AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll be there,” he said with a smile.
God, how I liked to see him smile. It was almost as much as I liked kissing him. Too bad I could never let that happen again.
“Good. Be prepared to work,” I told him before leaving him behind and heading for my room.
Changing out of my still damp clothes, I lay in bed, wondering what I should do next. I considered replying to Papa’s texts. The problem with that was I didn’t know what to tell him.
Claude hadn’t yet agreed to workout for the Cougars. So far, he was only letting me warm him up. But if that went well, maybe then?
After coming up with a schedule for tomorrow’s warmup, I drove to the local diner, watching as a handful of people streamed in and out. I considered what it might be like to live here. Hanging out with Cali and the others had been more fun than I had had in years. If Claude didn’t make the team and he asked me to, could I move here?
Getting to bed early, I called Claude the next day just to be sure he was still coming.
“Hey Merri, what’s up?” he asked, offering me the greeting he had for years.
“You there yet?”
“Merri, it’s 8:15.”
“You know what coach says,” I reminded him.
“If you’re on time, you’re late?”
“Exactly.”
“And when have I ever been late?”
“Two years is a long time. Things change.”
“If I remember correctly, he came up with that saying because of you. So, are you there yet?”
“I might have been in an unhealthy, long-term relationship with ‘showing up on time’ back then. But, like I said, in two years, things change.”
“I better not show up before you.”
“Impossible. I’m walking out the door right now,” I said, rolling over in bed.
“You’re walking out the door now?”
“That’s what I said.”
“What color’s the door?”
“What?” I said, sitting up.
“You heard me. If you’re walking out the door now, tell me the color of the door.”
“What are you, testing me?” I said, scrambling to my feet and finding my pants.
“You stalling me?”
Dressing, I said, “No, I’m just deeply offended that you would doubt me like that.”
“I’m still not hearing the color,” Claude pointed out.
“That’s because I’m processing what it says that you think so little of me that you would ask that question,” I said, hurrying from my room to the stairs.
“You’re still not saying.”
