Free Keeping Score by Regina Hart

“You must be getting back together.”
    “That’s it, Lena. We’re not having this conversation.” Marilyn offered Lena her hand to help her sit up. “I’m his wife, not his coach. It’s not my responsibility to explain his performance.”
    Lena held on to Marilyn. “Well, if you’re so concerned with my health, you’ll straighten up your marriage, Doc. Otherwise, I’ll have a heart attack, and that won’t be good for the baby.”
    Marilyn pinched the bridge of her nose. No one listened to her so why did she bother to say anything? The next time someone asked about her marriage, she’d just recite the stages of fetal gestation.
    She released Lena’s hand. “Take care of yourself, Lena. I’ll see you in two weeks.”
    Marilyn pulled the examination room door closed to give Lena privacy to get dressed. She then strode down the hall, past the nurses’ station to the desk she used during her shift. She lifted her backpack onto its surface.
    “Where’s Rick living these days?” Emma’s voice directly behind her startled Marilyn.
    She spun around, pressing her hand against her chest. “ Why are you sneaking up on people?”
    Emma wrinkled her nose. “Sorry. So where is he?”
    Marilyn dropped her hand and took a calming breath. “He’s home.” She turned back to her desk.
    “With you?” Emma sounded incredulous. She came around to search Marilyn’s face. “He said he was moving out.”
    Marilyn’s tense features eased into a wry smile as she relived Warrick’s homecoming. “He never actually said that. All he said was that I could move back in.”
    Emma dropped into the stiff green chair beside the desk. “He lied to you.”
    “No, he didn’t.” Why did she feel defensive?
    Emma rolled her eyes. “Lying by omission is still lying. But it doesn’t matter. You can move back in with me.”
    Marilyn settled in to the brown desk chair. “No, but thanks. The house is big enough for Rick and me to live together while we figure out what to do.” Warrick was right about that.
    Emma’s eyes widened. “You’re going to stay there with him? Suppose he puts the moves on you?”
    Marilyn frowned at Emma’s question. “He’s my husband. Besides, Rick’s a gentleman and I’m an adult. He won’t do anything that I don’t want him to do.”
    Emma’s lips thinned. “And what do you want him to do?”
    Marilyn deliberately misunderstood her friend’s question. “I want him to help me figure out what we should do.”
    “You know what he’s going to say.”
    Yes, she did. “Would that be so wrong?” Marilyn smoothed both palms over her hair, checking the clip that restrained the mass at her nape. “I didn’t even know who he was when we first met.”
    Emma crossed her legs and adjusted her red skirt over her knee. “That’s sad.”
    Marilyn shrugged. “He wasn’t famous at the time. A lot of people didn’t know who he was, including you. Then the Monarchs made the play-offs.”
    Emma pursed her lips. “Now his picture’s in all the papers and his game highlights are on all the television stations.”
    If Marilyn didn’t know better, she’d think her friend was jealous of her husband’s success.
    “Once the team made the play-offs, we couldn’t go anywhere without people recognizing him.” She spun her chair toward the desk. Her restless fingers released the fastenings on her backpack. “They stare at us when we go out to eat or pass him their movie tickets to autograph when we’re at the theaters. We’ve stopped going out.”
    Emma shook her head. “I couldn’t live like that. I’d feel like a prisoner in my own home.”
    So did she. Is that the way Warrick felt? Why hadn’t she ever asked him? “He always responds to the fans with good humor. But he can never relax. I can tell it puts a strain on him.”
    “I meant you.” Emma sighed. “If I were you, I’d hate not being able to go out without people harassing me and my husband. You get married so you can share your