Jane and I have started to fall into an almost symbiotic rhythm at the office. I tell her what I’m working on and without me even having to ask, she starts working on assignments to support me.
If I’m talking to the builder about supply figures, she double checks behind me by searching our records for previous orders. If I say that it’s almost time for Coop’s lunch, she’s already pulled out a couple of menus from restaurants that he hasn’t eaten at in the last two weeks.
She even has the ratio of his protein smoothie down. He drinks it every morning and it has to be just right. Two scoops of protein powder, one large scoop of peanut butter, one banana, toss a few chia seeds in, eyeball the almond milk and then blend.
She also doesn’t miss a beat.
She notices almost immediately that there’s something not quite right between me and Coop. He walks by and barely says two words to us.
“Is Mr. Barnes in a bad mood today?” she asks. Her voice low.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” I say pursing my lips. “It’s none of my concern.”
“Well I guess it’s just as well. You only have one more week do deal with his mood swings. I bet you’re excited. Not about his mood swings but about embarking on a new chapter of your life.”
“Totally,” I deadpan.
* * *
I reconsidered going to training camp about thirty times before I finally came to the big girl conclusion that I wasn’t going to avoid Coop any longer. I did nothing wrong.
I’m going to continue to do my job to the best of my ability until the very last day, and if he doesn’t want to admit to the obvious truth of our converged pasts, then I’m not going to push him.
Maybe I did more harm than good revealing to him that I know he’s the wolf. Maybe I brought up memories that he doesn’t want to own or rather forget.
“Hi, Ursula.”
“Hey, Jim.”
“You’re arriving a little late today.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it here.”
“Your guy looks like a beast out there today. He’s ripping the defense apart.”
“Is he now?”
I’ve decided that Jim and I are indeed friends. Dinner with him was no love connection, but it was nicer than I thought it would be. We talked about our favorite authors, our childhoods, and debated the finer points of Marvel Comics versus DC Comics. He’s a decent enough guy.
A guy, who once I told him about my accident as a kid, recognized that there were glaring similarities to an accident that Coop had as a kid. An accident that Coop has never talked about publicly or privately—at least to me. An accident that explains why he prefers having a driver rather than drive himself around in New York; why he probably distrusts most women, why he lost part of his hearing when he was a kid, and why he hired me—the most unqualified applicant in the pile.
I was totally floored after that conversation with Jim. Speechless. Dumbfounded. The man I’ve been working for all these years isn’t who I thought he was. He’s not a selfish, self-absorbed egomaniac. He’s not a spoiled, rich athlete. What he is…is an enigma.
While only a child himself, he bravely pulled me out of a car wreck. Then as an adult, he clearly hired meonpurpose. He did things that seem so out of character for the person that I thought I’d been working for. The question is why did he do these things for me? Of course at this rate, I’m not sure I’ll ever learn those answers. Coop seems quite determined not to tell me anything.
“I think he might hurt himself or one of his own teammates if he keeps it up at this rate,” Jim comments.
“They’ll be fine. It’s just Coop being Coop.”
I cue up my playlist of Earth, Wind and Fire to take my mind off of what’s going down on the field. Coop definitely seems like he’s on a self-destructive warpath today, but unfortunately there isn’t much that I can do about it. I don’t know why he’s so worked up anyway. All I wanted to do was thank him.
Jim takes the seat next to me and leans across me to extend a handshake to Jane who’s sitting on the other side of me.
“Hi, we haven’t formally met, but I’ve seen you here a couple of times and wondered who you were. My name is Jim McKinney, and I work forThe Examiner.”
Oops, did I not introduce them to each other? They’d actually make a cute couple.
“Pleased to meet you, Jim. I’m Jane Perez. Mr. Barnes new assistant.”
