Mikko grinned and blushed, and turned back to cooking bacon.
“You focus on this,” I told him. “On now. On you and me and Alan, and this dream we’re living. I want to go to the Olympics, and I want you there with me.”
“We might not?—”
“We will. Together. Now quit your job and get off the phone.”
“You’re sure.”
“Positive.”
“It’s scary. What if we don’t make it?”
“Then we’ll go home, you’ll get another job, I’ll go back to the café. Alan will—huh. Not sure what he’ll do, but I sure as hell hope he does it with us. It doesn’t matter. We’ll all do our best, and whatever happens, happens, but we do it full-on. Focused. No more distraction of your job or trying to make everything right for me.”
“It’s how we work.”
“It’s too much for you to be calm enough to do what you do, and try and be my balance and my executive function. Some things I have to do for myself as much as I can, and some things, Alan can help with.”
“He doesn’t get to take over fu?—”
I slapped my hand over his mouth and looked around the room.
“Ohmph.” He nodded and I moved my hand.
Perry unmuted the phone as he raised it up again. “Hey, Harve? I’m quitting. Do what you think you have to. I’ll be sending my resignation letter by registered mail later this afternoon, and you can contact my lawyer for whatever else you think you need from me.”
I took the phone from him before he could hang up. “Also, Harve, you decide what side of this you want to be on when interviewers ask who we want to thank for helping us get to the podium, and I tell them my mom-and-pop coffee shop supported us from the beginning. So. There’s that.” I handed Perry the phone back while he stared at me, horrified.
When he didn’t do anything, I leaned in and kissed him. Hard. “Someone has to stand up for you, babe.”
He nodded while I clamped a hand around the back of his neck and held his gaze. He put the phone to his ear once more to listen to the ranting on the other end of the line. “Yeah, Harve. I heard you. But since I have no outstanding assignments, and I know you have nothing new pending, you can consider this my two weeks’ notice. I’m sure there are plenty of draftspeople you can find to take my place, so good luck.” He hung up. “Talk to you never, asshole,” he grumbled as he shoved the phone into his pocket.
When I pulled him into a hug, he melted against me, and I felt his shaking.
A moment later, Robbie joined us, hugging Perry from the back, then Carol, then Michael, and even Mikko came over and clamped a hand onto Perry’s shoulder.
“What is going on with my boys?” Alan asked from the bedroom hallway, looking sleep-dishevelled and proprietary.
The others pulled back and scattered, offering a few last, sympathetic pats.
Perry didn’t move.
“I got you,” I told him, running my hand up and down his back. “We all got you.”
He nodded against my neck where he’d hidden his face.
“Can I tell him?” I asked not wanting to step on his toes or rush him.
Sniffling—again—Perry huffed out a hoarse “sure.”
“Perry quit his job,” Michael said from where he’d returned to his puzzle. “Which we support, by the way.”
“Of course we do.” Alan hurried over and for a moment, I thought he might pry Perry out of my arms, but he simply leaned down and kissed his temple. “Of course we do, darling. Come have a cup of coffee, help Michael with his puzzle while the boys cook us some breakfast.”
“Yeah,” he husked, sniffing and scrubbing his fingers under his eyes as he backed out of my arms. He sat opposite Michael and stared blankly at the puzzle while Alan went to the kitchen.
“It’s going to be fine,” I said, shuffling puzzle pieces and trying a few here and there.
