Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 122514 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122514 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
“You said yourself that you need to reconnect with people. Janet’s the glue in the group. She’s the only one who talks to everyone else, besides me. If you want to convey a message to the group or an apology, it’s smart to go see her.”
That made my decision. The words apology and message were enough. “You know, now that I’m remembering, I had a call from my last boss. She wanted me to come back and see her. Maybe I could get my job back.”
“You’re lying.”
I was. I didn’t care. “Have you really never heard Janet talk shit about people? You do know that’s what she does.”
“She’s not that bad.”
“Because you’re a guy. She loves you. With girls, it’s another thing. She’ll talk shit about who you’re dating, but she won’t talk shit about you. If you have a vagina, you’re fair game to her.”
My phone buzzed, and pulling away from my ear, I saw a text.
Reese: Just landed. Coach said we’re doing lunch there. I brought you a shirt from the airport.
“Hold on a second, Trent.”
Me: What airport?
Reese: Congratulations. It says you’ve visited New York.
Me: Always wanted to be a New Yorker. One second. On the phone.
He buzzed through again, but I was speaking once more. “Hey.”
Trent’s voice twisted. “So you’re going to lie and avoid more camp people?”
I sighed. “Janet and I were never close. And you don’t get it. You don’t know what I went through…”
“Because you won’t tell me. I’ve been gone for two weeks, and you’ve not once called or even texted. I thought you wanted to change, reconnect with the group, but you’re still avoiding us.”
I tried to be gentle. “Look, seeing you, coming here, reconnecting with Owen, Hadley, Grant, and you—that’s been huge for me. And it’s all I can handle right now.”
I didn’t get why he was upset. When he’d gone through his divorce—the main reason he’d become a motivational speaker—Janet had ripped his ex to shreds. I mean, that’d been around the time I began leaving the group, but I’d seen the emails. She’d been vicious. Yeah, she’d been talking about his ex-wife, but Trent had loved her and married her. I knew he wouldn’t have been okay with what she was saying.
He was silent, and I didn’t know what else to say. “Maybe we can talk more when you get here? When do you arrive?”
“I’ll be coming in tomorrow evening. You’ll be free?”
“Depends on the time, but should be. I’m usually at the courts till I close down.”
“Okay. I’ll let you know when I’m supposed to arrive. Maybe we could go somewhere to talk?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
I frowned as we hung up. The whole conversation had been odd, not really Trent-esque, but I decided to stop thinking about it. I’d just hear what he had to say tomorrow night. Until then, I stood and turned toward my cabin.
Grab and dash. Don’t breathe.
I ran inside, and I swear the smell had worsened again. After grabbing pants, I had just enough time to grab the bag Reese originally packed for me. I had to gasp once, and I almost threw up. This cabin really did need to be condemned.
Thanks, Keith. Boss of the year.
I’d just deposited everything in Reese’s cabin when my phone buzzed again.
Reese: At a gas station. You need anything?
Me: Booze allowed?
Reese: Done. Wine coolers?
I laughed.
Me: How about we do shots your last night here?
I waited, but there was a second before he texted back.
Reese: Shit. Just asked. Our last two preseason games are back home. We leave in three days.
I knew. And I tried to ignore how my stomach shriveled at the thought. Three days. Or more like two days. That’s how much time I had with Reese.
Reese: I bought a bottle of vodka.
Vodka it would be then.
Me: Always wanted to be half-Russian.
He didn’t respond, so I tucked my phone away and spent some time on my laptop. I needed to find a few jobs to apply for, maybe email someone about my apartment. Reese had his own Wi-Fi, and he’d left it behind, so I plugged that in. The camp’s internet sucked. Since I’d be out of a job again in a few days, I figured it was time I headed back home to face the music.
If I didn’t have any money coming in, I’d need to make some moves. New apartment, or gasp, make the dreaded call to see if I could bunk in my old room at my parents’ house. Damian and I had broken up once before, and I had asked if I could move back home. My mom said I could stay for the summer, but I’d have to pay rent. Damian and I had gotten back together three hours later, so I’d never had to deal with her offer. Now things were different.
I had less money. Most of it had been used paying Damian’s medical bills until his parents got involved, but no one knew. How do you tell family and friends that the person you thought was going to be your husband needed to put a note in the bathroom to remind him to brush his teeth? How do you do that and not have them look at your loved one in pity or look down on him? Because keeping your dignity is a thing. Sometimes it’s the last thing you have in situations like that, and you might be surprised by how far you’d go to preserve a thing called pride.