“I got the goalkeeper coach job at LSU.”
“She hit the big time. Division I. That’s my girl.” Lainey said proudly.
“Lainey is already a head coach at a very good school. I’m just on goalies,” Paige said humbly. “But it’s a step up for me, and it comes with more money, so we’re feeling pretty good.”
“Yeah. Plus, I’ve got a great recruiting class coming in next season, and the numbers I have to hit to get my bonus again are reasonable, so I think we’ll hit them.”
“Sorry? Bonus numbers?” Samara asked.
“You have your regular paycheck, but if you hit certain goals, there’s a bonus involved,” Lainey explained. “Last season, I got us over five hundred, meaning we won more than fifty percent of our games. The team hadn’t been great before I got them. Then, there’s a number of goals scored, getting to the playoffs, winning games in the playoffs, and so on. When we made it to the playoffs, I got a small bonus for that. We won the first game, and I got one there, too. We did lose after that, but it was enough for us to be able to afford the down payment on the house. Now, with Paige making moves, we’re set up to afford a decent honeymoon. We’ll probably just do a weeklong cruise or something and then start planning for adoption.”
“That’s amazing,” Samara replied.
“Dana?” Lainey said.
“Yeah?”
“Do you want to act at all happy for us?”
“Babe, she’s happy for us,” Paige said. “It’s just a lot to take in. We kind of dropped it on her all at once.”
“All the stuff she’s been asking us about for years now,” Lainey argued.
“Well,Ithink it’s great,” Samara said and snuggled into Dana’s side. “It sounds like you’re finally getting all the things you’ve wanted for a while.”
“Well, I’ve wantedfoodfor a while, but you all ordered without me, so now I can’t get a waiter over here to save my damn life,” Paige noted.
???
“So, hotel or your place?” Samara asked an hour later, when they were walking to Dana’s car.
“Sorry?” she asked.
“Do you want to stay at the hotel or your place? I think I have clothes at your place. Did I leave that T-shirt there? Do you remember?”
“Actually, do you mind if I drop you off at the hotel and head home?” Dana asked.
“I knew it,” Samara stated.
“Knew what?” Dana asked and stopped walking, which forced Samara to stop as well because they were holding hands.
“That you were freaking out in there.”
“I’m not freaking out,” she argued.
“Yes, you are. Your sister just announced, like, five big life changes, and you froze.”
“I didnotfreeze. I just didn’t expect her to tell me that she’d picked a wedding date that’s only four months away.”
“Andthat it’s basically planned already, so she doesn’t need your help; you just get to show up and celebrate with her.”
“Yes, that. I also didn’t know that my parents had found a place. I have been a little distracted recently, with you and work. My mom called a couple of times, and I called her back and left a message, but we haven’t connected in– Well, since you and I startedconnecting.”
Samara smiled before she looked around the relatively empty sidewalk and turned to her.
“I know it’s a lot, babe. But itdoesmean a few things.”
“Like what?”
