We share a laugh at our grandmother’s busy social calendar. She’s a hard lady to pin down these days.
“Promise you’ll come back soon?” I ask as I hug her around the middle.
“Promise. And we’ll FaceTime on Christmas Eve. Grandma is taking me to an early bird dinner and dance at her senior rec center.”
I laugh, then squeeze her tighter.
When we pull apart, she gives me a small, bittersweet smile, then looks past me to Travis. “I like him.”
“You mentioned that.” Several times in fact.
“I know, but I really like him. And I like him for you. And for me. Do you think he’ll let me drive his Rover next time I visit?”
I can’t do anything but laugh. I’m sure he would. I don’t think there’s a lot he wouldn’t do for her or for me.
She takes a step toward the airport doors, still facing me. “It’s going to be hard to put my all into a divorce party now that I’ve met him. Maybe you should just stay married.”
I roll my eyes like I haven’t had the same thought a dozen times this weekend. Being with Travis is easy in all the best ways and yet still exciting. He’s unpredictable but also steadfast and consistent. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know it won’t ever be easy to walk away from him.
On Wednesday, Travis is waiting for me in the parking lot when I walk out of the gym.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as he leans down to hug me. I’ve barely seen him this week. After Wren left Sunday morning, I spent the rest of the afternoon making up the training I missed to hang out with her.
Then Monday he had an away game, so I didn’t see him until last night but only for a few minutes because I got a job at a local kids’ gymnastics facility and started work.
It’s been a lot, juggling evenings on top of my training. I got the deposit back for my rental, plus saving on housing helps. Everly sent me some grants to apply for, and she booked me a one-day seminar teaching uneven bars. It’s all making a small difference, but it’s only keeping me treading water.
I’m so close. I can feel it. Working with Coach Rodier is paying off and I’m making so much more progress than I did with my previous coaches. I don’t want to give up now.
“Hoping you have the night free and will go out with me.” He pulls a bouquet of flowers I didn’t realize he was holding from behind his back.
“Thank you.” They’re carnations, I think. Purple and pink with a few white mixed in.
“Shep helped me pick those out so if they suck, it’s his fault.” His grin is sheepish. “I don’t know shit about flowers.”
“They’re perfect.”
“Roses seemed too cliché.”
“Roses are timeless, but I love these.” I let my hands drop to my stomach. “What did you have in mind?”
Instead of answering, he steps back and opens the passenger door of his Rover. “It’s a surprise.”
We swing by the house first so I can shower and change. I still have no idea where we’re going, but I put on a casual sweater dress and grab my coat. When we get back in his vehicle, Travis is giddy. He’s singing along with the radio, tapping his fingers on the wheel, and grinning nonstop. He’s so excited that it’s making me a little nervous about what he has planned.
Whatever I might have imagined, I’m not prepared when Travis turns off into a big grass parking lot. Some sort of theme park is barely visible in the distance.
“What is this?”
“The Moonshot Holiday Carnival. They put it on every year.”
As he parks, I stare out the window at the lights and rides. I spot a Ferris wheel and a cotton candy machine and more games and food trucks than I can count.
When I look back to Travis he’s smiling tentatively. “Did I do good?”
My head moves up and down as a thrill races through me. “So good.”
He pumps his fist into the air, then gets out and hurries around to help me. He doesn’t let go of my hand as we walk through the lot and into the carnival. The smell of hot dogs and cotton candy and the sounds of the rides whirring and electronic games beeping all take me back to happy memories from my childhood. Of Wren and I spending all our money on rides. She hated anything that spun in circles, and I hated anything that went up high in the air, but we rode everything together.
