I crossed my arms in front of my chest. I knew Bo was right, but that didn’t mean I wanted to admit it. “You don’t know that for sure. I could have figured it out.”
“I’m just saying. I really do think Kacey wanted what was best for you, and maybe she was right to let you go.”
I tried my best to smile. “Well, none of that matters anymore. We just weren’t meant to be anything more than friends.”
Bo walked away from me and started searching my kitchen for something. He opened the cabinet that held alcohol if I ever actually had it and let out a frustrated sigh, then settled for water. He lifted his glass in the air and smiled at me. “To friendship.”
To friendship, indeed…
***
“This looks so cool.” Bailey beamed as we walked into the Bellman gymnasium. There were multiple stands set up. Some were filled with information about a healthy lifestyle or Bellman athletics, but most of them had activities set up.
“Bo! You came!” a voice yelled from across the gym.
I turned to see Joey Hopkins walking toward us. I had spoken to Joey and her wife a few times at get-togethers at Bo’s house. They had apparently been at Bellman around the same time as Kacey and me, but we had never crossed paths.
Once she reached us, Bo pulled her into a hug. “Long time, no see. I haven’t seen you in the office lately.” He pulled back and searched the gym. “Is Faith here tonight?”
“No. She’s at home with Naomi.” Joey turned toward Kacey and me. “Naomi is our third. She’s a month old.” She held a hand out toward Kacey. “I’m Joey, by the way. I’m the head track and field coach here at Bellman. My sister-in-law, Susan, is also one of the coaches. You might see her around at some point tonight. She’s currently entertaining my children, which is much appreciated.”
“Yo, Coach Hopkins, we need you!” one of the student athletes yelled.
She gave us an apologetic look. “Sorry. Duty calls. Will I be seeing all of you at Friendsgiving at Bo’s house?”
“All three ladies will most definitely be there,” Bo answered before anyone else could.
“Awesome! We’ll see you guys then.”
“Friendsgiving, huh?” Kacey asked.
Bo gave her his charming boyish grin that no girl could resist. Not even the biggest lesbian. “Oh yeah. You can’t miss it. It’s the day after Thanksgiving. Everyone brings their leftovers to my house, and we have a big feast. Tons of fun.” He moved his gaze down to Bailey. “And I put up my Christmas tree that day and we all decorate it together.”
Kacey smiled at Bo as she put a hand on Bailey’s shoulder. “Sounds wonderful.”
Thinking of spending more time with Kacey made me feel excited and nervous all at once. Being around her made me feel lighter somehow, as if the weight of this world wasn’t so harsh. Yet, I couldn’t help but worry about it all being ripped away from me again. I looked toward Kacey and her eyes were already on me. When she noticed my stare, her lips curved up on just one side and I could tell she knew exactly what I was thinking. Somehow, she always knew. As if sensing what I needed, she reached out and squeezed my hand, quickly dropping it rather than holding on. It didn’t matter though. I felt that quick touch not just in my hand but throughout my whole body. As if that wasn’t torture enough, Kacey leaned in close to whisper in my ear, her breath causing the hair on my neck to stand up. “If any of this is too much for you, just say the word and I’ll back off.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, hoping to regain some control over my body. But her scent lingered between us, making it even harder to breathe. I pushed the air back out of my lungs and forced myself to look down at Bailey. “What do you want to do first?” I asked, hoping no one noticed the slight crack in my voice.
Bailey pointed to a stand a few feet away from us with a sign that said, Bellman Pigskin Potato Sack Races. A bunch of burly guys sat behind the table, and I figured they must be football players. We all followed behind Bailey as she skipped toward the stand. Once there, she turned around and placed her hands on her hips. “All right. Who’s racing me?”
We all laughed, but it was Kacey who spoke up. “I bet Kari loves a good potato sack race.”
I scoffed. “As if. There’s no way you’re getting me in one of those.”
Kacey playfully threw her arm over my shoulder. “Aw come on. Back in the day, you wouldn’t have even hesitated to do it.”
“Well, I’m not the same girl I was back then.” I tried to keep the bite out of my voice, but as soon as the words were out, I could tell it didn’t work. I laughed awkwardly. “I mean, I’m not even sure I could fit into that potato sack.”
“You could try,” Bailey said enthusiastically. “Mom always says you never know until you try.”
“All right fine,” I conceded. “Let’s do this.”
Kacey used the arm that was still around my neck to pull me closer to her. “All right. That’s the girl I know and—” she quickly cut herself off. “I mean… that’s my gi— have fun you two.”
It would have been fun to watch Kacey cutely fumble over her words if I wasn’t so caught up in what she almost said. Did she really almost say love? I shook the thought from my head. It was a saying. Bo had said it to me countless times, and I never thought anything of it. The only reason Kacey got weird about it was because of our past, not because she actually meant it.
“You know what? I’ll do it, kiddo.” Bo’s voice interrupted my thoughts. He let his voice drop as he looked between Kacey and me. “These two are going to learn how to act like humans.”
I watched as the two of them grabbed potato sacks and had to laugh watching Bo fumble around until he could somewhat shove his body into one. My laughter ceased when my gaze settled on Kacey. “He’s right, you know. We’re being weird.”
Kacey sighed. “I know. I’m trying not to be. It’s just hard to keep myself from falling into my old habits.”
So, there it was. She was just falling into old habits. Her words didn’t actually mean anything. I tried to keep this fact from upsetting me, because it shouldn’t, but a heavy feeling settled in my gut. I forced my eyes back to Bailey and Bo. Bailey was laughing as she pulled way ahead of Bo, who still hadn’t figured out how to keep his body inside the sack. She crossed the finish line and laughed even harder when Bo fell face first onto the ground. This brought a laugh from both Kacey and me too. He quickly jumped up, clearly hoping the student athletes he worked with didn’t notice. He walked up to Bailey, bent down beside her, and pointed to something across the room. The two talked back and forth until Bo put up his hand and Bailey gave him a high five, before skipping back over to us. She put her hands on her hips and tried her best to keep a serious face, the corners of her mouth curving slightly. “We would like to challenge you to a three-legged race.”
“Who?” Kacey and I asked in unison.
Bo walked up to us, still breathing heavily from the potato sack race. “You two. It’s you guys against the kiddo and me. No backing out. We already decided.”
I looked between Bailey and Bo. “Don’t you think the height difference will make it a little tough for you guys?”