hesitation, “about what happened at the gym and . . . and a bunch of other stuff, but that’s not why I wanted to talk to you. The fact is, I’ve done my share of interrogating you—”
“Ya think?” Sarcasm crackled.
“And I’ve given you absolutely no time to get even—to counterinterrogate. Which leaves me knowing some stuff about you, but you knowing nearly nothing about me. And I can’t expect you to trust me if you don’t have any information to base it on, right?”
I frowned. “Who says I want to trust you?”
My question didn’t keep him from making his point. He’d apparently put some time into thinking it through and was intent on saying it all. “So I’ve got no right to ask you any more questions until you’ve had the chance to even things up.”
“Even things up.”
“Reverse the conversational blitzes.”
“I get to ask questions?”
He took a deep breath. “As many as you want.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
He clearly hadn’t anticipated that option. “Then I guess—”
“What’s the time limit?” I asked abruptly. It was a strange proposition, but I could see some potential there. Maybe I’d decide he really wasn’t very likable after all once I’d had my chance to question him.
He pondered it for a moment. “As long as you want.”
“Actually, I’m supposed to pick Shayla up at the Robinsons’ in a half hour, so . . .”
“So I guess you need to start firing.”
The waitress appeared with our cappuccinos and gave us odd looks, perhaps perceiving the hum of tension between us. We were being cordial, but our guards were up. Our conversation in the gym, as unfinished as it was, had left us both in a kind of limbo that made this tête-à-tête feel a little surreal. Yet there was something reassuring in the emotional distance. It made me feel less vulnerable. So I launched into my questioning, subdued but purposeful.
“Middle name.”
He raised an eyebrow as if saying, That’s the best you’ve got?
“I’m working up to the good stuff,” I said.
“Adam.”
“Place of birth.”
“Seattle.”
“Siblings.”
“One older sister. Two nephews, one niece.”
“So forthcoming.” I smiled sweetly.
“Keep going.” He had the focused look of an athlete before a game.
“Do you get along with her?”
“We do now.”
“You didn’t before?”
“I wasn’t always as lovable as I am now.” He grinned. “She’d tell you I was the worst brother who ever lived.”
I gave him a disapproving look. “What did you do to her?” We sisters had to stick up for each other.
“I threw all her bras into a tree outside her boyfriend’s house when she was fifteen and I was twelve. That’s the worst thing. I’ll spare you the snake and lizard stories.”
I rolled my eyes. Boys. “Education?” I was spitting out topics like a drill sergeant on steroids. It was kind of nice being in charge for a change.
“BA from MSU, master’s from U of O.”
“Oregon?”
“Yup.”
“Phys ed?”
“Educational leadership.”
“Impressive. Good student?”
“Terrible all the way through high school. Things picked up after my first year of college.”
“Why?”
“I like sports.”
“No kidding. Parents?”
“Mom is a Mary Kay sales phenomenon. She could sell lipstick to a monk. Dad owns a roofing business. Retires next year.”
“Were you supposed to take over the business from him?”
“That was the original plan. He figured out pretty fast that it wasn’t my thing.”
“How’d he take it?”
“I think it was probably hard at first, but he’s made his peace with it.”
“How long have you been at BFA?”
“This is my fourth year. I came for a year and was hooked after a month.”
“So you’re planning on sticking around for a while?”
“Until it’s time to move on.”
That gave me pause. “How will you know?”
“Not sure,” he smiled. “I think I’ll know it when it comes, though.”
“Got any friends here?”
“A men’s group—we meet for a Bible study every week. And a couple of the other coaches.”
“I don’t see you hanging out a lot.”
“We’re guys. We get together for a purpose; then we go home. Some of us are going skiing next weekend. Does that count?”
“Sure.”
“Come on—give me something a little harder.”
I looked at him like he had no idea what he was asking for.
“I’m a big boy. I can take it.”
Hey, who was I to resist a challenge? “Most memorable girlfriend.”
“Jeanie Bledsoe. Our braces got locked when I tried to kiss her.”
“That’ll teach ya.”
“It really didn’t.”
“Greatest personal flaw.”
He didn’t hesitate. “A short fuse.”
“Really?”
“It’s mostly under control, but if you’d known me when I was a kid . . .”
“So you’re over it?”
“Been to any basketball games?”
“Not yet.” But I’d heard some stories about the fiery coach.