Just for Fun by Rosalind James

a
partner.”
    “You want me to tell them they can’t bring their partners?”
    “Of course not,” Claudia put in hastily. “Not if they’re
married, or have a real girlfriend. But does every twenty-two-year-old have to
bring a date? I can understand inviting the senior players, anyway. But between
the Blues, and the Chiefs, and the All Blacks . . . “
    “They can bring whoever they want,” Nic said. “I’m not going
to quiz them on their bloody relationship status. I’ve played with some of those
blokes for four years now. They’re mates. Look. I gave you two hundred fifty
spots. I only have a hundred fifty. Use your two-fifty however you want, but my
teammates are invited. With any date they may want to bring. My list is
sorted.”
    He looked out the window again. Long Bay, he thought with
another inward sigh. He wouldn’t go so far this afternoon, of course. Wouldn’t
have time. He’d take an hour to walk the Narrow Neck shoreline, then sit with
his exercise book, quietly visualize everything he planned to do tonight. He’d
need the time anyway to put his mind right, after a couple hours of this. The
beach would have been so much better. Especially if there’d been a bit of fun
attached.
     
    The weekend chores could wait until tomorrow, Emma had
decided. This would be a special night for Zack anyway, his first Blues game,
so why not make the whole day fun? She hadn’t had any trouble talking Zack into
a trip to the beach, though she hadn’t been able to round up any adult
companionship.
    “I’ve had enough kids for one week,” Lucy had declared when
Emma had invited her along during their ferry ride home from their early-morning
gym class. “No offense, Em. You know I love my nephew. But I’m looking forward
to some serious adult entertainment this afternoon.”
    “Told you the thigh soreness would get better,” Emma said
with a smile.
    “Plus, Tom’s loving the new me,” Lucy said with
satisfaction. “Nothing like a bit of honest appreciation to get the motor
running.”
    “Not to mention the body confidence,” Emma pointed out. “That’s
probably not hurting either.”
    “True. I’m definitely getting more comfortable with the
lights on. And wearing what he likes, too.” Lucy stretched out a leg in its
spandex capris, pointed her toe. “Look, calf muscles.”
    “But you can’t have any body confidence issues,” she
continued. “No excuse there. So what’s the story with your love life?”
    Emma turned to look at the wake disappearing behind them as
the ferry sliced through the harbour toward Devonport. “My what? That fell
overboard a ways back, I’m afraid.”
    “Why? You used to date a fair amount, when you lived with me.”
    “I still do, some, but it isn’t much. Having to get someone
to mind Zack is part of it. But it seems like it’s getting tougher anyway. How
excited do you think most guys in their twenties are to go out with somebody
who has a six-year-old? A lot of them have barely moved out of their own
parents’ houses. They’re living in a flat with three other guys. Zack and I are
way outside their comfort zone.”
    “What about older guys, then?”
    “Yeah, they might be living in Grown-Up World. Though I
mostly know engineers these days. Bad enough if he’s going to be ten years
older than me. I don’t need him to be boring too.  I don’t need somebody else
who eats the same breakfast every morning, and thinks I’m flaky because my
kitchen table isn’t cleaned off.”
    “Lots of people eat the same breakfast every morning,” Lucy
objected. “I pretty much do.”
    “I like a little spontaneity. Sue me. David always had the
same exact three spoonfuls of plain yoghurt on his muesli. And then he’d take
this little knife, and slice his banana in half. Half a banana, every day. I
used to want to scream at him, just eat the whole frigging banana! Or, I don’t
know, get all wild and crazy and go for strawberries! I wanted to grab that
banana and