I’d walked out into the main room of the box, I’d looked for opportunities to introduce myself and join some conversation. But it seemed that everyone was already focused on her own social circle, and no one as much as caught my eye.
That was why I was standing here by the bar, pretending like this was where I wanted to stand and observe.
“This is your first time, isn’t it?” The bartender grinned at me. “You have that deer in the headlights look that women get when they haven’t been here before.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Is it that obvious? Damn. I need to work on my game face, I guess.”
“Nah.” He shook his head as he wiped a glass. “I just happen to be familiar with the way things work in this world.” He inclined his head toward a large group of women standing together, all of them in animated and loud conversation. “Those ladies there? Their husbands are the defensive line. They’re the ones who run the show up here. I’ve seen it shift and change over the years I’ve been here, but right now, the QB is a single man. He doesn’t have a wife to kind of take control and organize the wives. So the ones who have been part of this team the longest are filling that void.”
“You make it sound like a wildlife documentary,” I giggled, sipping my wine. “Like you’re the cameraman, watching the jaguar about to pounce on the wildebeest.”
“Or it makes me sound like a creeper, watching these women too closely.” He shook his head. “I’m not, by the way. I’m just someone who happens to be observant, and I log a lot of hours behind this bar. When that happens, I notice things.” He reached for my glass. “Another pinot Grigio?”
I hesitated. The first two glasses had gone down way too easily. I didn’t want to get tipsy and embarrass myself, Noah’s parents and Noah himself. On the other hand, I couldn’t imagine standing here without something in my hand.
“Sure. Please.” I promised myself that this time, I’d sip it slowly and make it last.
The bartender poured my refill and handed me back the goblet, while I slipped a five-dollar bill into his tip jar.
“Thanks.” He nodded at me. “So, are you a girlfriend? Did you just start dating one of the guys?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m just a very good friend of one of the guys. He knows I love the game, and he was nice enough to invite me tonight.” I glanced around. “I’m soaking up the VIP ambiance, because I’ll probably never be here again.”
“Ah. Okay.” The bartender nodded. I thought he was about to say something else, but at that moment, the pack of women migrated over toward the bar, chattering away. They began to call out orders.
One of the ladies standing at the corner closest to me spared me a glance and then did a double-take, her eyes narrowing as she looked me up and down.
“Hey, there. Are you . . . who are you here with?”
I squared my shoulders and toned up my smile. “Hi. I’m a friend of Noah Spencer. I’m just waiting for his mom and dad to get here.” I’d decided beforehand that I wanted to associate myself with Noah’s family as much as possible, so no one would find my presence suspect. I hoped anyone who wondered would assume I was a friend of the family.
“Oh. Noah.” Her blonde head moved up and down. “And you’re . . . his friend.” Her words might have been innocuous, but her voice left no doubt about her skepticism. It was annoying as hell.
“Yes.” I skewered her with a laser glare. “Actually, we met when I was working to help his wife Angela fight leukemia. I’m a doctor at the hospital where she was treated.” I had no intention of explaining the role of a naturopath, not right now, not to this chick.
“Oh, my God. Angela.” She pressed her fingertips, complete with long, bright red nails, to her lips, which were carefully painted with a matching color. “We were all just devastated when we found out what was going on. We didn’t know what had happened, but there were rumors. All we knew was that she was gone. She didn’t show up for games, or our charity events or our wives’ meetings. None of us could imagine why. And then when we found out . . . well, we felt horrible. We couldn’t believe