Page 4 of Try Hard
Dad gave me ten minutes alone with my thoughts before he laughed and reached over quickly to poke me. “Stop scowling, kiddo.”
“Because the wind will change and my face will get stuck like that?”
“No, because Big Jezzer’s a good guy with one fault. I wasn’t trying to destroy your opinion of him.”
“I don’t know him well enough to have much of an opinion.”
“Sure. I’ll pretend I believe that. But at least try not to look like you want to murder him? I promise he’s not that bad.”
“Maybe Sophie disagrees.”
“And maybe the trouble between them is something far more complicated than I know about. Can’t be hating the poor guy over my conjecture.”
I frowned at him. “You haven’t just asked?”
“Of course not.”
“Right. Of course. Why would you ask your friends about their lives?”
He rolled his eyes at me fondly. “He’s been in a rough place since the divorce. Gotta cut the guy some slack.”
“Divorce?”
“Yeah. Him and Marnie. Going on three years now.”
I didn’t know. But, then again, why would I have done?
Three years, almost the exact time rumours had started swirling that Eve was going to retire from rugby. Were the two things connected? The official line was that she’d sustained too many injuries, but who was I to say whether that was the truth or just some carefully crafted PR?
And why did I care? About any of it? I didn’t know Jeremy, or Marnie, or either of their daughters—not anymore, anyway. The intricacies of their dynamics were none of my business.
But still, I couldn’t help but wonder how it had been for Eve and Sophie. Plenty of my friends' parents had divorced over the years—and hell, some of my friends and colleagues at this point. Such was life in your thirties. It almost invariably turned out for the best, but the process, as far as I could tell, sucked. And, even if your kids were fully grown, that didn’t mean it wasn’t hard. I couldn’t imagine watching my parents go through that, the whole destruction of a life they’d always known? I’d support it for them, if it was what they wanted, but… oof. It had to be an impossibly difficult and emotional time.
Ugh. I guess Dad was right. Maybe I did need to cut Jeremy some slack. At least until I found out what his problem with Sophie was. Then, all bets were off.
Chapter Two
Eve
“Ijust don’t know if bangers, mash, and beans is ideal date food,” Rohanna said from the other side of the video call. Her phone was propped on her kitchen counter as she raced about the place, the camera barely picking up more than a streak of long, black hair.
I laughed. “It’s traditional, innit?”
She hesitated and slid into frame. “Weird accent.”
“Story of my life,” I said with a huge grin.
“Yeah, but even for you. That is categorically not what you sound like. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you sayinnitbefore.”
“Oh, I’m sure I have, just… with a different accent.”
“Miss Americana.”
I rolled my eyes fondly, watching another plane spotter stroll by my car with their gear. I’d been late. They were even later. I wondered if they had shifts? That would be cute. “I don’t soundthatAmerican. Especially not these days.”
“Sure you don’t.”
“But that’s not really the point.”
