Coach Love(50)

Cara frowned at her mother’s rudeness. If nothing else, the woman did insist on politeness in every possible social situation. Lindsay raised an eyebrow in reaction to the mild slam on her own son.

“Yes, well, um....” Cara tried to pull away, but her mother wouldn’t let go. “I’m glad that, uh, Kieran has, you know, gotten things worked out with that Melinda...I mean.” She bit the inside of her cheek, realizing she’d used Lindsay’s pet phrase when referencing Kieran’s fiancée or girlfriend or whatever her status was that week. “You know. Seems like things are working out...for him,” she finished, wishing she could disappear into the bench.

“Oh no, honey.” Lindsay waved her fork to someone over Cara’s shoulder. “That Melinda is history, thank the good Lord.” She exchanged an arch expression with Cara’s mother.

“Well, she’s here. I mean. I saw her, found her, she found...never mind.”

Her mother tightened her grip. “Ow, Mama,” she said, realizing someone must have figured out that she and Kieran had been absent and together.

“You have a good man in Kent Lowery. You’d best remember that.” Her mother’s gaze was dark.

Lindsay broke the tension. “Well, now, you gotta tell me all about this Mary Kay thing. You know, I’ve been thinkin’ I should get on that. You know, do somethin’ about this embarrassing pale skin of mine.” Cara’s mother let go and grabbed her freshened beer before focusing her attention on Lindsay and going into sell mode. Cara breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey, babe.” The man under discussion straddled the bench next to her and pecked her cheek. She moved away slightly, still smelling Kieran on her and terrified Kent could, too, not that it mattered. The irrational urge to show her mother how dirty her fine catch of a future husband could talk with his boyfriend or how much he liked getting ass-fucked by him very nearly overwhelmed her. Cara’s entire body broke out in goose bumps.

She studied Kent in profile while he charmed everyone in hearing distance. When he met her eyes, his face curious, the words she needed to speak dried up in her mouth like so much cotton. He touched her shoulder.

“You all right?”

She tried very hard not to scream. All this posturing, faking, and pretending made her sick. Maybe she should reach out to the boyfriend, form a club with him or something. She cursed her own inability to confront, mentally thanking her mother for her passive-aggressive conflict-avoidance tendencies.

“I’m fine,” she said through gritted teeth.

“You kids go on now,” her mother declared, a little too loudly. “You all are staying here tonight, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kent said, getting to his feet and stretching before holding out his arm to help Cara. She stared at it, her brain fuzzy, and wishing she’d not come to the dumb fish fry.

Kieran emerged from behind the tap truck alone, no sign of that Melinda anywhere. Cara pushed away from the table, stumbling as she climbed over the bench. Instead of the expected assistance at her elbow from Kent, some stranger passing by holding a beer in one hand righted her with a smile and a wink.

She glanced over at Kent, a mild tremor of irritation hitting her nerves. As she prepared to smack his shoulder in half-serious aggravation, she noted that every bit of color had drained from his face. He froze, stock-still, facing the temporary bar in front of the Love Brewing tap truck, jaw slack, blinking as if trying to clear his vision.

Following his gaze she saw nothing strange or upsetting—just the usual scrum of people, weighted heavily toward pretty young ladies, crowding around the bar. The women giggled and preened their tail feathers for the group of hot men all with the last name Love who poured and flirted like pros, even the married ones.

Dominic climbed onto the bar and kissed some girl right on the lips before pressing a Love Brewing temporary tattoo to her exposed upper breast. Antony slapped him a high-five then the two of them kept pouring and serving.

“I think I’m gonna go, too. Cara, would you mind runnin’ me home real quick,” Lindsay asked, rising. Aiden rushed to her side but she waved him away. “Stop fussin’ over me, boy.” He hovered a few more seconds then pecked his mama’s cheek and trotted away to clear tables. Kieran was wiping down the bar while the other siblings served the ever-increasing crowd.

“I’m guessing Missus Cooper might need a ride in the opposite direction. Kent, I think you should take her on home.” Lindsay patted the woman’s shoulder. Cara marveled at the way Kieran’s mother still managed to boss people around in her polite, unobtrusive way.