“I’m proud of you for that. Doesn’t change the fact that I want to kill him.”
I swallow as his dark eyes go black. “Look, I’ve been thinking about what I asked you. I’m having second thoughts.”
“How come?”
“Because it’s technically illegal for us to…engage in any kind of personal relationship. And I don’t want to get in the way of your career and what you’re building. Your stats have been off the charts, and you’ve literally gotten better each week. If you keep going like this, you’ll have your choice of where to go from here. And I know you said you want to quit, but what if you change your mind? I don’t want to interfere with any of that.”
“Savannah…” he says softly before stopping.
“What?” I try to read his face, but his expression closes down.
He pauses before saying, “Who’s going to know?”
“I would know, for one,” I say.
“Look, I’ve thought this through,” he says. “After I dropped you home last night, I stayed up thinking about this. First of all, I’ll make sure no consequence of us being together ever comes back on you. You won’t lose your job, in other words. I’ll quit if need be, and we both know Coach Craig can’t have any player quitting on him mid-season.”
He’s got a point. And with Cam our best player hands-down, Craig really can’t afford to lose him.
“I don’t want gossip being spread through the team,” I say, my argument growing weaker.
“We’ll keep it between us,” he says. “Like we said we would.”
A date with Cameron Wild. It sounds so…amazing. But my headache…
“I’d like to, but I don’t think I can do coffee right now. I feel like a Mack truck is standing on my head.”
“I had a feeling you’d say that. So I came with a backup plan. Tonight. Go home and take a nap. I’ll pick you up at your house at six for dinner.”
“Oh. Um…”
“Yeah?”
“I’d like to. But I kind of have this…thing at six o’clock. Do you want to come with me?”
“Sure.” He cocks his head. “What is this thing…exactly?”
* * *
Cam and I are the last to arrive at the law office. Hal Smith, Attorney, the sign reads.
“Are you sure your mom’s okay with me being here?” Cam asks me.
I smile at him in his long coat with his hair neatly styled.
“Believe me, with these things, it’s always the more the merrier.”
He frowns doubtfully, but I open the door and usher him inside with me.
“Did you bring the brandy?” I whisper to Celie as she greets us the moment we step into the room.
She still has her coat on, and she opens it to show me a little flask tucked inside. Then she points to the phone on Hal’s desk. It’s lit up with a big red light on it, and I hear Nadine’s voice.
“Hey, Nadie,” I say back.
“We conferenced Nadine in to lend support,” Celie says.
Molly and Pru are on one of the couches, and Mama has the seat of honor right across from Hal’s desk. She’s emotional, and Hal has to keep grabbing at the papers so Mama won’t ruin them completely by crying onto them. A box of tissues sits at the edge of the desk within easy reaching distance of Mama’s shaky arm.
