But an even better one with Cal’s help, Jane imagined. So that’s why Kevin was here. It wasn’t just Cal’s job he coveted; he also wanted Cal to coach him. But unless she missed her guess, he didn’t have a clue how to ask him and still hold on to his pride. She tucked the information away.
For his part, Kevin was transparently anxious to change the subject. “I’m sorry about that night at the hotel. I thought you were another groupie; I didn’t know the two of you were an item.”
“That’s all right.”
“You sure kept your relationship a secret.”
Not for the first time, she wondered about Junior and the other players who had arranged her birthday night visit. What had they made of all this? And more important, had they kept their mouths shut?
She decided to probe a bit. “A few people knew we were seeing each other.”
“Guys on the team?”
“A few.”
“They never told me.”
So Cal’s friends hadn’t talked.
“You sure don’t seem like his type.”
“Maybe you don’t know Cal as well as you think.”
“Maybe I don’t want to.” He sank his teeth into his burger, taking a bite too large to pass muster with any authority on etiquette. Still, his enthusiasm was contagious, and she realized she was hungry.
As she ate, he entertained her with funny stories, most of which were risqué. The fact that he was the central subject of each one should have put her off, but it didn’t. She had the feeling that his self-centeredness resulted from a lack of confidence he was determined to conceal from the world. Although there were a lot of reasons why she shouldn’t, she couldn’t help liking Kevin Tucker.
He finished his beer and grinned at her. “Are you interested in cheating on the Bomber? Because if you are, I think you and me could have a good thing going.”
“You’re impossible.”
He smiled, but his eyes were sober. “I know on the surface, we don’t have too much in common, and you’re a couple of years older than me, but I like being with you. You understand things. And you’re a good listener.”
“Thank you.” She couldn’t help smiling back. “I like being with you, too.”
“But you probably wouldn’t be interested in an affair, would you? I mean, you only got married a couple of weeks ago.”
“There is that.” She knew she shouldn’t be enjoying this, but her confidence had been badly shattered last night, and Kevin Tucker was adorable. Still, she had enough sins on her conscience without pumping up her ego at the expense of his. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.”
“I’m thirty-four. Nine years older than you.”
“I don’t believe it. You’re nearly as old as the Bomber.”
“ ’Fraid so.”
“I don’t care.” His lips tightened into a stubborn line. “The Bomber might care about all that age stuff, but it doesn’t mean anything to me. The only thing is . . .” He looked vaguely chagrined. “As much as I hate the Bomber’s guts, I’ve sort of made it a policy not to screw around with married women.”
“Good for you.”
“You like that?”
“It speaks well of you.”
“Yeah, I guess it does.” He looked pleased and reached across the table and took her hand. “Promise me something, Jane. If you and the Bomber split, promise that you’ll give me a call.”
“Oh, Kevin, I really don’t think—”
“Well, now, isn’t this cozy.”
A deep, belligerent voice cut her off, and her head snapped up in time to watch Calvin James Bonner charging toward them looking like a blast furnace about to erupt. She half expected to see ribbons of smoke sliding from his nostrils, and she tried to pull her hand away from Kevin’s grasp, but, naturally, he held her fast. She should have known he wouldn’t miss such a golden opportunity to aggravate her husband.
“Hey, there, old man. Me and the missus was just havin’ ourselves a little chat. Pull up a chair and join us.”
Cal ignored him and gave Jane a visual blast with enough power to explode a mushroom cloud over the western half of North Carolina. “Let’s go.”
“I’m not quite finished with my lunch.” She gestured toward her half-eaten salad.
“Oh, you’re finished, all right.” He snatched the salad out from under her and dumped what was left of it on Kevin’s plate.
Her eyes widened. Was she wrong, or could she possibly be witnessing a major jealousy tantrum? Her spirits rose several more notches even as she tried to figure out how she wanted to handle this. Should she make a scene in public or in private?