Page 77 of The Ex Next Door
“Don’t worry. Declan will get it under control.” Amy pushed her chair closer to Bianca and draped her arm around her shoulder. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
But Amy suddenly wasn’t so sure of that as she watched Mark storm off.
Chapter Twenty-Two
After practice, or scrimmage, or whatever you wanted to call it, Amy thought her kids deserved a treat.
“How’s pizza for dinner?”
“Yay!” David said.
“Thanks, Mommy!” Naomi said.
Since both Amy and Bianca were upset to see a grown man behave the way Mark had, Amy could only imagine how thekidswere feeling. Bianca took Matthew home, apologizing to anyone who would listen for her husband’s behavior. Amy promised to call her later and drop by for a playdate soon.
Then Amy and Declan took a detour to The Pie in the Sky, home of the best pizza in Charming, Texas.
“Did I ever tell you that your mom and I used to come here all the time?” Declan said.
“Really?” David asked.
“Yeah, she was my best friend.”
“You never told me that,” David said.
“Mommy, you were best friends with a boy?” Naomi’s eyes went wide.
They’d chosen to sit across from each other, and she gazed at him now with tender familiarity and what she could only call love. Yes, in many ways he’d been her best friend. She’dheard it said that the best relationships started with a friendship, and that’s how she and Dec had started out.
Declan was amazing and understanding. He did not want to push anything and have a reaction similar to the one David had with Rob’s girlfriend. She appreciated him more than she could say.
“We both had other friends, of course, and all my other friends were girls. All his other friends were fellow baseball players. But yes, Declan was my best friend. We were close.”
“Like me and Matthew?” David said.
“Yes, kind of like that.”
“But we were older,” Declan said. “Teenagers.”
“I’ll still be friends with Matt when we’re teenagers,” David said.
“I think so, too,” Declan said.
“Mommy, why was Matthew’s dad yelling at the coach?” Naomi said.
“Um, well, it sounds like he needed to take a time-out. He got a little too excited about the game,” Amy editorialized.
Best not to explain to Amy that Mark was probably having a career crisis and might be struggling with his own self-worth. With Matt presenting an aptitude, he felt he had to jump on that. She couldn’t blame him or Bianca for wanting to support their son’s interests and abilities, but she hoped they wouldn’t make Matt’s talents about them. It seemed Mark already had.
“He just wanted us to win so bad,” David explained to his sister. “And he got upset because Matt struck out.”
“You did good.” Naomi patted his shoulder. “You hit the ball.”
“Yeah, but I got out pretty quick.” David shook his head. “I flew right to the second base.”
“It happens,” Declan said. “You have your strengths elsewhere. So did I, by the way. I once led my team in the season’s strikeouts.”
“So, you were the worst player?” David stared, jaw gaping.
