“Yeah, I’m coming.”
Since the furniture in her apartment is owned by the school, there is less to move than we expected. Mike tackles most of the boxes, only needing me when he can’t manage to move two huge containers of hardback books and binders by himself. I’m sure those books are stuffed full of legal jargon I couldn’t pronounce if my life depended on it. The heavy buggers are an unwelcome reminder of exactly how out of my league this woman is, and the dull ache in my elbow is an unpleasant reminder about why my career is coming to an end. I try not to dwell on either of those facts as we toss the remaining trash bags and laundry baskets filled with clothes and blankets into the back of the truck. We cover all of it with a tarp so none of it ends up scattered on the highway.
Shelley rides between us on the bench seat, subtly pressing her thigh into mine the whole ride home until we pull into the parking lot of our complex. It takes less time to unload the boxes and carry them upstairs than it did to pack them, but by the time we’ve gotten all her things into her new apartment, which is only five doors down the hall from mine, we’re all ready to crash. At least this place was furnished, too, so we didn’t have to lug a couch up three flights of stairs.
This apartment is a mirror image of my own, except hers only has one bedroom. Otherwise, the open kitchen and livingroom look exactly the same, and the small hallway leads to her bedroom and bathroom.
Mike and I take a seat on her new furniture, and Shelley hands us each a bottle of water. She fans herself with one hand, her face splotchy from exertion. It conjures images of my favorite night in recent memory.
She groans. “Ugh. Not looking forward to doing that all over again in a few months. Maybe I should call your friend in the fall. What’s his name? Davis? Isn’t this what he does now?”
I huff out a small laugh. “Sort of the opposite. He throws things away for people. But if you call him in the fall, I’ll probably be the one answering anyway.”
“What does that mean?” Mike asks, setting down his water. He and Shelley both look at me with the same concerned gray eyes and questioning crease on their foreheads. Might as well tell them.
“I’m retiring after this season. I talked to Coach this week. Davis offered me a job.” I shrug, downplaying it. We’re all tired, and I don’t want to make this a big deal.
“Really? You sure?” Mike leans forward. When I nod, he clasps a hand on my shoulder and says, “I know the team will miss you.”
“You’re staying in North Bay, though?” Shelley confirms.
I nod at her, too. “It feels like home here,” I admit. The friends I’ve made in this town feel more like family than my actual blood. I don’t want to leave. I know Mike understands. He made the same choice to put down roots here.
He blows out a breath, “Wow. That’s a big change. Glad you’re sticking around. On or off the field, this town needs you.”
“Thanks, man.”
Then he turns his attention to his sister. “You good for the night, Shell? I have to head out. I’m on a flight to Seattlein the morning.” His eyes meet mine, sending a silent bro code signal to watch out for her. I nod at him one more time.
“I’m a big girl, I’ll be fine,” Shelley assures her brother. She thanks him for the help, and they say their goodbyes. As soon as the door closes behind him, she turns to me. “I seem to remember hearing something about a spanking.”
I shake my head. “Let me feed you first, you little horndog. Do you want some pizza? There’s a place in Marnock, the next town over, that delivers out this way.”
“That sounds great, but you are absolutely not buying this time. I forbid it.”
“Is that so?” I pull her onto my lap and tickle her ribs until she’s squealing and squirming. Little does she know, I have no plans to ever let her get away.
Chapter 26
Shelley
Since next year I’ll need to do my internship and gain work experience, this is probably the last official summer break I’ll have until I’m old enough to retire. And my new sister-in-law is insisting we use it to attend morning yoga.
If North Bay is going to be my home for the next few months, I want to make an effort to fit in with Danielle and her friends. So, even though I could be taking a rare opportunity to sleep in, I dutifully report to the parking lot of my apartment building at eight-thirty, wearing my leggings and a sports bra covered by a loose tank.
Danielle is already waiting. “You look amazing!” She cheerily starts a conversation as she bounces up to me. There’s a canvas tote bag on her arm and a metal water bottle in her hand. “Alice texted. She’s checking on something at the studio, but she’ll meet us over there. Regina said she might join us and bring her daughter, Emily.”
I groan, digging through my purse to produce my sunglasses, then sliding them on to protect myself from the brutal assault of early morning light. “Too early. Too many words. Not enough caffeine.”
“Not a morning person, I take it?”
“Didn’t get a lot of sleep,” I admit.
After we demolished a large pizza, Jordan insisted on staying late last night to help me unpack my boxes. By thetime he went back to his apartment, I was still buzzing with energy from the way his presence jolts every cell in my body to attention. I couldn’t sleep, so I stayed awake reliving our first night together, the video call where he read my email, then last night...
Danielle’s voice pulls me out of my daydream. “Oh? Mike said when he left yesterday Jordan was going to stay and help you unpack. Were you two working late?” she asks as she walks me to her book van.
“Um, yeah. I guess we lost track of time.” My eyes slide over to gauge if she read anything into that statement, but she only adjusts the radio dial and continues making small talk as we head into town.
