Chapter 94 Bedding Your Best Friend's Mom?
The chain-link fence of the North End courts rattled as Mark banked a shot off the backboard, and the sound was a sharp, familiar crack that made the city noise feel like it was finally at a distance.
It was late afternoon, and the heat of the pavement was starting to give way to the coastal breeze, and Alex sat on the concrete bleachers with his elbows on his knees, watching the guys they had played with since they were teenagers.
There were no suits here, and there were no legal pads, there was just the smell of old rubber and the rhythmic thumping of the ball that felt like a pulse. They had come here to escape the Harrington board and the Vane lawyers, but as the game slowed down and the other players started to gather near the sidelines, Alex realized that the Community Use zoning wasn't the only thing the neighborhood was talking about.
"You look like you've been living in a freezer, Alex, I haven't seen you since the news broke about the safe house and the big audit," a guy named Chris said, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a jersey that was gray with age.
"I've been busy with the site transition, Chris, we're breaking ground on the clinic tomorrow and I had to make sure the permits were cleared," Alex replied, his voice was steady but he could feel the observant eyes of the group moving over him.
"We saw the footage of the studio fire, man, that was some heavy stuff, but the rumor mill says you weren't just protecting the firm, it says you're practically living at the Vane house now," another player added, he leaned against the fence and looked toward Mark, who was spinning the ball on his finger.
"The Vane house is the headquarters for the trust right now, it's the only place we could get the work done without the press breathing down our necks," Mark said, he didn't look up from the ball, his voice was flat and he sounded like he was talking about a weather report.
"Is that the only reason you're there, Alex? Because the internet says you and Sarah Hayes are a lot more than just business partners these days," Chris said, and a few of the other guys started to laugh, a low, nosy sound that made the hair on the back of Alex's neck stand up.
"I mean, isn't that Mark's mom? We all knew she was smart and she’s definitely a looker, but we didn't think a Harrington would be moving in on the neighborhood legend."
Alex felt the heat rise in his face, and he stood up from the bleachers with a sudden, authoritative movement that made the laughter stop instantly.
He didn't like the way they said her name, and he didn't like the way they were turning his relationship into a piece of gossip for the basketball court. He took a step toward Chris, his jaw locked and his eyes turning into that hard, cold steel that Sarah always recognized as the Harrington beast.
"You should keep her name out of your mouth if you're just looking for something to talk about while you're waiting for your next game," Alex said, his voice was a low vibration of pure, concentrated anger.
"Relax, man, we're just talking, it's a small neighborhood and everybody is curious about how a guy like you ends up with a woman like her," Chris said, but he stepped back a half-pace, realizing he had pushed a button that he didn't know how to turn off.
"It's not your business, and it's not a conversation for the courts, so either play the next game or get out of the way," Alex told him, his hands were balled into fists at his sides and he looked like he was ready to dismantle the fence with his bare hands.
Mark walked over then, he didn't look angry and he didn't look like he was ready for a fight, he just dribbled the ball once and looked at the group of guys with a look of total, quiet boredom. He didn't treat them like enemies, he treated them like they were the odd ones for even caring about the topic, and his smart, blunt nature made the whole group look foolish in a matter of seconds.
"I don't get it, Chris, do you guys not have your own lives to worry about? My mom is an architect, she’s rebuilding the studio, and Alex is the guy making sure things are running smoothly," Mark said, his voice was calm and he looked at the guys as if they were children who had just asked a stupid question.
"The fact that they’re together is the least interesting thing happening in the city right now, so why are you acting like you just found out the earth is round?"
"We just thought it was a bit weird, you know, the age gap and the fact that you guys are best friends," one of the guys muttered, he looked at the ground, his confidence totally gone under Mark's stare.
"It's only weird if you spend your day thinking about other people's bedrooms instead of your own game, so why don't you go find something else to gossip about before you lose the court to the middle schoolers," Mark told them, and he turned his back on them as if they didn't exist anymore.
The group of guys scattered back to the other end of the court, their chatter dying down into a few embarrassed whispers, and Alex felt the tension in his shoulders slowly start to bleed away. He looked at Mark, who was already back at the free-throw line, and he realized that the kid he had grown up with was now a man who could handle a room—or a basketball court—with more ease than Richard Harrington ever had.
"You need to calm down, Alex, you can't go around punching every guy in the North End who reads the news," Mark said, he shot the ball and watched it swish through the net before he looked back at his friend.
"I don't like them talking about her like she's a trophy or a scandal, Mark, she deserves more respect than that," Alex said, he sat back down on the bleachers and let out a long, heavy breath.
"I know she does, and she gets it from the people who actually matter, but you have to realize that this part was always factored in when you fell in love with a woman who is much older than you," Mark said, he walked over and sat down next to him, and he said it in a light-hearted way that didn't feel like a lecture. "People are going to talk because they're bored and because you guys are the biggest story in the district, so you might as well get used to the noise."
"I'm not going to get used to it, but I'll try not to start a riot next time," Alex replied, a small smile finally breaking through his anger.
"Good, because my mom would be the one who has to bail you out, and she’s already got enough paperwork on her desk," Mark joked, he stood up and tossed the ball to Alex. "Let's go, the sun is going down and I want to see if Sarah finished the lighting specs for the clinic."
They walked out of the courts and back toward the car, the evening air feeling cool and restorative on their skin. The conversation about Sarah had been handled, and the nosy peers had been put in their place, and for a moment, the world felt simple again.