Page 21 of The Session

Mark could tell the man was carefully choosing his words, skipping “failure,” “fiasco,” and “fuckup” to land on what he’d finally said.

“They weren’t hiring, so it was more of a meet and greet,” Mark said.

“Of course,” Howard agreed. “Any other prospects in the works?”

The Florida Atlantic College opportunity had been Mark’s best shot, and Holly knew it, which meant she had probably told Howard so. While Mark had a plan—or rather a spreadsheet—of other colleges he was tracking and reaching out to, none felt like the sure thing FAC had seemed to be. He knew he could ask Coach Stevenson to write other letters of recommendation, but he wasn’t sure they’d carry much weight, let alone actually get sent.

“You know, Holly has had a plan since she was nine years old,” Howard said. “She’s always known what her goal was. She’s always known what she was going to do. She kept a list of the names of the people she was going to reach out to. When we toured campuses, she could even point out the window of the lab where she was going to work one day. She was fifteen at the time.”

“She is remarkable,” Mark said.

“She is remarkable,” Howard agreed. “And she’s got a very kind heart.”

Mark had no doubt about that. Holly was more grounded than her parents. She cared about Mark’s program, and when she had time, she enjoyed playing catch and soccer and other games with the kids.

“At first, I didn’t see what she saw in you,” Howard admitted. “But then I grew to like you and understand that you’re a good guy. And I appreciate that.”

Well, at least there’s that, Mark thought. He waited to see where this was headed.

Howard glanced toward the bar. “Where are those drinks?”

Mark could tell that he was hesitating about something.

Howard caught the waitress’s attention. She waved back and pointed at the bartender making drinks. He turned back to Mark. “Holly needs a great guy, not a good guy—a great guy. I think you have that in you, but if I’m completely honest, I haven’t seen it. You’re hardworking, you’re community-minded, but she deserves more.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” Mark said.

“Unfortunately, I think you are. And that’s the hardest part about this. But it’s not about you. It’s about you holding Holly back,” Howard told him.

Mark clenched the edge of his chair so tightly he could feel the wood creak. “I support her as much as I can, sir.”

“Support comes in different ways. While she’s tied to you, it means she’s going to look at the world differently, and she’s going to hold herself back from certain opportunities,” Howard explained.

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“Has she told you about the job in Santa Fe?”

Mark knew Holly had been talking to a number of research labs and companies about potential opportunities, but as far as he knew, it was exploratory and nothing concrete had happened yet. This was the first he’d heard of Santa Fe.

“What about Santa Fe?” he asked.

“Pacific Genomics. It’s a bioscience start-up. One of my friends is an advisor there, and they’re very interested in hiring Holly. It’s a great opportunity for her—really good research, really good income opportunity.”

Mark felt a flood of emotions. His anger at Howard’s dismissive treatment was outweighed by the sadness that Holly had withheld this from him. He could understand that he himself might be why Holly hadn’t told him. While Santa Fe might be a research hub, there were no prominent college football programs within many hundreds of miles.

She had to know that if they moved there, his career ambitions would be dead on arrival.

Mark looked toward the bathroom to see if Holly and her mother were returning, but the hallway was still empty. He had to think for a moment and ask himself what was really important. Suddenly, under Howard’s pressure, he felt a clarity he hadn’t experienced before.

“I support Holly, absolutely. I know what I want to do, which is make a difference for as many young people as I can. And while coaching college football and bringing the kind of attention I want to the foundation is one path, I’m sure I could find a way to do that there.”

“I’m glad to see you have that kind of flexibility,” Howard replied. “But maybe the real reason Holly didn’t tell you is that she needs to focus on what’s important to her. I like you, but be honest—she’s not even in your league. Having you tag along is something, deep down, she knows isn’t going to help her.”

Mark saw Holly and her mother emerge from the women’s bathroom. From across the restaurant, he could see from the look on her face that a parallel conversation had taken place. Holly didn’t look happy.

He used the moment before they returned to the table to answer Howard. “You could be absolutely right. I’ve suspected that. But this is between me and Holly. Maybe you should butt out.”

Mark had never spoken so sternly to Howard, and it was clear no one ever had. Howard’s cheeks flushed red, and his hand clenched on the tabletop. Before he could respond with something scathing, Holly was already taking her seat along with her mother.