Page 103 of Pitcher Perfect
“Well,thatrecap stung, thank you very much,” Robbie said, rubbing at his chest. “She didn’t even need the help. She’s perfect. She’s so...perfect. Funny and driven and honest and encouraging. Beautiful as sin. Competitive like me.” He pinched his fingers together. “She has these little stickies for her planner and she looks so serious while she’s writing in it. She can’t stop messing with her ponytail when she’s nervous. She doesn’t let me breeze through uncomfortable conversations. She makes me talk them out. I feel like knowing all these things about her is going to kill me. I can’t forget them.”
Chloe sniffled.
Sig turned her face into his shoulder and started to rub her back without missing a beat, gesturing for Robbie to continue.
“At some point, it stopped being about making him jealous and it started being about us. Everything was going great, you know? At least I thought so. The second I turned my back, she went out with him. And his accent. I probably never would have found out...” He trailed off, shaking his head. “No, that’s not true. She would have told me eventually. She’s not a secret keeper. There isn’t a deceptive bone in her body.”
“Why did she go out with him?” Burgess asked. “And why did you let him live?”
“It wasn’t romantic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m jealous as hell, but I think Skylar just wanted to... emotionally bodycheck me after seeing some garbage about me on the internet.”
Mailer stepped forward with his phone aloft. “I have the website in question right here.”
“Dude.” Robbie kicked his roommate in the back of his leg. “What the hell.”
“They need the full picture.”
“No, they don’t!”
Burgess plucked the phone out of Mailer’s hands. “Yes, we do.” He went back to his post beside Tallulah, scrolling with his thumb. “Jesus Christ, Corrigan.”
Robbie doubled over, dropped his head into his hands, and groaned loud enough to shake the windowpanes.
Both women scrambled out of their respective spots to look over Burgess’s shoulder, which was physically impossible, of course, so he handed the phone to Tallulah. The twin gasps arrived five seconds later.
“Shesawall this?” Chloe whispered.
“I assume you’ve contacted a lawyer,” Tallulah said.
“You’re not going to want to hear this, Robbie,” said Chloe, “but I would have gone on a date with an Irish guy, too. Ten of them. And I would have thrown in an Aussie.”
Sig did a double take. “How about you don’t put that image in my head, Chlo?”
“Only kidding!” She looked at Tallulah and mouthed,I’m not kidding.
“Look... I haven’t done any of that shit since I met Skylar. I don’twantto. But I can’t be looking over my shoulder waiting for her to doubt me again. It’s going to be painful every time. It hurts to be doubted by someone I’m so goddamn in love with. I’m mad, all right? I’m fucking mad and... devastated.”
Tallulah’s expression had gradually turned sympathetic. “Did you tell her all this?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“She said she was sorry.” His chest erupted with a fresh wave of pain. “She was crying when I left on Thursday night.”
“Making your woman cry.” Burgess shivered. “It’s worse than two broken legs.”
Tallulah reached up and threaded her fingers through Burgess’s, squeezing.
“Let me ask you a question, Corrigan,” Sig said. “Let’s say she gets on a plane tomorrow and moves to...” Momentarily, he eyeballed Chloe. “Ireland or Australia. And you’re never going to see her again. How do you feel about that?”
Robbie’s ribs almost cracked from the sudden pressure. “What?” he wheezed.
“How. Do you feel. About that?”
“Like I want to die.” Even that was an understatement.
Sig dipped his chin. “Then guess what? You’re a lucky son of a bitch, because she livesin your town. And she might even still like your ass. So quit wasting time.”
