Reese waves from inside a glass room. Kendrick swallows and averts his eyes while mumbling to himself.
Yeah, he’s got it bad.
I squeeze his shoulder. “Take it from me, don’t wait eighteen years to ask her out. She might be married by then with six kids and two dogs.”
Kendrick is quiet before he sighs. “It’s not like that between us. What you worried about me for anyway, Papa Smurf? You ever gonna make a move on Miriam?”
“Already did.”
It hasn’t registered that Miriam and I are together. There’s no title yet, but I want this if she does. Travel and these media commitments are a boil on my ass. It’s been impossible to stay in Buffalo for more than a day—two, if I’m lucky. Being away was never an issue when she was in Baltimore. I kept busy to pass the time and never had a reason to be home. Sheismy home. I’m not wasting any more time. I’m doing what I should’ve done years ago.
Hold on and never let go.
“Papa Smurf is in love.” Kendrick’s twists shake with his laugh. “It’s nice to see it finally happen. You two are a good look, for real.”
“To think we could double-date.” I fold my arms over my sweater and stop outside the room of our radio interview. “Why do you insist on hurting my feelings, Kenny?”
“Chill,” he groans. “She’s cool, but she—”
“Good, you’re still here!” Reese zips around the corner, panting. Her cheeks are pink against her maple complexion, which is covered in a thin layer of sweat. “We had a last-minute cancelation today, but that’s okay! I pulled some strings and confirmed another interview after this, with chicken wings. Possibly a dunk tank. We’ll end closer to nine, and I’ll have you two on a plane to Chicago before midnight. There’s one more change in the schedule.”
My brows furrow. “What?”
Reese bites her lip and glances at Kendrick. He lifts his hands. “Whatever you’re about to say doesn’t involve me.”
“It’s not bad news, but it will require a few adjustments,” she says, assuring no one. “We’d like for you to take on a few events on the west coast, after next week’s game against Utah.”
“Define ‘a few,’” I say.
“A late show, two podcasts, and another PSN in-studio. I can get you back to Buffalo on Wednesday.”
“That’s halfway into our bye week.” It’s also three days too many away from Miriam. “I want the first flight out on Tuesday after that game.”
“I’ll see what I can do. And I’ll work on a schedule for home games. It won’t be as hectic moving forward.”
“Appreciate you, Reese,” I say.
“No problem! Let me see ifThe Borough Squadis ready for us.”
The way today is going, I’ll be lucky to get ten minutes to call Miriam once she’s off work. Something will need to give.
All of this means nothing if it costs me her.
Chapter 40
Miriam
Time-out with a Lego set isn’t so bad, especially when you’re done adulting.
I’m not on punishment, but I’ve met my quota for talking and being around people over five feet tall. Hence my own exile to the quiet corner of my classroom that I use for sensory play. Decompressing is real, and building creates a flow state to channel stress.
Today was a lot—an aspirin and an animal tranquilizer to put me out of my misery kind of day. I also got a parking ticket three minutes after my meter expired!
The morning was a block of meetings I managed to survive from the corner of a cramped conference room with a large table, no windows, and a fan plugged in to circulate air between the bodies generating heat. Aanya called together food advocates, urban growers, block club leaders, and community members who could spare the time away from their jobs before we went to City Hall.
For years, there have been cries for Buffalo to use the thousands of vacant lots in its possession for public benefit.Most of that land is here on the East Side, unused and crawling with weeds.
What I learned from today’s meeting in Aanya’s office, which violated fire code, is that community nonprofits try to buy the lots but are hit with unaffordable market rates.
