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“Good to know.”
She didn’t let go of his hand. “It wouldn’t be such a horrible fate if you had to stay in Lark Springs, would it?”
He hesitated. That hesitation was an answer all its own. “It wouldn’t be a horrible fate, just one that paid a lot less than the NFL.”
She dropped her hand away from him. It felt wrong to keep holding onto him. “Money isn’t the most important thing.”
He laughed and shook his head, amused by her statement. The response wasn’t what she’d been expecting. She raised an eyebrow at him in question.
He kept shaking his head. “You’re the only girlfriend I’ve had who’s encouraged me to make less money.”
He clearly agreed with the other girlfriends. “Well, at least I’m memorable.”
“You certainly are.” He kissed her on the top of the head, then climbed into his truck, and drove toward the main road.
She watched him go, trying and not succeeding very well, to hope that his doctors gave him good news.
Memorable. If he left, that’s all she would end up being.
17
Carson sat on the bench in his doctor’s office, while Dr. Bauer, a fifty-something podiatrist, examined his foot with the thoroughness of an antique dealer trying to ferret out frauds. The doctor had a thick middle, a ruddy face, and glasses that always seemed in danger of sliding off his nose. He pressed his thumb into Carson’s ankle. “Any pain now?”
“Just some tenderness.”
Dr. Bauer jiggled Carson’s foot. “How about now?”
“No.”
Carson had an MRI first thing in the morning, and the radiologist said they’d send the images over to the doctor’s office, but Dr. Bauer hadn’t said anything about them. His expression was one of seriousness, not one of someone about to deliver good news. That probably meant the images revealed something else was wrong. Despite the fact that Carson had optimistically brought his left shoe to this appointment, any moment now, Dr. Bauer would give him another month of the boot.
He’d miss more training, maybe the whole season. And if he missed an entire season, that could put an end to his career.
He hadn’t told his family that today’s appointment included an evaluation to see if he was done with the boot and could start doing more serious training. He’d let everyone think it was just another routine check-in. If the news was bad, Carson didn’t want to face everyone’s hopeful expressions and have to tell them he hadn’t passed. He didn’t want to see the pity in their eyes.
He hadn’t even told Olivia, but her send-off this morning seemed like a bad omen. She’d sounded like she expected bad news and had been preemptively trying to soften the blow.
Dr. Bauer pushed his chair away from Carson and picked up his laptop.
This was it. The verdict.
“I’ve looked over your images and sent a copy to your team physician. Everything appears to have healed well. When you’re done here, I want you to stop by the physical therapist’s office. They’ll start you on a strengthening regimen, and if that goes well, I think you’re clear to start training again.”
It took Carson a moment to process the news. “I’m good to go?”
“You’ll still need to check in with your team physician.” Dr. Bauer launched into instructions on building up his endurance and icing his foot when swelling occurred.
Carson hardly paid attention. “I’m good to go?” He’d grown so used to disappointment that the question automatically popped out of his mouth again.
Dr. Bauer peered at Carson over his glasses as though he’d been knocked to the ground one too many times. “Yes. I’ll send my report to your team doctor once we’re done here.”
“Great. Great.” A thousand greats. “I’ll let you finish your instructions.”
This time Carson tried to listen. When Dr. Bauer finished, Carson walked—no, floated—out of the office. Without the weight of a boot on his foot, he felt so much lighter. The whole world had grown lighter. He was going to training camp at the end of July. With enough work, his career wouldn’t come to a premature end. Even if the cabin didn’t sell, he’d have the money to return his father’s investment.
Everything would work out.
Then he thought of Olivia, thought of her big brown eyes gazing at him this morning. His footsteps took on more weight, growing heavier with each step.
