Page 61 of Roll With The Punches
Jeff reached out with his other hand and grabbed Grace’s shoulder when she let out a sound that was definitely a growl.
“We’re adults,” Jeff said. “We can get along for Emma’s sake.”
They found seats in the small bleachers, where Stuart thought they should be able to get good video of Emma regardless of what lane she swam in, while still making sure vampire Grace didn’t get sunburned.
Stuart didn’t know about Jeff, but he didn’t feel much like making small talk with Tracey, who’d fortunately ended up sitting on Jeff’s far side.
Fine by Stuart, because he damn sure didn’t want to make small talk with her.
Grace had ended up sitting next to Stuart, on the opposite end of them from Tracey. Probably for the best.
He wasn’t altogether sure Grace might not be a biter.
In fact, Stuart had started texting with Brandon, letting him know what was going on, when he heard Jeff swear at the same time Tracey said, “Oh, no.”
When Stuart looked up, he spotted a smug-looking Pat approaching them, trailed by a bored-looking Corey.
“What thehell, Tracey?” Jeff said.
Stuart had to give her credit, she was either genuinely mortified or had the look and voice down pat to pretend. “Iswear, I didn’t tell them to come! I specifically told Patnotto come!”
“No offense,” Jeff said, “but you can go sit with them somewhere else.”
“Damn right,” Grace said.
Stuart disguised his laughter with a coughing fit.
Tracey reluctantly got up and walked down to meet them. There, she dragged Pat down the pool deck, farther away from Corey, and appeared to be letting him have it.
Stuart watched, the schadenfreude thick enough to eat with a fork. “Well? You think she planned it?”
“She looks and sounds pissed off.” Jeff pulled out his phone and started recording. “This way Brandon can see.”
“I wish he was here.”
“So do I, but we have to adult like big boys.”
“Don’t worry,” Grace said, “you’ve got me. I can take ’em. As long as you promise to post my bail.”
Stuart nudged Jeff in the side with his elbow.
* * * *
Jeff stopped filming them once they settled down. When Emma emerged from the building a few minutes later, her hair braided and swim bag over her shoulder, Grace quickly scooted out of the bleachers and hurried the long way around the pool deck, so as to avoid where Tracey and Pat were sitting, to talk to her. Emma whirled around, the anger on her face evident even from where Jeff and Stuart sat.
“I’m glad she’s not pissed at us,” Stuart muttered.
“Yeah.”
Once Grace had delivered the message, she took the long way around again to return to them.
“She’snothappy,” Grace said.
“We could tell,” Jeff said.
Emma dumped her bag along the fence, near where the other kids put theirs, and dug her goggles and swim cap out. Then she quickly jumped into one of the practice lanes to warm up.
Jeff tried to focus only on Emma and what she was doing and not keep looking over at where he kept catching Pat glaring at them.
