“This is not your fault, Sandy.”
“I know, but still. I didn’t want to put this kind of pressure on you.”
We were standing in the school’s visitor’s parking lot, next to Sandy’s burnt orange Jeep. We were completely alone, with about thirty minutes before kids and staff began pouring out of the building, anxious to begin their weekend. I needed to go back home to meet Will and Charlie before heading out to Paige’s away game over at Broughton.
I really would have rather spent the afternoon with Sandy. She was such a private person, and I felt terrible about this kind of forced outing, if that’s indeed what it came to. I hoped she’d be able to concentrate on the game tonight instead of everything else.
On the way back to my house I talked to Anna’s father, ensuring that my son’s planned evening at his girlfriend’s house would be properly chaperoned. Charlie had a long evening of gaming scheduled, and a frozen pizza to keep him happy when he wanted it, if he ever got around to making it.
After dropping Will off I got to the field early, but the team was already in formation, stretching. Paige was in front, calling out instructions while Sandy walked in between the rows, arms crossed, her face a carven portrait of professionalism. If anything had leaked over to the team I couldn’t tell.
I took a seat near the bleacher entrance on the visitor’s side of the field. The only other parents here already were the Yews, who smiled and waved at me as I sat down. A few others filtered in before Patrick Harrison arrived, along with his wife, Saralynn. She came over and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Melanie, so good to see you. Patrick told me about the fuss this afternoon. If there’s going to be a scene tonight he thought it might be good for me to be here.”
“Well, I guess we’re going to find out soon enough.” I nodded toward the parking lot, where the Perry’s were making their way up the walkway towards us. It was hard to say at this distance, but Renee seemed more than rather pleased with herself. I glanced back down to the field, where the girls were hustling off, back to the visitor’s locker room. By the time the Perry’s climbed up into the bleachers, the whole team was off the field, including the coaches.
“Oh, Melanie.” Renee’s voice dripped with insincere concern. “How are you? How is Paige? Is she even here? I honestly didn’t expect to see either of you.”
“What are you talking about? Why wouldn’t Paige be here?” I gave her an innocent smile back, and her smug expression faltered only slightly before the loud speaker announced our team.
“Let’s all give a warm Broughton welcome to the visiting Lost Valley Lady Panthers!” Our assembled parents stood and cheered as our girls took the field, followed closely by Coach Dalton, her long, tight curls pulled back into a loose ponytail. I pulled my gaze away so I could watch Renee Perry’s face morph from conceit to shock to fury in the space of about ten seconds.
“What the f, um, hell is she doing here?” Renee rounded on Patrick Harrison. “You told me she was suspended! How could she not be suspended?”
“Well, the pictures you sent didn’t show anything actually incriminating. I’ve spoken with everyone involved, and I’m convinced there was no wrongdoing.”
Renee was almost screaming. “They went into an empty house together! How could there not be something going on! You!” Renee rounded on me. “How could you not be angry about this? What kind of mother are you?”
Anger flashed in my eyes, and I stood as tall as I could. I wasn’t taller than Renee, but I did outweigh her by a good eighty pounds. “I am the kind of mother who knows, not thinks, not doubts, KNOWS that my daughter is not screwing her hockey coach. And I also know that you, Renee, have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“There’s nothing there, Mrs. Perry.” Patrick tried to put a conciliatory note in his voice.
“This isn’t over, Principal Harrison. I’m going to have that woman removed.”
I cocked my head at her. “Your daughter is forced to be a team player, and you decide to destroy the coach responsible. Says something about you, doesn’t it?”
She turned slowly towards me. “Life isn’t a team sport, Melanie. There’s only you, and then there’s everyone else. I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand that.” Her eyes flicked down over my body before she gave me the most evil smile I’d seen outside of a Disney villain. She turned away as her husband came up into the bleachers, holding two sodas. His politician’s smile only slipped for a second when he saw his wife’s face.
They stalked away, and I drew a full breath for the first time in minutes. Saralynn put her hand on my shoulder. “Let’s sit. So, I understand that if we win today we clinch a spot in the playoffs?”
I nodded, taking a seat with the principal’s wife next to me, as her husband greeted a few of the other parents as they arrived. I kept up a basic conversation with Saralynn as I looked down over the field. Sandy glanced up at me, and I tried to wordlessly let her know that I was okay. Paige was leading the team through their pregame drills, but I did notice that Adrienne kept glancing up into the stands, her face worried. She missed a cue on a passing drill and the ball got by her, rolling beyond the end line. She left the line, running to get it. By the time she made it back, Sandy had materialized next to her.
I watched her whisper into Adrienne’s ear, the coach’s hand resting on her player’s shoulder. Obviously I couldn’t see or hear what Sandy was saying, but Adrienne’s face visibly relaxed as my girlfriend spoke to her, and she rejoined the drill with a confident step.
A few moments later one of the assistant coaches blew the whistle, and the team headed toward the sideline. Sandy’s eyes traveled up into the stands, and I knew they’d come to rest on the Perry’s. Her expression was hard as granite, and she held eye contact for a long second before turning away to the task at hand.
I was very grateful for Saralynn’s presence, as I was more than a little worried about Renee Perry rejoining the conversation without anyone else present. Bill and Ashley had arrived just a few seconds before the opening pass-back. Little Georgia was with them, and she was immediately the center of attention with several of the moms and younger sisters in attendance.
I wasn’t sure how well I’d be able to hide what was going on from Bill, especially since he knew me probably better than anyone. Sad, huh? Maybe Sandy was changing that, though.
The first half passed without incident, or any scoring on the field. Broughton’s defense was definitely the strength of their team. We’d had a few good looks, the closest call coming when Dani hit the outside of the post after a nice pass from Adrienne. Paige and the rest of the midfield were dominant though, keeping almost all the possession down on the offensive half of the field.
I’d finally let myself get into the flow of the game, the stresses of the day fading away as I watched my daughter play the sport she loved. Of course, it all came crashing back as I saw Senator Perry talking to Bill. I pushed the panic down, watching them talk out of the corner of my eye.
Bill glanced up at me several times over the course of the conversation. The horn sounded to end the first half, and Senator Perry patted Bill on the arm before turning away. He looked up at me, our eyes locking for a significant moment before he leaned down and whispered something to his wife.
I took a deep breath as he started towards me.
“So,” Bill sat next to me, “I just had the most interesting conversation with Carlton Perry.”
“Paige is not having sex with Coach Dalton.”
Bill’s mouth dropped open. “I, um, I would hope not, but are you sure?”
“Yes, I am extremely sure.”
“So the pictures he was telling me about?”
I gave him an explanation of the circumstances around Sandy taking Paige home.
“So they were together, alone. And you’re not worried at all.”
I took a deep breath. How much did I want to tell him? There was one other thing, though. “Bill, do you remember after you told me about Ashley, that you wanted a divorce?”
“Of course.”
“We promised each other we’d never lie to each other when it concerned the kids?” He just nodded. “I swear to you, Sandra Dalton is not violating our daughter.”
Bill’s eyes were still troubled. “Melanie, it’s not that I doubt you, but I think I need more than that. I am still Paige’s father.”
Damn it, I wasn’t going to get out of this. I looked over at the Harrisons, and I really didn’t want to do this around them, so I stood. “I’m going to go get a Coke. Walk with me?” He followed me down out of the bleachers, and I continued when we were out of earshot to anyone else. “Bill, if I were seeing someone, someone I trusted, and that Paige trusted, and they gave Paige a ride home from practice, would that bother you?”
“Probably not. What does that have to do with anything?”
I just looked at him, and after a long moment shocked comprehension dawned over his face. “You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re not gay.” He said it with absolute conviction, like somehow I’d forgotten. I wondered if he expected me to be, like ‘Oh, shit, you’re right. Dick’s the best!’ And honestly, it made me angry.
“I’m not, huh? First of all, Bill, it is none of your business anymore what I am. And secondly, how the hell would you know?”
“Is that, I mean, did you go out of town with her that time?”
“Yes, she’d been invited to a wedding, and she took her girlfriend, me. We stayed together, slept in the same bed, and had amazing sex.” I watched his cheeks color under his beard, his hands fidgeting like they did when he was uncomfortable. “What? You get to leave me for someone, go directly from our bed to hers, and I just have to be miserable forever? Did you think I was pining for you every night?”
“No, of course not, but,”