Simple Kind of Life

Avery scanned the dim bar, feeling very out of place. This was definitely not her pace. Barbies, ballet classes, and Phineas and Ferb were more her style. Even in her youth, bars were never her scene. But she sucked it up and followed Jeff through the club.

They approached familiar faces sitting at a few tables and were greeted warmly. Avery liked their laid back personalities, making it hard to believe they were professional athletes. They had already ordered beers and a round of shots so Jeff went to the bar to get something for himself and Avery.

"So we've been seeing a lot of you recently, Av. What's the deal?" Scott asked before taking a swig of his beer.

"Yeah, is it official yet?" Claude chimed in, a sly grin on his face.

Avery shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed from being the center of their attention.

"You'll have to ask him."

The group laughed simultaneously.

"You sound just like him. He won't give up any details either." Mike added, shaking his head. Their fascination with her made Avery a little uncomfortable, but she kept a smile on her face anyway.

Jeff returned and handed Avery a drink before sitting down next to her. He slid his arm behind her chair, grazing her back. Peering over at her, he gave Avery a random smile then squeezed her shoulder before joining the conversation with his teammates.

The group had a few more rounds before deciding to move on to a new bar down the street. Mike and Dan were particularly excited because this bar had karaoke.

"You know they're trashed when they want to get up in front of a crowd and sing Journey songs." Cam commented casually as the two lone females trailed behind the group of men on their trek to the next location.

Avery chuckled and nodded. "Bunch of lightweights."

"My favorite part of going out with them is staying sober and watching the madness unfold."

They shared a grin, being they were both designated drivers that night.

"So how's it going with Jeff?" Cam asked after a short silence.

Avery shrugged. "Everyone is very interested in that."

Cam nodded. "Yeah. I've known Jeff for a little over a year now and he's never brought a girl around. If I haven't seen girls making the walk of shame with my own eyes, I would think he was a closeted homosexual."

Avery didn't know if she should be honored or disgusted. "Well, it's going alright. It's kind of undefined."

"Do you want to define it?"

Avery shrugged. "I don't know yet."

"Well he definitely likes you, if it's any indication."

A grin swarmed the woman's face. "You think?"

"Yeah. You're not locker room fodder like the other girls. He doesn't talk about you like you're some fuck toy."

Avery laughed at the girl's trucker mouth. "I guess that's good. He's been with a lot of girls, huh?"

Cam shrugged. "No more than anyone else. All the guys whore around. It's just the nature of this lifestyle. Mike used to be that way too."

"How'd you deal with it?"

Cam shoved her hands in her jeans pockets. "You have to let it go. We all have a past, I just had to learn to accept Mike's. The hardest part was always the flirting. Girls don't care, they'll hit on the guys whether they're single or not."

"I don't know if I could handle that, especially since Jeff is such a flirt."

"Jeff just likes the attention. He'll flirt with any girl just for a reaction. It doesn't mean anything. Hell, he used to hit on me all the time, even during practice."

Avery chuckled. She could imagine him being so shameless. "Did you ever think about giving in?"

Cam hesitated before turning very serious. "This never gets repeated, OK?" Avery nodded. "I may have entertained the idea once."

"It was that cute ass of his, wasn't it?"

"It is pretty tempting." The girls shared a laugh. "But I knew he wasn't really genuine."

"And then Mike came along."

Cam grinned widely. "Yep."

Avery found it adorable how Cam gushed about her boyfriend. She got the impression that things between them were more serious than Avery previously thought. It was clear that Cam loved him, showing a softer side of the gruff goalie.

"Are we bonding right now?"Avery asked, amusement on her face. Cam rolled her eyes.

"Don't push it, Av."

"Admit it, you're thinking about liking me."

"I never disliked you. I was concerned about Jeff. That's different."

"Was?"

Cam sighed. "OK, OK, I'll admit it. You're alright. Happy?"

"Very."

********************************************************************************************************

Long after the karaoke session, Avery cheeks still ached from laughter. It amazed her how a couple of drinks turned the group of manly hockey players into a bunch of drunken song birds. Sometime around 3am, Avery drove Jeff home. With his long arm slung around her shoulder, he wobbled up to his apartment. She guided him to his bed and gave him a light push, making him plop against the mattress. He grabbed her hand, pulling her down with him.

"Stay over." He mumbled, peering at her with heavily lidded eyes.

"You're drunk."

"You're sexy."

It was a tempting offer. She was tired and didn't feel like making the 45 minute drive home. There was also the added bonus of Lili sleeping over her grandmother's house and Aaron staying with a friend.

Avery kicked off her heels and slid out of her dress for the second time that night. It took Jeff awhile to clumsily disrobe, but once he was finished, he pulled the woman against him. She loved how his flushed skin burned against hers.

It wasn't long before Jeff's chest rose and fell rhythmically accompanied by a light snore. Avery relaxed and settled into his body, placing her head on his chest and throwing an arm over his torso.

Avery slept well and began to stir when she felt Jeff moving under her limb.

"Hi." He whispered, rubbing at his blood shot eyes.

"How you feeling?" She asked with a slight grin. She could tell by the pallor of his skin and the bags under his eyes that he was feeling the effects of the night before.

"Like shit." He ruffled his bleached hair and sat up. "You want breakfast?"

Avery peered at the time on his alarm clock. “It’s 11:30.”

He gave her a small smirk. "Denny’s serves breakfast all day.”

As much as she wanted to stick around, she needed to pick up her daughter from Cruz.

"I can't. I have to get Lili from her grandma's house."

"Bring her. She's gotta eat, right?"

Avery shrugged. "I guess."

Jeff showered quickly and took Avery home to get changed before heading to Cruz’s house.

“So you’re still close with his mother?” He asked, watching her carefully as she drove.

“She’s helped me through a lot, she’s a like mother to me.”

Jeff nodded as he reached for the radio dials and flipped through the stations. “She doesn’t have a problem with you seeing other people?”

Avery felt her muscles tense while she gripped the steering wheel. “She doesn’t know.”

“And I’m guessing James doesn’t know either.”

The woman peered over at him briefly, not seeing much emotion on his face. She couldn’t tell if he was angry, hurt, or anything.

“No, he doesn’t. Is that OK with you?” She asked, a soft tone to her voice. Even though she felt like it was none of James’ business, she did intend to tell him eventually. Her husband had come back into her life so suddenly, she couldn’t gauge how stable he truly was. And even though their marriage was over, she didn’t want to derail him from his sobriety. She silently hoped Jeff would understand.

“I guess. It’s your call if you’re gonna tell him or not.”

“Thank you.” She said sincerely, reaching over and squeezing his knee gently. He slipped his hand over hers, holding it and making her grin.

Avery maneuvered the car into the driveway of a small suburban home and threw the gear into park. She left Jeff in the car and trekked up the pavement to the front door and brought her fist to the wooden entrance. Cruz answered, a smile upon her face.

“Hey mija.” She pulled the younger woman into a warm hug, consuming her. Cruz always gave tight, long hugs, like she hadn’t seen that person in years. Avery loved that about her.

“Is Squeaks ready?” Cruz stepped aside and allowed her daughter-in-law inside. The house had a sweet aroma, hinting that Cruz had been busy in the kitchen.

“She’s just washing up.”

“You’ve been baking.” Avery commented, a smile on her face.

Cruz nodded. “Well I had to take advantage of the extra help.”

As if on cue, the little girl emerged from the kitchen, wiping her wet hands on her jeans.

“We made empanamas, mommy.”

“Empanadas, nieta.” Cruz corrected, affectionately ruffling the girl’s wavy hair.

Lili giggled. “That’s what I said.”

“You ready to go?” Avery asked. “Grandma’s got her errands to run.” And by errands, she meant hitting up the casino with her friends. Everyone has their one vice and the slot machines were Cruz’s.

“My bag is upstairs. I’ll be back.” She turned and ran back up the steps to the second level of the house while Avery followed Cruz into the kitchen. Warm empanadas were cooling on counter, calling out to Avery. The pasty was one of her favorite treats and no one made them better than her mother-in-law. Cruz grabbed a paper plate and began stacking the dessert on it.

“I hope you made some cherry ones.” Cruz smirked as she handed the pasty to Avery. The older woman didn’t care for cherry filling, but she always made a few of them for Avery. They were so buttery and sweet, it practically melted in her mouth.

“So, who’s the guero sitting in your car?” The question caught Avery off guard, making her stop nibbling on the empanada. She had hoped the woman didn’t notice the passenger, but of course she did. Cruz was very observant.

“He’s a friend.”

Cruz nodded as she wrapped the plate of pastries in tin foil. “How long have you been seeing him?”

Avery sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to get out of this conversation. “Since early summer. It’s nothing serious.”

“Does Jamie know?”

Avery shook her head. “No. And I’d like to keep it that way until I know he’s OK.” She pushed some hair from her forehead. “Besides, I have no idea where things are going with Jeff. I’d rather not bring him into this if it’s just a fling.”

Cruz handed her the plate of dessert. Avery could sense she was not happy about the situation. “I think you’re right not to say anything, but please be careful with my son. He still loves y-”

“C’mon Cruz. Don’t make this harder than it has to be. It’s over. He knows it.”

“I’m ready.” Lili announced as she entered the kitchen. The child’s smile melted when she saw the women’s expressions and sensed the tension between them, but she didn’t acknowledge it.

Avery snapped back to being civil for the sake of her daughter. “Say thank you to grandma for the sleepover.”

The woman and child hugged. “Thank you for having me.” Liliana said politely before giving her grandmother a kiss on the cheek. Avery thanked Cruz for watching her daughter and for the empanadas. Despite the warm goodbye, Avery knew the conversation was far from over.

“Jeff!” Lili hurried down the driveway toward the car when she noticed the male sitting in the passenger’s seat. Avery caught up with the child and scooped her up to place her in the car seat.

“You hungry, Lil?” He asked, earning a head nod from the child. “Good, cuz we’re going out for lunch.” Liliana seemed happy at the idea and began chattering about where she wanted to go. Avery slid into the driver’s seat and handed the plate of treats to Jeff.

“They’re empanadas.” She answered the confused look on his face.

“Like from Taco Bell?”

Avery laughed. “No, those are garbage. These are heaven.” He dug one out and bit into it, humming his approval.

“So did you have a nice time at Grandma’s, Squeaks?” Avery asked, looking at the child in the rearview mirror as she started the car engine.

“Why do you call her that?” Jeff asked, empanada rolling around in his mouth.

“When I was a baby and I would cry, daddy said I sound just like a squeaky dog toy.” Lili answered.

“The name stuck.” Avery concluded, grinning at the man as he took another huge bite of the pastry. Red filling oozed out of the corners of his mouth, making Lili laugh.

“You’re gonna spoil your lunch.” The child warned, repeating a phase that Avery always said to her daughter. It was eerie how similar the two females sounded.

“No I won’t. I’m a growing boy, I need to eat.”

The trio arrived at a small diner, much to Lili’s dismay. She had been campaigning for Chuck-E-Cheese, but Avery didn’t have the strength to deal with other screaming children. Once crayons and paper had been delivered to her by the waitress, her discontent seemed to dissipate.

“I was thinking, maybe you guys could come to a game.” Jeff said out of nowhere. Avery peered at him from over her menu.

“A game?” She repeated, raising an eyebrow at him.

He nodded. “Ya know, a hockey game. Played by my team. You’d look good in orange.”

“I don’t know-”

“It would be fun. Bring Aaron along. Angie too, if you want. I can get you tickets.” The idea sounded nice, but Avery couldn’t picture Lili sitting through a sporting event. She also knew Philly fans could get a little rowdy.

“I wanna go. Mommy, can we go?” Lili looked up at her mother, lightly tugging on her sleeve.

“Yeah mommy, can we go?” Jeff mimicked the child’s pouty face, making Avery crack a slight grin.

“You guys are unfair,” She muttered as she shook her head. “OK, I guess we can go.”

Jeff reached his long arm across the table and high fived the little girl. Avery had a feeling these two would be partners in crime and she stood no chance against them.