At least if I move in, I won’t have to move for about nine months. That beats seven days.
“Do you like his home?” I ask. “Clark’s, I mean.”
She smiles at me. “It’s a good place, and it’s very convenient.”
Nodding, I say, “Yeah, because it’s across the street.” I can imagine it’s nice to be within walking distance of her boyfriend, especially after some of the longer away trips.
We chat on the way to my apartment, and I start to like Jessa more and more. She’s a few years older than I am, but we click like we’ve known each other since childhood.
“Do you want me to go up there with you?” Jessa asks as we park in front of my building.
I scan the parking lot and see that Chandie’s car isgone. “I should be okay. Give me a minute to change, and I’ll be right out.”
I hurry to change out of the clothes I wore last night. Then I grab my makeup bag and pack a few things in a carry-on sized suitcase so Jessa doesn’t have to cart me back and forth all the time.
Even just a few days away from this apartment will be great. Hopefully that will be enough time to make a firm decision. Or get to know Jessa enough that I’m not jumping from the frying pan and into the fryer when it comes to roommates.
I walk out with my purse, my work bag, a water bottle, and a bag of extras, grateful Jessa has room in the trunk.
“You are amazing to go around the city on public transportation,” she says. “I’d be afraid of getting on the wrong train and not realizing it until it’s too late.”
“I’ve had my fair share of mishaps.” I point to the compact sedan in the corner of the parking lot. “That’s my car. It made the trip from Seattle but died right after I was trying to pull out of the parking lot the first day I moved in, so like, eight days ago. I just need to save up for the major fixes so I can drive it again.”
Jessa glances at it and says, “We could have Burton look at it. He’s worked on this car a few times in the past year.” She pats the steeringwheel as if it were a pet.
I’m not sure I’m close enough to Burton to ask him favors like that, but I’m grateful he and Clark were there last night at my apartment.
I nod, and we drive to work. “Anything exciting happening at work today?” I ask.
Jessa sighs. “I have to do some more content compilations for the hockey team. And the baseball team has its media day this week to prepare for the beginning of the season.”
“I thought they usually get all that done earlier? They’re in the regular season now, right?” That’s what I’d been told when they asked if I could work with them in the summer when I’m done with hockey.
“Seeing as it was another whirlwind bringing a team here, SMG is still scrambling to finish everything we usually do beforehand. At least the field should be done by the time they get back from this road trip.”
I’d forgotten about how the hockey team had come here just a year before, after relocating from another state. And in the past few months, the MLB designated Salt Lake as a place for an expansion baseball team. I think the owners of our teams like the challenge of getting things done in a tight timeframe.
“What about you? Anything exciting?”
I glance at the calendar on my phone. “Just amorning skate and then a bunch of media meetings until we prep for the hockey game tonight.”
“I’ll be at the pre-game press conference. Save me a seat if I’m late.”
We park and get out, waving as we head in opposite directions once at the training facility. I’ve got my laptop and a bunch of items I need to email and go through before the game tonight.
After the morning feature I’m assigned to do with our top goalie, I walk out to the TRAX, taking it up to the arena. We usually arrive several hours early so we can cover interviews and work on whatever is needed before warm-ups. This is where I’ll have to be for the media press conference.
My phone rings, and I grin when I see my grandmother’s picture on the screen.
“Hey, Grammie,” I say, smiling at the top half of her face, since all I can see are her eyes.
“Laney, girl. How are you? I didn’t hear from you last night and wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
My chest swells. I’ll be forever grateful to her and my grandpa for taking me in after my mother passed and being there when I needed them most, even on the everyday things.
“Yep, I’m still alive. I got invited out by a few people from work. It was late when we got back, and I went right to sleep.”
“You work too hard, Laney. When do we get to see you out here again?”
