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“C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s get in there before anyone notices we’re late.” He holds out his hand to me and I take it. We race downthe hallway, sliding when we try to take a corner a little too fast. We’re both laughing so hard it’s difficult to keep going.
We burst through the door to the locker room and the entire room goes silent as every eye falls on us. Danny stops talking and his eyes go wide. I’ve reassured him countless times nothing is going on between Wyatt and me, and then I stumble through the door with Wyatt like a bull in a China shop.
“Sorry… uh… my alarm didn’t go off and Charlie’s car is in the shop so I had to pick her up.” Wyatt runs a rough hand through his hair. He’s so uncomfortable with every eye on us. It’s even worse because he’s a horrible liar.
“Didn’t you just buy that thing?” Leo frowns at me and I feel my cheeks heat.
“Yeah… I ran over a nail yesterday. The mechanic is fixing my tire.” I wave my hands through the air, hoping to distract everyone so they stop asking questions.
“Anyway…” Danny draws out the word, trying to get everyone to focus on him instead of us. “We’re playing a friendly game today. Teams were randomly picked by pulling names out of a hat. Because I don’t want to wait for you all to get changed, one team can be shirtless.”
“Me! I want to be skins!” Cord raises his hand in the air and shakes it around like a little kid volunteering to eat the last cookie. I chuckle at how little he’s changed since high school.
“Fine. Powell’s team is skins.” Danny sighs. I'm sure dealing with these grown men-children all the time is exhausting.
As Danny starts calling out names and telling the guys what team they’re on, I slip out of the room and into my space. Gary’s sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. He looks tired and my heart breaks for him. He’s probably in his fifties, but he looks so much older.
“Hey, Gary. Sorry I'm a little late. I promise it won't happen again.” I duck into the locker room and shove my bag inside of my locker.
“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Most of those guys show up late at least once a week.” He waves me off.
“Are you feeling ok? You don’t look yourself.”
“No. I'm feeling pretty shitty.” He lets out a humorless chuckle. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”
“Go home. I can handle everything today.” I place my hand on his shoulder and give it a little squeeze.
“Nah, I don’t want you to be alone and I just sent Tammy home because she wasn’t feeling well either.”
“Go home, Gary. We both know Charlie can handle it and Brent is here today. He can always help out if he needs to. Isn't that what I pay him for?” Owen enters the room with his arms crossed over his chest. “I told you to take it easy. If you think it’s time to walk away from working, then do it. You know I’ll take care of you andyour family. If you’re afraid you’re going to miss the game, you can have the box whenever you’d like.”
“You’re too kind, Owen. I can't take all of that from you.”
“Fine, then I’ll just fire your ass.” He shrugs.
“Well, hold on…” Gary raises his hands like he’s trying to calm down an angry animal.
“That’s what I thought.” He smirks, knowing he’s going to get his way. “I'm officially making Charlie the lead physical therapist. If you want to keep working, you’re doing it on a part-time basis. No matter what, I’ll be paying your current salary. You can work or not, it won't affect your paycheck.”
“Owen…”
“You deserve it, Gary. Stop arguing with me and go home. Spend some time with your wife and those adorable grandkids. Forget all about this place and these assholes.” He motions behind him as the guys filter into the room. They tend to cut through here to get onto the field. “Guys, wait. I want to talk to all of you.”
Gary nods his head and quickly collects his things. He thanks Owen again and tells me not to hesitate reaching out to him if I need him for anything, then he’s out the door.
“Starting today, Charlie Robinson is the new head physical therapist.”
Murmurs erupt around the room and I'm sure they’re all wondering what’s happening with Gary. Was he fired? Did he quit? Why did he leave?
“Gary’s sick. He has been for a while. He needs to focus on himself and not you. I'm giving him a paid leave and hoping he stays home and enjoys it. So, don’t call or text him to ask him questions, unless it’s to see how he’s feeling. Got it?”
Everyone nods and soon Owen’s dismissing them. He leads me into the stadium and over to a couple of chairs behind home plate. It gives us the perfect view of the entire field and the game.
I watch as half of the guys strip off their shirts and toss them onto a bench. There are so many muscles on display, it’s enough to make any woman drool.
“Ugh, sometimes I wish you were more like Macy.” Owen shakes his head.
“Excuse me?” I giggle. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
