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“I can see you’re mad,” she rushes out her words. “But he mentioned one of your contracts and the idea you could lose it from being MIA. I’ve worked with athletes before and I thought perhaps I could lend some expertise in this area. I want to help.”
She turns those deep blues on me and waits, fully confident in her ask. The hesitancy earlier is gone and replaced with conviction.
She reaches under the table and grabs a laptop I’ve never seen before and hands it to me, careful to offer it to my right side. It’s that act of thoughtfulness, considering my strengths and playing to it, that makes me give in.
“That’s yours. We’ll need to get that set up to your liking, but if you’ll login to iCloud, that will get us a long way in the short-term.”
I open the computer to that very page and look up to find her staring. I can’t be sure, but I think a small smile plays at my mouth. Hers mirrors mine.
“Am I a sucker? Or easy prey?”
She scoffs. “Pshhh. You’re a Ranger. So neither, but you’re smart. Besides, walking away from a good thing because you’re ornery is left to the eldest brother.”
I’m sure about my smile this time.
“I saw that. Your secret is safe with me, though. No one has to know.”
I scratch my beard and tip an imaginary hat to her. “I’m in. Now what?”
“I don’t suppose your phone is available…”
“It could be if I knew where it was.”
“That’s a nightmare for people like me. But we’ll get there. You can ping it from that screen, by the way. Send a signal to it, and I’ll find it.”
I hesitate. I don’t really want it.
“May I manage that for you? Find it and do what needs to be done—with your permission, of course. I could take that off your plate.”
I hit an icon to send a sound and shrug. Between gritting my teeth and smiling, my face hurts. She can go on a wild goose chase if that makes her feel better.
She leaves the table and stands in the middle of the living room listening. I take a small forkful of cobbler and savor the buttery crust, making sure it stays down before having another.
Three bites in, I’ve had my fill. The peaches are heavy like lead in my stomach, and the sugar swirls in my veins.
“Found it!” I hear as the dinging gets closer.
A hand drops on my shoulder. “What do you want me to do? Handle it all? Line it all out and you prioritize? Put together a strategy and get back together?”
“Whatever you think, Emberleigh. Are you good if I lie back down and find you later?”
She turns the phone to my face to unlock it. “Well, the beard is messing with your facial recognition.”
“That’s kind of the point.”
“What’s the code? I’ll sort out what I can, and when you get up, I’ll have some direction.”
“9999.”
“Worst passcode ever. I’ll fix that too.” She opens the phone and cringes before looking into my eyes. “You might need two naps. I like a challenge, but… damn.”
“Wouldn’t want you bored after all.”
I crutch away, smiling inwardly.
Today’s the first day I’ve felt like myself in months.
* * *
