she had breathed deeply. Twice. It didn’t help much, but the pause said plenty.
“What are you asking, Marsh? Do you think I’m pumping Bay for news about you and his mother? Maybe I’ve been asking him where his mother sleeps at night?”
“It sounded that way.”
“I’m in charge of the youth camp. I talk to the kids. They talk to me. They tell me all sorts of things without my asking questions. Today one girl told me her grandmother died yesterday. It’s not the kind of thing I’d ever think to ask, is it?”
“I doubt you were having a relationship with the little girl’s grandmother.”
Anger shot through her. It shot through tingling fingers that yearned to slap him and vibrated through her knees. Most of all, it resonated in her voice. “You’ve overstayed your welcome.”
His shoulders drooped just a fraction. “Yeah, maybe.”
“For the record, Bay told me he was going to practice extra hard this morning so he would get another home run. Then he said, without a bit of prompting, that Sylvia promised him pizza if he did.”
“Damn.” He brushed a lock of hair off his forehead, which was good, because until he had attacked her, she’d been itching to do it herself.
“If it’s important to you, Marsh, I’ll distance myself from your son the same way I’ve distanced myself from you. But I’m not going to push him away if he comes to me. I have a job, and being available to the kids is part of it.”
“I’m sorry. I know that. The two of you are fond of each other. He talks about you a lot.”
She imagined that infuriated Sylvia. Or maybe Bay was smart enough to know when it was best not to mention Tracy. Because the last thing the kid wanted was to make his mother angry.
“You and I don’t seem capable of having a pleasant conversation anymore.” She looked beyond him to the doorway, but nobody was there. She hoped Sylvia was outside with her son, but judging by Marsh’s response, that was not the case.
“I wanted to see how you’re doing.” He paused. “I miss you.”
“It doesn’t show.”
“I’ll never look back on these weeks as among the finest in my life.”
“Then send Sylvia packing.”
“You know I can’t.”
“You know what? I don’t know. You say you’re putting up with her so she’ll get to know Bay and maybe become a better mother. Well, where are the signs it’s working? She’s not here to see his game. Even if he makes a home run, how will she know? How will she measure whether he’s finally good enough at something to rate pizza for dinner?”
The sound of her voice hadn’t even died before she realized she had blown it. She was talking about Sylvia, not about them. By doing so, she had given Sylvia the upper hand, and now Marsh would have to defend both himself and his ex, because that’s what people under attack always did. And in defending Sylvia, he would be drawing closer to her. It was a foolish strategy, no matter how good it had felt to utter the words.
“Stop!” She held up her hand. “Don’t say a thing. It’s none of my business. Bay’s not my kid. He’s yours, and he’s hers. And I don’t want to be in the middle. Put her name on your deed. Give her a gold-plated key to your front door. It’s up to you. I don’t know why we’re talking about it.”
He didn’t speak for a moment, but he clenched his jaw, and his gaze seemed to drill holes everywhere it landed.
“How’s CJ?” he asked at last. “I hear he’s still in town.”
“He is. And I’ll ask how he is when I see him tonight.”
“So while my little family’s off having pizza, you and CJ will be hanging out together?”
“Henrietta Claiborne invited us on a dinner cruise. She and CJ are old friends.”
“Edward Statler, Henrietta Claiborne… When’s the governor flying in to pay homage?”
She knew better than to defend CJ, but she knew a lot of things, and how much impact was that having?
“He’s the kind of man who makes friends easily,” she said. “CJ’s fun to be around.”
“A friendly felon. It has a certain ring.”
“His conviction was overturned, so he’s not a felon, and he seems to be trying to put a life together for himself. In the meantime, he’s been a big help to me.”
“Oh, good. That’s a relief.”
She ignored the sarcasm. “He has a lot of skills, and I see no reason not