JENNIE
"Why do kids' sports start at such ungodly hours? And why is the grass so wet? Look at these shoes. They'll never recover," Jimin complained as we set up our folding chairs on the sideline of the soccer field.
"It's nine in the morning, not four a.m.," I said dryly. "Maybe if you and Leila hadn't made and then drank an entire pitcher of margaritas last night, you wouldn't be cringing like a vampire at the light of day."
He collapsed into his chair, looking impossibly stylish in Raybans and a thick knit sweater. "It was my last night in town before my trip to Paris. I couldn't say no to margaritas. Besides, it's easy to be Suzy Sunshine when you're getting laid regularly."
"Zip it, Betty Big Mouth," I said, shooting a look at the rest of Eleanor's cheering section. My parents were sitting with Leila, who didn't seem any the worse for wear for her half of the margaritas. Mom was doing her mom thing and introducing herself to everyone in a twenty-foot radius, asking them the names of their players and proudly pointing out Eleanor in her number six jersey.
Wraith, badass biker and silver fox, strode down the sideline. He was wearing a Metallica t-shirt, black jeans, and a scowl perfectly framed by his gray Fu Manchu mustache. "Looking lovely as always, Leila," he said with a wolfish smile.
"Peddle that charm someplace else, biker boy," she shot back. But I noticed two dots of color on her cheeks.
"Bring it in, Knock 'Em Outs," Wraith bellowed. Fifteen girls in all shapes, sizes, and colors jogged and skipped their way over to the unlikely head coach.
"That guy looks like a probation violation, not a girls soccer coach," Jimin observed.
"That's Wraith. His granddaughter Delilah is the one with the pigtails. She plays forward. She's unbelievably fast," I told him.
Eleanor looked up from her team huddle and waved at me. I grinned and waved back.
The ref blew two short blasts on the whistle, and two girls from each team jogged to the center circle. "What's happening? Did the game start?" Jimin asked.
"They're doing the coin toss. You're lucky you're so pretty. What if your future husband is into sports?"
Jimin shuddered. "Perish the thought."
"The coin toss determines which team gets the ball for kickoff and which direction they're trying to score."
"Look at you, soccer mom," he teased.
Self-consciously, I straightened my Knock 'Em Out hoodie. Thanks to a school fundraiser, I now owned a capsule wardrobe of school cheer gear.
The mascot was an oversize boxing glove named Punchy that I found both charming and inappropriate.
"I may have done a little reading up on the sport," I said. I'd done a lot of research. I'd reread Rock Bottom Girl and watched Ted Lasso, Bend it Like Beckham, and She's the Man for good measure.
The whistle on the field signaled the start of the game, and I cheered along with the rest of the crowd as the action got underway.
Two minutes into play, I was holding my breath and Jimin's hand in a death grip as Eleanor got the ball and started dribbling for the goal.
"Go, Eleanor! Go!" Dad shouted as he came out of his chair.
When we were ten years old, Ruby had played softball for one season.
Dad had been her biggest fan. It was nice to see he hadn't lost his enthusiasm.
Eleanor faked a move to the right before heading in the opposite direction around the defender and firing off a pass to Chloe, Sloane's niece.
"That was good, right?" Jimin asked. "It looked good. Sneaky and full of deception."
"The coach says she's a natural," I said proudly before yelling, "Go, Chloe!"
Chloe lost the ball out of bounds, and play was paused so three players could tie their shoelaces.
"A natural. That's impressive."
"She's quick, she's sneaky, she's a team player. There's just one or two little kinks that need working out."
"What kind of kinks?" Jimin asked.
"What did I miss?" Sloane appeared next to me in jeans and a Nirvana tank top under a soft gray cardigan. She had her pink and blonde hair piled high in a knot on top of her head and stylish sunglasses. Her lips were painted ruby red. She waved to Chloe and plopped down in her own camp chair.
"Just the first two minutes. No score. And Wraith hasn't screamed 'Come on, ladies!' yet," I reported.
On cue, the burly biker cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Come on, ladies!"
"And all was right with the world," Sloane said with a satisfied smile.
"Any yellow cards for Ellie yet?"
I shook my head. "Not yet." Though if the past two games were accurate predictors, it was only a matter of time.
"Is that like an award?" Jimin asked.
"Not exactly," she said, winking at me before turning back to my best friend. "You're looking annoyingly gorgeous today."
He preened, fluffing the collar of his sweater. "Why, thank you, Sexy Librarian. Love those boots."
She kicked up her feet to admire the knee-high waterproof footwear.
"Thanks. I discovered early on in Chloe's soccer career that I wasn't a fan of wet shoes and squishy socks."
"Now she tells me," he complained.
"By the way, loving this whole curly vibe," Sloane said, waving her hand in front of my face.
I tossed my hair dramatically. "Thanks. Eleanor showed me a tutorial."
"We're the new generation of hot soccer moms," Jimin decided.
"I'll drink to that," Sloane agreed, hoisting her tumbler that said This is Definitely Not Wine.
"So where's your hot soccer daddy?" Jimin asked me.
"Thank God someone asked," Sloane said, shifting in her chair. "Here are all the questions I've stored up. How good is the sex? Is she as grumpy immediately after orgasm as she is the rest of the time, or are there cracks in the stony facade that reveal the soft, teddy bear heart beating beneath?"
"Has she torn any clothing off your body?" Jimin asked. "If so, I know a guy who makes entire wardrobes with Velcro closures."
"Of course you do," I said dryly.
Sloane leaned forward. "Is she a flowers and a cook-you-dinner kind of person? Or is she more of a growl-at-any-man-who-dares-to-look-at-your-boobs dude?"
"Definitely a growler," Jimin decided.
"You guys! My parents and her grandmother are right there," I hissed.
"Besides, we're at a children's soccer game."
"She's going to tell us how inappropriate we're being but what she doesn't realize is how every conversation happening around this field is about sex," he complained.
"They are not," I insisted.
"Oh, believe me. They are. Chloe's been playing since she was six. Those dads over there might look like they're talking about power tools and lawn mowers, but they're actually talking about vasectomies," Sloane said, pointing at a group of dads huddled together next to the bleachers.
"I forget. Did you tell us why Lisa isn't here?" Jimin said, feigning innocence.
I sighed. "She's not here because I didn't invite her." What I didn't tell them was I didn't invite her because I didn't think she'd come. Lisa Manoban didn't seem like the type of person who would willingly show up at a kid's sporting event and make small talk for an hour.
She was the kind of person who pinned you down and made you come in positions that shouldn't have been possible. Like last night when she'd pressed me flat on my stomach and entered me from behind—My inner walls clenched involuntarily at the decadent memory.
"Why didn't you invite her?" Sloane pressed, ignoring the game in favor of the sideline inquisition.
I rolled my eyes. "I don't know. Probably because she wouldn't have come. And I don't want Eleanor to get too used to her being around."
"Jennie, I say this with love. This is the first time since high school Lisa has dated anyone in town. That's huge. It means she sees something special about you that she hasn't seen in anyone else."
I felt like a fraud.
I wasn't special. I hadn't landed a never-falling-in-love bachelor. I'd gotten swept up in an admittedly scorching hot one-night stand, and she'd gotten caught in the consequences of banging a good girl.
"Is that V?" Jimin asked, mercifully changing the subject.
I looked up and spotted him ambling slowly in my direction.
Sloane hummed. "Those Manoban Siblings sure were built to catch the eye." She wasn't wrong.
V Manoban looked every bit the wounded hero. I noticed quite a few of the moms and even one or two of the dads thinking the same thing. He was wearing worn jeans and a long-sleeved Henley. He had a baseball cap pulled down low, and I noticed he'd ditched the sling for his arm. He walked slowly, carefully. It looked casual, but I guessed the pace was dictated more by pain and exhaustion than by a desire to look cool.
"Mornin'," he said when he arrived.
"Hey," I said. "Want a seat?"
He shook his head, eyes on the field as the Knock 'Em Outs played defense.
Eleanor glanced up and spotted him and waved.
He waved with his good arm, but I saw the grimace under the smile.
The man should be sitting at home resting and healing, not strolling around town without his sling. I realized my annoyance with his sister was spilling over onto V.
"Sit," I insisted, rising. I all but manhandled him into my chair.
"I don't need to sit, Jennie. I don't need to be at home resting. I need to be out here doing what I'm good at."
"And what's that?" I asked. "Looking like you got hit by a fleet of school buses?"
"Ouch," Jimin said. "Better listen to her, Chief. She's mean when she's riled."
"I don't get riled," I scoffed.
"You should be riled given the bomb that got dropped on you," V said. Uh-oh.
"I changed my mind. You can stand up and walk away," I decided.
He looked smug then. "You didn't tell them?"
"Tell us what?" Sloane and Jimin said at the same time.
"I didn't get a chance," I fibbed.
"Did you get a chance to tell your parents? Or Leila J, seein' as how she owns the property in question?"
"What's happening right now?" Sloane wondered.
Jimin's eyes narrowed. "I think our close-mouthed little friend here is keeping more from us than just her exploits in bed."
"Oh, for Pete's sake," I huffed.
"Jennie didn't mention to you that Ruby was connected to a break-in in town?" V asked, knowing full well I hadn't.
"She most definitely didn't mention that."
"How about that in order to commit the robbery, Ruby broke into Jennie's cottage and stole one of her dresses?"
Sloane tilted her sunglasses down her nose to look at me. "Not cool, babe. Not cool at all."
"She pulled the ol' Wrong Twin again, didn't she?" Jimin asked, not looking at me. It wasn't a good sign.
"Look. I just found out about this—"
"I told you three days ago, Jennie," V reminded me.
"I'm not real clear on the law in Virginia. Is it okay to put duct tape over a police officer's mouth?"
"Not when he's on the clock," V said with a grin.
"Why wouldn't you tell us? Why wouldn't you say something? If we need to be on the lookout for your sister, it's better if we know about it," Sloane pointed out.
"Let me explain something about our little Kimmy here," Jimin said to Sloane.
"And here we go," I muttered.
"See, Jennie doesn't like to inconvenience anyone by doing anything annoying like talking about what's wrong. Asking for help. Or standing up for what she needs and wants. She prefers to scurry around like a mouse, making sure everyone else's needs are met."
"Well, that's just fucked up," Sloane decided.
I winced. "Look, guys. I understand that you're concerned. I get it. I am too. But right now, my priority is to get custody of my niece. I don't have the time or the energy to worry about anything else."
"Your evil twin has been in your house that you share with her daughter," Sloane interjected.
"She stole from you. She committed a crime disguised as you so once again you'd be the one to pay the consequences. And you didn't think it was worth mentioning?"
"Thanks a lot, V," I said.
Sloane crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't blame a man who just took two bullets," she said.
"Guys, don't you think you're overreacting?"
"No. We're reacting appropriately. You're the one who is underreacting. Your safety, Eleanor's safety, is on the line. That deserves a reaction," Jimin said. I looked down at my hands.
"So it would make you all feel better that I am terrified, frozen in the core of my soul, fearful that something is going to happen and Eleanor is going to be taken away from me. That some stranger is going to end up raising my niece, or worse, that my sister, the person I'm supposed to be closest to in this world, could come waltzing back into town and take her from me without me knowing. That between trying to prove to a caseworker who keeps seeing me at my worst that I'm the most responsible option she has, holding down two jobs, and reminding a little girl that not everything has to be the way it was for the first eleven years of her life, you want me to pencil in a conversation about how I have to exhaust myself just so I can sleep at night and not stare at the ceiling thinking of all the ways this could go horribly wrong."
"Uh, yeah. That would make me feel better than being intentionally cut out," Sloane said.
"Thank you," Jimin said. "V, you wanna bring this home for us?"
"Jennie, you've got a lot of people who care about you. Maybe it's time you let them take care instead of you doing all the care-taking for once."
I stuck out my chin. "I'll take that under advisement," I said.
"That's her snooty tone," Jimin said. "There's no getting through until she calms down."
"I'm going for a walk," I said huffily.
I hadn't made it very far when I heard, "Jennie, hold up."
I wanted to keep walking, to flip him the middle finger, but because I was me, I stopped in my tracks and waited for V to catch up.
"I'm not doing this to piss you off," he said. His eyes were bluer than Lisa's, but they burned with that same Manoban intensity that had my stomach flipping upside down and inside out. "You need to be on the lookout. Your family needs to too. Keeping shit like this from them is irresponsible, and that's the kind of thing that doesn't look good in guardianship cases."
"You said I had nothing to worry about!"
"I'm speaking to you in a language you understand. Being a guardian, being a parent, it isn't about getting gold stars from some authority figure. It's about doing what's right even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard."
Easy for him to say, a caseworker hadn't caught him mostly naked after a one-night stand.
He reached out and gripped my shoulder with one hand. "Do you hear me?" he asked.
"I'd think real hard about removing that hand if I were you."
My head swiveled, and that's when I saw her. Lisa sauntering our way. But there was nothing casual about the look in her eyes. She looked pissed.
V kept his hand where it was even as Lisa stepped into our little twosome.
A second later, I found myself hauled up against Lisa's side, her arm draped over my shoulder. Our audience was dividing its attention between the play on the field and the drama off it.
I smiled like we were chitchatting about butterflies and the weather.
The siblings glared at each other.
"I was just reminding your girl here that family takes care of family," V said.
"Now you're done reminding her. Why don't you get your ass back home and rest the fuck up so you're in shape to take care of family?"
"I'm enjoying the game. Think I'll stick around," V said. "Good to see you, Jennie."
I said nothing and watched him wander over to Leila and my parents.
Neither of the Manoban Siblings appeared to be in good moods in the mornings.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, tilting my head back to look at Lisa.
Her gaze was on the field where Nina missed the ball entirely and instead connected with the shins of the opposing player.
"Heard there was a game. Thought I'd swing by."
Her thumb was rubbing lazy circles against my upper arm. I felt a tingling that originated at the site of her touch and traveled through the rest of my body. My grumpy, tattooed sort-of girlfriend had dragged herself out of bed on an early Saturday morning after a closing shift at the bar just to show up for me and Eleanor. I wasn't sure what to do with that information.
"It's early," I pointed out.
"Yep."
"V is just worried," I said, trying to move the conversation along.
"He does that."
The crowd noise picked up, and the game drew my attention. I felt Lisa tense beside me as Eleanor intercepted a pass and dribbled down the field. "Go all the way, Ellie," Wraith yelled.
"Keep going, Eleanor," Dad shouted.
"Come on, kid," Lisa said under her breath, her attention riveted on the number six jersey.
My fingers curled into Lisa's shirt as she closed in on the goal.
Just as she reared her leg back to let the ball fly, another player ran into her, and they both dropped to the ground.
There was a collective groan from the fans.
Nina and Chloe pulled Eleanor to her feet, and I saw how red her face was. "Uh-oh."
"Uh-oh, what?" Lisa asked.
"What the shit, ref?" Eleanor bellowed.
"Ah, crap," I whispered.
"Did she just say 'shit' to the ref?" Lisa asked.
The referee blew the whistle and strode up to Eleanor, digging in his front pocket.
I groaned as the yellow card was produced and held up in front of my niece's mutinous little face.
"She does this every game. It's like she can't control her mouth," I groaned.
"Come on, ref," Wraith yelled. "That was a foul."
"Sorry, coach. Can't use that language on the field," the referee said.
Eleanor opened her mouth again. Thankfully Chloe had the foresight to slap a hand over the gaping chasm of four-letter words. Eleanor fought against her.
"This is her third yellow card in three games. I can't get her to stop."
Lisa stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled. Everyone looked in our direction including Eleanor.
"Ellie," she said, crooking her finger. "Get over here."
Chloe released her, and Eleanor, gaze on her feet, cheeks red, marched over to the line.
Lisa released me and hooked Eleanor by the back of the neck.
"I get it, kid. I do. But you can't say that shit on the field or in school."
"Why not? You say it. My mom says it."
"We're adults and we don't have a bunch of other adults breathin' down our necks, telling us what not to do."
"So what am I supposed to do? I got tripped! I could have scored."
"You say it as loud as you want to in your head. You let it come out of your eyes, your pores, every exhale, but you do not say it on the field again. You're fuckin' better than that, Ellie. You've got a temper, but there's a hell of a lot more power in controlling it than letting it fly. Use it, or it'll use you. You get me?"
She nodded solemnly. "I think so. When can I swear?"
"When you and me are watching football."
Eleanor's gaze slid to my face, gauging my reaction.
"Don't you worry about your aunt. She's proud as hell of you. But you're only holding yourself back when you blow up like that. So let's give her something else to be proud about. Yeah?"
She sighed. Then nodded again. "Yeah. Okay. But I get to swear when we watch football?"
"Damn right you do," Lisa said, ruffling her hair.
"And when I'm not in school anymore?"
"You can swear as much as you fucking want after you're out of college. Maybe grad school too, if you want a PhD or some shit."
The corner of her mouth lifted.
"That's better," Lisa said. "Now, get your ass out there and put the ball in the back of the net so we can get ice cream after."
"But it's morning," she said, again looking at me as if I were some anti-swearing, anti-ice cream monster.
"No better time for ice cream than after a big win," Lisa assured her.
Eleanor grinned up at her. "Okay. Thanks, Lisa. Sorry, Aunt Jennie."
"You're forgiven," I assured her. "I'm already proud of you. Now, go be awesome."
So it wasn't my best advice to impart. But I was feeling rather swoon-like as Lisa stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Wraith. My father, then V, joined her. Together they created a wall of testosterone, ready to protect and guide their girls.
"Just when you think she can't get any hotter," my mom said, sidling up next to me.
"Are you talking about Lisa or Dad?" I asked.
"Both. All of them really. Coach Wraith certainly has a charm about him. And G is just as sexy as his sister."
"Mom!"
"It's just an observation. We Kim women have excellent taste. Well, most of us."
I covered my mouth with my hand and tried to stifle the laugh.
Time was ticking down, and the score was still tied 1-1.
"Let's go, ladies!" Wraith shouted.
I saw Eleanor glance our way, caught the tiny smile on her face, and I felt the tingles again. She had a cheering section waiting to celebrate with her, and it meant something to her.
"You're doing an amazing job with her," Mom said.
"Really?"
"Look at that smile. Look at how she keeps glancing over here, reassuring herself that we're all still here. Say what you will about Ruby, but giving you her daughter was the best choice she's ever made."
My eyes clouded with tears. "Thanks, Mom," I whispered.
She looped her arm through mine, then tensed. "She has the ball again!"
Wraith's granddaughter had gotten tangled up with two defenders and sent the ball sailing to Eleanor's feet.
"Go!" we shouted as one, the crowd coming to its feet.
Mom and I clung to each other as Eleanor dribbled around the last defender between her and the goal.
"Oh my God, I'm going to be sick."
"Let 'er rip, Eleanor," Mom shrieked.
So she did. I held my breath as we watched the ball sail in slow motion toward the goal.
The crowd was screaming. I could hear Jimin over everyone yelling, "Get it in the net thing!"
The goalie dove for it.
But the ball spiraled just past her fingertips into the back of the net.
I screamed along with Mom as we jumped up and down together.
"That's my granddaughter!" Mom screeched.
"Fuck yeah!" Wraith bellowed.
"You're damn right," Leila shouted.
Sloane and Jimin were hugging each other.
The ref blew the final whistle. "That's game!"
Eleanor stood stock-still, staring at the ball in the back of the net as if she couldn't believe what she'd just done. And then she turned. Her teammates raced to her, shrieking and giggling. But she was looking beyond them. She was looking at me. And then she was running.
And so was I. I caught her when she jumped into my arms and swung her around.
"You did it!"
"Did you see? Did you see what I did, Aunt Jennie?"
"I saw, honey. I'm so proud of you!"
"Can we get ice cream, and can I swear when I watch football with Lisa?"
"Yes and I guess so."
She hugged me tight around the neck and whispered, "This is the best day of my life."
I was trying to blink back tears when someone pulled her from my arms. It was Lisa, and she was settling Eleanor on her shoulders as the rest of the players and parents gathered around to congratulate her. Lisa shot me one of her rare, full-on grins that made me dizzy.
"Sloane and I have talked, and you're forgiven," Jimin said, slinging his arm around me.
"As long as we're invited for ice cream," Sloane added.
"And included in your life," Jimin insisted.
I pulled them both in for a hard hug, and over their shoulders, I saw Dad clap Lisa on the back.