“How about you think about it?” I stand. “I know it’s important to think through big decisions. I hope to be in New York next week. I’ll follow up with all of you about if we can continue to work together.”
“No.” Harper shakes her head. “I don’t need to think about it. Of course we’ll continue to work together. We’ll figure it out. This isn’t that unusual.”
“Yeah,” Anderson says. “I agree.”
My heart gives a little kick of joy.
Blake still appears unhappy, but says, “Yeah. Of course I’m still in.”
Then Bruno and Todd also agree.
And I’ve done it.
“Thank you,” I say sincerely. “I’m really glad.”
Suddenly I feel light and giddy. I practically float out of the building. I can’t wait to tell Marek!
And… my parents. That might not be so fun. But I have a lot I want to say to them.
32
MAREK
Meeting the parents. Christ on toast, what am I doing?
I’m sweating, that’s what I’m doing.
We’ve driven about an hour and a half north into Connecticut with my GPS directing us to the town of Beaver Falls.
We have a few days off before the first round of the playoffs start, and Nikki needs to talk to her parents, so here we are. I’m about to meet the parents.
I glance at her in the passenger seat, her fingers twisted together. Shit. She’s more anxious about this than I am. I need to get over myself and be there for her.
“Okay?” I ask.
She smiles at me and gives a quick nod. “Yeah. I’m good.”
I reach over and squeeze her hand. “It’s gonna be fine.”
“Yeah.”
I know how much she wants to make her parents proud. How much she hates disappointing them. But she told me about her meeting in Los Angeles and how she stood up for herself, and I have all the confidence in the world that she can handle this, too.
Her parents live on Lakeside Road, and I pull onto the property down a narrow paved lane. I like the stone columns on either side of the entrance, and the budding greenery all around us. It’s very private and peaceful, yet the town of Beaver Falls is only a few minutes away. Then we see the house and my eyes widen. This place has amazing potential, but right now it’s… kind of a shack. A large shack, though, with multiple wings that probably were additions at some point, faced with worn gray wood that looks like a barn.
“They’re working on it,” Nikki says with a grin. “They’re doing the inside first.”
“It’s nice. I like the location.”
“I’m kind of a city girl.” She undoes her seatbelt as I come to a stop. “But this is pretty.”
We walk up to the house and the door opens before we even get there. I assume this is Nikki’s mom. She beams a smile at us. She’s really pretty although she doesn’t look like Nikki. Her hair is probably the same dark brown as Nikki’s but she has blonde highlights in it, and it’s in a stylish layered style that brushes her shoulders. She throws her arms open for a hug. Nikki dashes into her embrace.
“How are you, sweetie?” her mother asks in a gentle tone.
“I’m doing better.” Nikki smiles. “A lot better.”
Her mom looks at me. “And you must be Marek.”
