But do I tell him that and risk losing him having only just gotten him back, or do I keep it to myself and say nothing?
As scary as the first option is, it's the only one that doesn't involve lying and hiding things from him. After everything we've been through, the last thing I want is more secrets and lies. So, after we wrap up here with Granny, we're going to look at an old stadium and the vacant parcel of land next to it, and I'm going to tell my best friend I'm in love with him.
Please, please,pleaselet this work.
Universe, you owe me one.
12
Beau
"I think it's…very '90s," I mutter, aiming for diplomatic because optimistic is a stretch too far.
"What you mean is it's an absolute shithole," Rein mutters, swiping his hand through his hair.
We've been taken on a tour of Cox Stadium, named after former mayor Walter Cox. From the stands to the field to the hallways and locker rooms, it's grim.
Inside, there's peeling paint, broken tiles, exposed wiring, and a putrid smell of mildew and stale sweat hanging in the air. The bathrooms are a horror show, the concession stand looks like a relic from decades past and is crawling with pests, and the outside doesn't fare much better. The parking lot has potholes everywhere, the stadium walls are falling apart, and the seats are cracked, sun-faded, and half of them don’t fold anymore. A few are outright missing.
We've been left to our own devices by Dex, the facilities manager who has been showing us around. Rein and I have wandered out onto the field where the turf is patchy and uneven, scattered with bare dirt where grass should be and divots deep enough to twist an ankle. I crouch down and pull out a clump of grass. It comes out way too easily.
Rein squats down beside me and stares at my hand. "Not a good sign."
"No. But it was nice seeing your grandma," I say, shifting the focus to something better since it was really wonderful seeing her again.
"Stop doing that glass-half-full thing. It's annoying," he says, his lips stretching into a playful grin.
"We need to find a stadium, Rein."
He breathes out through his teeth. "I know. I know."
"We're running out of options." We have three in Gilberton, and this one we're viewing is the last one.
"I know, I know."
"And I'm not saying this to annoy you with glass-half-full optimism, but this place does have one big pro going for it."
That being the vacant lot right next to it, which just so happens to be for sale. Given we bought the team together, there's money left over to buy it, and if we did, we could expand parking, build a training center, even add retail, apartments, or offices to generate steady revenue and make the stadium area part of a bigger community hub.
The one ginormous con, though?
The vacant lot sits smack bang next to his family's resort and casino.
"Sabrina is in negotiations to secure that land, though," he reminds me. He mentioned it as we drove by it on the way over. "Not exactly fired up to get into a bidding war with my sister."
"Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement?" I suggest, which earns me a skeptical look.
"This is my family we're talking about, Beau. Win at all costs. Remember?"
My lips press into a hard line. "How could I forget?"
We both get up. "Let's tell Dex we need to think about it and we'll be in touch with him shortly. There's something else I want to talk to you about."
"About the team?"
"No." He shakes his head, his eyes sharpening, like he’s locking onto a decision. "About us."
"The people of Gilberton are going to think we're traitors if they find out we travel to another town's diner just so we can talk," I say as we slide into the same booth we were in a few weeks ago in Clovelly.
