“Hullo Finlay. Would ye like tae come in?” I say dripping with sarcasm as I close the door.
“Sorry, she couldn’t be stopped. You know she scares me in this condition,” Tim says before crossing to Claire. “It’s really good to see you again.” He picks her up in a bear hug before putting her back on the floor.
“Tim, it’s wonderful to see you again.” Claire turns to my sister. “You must be Alex’s sister, Finlay. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She holds out her hand, but Finlay grabs her in a hug. “Have you eaten? We just ordered delivery, I’m sure I can order you something quickly.” After calling in their order, we all find a place to sit in the living room. Somehow, I’ve wound up with their son sitting on my lap playing.
I have to admit, we have a good time all evening. I yell at Finlay about whatever she passed on to Rory, she yells at me about not telling her about being scouted by Manchester City. Tim manages to tease me about my hair most of the night. We share the food, since ours arrived well before theirs. And throughout the entire evening I sit with a toddler on my lap, playing with his cars.
With promises from Fin to pick Claire up for lunch so they can talk about the foundation, we finally get them out of my apartment sometime around midnight. I am starting to drift off to sleep when I hear Claire whisper to me.
“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” I lie still for a moment, thinking about it.
“I’m naw nervous aboot the contract negotiation. Their original offer was three times whit I make now, Jack countered of course.”
I roll over until I’m facing her. “I’m nervous aboot everything that comes after. If this deal falls through, I still have another year on my current contract, so I’m naw worried aboot playing. But if it goes through, I’ll have tae move tae England in May tae be ready for the season. There’s a lot of training, publicity and other stuff tae work oot.”
“Whit I’m most nervous aboot though is ye’ve naw told me how ye feel aboot it. I can still turn this whole thing down if ye want tae stay in the States. Ye know I want ye tae go with me, but ye’ve naw told me yet whit ye want.”
“I know I want you to play for Man City,” she says without hesitation. “Alex, they’re the best. You have this amazing opportunity to become one of the best. I could never stay with you knowing I kept you from having everything you’ve worked for, everything you’ve always wanted. It’s been so quick, I don’t know how I feel about any of it yet, except I want you to take their offer.”
“But Claire, you dinnae get it.” I say, shaking my head. “I dinnae want tae be there if ye’re naw. This game willnae be worth playing withoot ye tae come home tae. I love ye, Claire Lloyd.” She looks at me a moment, her eyes shining with tears.
“I love you, Alex Ross. This will all work out. Get some sleep, you have a big day tomorrow.” I pull her into my chest, holding her to me until I hear her breathing even out.
Turning her loose so she can roll over, she prefers to sleep on her left side, I gently pull her to my chest as I drift off. As long as Claire loves me, I can learn to make all of this work out. As long as she loves me, I can truly have everything I’ve ever wanted.
11
Claire
“Oh for heaven’s sake, hold still.” I’m trying to fix Alex’s tie but he can’t seem to hold still. “You did have just one cup of coffee, right?” I tease him. I finally get the knot in his tie under control before smoothing down his hair again. “Tim will be here in five minutes to drive you.”
“Why? I’m perfectly capable of driving in this bloody country myself,” Alex grouses out.
“We both agreed that with so much on your mind this morning, it would only be a matter of time before you killed someone. Do you have everything you need?” I ask him, turning loose of his tie. Alex stops moving to grin at me.
“Ye’re like Mam on the first day of school. Ye know the nagging isnae supposed tae start until after we’re married, yeah?” I roll my eyes, pushing him toward the door. Right on time, the bell rings. Before Alex can jog down the steps behind Tim, I pull him to me for one last kiss.
“Go show them what you’re made of.” A slow smile spreads across his face before he bends for another kiss. I wave after them until the car turns the corner. I have half an hour to make myself presentable before Skyping my advisor.
I quickly run through the shower before slipping into a maxi dress that will look good for lunch with Finlay. I have to admit I was a little scared of meeting any of Alex’s family for the first time, but Finlay was fun. She has a way of making you feel comfortable that none of my family would ever be able to pull off.
At exactly noon, the doorbell rings again. When I open it, Finlay sweeps in.
“I’ve dropped the baby off at the church’s preschool, so I have until at least five tae run amok!” she announces. “Claire!,” she says, pulling me into a hug. “I need tae apologize tae ye.”
“Why?” I ask, extracting myself gently from her arms.
“First, for telling Rory, that big mouth, aboot yer personal business with my brother. It’s really naw one's business but yers. I think it just shocked us, he’s usually so very well behaved. Second, Tim tells me I can be a handful. I’m worried I was too much last night.” I smile at her. How can anyone dislike Finlay? I can already envision her torture of Alex growing up.
“Well, the… indiscretion in the library seems to have taken on a life of its own, so I don’t even worry about it anymore. Also, please don’t apologize for being you. My closest friend, Lily, is more than a handful and I wouldn’t want her to change one little bit. Now, where are we eating, I’m starving. Let the amok running begin!”
We settle on a cute little bistro by the ocean. It’s a warm, sunny day, so we made the decision to sit outside to enjoy the sun.
“Have ye heard anything yet?” Fin asks me for the tenth time when I check my phone.
“Not yet. Alex said it might be a while. I’ll let you know the minute he texts. It’s crazy that it takes this long, but I guess they have a lot to work out.” Our food arrives so we spend a few minutes in silence as we eat watching the waves.
“Did ye know Alex went tae boarding school in Glasgow?” Fin asks. I shake my head. He’s never mentioned this to me. “He lived with our older brother, George, while he was at uni. It must have been a real damper on George’s social life tae be responsible for his little brother.”
