Page 64 of Home Town Advantage
Shay shakes her head. “Then you haven’t lived in LA. It’s brutal there. Why does there need to be traffic at three in the morning on a Sunday? What’s happening that it’s backed up? Who are all those people, and where are they going? Why is the biggest idiot always at the front?”
I let out a laugh. It’s true. Traffic jams are one of the great mysteries of life.
My teammates all walk over to hug me. Each one lovingly embraces me.
I look around at them. “I’ve missed you guys. I feel like I’ve been away forever.”
Palmer nods. “You have. I got back weeks ago. I need my girl here with me.”
Kennedy gasps. “What about me, Palmer? You had the one and only Kennedy Jeffries.” She turns to me. “Don’t worry. You’re back in more than enough time for the greatest day of the year. Valentine’s Day.”
I lift any eyebrow. “Umm…I’m now single. It’s no longer a good day.”
She smirks as she crosses her arms and shakes her head. “Nope. It’s the unofficial meat market day at the gym. The best day to go. Roll into the gym after five or six in the evening on Valentine’s Day. No attached men will be there. It’s guaranteed to be only single men. It’s open season. Honestly, it’s my favorite day each year. It’s basically a candy shop full of all your favorite treats. It’s your birthday. It’s Christmas morning. It’s?—”
“I get it,” I interrupt. “I guess I never thought about it that way. That’s a very positive outlook on being single.”
She grins. “I ooze glass-half-full energy, don’t I?”
I let out a laugh, as does everyone else. If there’s one thing Kennedy doesn’t do, it’s ooze glass-half-full energy.
A young man I don’t recognize walks up to me with a folded towel in his hand and holds it out for me. “Would you like a towel, Ms. O’Shea?”
I look at my teammates in question. We don’t usually have towel boys at voluntary, unofficial team practices. Especially attractive ones in unusually tight clothing.
Kennedy shrugs. “I have an intern. This is Booster. He’s been working for me for a few weeks. He gets school credit for it.”
The young man corrects, “Again, it’s Rooster, Ms. Jeffries.”
She sighs. “You’re so short. I feel like Booster is more appropriate. Roosters are loud and annoying. It’s a stupid name. And why did you call her Ms. O’Shea? What if she got married recently?”
The poor kid’s face drops. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is it Mrs.?”
“You can just call me Sulley.” I correct.
Kennedy shakes her head. “Nope. Booster is going to show us all some respect. No first names. Queen is the most acceptable. We’re all queens.” She places her finger on the corner of her mouth. “Come to think of it, why are single women Ms. and married women Mrs.? Is it really anyone else’s business if we’re attached or not? Men are Mr. no matter what their status. Soourrelationships to men matter, buttheirrelationships to us don’t? Such sexist bullshit.”
Shay stares at Kennedy. “Your brain will be studied for science one day.”
Kennedy quips, “Says the lesbian in a wife-beater shirt. Tell me you’re a lesbian without telling me you’re a lesbian.”
Shay smiles as she tugs on the straps of her ribbed, white tank top. “In the lesbian community, we don’t call these shirts wife beaters.” She winks. “We call them wife pleasers.”
She blows Kennedy a kiss, and I giggle. “She’s got you there, Kennedy.”
Shay and Kennedy share bemused looks. They love to rib each other, but they’ve become good friends and respect one another. In fact, I know Kennedy hung with Shay and Alyssa a lot when I was gone.
Palmer throws her arm around me. “How are you? You know, since your breakup.”
“I’m great,” I answer honestly.
“Are you two done for good?”
I nod. “Absolutely. I don’t read my books backward. I already know that story, and it most definitely has ended.”
Kennedy nods emphatically. “Good for you. On to bigger and better, preferably at the gym on Valentine’s Day. You were too good for him. I was happy you broke up. Speaking of good news, creepy Noah was fired.”
That’s kind of a relief. “How come?”
