My shoulders deflate. I’m not ready to let her go. I want to keep talking to her, even if it’s about boring stuff like my pre-game routine, which could probably use a little work. Honestly, I’ll read her a grocery receipt if it means we’re talking.
“I’d better let you go.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
She sounds sad, and it comforts me knowing she doesn’t want to get off the phone either.
“Oh!” she says. “Percy keeps pawing at the spare room door, and since I’m not trying to snoop around your apartment, I haven’t opened it for him. Should I?”
I think about what’s hidden behind the door that was intentionally closed before I left, despite Percy’s pleas for me not to. It’s not that I don’t trust Chloe in my home when I’m not there. I just don’t want to answer all the hundreds of questions I’m sure she’ll have if she enters that space.
“Uh…no. He’ll be fine until I get home.”
“Oh.” And just like that, the excitement is gone. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her to go ahead and let him in there, but I don’t. “All right, then. No problem. Um…guess I’ll see you tomorrow to give you your key back?”
Keep it. It should be your place too, I want to say.
I don’t.
“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good luck at your game tonight, Callum.”
“Thanks, Clover.”
We hang up, and we’reonly off the phone for a minute when I remember I forgot to tell her something.
Me: You’re going to nail your interview. I’m proud of you.
She never responds, but she does read it, and I tell myself that’s enough for me.
“So, how’s it going with the wife?”
I glower over at Hayes, who has dropped down in the seat next to mine. While a lot of teams tend to have a certain spot they’ll sit in or try to keep lines together to promote team bonding, the Seattle Serpents plane is a free-for-all more often than not.
I guess tonight it’s Hayes I’m stuck beside. Could be worse. It could be Lawson.
“Fine,” I tell him, just to get him to stop staring at me expectantly, and I close my eyes as I pull my eye mask down.
I’m not typically so pretentious, but there’s just something about sleeping on a plane with one that feels right.
“Quinn is super bummed she hasn’t gotten the chance to meet her yet, but she’s looking forward to it at the wedding.”
Right. The wedding. Hutch has asked about it only once more since the first time, but I haven’t given him an answer yet. Mostly because I haven’t asked Chloe to go with me. At first, I told myself it was because I wasn’t sure she’d be staying in Seattle, but she’s making plans to. I mean, she wouldn’t be applying for jobs if that weren’t the case, right? That has to be the case…doesn’t it?
The uncertainty isn’t the only reason I’m stalling. I’m scared she’ll say no, worried it’ll be too much, too soon. I don’t want to lose my wife again, not when I just got her back.
I don’t feel like spilling my guts to Hayes about it, so I say, “It’ll be a hoot.”
He reaches over, lifting up the sleep mask, but when I open my eyes, it’s not Hayes. It’s Lawson. He’s turned around in theseat in front of us, practically hanging over the back as he holds my eye mask off my face.
“Hi.”
I swat at him, but unfortunately for me, he’s quicker than I am and moves out of the way before I can make contact.
“Can I help you, Lawson.” It doesn’t come out as a question, not really, but that doesn’t bother him at all.
“I don’t know. I was missing you.”
