time, crunching on more chips since the bartender hasn’t brought the appetizer she ordered. “I think as long as you’re honest from the beginning about what you want—which you have been—you’ll find someone.” Margot pauses. “There’s someone for everyone.”
She sounds altruistic, spewing do-gooder, motivational bullshit.
