Page 92 of Wildflowers and Wide Receivers

The weather is beautiful today. The humidity hasn’t taken over, the skies are a deep shade of sky blue with just a few clouds in sight, and I find I’m angry that it doesn’t match my mood. Of course, this is Florida, so later in the day, we will have an afternoon summer storm, where the sky darkens and then lets its tears flow just like mine have been, but for right now, the sunniness irritates me.

Tyler turns on some music, he readjusts his hat, which he’s flipped on backward and Vivi smiles at us as it pours out of the speakers. The other day when she was talking to Sophie, I heard her ask if she ever learned how to play the piano. I didn’t even realize Vivi had an interest in the piano, but I guess I should start thinking about these things too. Little girls seem to like dance, piano, violin, cooking, art, theater, and some sports. I need to make sure I’m not forgetting anything that she might want to learn or do.

“Vivi, want to do some fishing today?” Tyler asks her. She’s sitting in the front of the boat, and I’m in the middle with him. She loves to feel the wind on her face, and I let her stretch out across the benches.

“Sure, Uncle Tyler. But no crying from you when I catch the biggest one,” she taunts him without even tearing her eyes away from the horizon.

He turns to face me, and silently, his expression says, “Did she just talk smack to me?”

I chuckle because it sure sounded like she did.

“As long as you know the rules. You catch it, you clean it.” He smirks.

We can see her thinking about this, and then she looks at us and shrugs.

“Okay.”

I’m not sure if she’s ever seen anyone clean a fish, so I’m thinking in her seven-year-old mind she’s just giving it a bath.

“We’ll get to a good spot in about twenty minutes,” he tells her. “I brought you some snacks too if you get hungry. Uncle Jonah might have a thing for fruits and vegetables, but I know what you really want.” He winks at her. “Pringles and Oreos.”

Her eyes widen as she glances at me, then her face splits into the largest smile.

“Yep, this is why I’m the favorite uncle.” He wags his brows at me. “So are you ready to report in two weeks?” he asks. There’s always this dueling sense of excitement and dread over a new season. Excitement over doing what we love in front of a house full of fans, yet dread because we know the long hours and work we’re about to have to put in. Plus teams always know when they’re going to be good or bad. This year, we’re predicted to be good. Bryan has been on fire over the past couple of years, with one Super Bowl win. Who knows, maybe we can do it again.

“Yep,” I tell him, frowning.

He laughs. “You don’t look it. Your face is screaming, ‘Please don’t make me,’ when it should be lighting up with, ‘Can’t wait!’”

“That’s not it. I just have a lot on my mind right now, and reporting in isn’t one of them.”

I did text Sophie earlier today. I wouldn’t say we’ve “broken up,” but things are just uncertain at the moment. She’s on call, so no barbecuing or joining us for fireworks tonight. If anything, she said all her fingers and toes are crossed for an uneventful night. Fireworks can go either way. Some years, there are hardly any accidents, and other years, there are dozens. Yeah, we’re all told to be responsible around fireworks, but I’ve never given it much thought to how many aren’t.

“Bro,” Tyler says, getting my attention. One eyebrow pops up over the top of his sunglasses. That’s his silent way of asking me to spill something, anything and I let out a deep sigh.

I don’t want to say too much in front of Vivi. Little ears seem to hear everything. I don’t know exactly what is happening. We’re going to talk about it at her house later this week, and it just sucks. Sucks for all of us.

I swallow once and then push the words out. “Job offer.” Just saying them makes my stomach ache.

Both brows pop now. “Where?”

I pause, not wanting to put it out into the universe, but damn if this doesn’t hurt to say on a deep exhale. “Minneapolis.”

He frowns and shakes his head a little like he doesn’t understand.

“Yeah, my sentiments exactly,” I tell him as I pull my hat down a little farther over my face.

“Did you ask her to stay?” he asks as he increases the speed of the boat.

He makes it sound so simple when it’s anything but.

“How can I? This is her dream.”

A dream I didn’t even know she had. All those hours together when I poured myself out to her, yet she chose not to tell me this. This thing that impacts us all.

“Since when?” he asks like he doesn’t believe me. Water sprays up over the front of the boat, and Vivi squeals.

“She’s from there. Her dad is there.”