THE DO-OVER
The Lake Bittersweet Series ~ 7
Excerpt from Chapter One
Thomas grabbed a large oval platter from a cabinet and placed it next to the roasting pan. The two brothers gazed down at the turkey. “I guess it’s too late for it to get itself on the platter,” he said.
Billy assessed the glistening bird. “I have a spectacularly low dropped ball percentage. Also, I washed my hands right before we sat down.”
“Then go for it.”
Billy picked up the bird and plopped it onto the platter in one smooth motion.
“And Cooper shows off that touch that has baseball fans swooning,” said Thomas in his best radio announcer voice. “Doesn’t miss a beat as he puts that bird right where he wants it. Quick, too. With Cooper, it’s all about speed and precision.”
Billy flipped him the bird—so to speak. “Shut the fuck up. I’ve got more than speed going for me. I’ve got stamina too.”
“Tell it to the ladies. Not the ones out there,” Thomas said quickly, shooting a glance toward the dining room, where laughter and chatter rose and fell. “They’re taken. But there’s got to be a zillion women out there in those clubs who want to hear about your stamina.”
For some reason, Thomas’ teasing gave Billy a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t been to a club in two years. That was also approximately when he’d stopped drinking. Some of his earliest memories were of bringing his mother a beer from the fridge. When he’d stopped drinking, going cold turkey, so to speak, he’d missed her, not the buzz. Which had caused him to think long and hard about his screwed-up childhood.
“You know I’m not that guy anymore.”
But Carly was calling to them from the dining room, reminding them to bring the gravy along with the turkey, and Thomas’ attention was no longer on Billy and his problems.
How many people really got it that he wasn’t that guy anymore? The Japanese scouts weren’t sure. Some fans still called him Billy Club. And Jenna…
The doorbell rang.
“That’s probably Jenna,” Billy said.
“I’ll take the turkey. You get the door. Make sure Jenna knows we’d love to have her stay.”
As Thomas whisked the turkey-laden platter toward the dining room, Billy headed the other way, through the arched opening that led to the entryway and the front door. His gut tightened the way it always did when he knew he was going to see Jenna. So many emotions always flooded through him, or at least tried to. Luckily, he was an expert at constructing a dam to keep them back.
“Hey, Jenna,” he said with all the casual ease that he’d cultivated for the last three years. He’d perfected a certain way of looking at her, sort of blurring his gaze so he didn’t pick up too many details. It was easier that way, because he still found her attractive. She wore her blond hair in a low ponytail, but it was so fine that half of it was falling out. That happened a lot, because she was always rushing around. Her lake-gray eyes almost always held a smile, but right now she looked tired. Still beautiful, though.
“Happy Thanksgiving.” He peered past her. “Where are the boys?”
“They both conked out in the car. You weren’t answering your texts.”
He checked his phone and saw that he’d accidentally hit the mute button. “Sorry.”
“No worries. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we’re here. Sort of. I mean, we’re in the driveway.”
He hesitated. It didn’t seem right to leave the three of them sitting in her car while Thanksgiving turkey was served. “We’re just about to eat. Want to come in? They’ll be okay for a few.”
“No, I don’t want to leave them. I have the heat on.”
She wore a navy blue pea coat that he knew she reserved for special occasions, but it wasn’t the warmest one she owned. The temperature had dropped to about twenty degrees. Was she warm enough? Was that a shiver? Where was her hat? She’d probably left it in the car. Jenna disliked hats because they wreaked havoc on her fine hair.
“Have you eaten?”
“Oh yes. Gorged is a better word. Thank God for stretchy waistbands.”
He didn’t want to picture her waistband. He wished she wouldn’t mention things of a physical nature like that. But she had no idea that it affected him. He never let on that it did.
“Let me get a plate of food and I’ll come sit with you until they wake up.”
She cocked her head, considering. Scanning him with that moonlight gaze. “That’s not necessary. I can hang out by myself. I don’t want to break my Wordle streak.”
“Well, would you mind? It just doesn’t feel right, being Thanksgiving and all.”
After more thought, she nodded. “They probably won’t sleep too long, anyway. You know Bean. He’ll be up and ready for more trouble in no time. He’s really excited to see Danny and Teddy. They both are.”
The Cooper cousins. Billy loved it. No one could say he didn’t provide his boys with high-quality cousins. “I’ll be right out.”
“Okay. No rush.”
“What are you talking about? Wordle takes you about ten seconds.”
“My average is actually five seconds,” she corrected. “If only Wordle was a sport.”
“You’d be a superstar.”
“Yup, you could retire and I could support the family.”
He gave her a smile that came right from the bottom of his heart. Of all the things he appreciated about their post-divorce life, he loved the fact that she still called them a “family” the most.
She was a fool. Jenny knew better than to sit in a cozy dark car with her ex-husband, with their kids napping in the backseat. It was a complete violation of one of Jenna’s Rules for a Happy Divorce, which weren’t copyrighted but should be.
Do not allow yourself to feel attraction to your ex.
That was very hard to do when you were putting yourself in the exact same situation that had gotten them married in the first place. Teenagers in dark cars with raging hormones and lack of experience with protection, yup, she remembered that feeling all too well.
But she and Billy hadn’t had much chance to talk since the season had ended, so she resigned herself to some alone-time with her ex. She should be used to this after three years. But maybe she’d never really get used to it.
He was Billy Cooper, after all. She watched him emerge from Thomas’ farmhouse, his tall form backlit by the warm light from the kitchen, and sighed. Things would be so much freaking easier if she’d married someone less sexually potent. Every long and easy stride screamed both confidence and fun. Just the same as it ever was.
Block it out. Don’t let him get under your skin. You got this. You have to.
But he’s so damn sexy in his dress-for-dinner clothes. Those black pants hugging his thighs. That sweater clinging to his muscles like a coat of paint.
She could handle everyday Billy without blinking an eye. But Thanksgiving Billy was a whole different story.
She scrambled for Plan B. Another helpful technique was to remember all the things about their relationship that didn’t work, but she didn’t like to fall back on that one because it left her feeling peevish and grumpy. But a girl had to do what a girl had to do.
When he opened the car door, she whispered, fairly sharply, “Don’t spill anything, I just cleaned the car.”
“Really?”
With eyebrows raised, he glanced at the floorboards and kicked away the muffin wrapper she’d tossed there this morning. It had joined the junk mail she’d picked up from her father’s post office box and still hadn’t thrown away.
“Last year some time?” He asked the question mildly, as if testing her mood.
“I think it was June,” she admitted.
“I’ll take care of it for you. You should have told me.” He settled his plate on his lap and dug into the steaming plate of turkey and stuffing. Her mouth watered. Even though she’d eaten at the Hannigans’ house, they were vegetarian and had served lentil loaf as the main dish. Nothing against lentils—she made a damn good soup that the boys loved—but you couldn’t stuff a lentil loaf.
She inhaled the warm aroma, smelling mushrooms, sage, turkey juices. “You don’t have to clean my car.” The fact that she really, really wanted some of that stuffing gave an extra edge to her voice.
“I know. It’s just an offer. You can put it on the list now that I’m back.”
That was one of their post-divorce traditions. When the season ended, he came back to town and dealt with logistical shit like car repairs, house repairs, bike repairs, and any other tasks she could come up with.
“The list is already very long,” she warned him.
“Good. Keeps me out of trouble.”
She wished he hadn’t said that, because it reminded her of all the trouble he’d gotten into since she’d known him. He’d been such a wild and reckless kid when they’d gotten together. “Billy Club, staying out of trouble? I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“Believe it, baby. I didn’t go to a single club this season. The guys nearly staged an intervention.”
Whatever. Clubs were just a handy way to blow off steam. Women had a way of finding Billy no matter where he was. The contrast between her daily life of diaper changing and toddler-wrangling and his life of adoring fans and workouts had been impossible to reconcile. Add in some shady rumors and the fact that they were so damn young…and her lifelong struggle with anxiety…
She shook off her thoughts. Life was so much calmer in the divorced phase of their relationship. And she had to hand it to him—Billy made a rock-solid and reliable ex-husband.
“Really? I’m surprised the clubs of the Twin Cities didn’t go out of business,” she said lightly, knowing he wouldn’t take offense. They’d always had fun teasing each other.
“You’re hungry, aren’t you? I can hear it in your voice.”
“I told you, I already ate at the Hannigans’.” Still, she couldn’t keep from eyeing his plate of food. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice.
“What’d they serve, kale salad?”
“No, don’t be silly. They went all out and made a lentil loaf. I think it was supposed to be in the shape of a turkey? But it was more of a brownish-greenish-grayish blob.”
They both laughed.