“Yeah, those things. And uh, others.” He hesitated. “You were so impressed by him.”
“Me?” I pointed at my chest. “I was impressed? Me?”
“You talked about him being handsome, well-dressed. He’s a world traveler.”
“He’s an idiot,” I said. “Didn’t that come across, too? I think he’s a total fool. I feel sorry for him at times, but it’s the same way that I felt sorry for that dog Blossom and how she had been left at an RV park. Like they’re pathetic. I can’t imagine how he got someone to marry him and then also got Victoria to like him enough to sleep with him.”
“Good. Not good for him that he’s pitiful, and it’s definitely not good for Victoria. But I’m glad that’s what you feel about him and you’re not impressed by his pocket squares.”
“I think they’re a huge waste,” I stated. “You’d never really use one to blow your nose.”
He offered more of his ideas regarding the stupidity of men’s dressy clothes but I was a little stuck on his dislike of Beau Gowan. Of course, there were plenty of reasons to dislike the guy, but being jealous? That was just silly. There was no comparison between the two of them—in fact, I couldn’t even think of a reason that anyone would attempt a comparison.
We did stop at my apartment and Ronan, being a terrifically strong football player who shoved three-hundred-pound men onto their butts, helpfully picked up Polyphemus. “I’ve got this,” he assured me. “Don’t worry, I can carry him.” But then he did also want to take my bag once I’d packed it. I was efficient and very fast, after the way that my dad and I had lived.
“What are you thinking about that makes you do this?” he asked as we went to the parking lot. He made the same angry, bitter expression that I’d seen on others’ faces when they imitated me.
“I was remembering my suitcases,” I explained. “I had two and I used them for every move we made, for as long as I could remember. After I came here and unpacked, I threw them away in the dumpster because I decided that I was home.” I looked over my shoulder at the building behind us.
“I have bags you can borrow to get your stuff to my place.” We got into his car and he took the wheel, then glanced over at me from the driver’s seat. “What now?”
Now I was thinking that he might have been moving away himself—he probably would, in fact, because he’d been playing so well that Ed had gotten teary about it and the rest of the teams in the league would also notice. “I just hate moving.”
“My parents are deciding where to move for the winter,” he mentioned. “I’ve been telling them that Montana is not going to work as well as Arizona.”
“Your dad did seem interested in Missoula,” I remarked, remembering their questions in the car on the way to the wedding.
“They’re also thinking about settling down near Chicago,” he said. “They’re extremely interested in their new grandson. I guess it will be fun to have a baby in the family. I decided that I’m not going to go with your gift idea of cymbals.”
“I had another thought,” I said. “What about a little Wilder jersey?” No one at the team had responded yet to my many suggestions that they produce Wilder gear in various sizes, but we could make a special one.
“That’s a good idea.” He also glanced behind us, in his rearview mirror. “I never noticed how dark it got outside your building.”
The days were a lot shorter now, and it was darker everywhere. “I don’t think it’s too bad, but I agree that you should always be careful in a parking lot.”
“When I was in college, a girl got assaulted in the parking lot of the gym where our team was working out. All of us were right there, but no one heard anything so we didn’t go help. We only found out when we left and saw the blue lights flashing. I felt terrible about it.”
I nodded, looking through the window and thinking about the past. “It was no one’s fault, though. Except the guy who hurt her.”
“That’s why I worry about you being there alone, I guess. I even worry about you at Woodsmen Stadium.”
“I leave at five with everyone else. I keep with the crowd,” I said. “Victoria has been coming early and staying late to avoid Mr. Gowan. He’s taking off tomorrow to vacation with his friend in Madagascar. No, Monaco. I’m not really sure but it’s another country, far away.”
“Hell’s bells. Just like that? He’s picking up and leaving his pregnant girlfriend and his job to travel to the other side of the world?” I watched him shake his head. “He’s totally unreliable. I know you were pushing him to get all that stuff done for the Juniors and the practice facility, but I didn’t understand how much you were really in charge.”
“You still don’t.”
“What?” Ronan asked.
“You still don’t know how much I did,” I answered. “I have something to tell you about how all those projects got done. So…” I took a deep breath. “Mr. Gowan didn’t really have anything to do with anything. None of it.” I told him how I’d started off, after my boss had ignored my comprehensive survey. “He wouldn’t pay attention to the issues he’d asked me to find. He snuck out of the office rather than meeting me and he never reads his texts. I started doing things on my own.” I described the approvals that Mr. Gowan had signed without knowing what they were, and how I’d circumvented his involvement with other departments within the organization. “Everyone just left him out of the loop. At my direction.”
Like I had done months earlier, Ronan pulled over the car and stopped on the shoulder. “Cate. What the hell? You tricked your boss into redoing almost the entire facility, into spending thousands and thousands of dollars on the Junior Woodsmen without the front office being aware. Is that what you’re saying?”
“A lot of the improvements benefit the actual Woodsmen team and they are aware of those,” I defended myself. “The rodent remediation and the new roof are good for everyone. But…” I took another breath. “Yes. It really shows how there should be tighter financial controls and more communication within the organization.”
“Why did you do this?”
“I thought it was very unfair that the Junior team was so forgotten and overlooked when you guys were working so hard! I wanted to help you and Eddie, and everyone else there, too.” I paused. “But I’ve been thinking about it more and I can see that I wasn’t being noble. I was bored and also, I was mad,” I admitted. “I felt like I’d been tricked into taking a job that was pointless and empty. I was a person who accomplished stuff. I got things done and it made me feel good, that I was worthy.” I had liked believing that about myself and I had enjoyed giving myself credit.
