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“I’ll call all the guys myself and let them know that my visa got denied due to mixed-up paperwork and I’m getting deported. Can we leave it at that?”
“Fair enough, I understand.” He nods. “And just for your information, I’ve heard whispers that the Vancouver Vikings might be looking for a new head coach. Your retirement plans might be panning out after all.”
I hadn’t heard that yet but there’s no consolation prize to losing Juliet, and letting down my team is a knife to the chest. Not even the opportunity to honor my dad could make up for leaving everyone else to pick up the pieces in my wake.
But taking a job like that will give me something to do so that my days aren’t spent sitting around my house thinking about Juliet. I don’t know how I’ll get in my car and leave this city with Juliet still inside it but I have to keep her safe and this is the only way I can do that.
“I’ll reach out to the GM. He’s a friend of the family’s. Thanks for the heads up,” I say.
I nod and then turn back toward the door.
“Haynes,” he says, and then walks quickly around his desk. “If you ever feel like coaching a team in the US when you can apply for a visa again, keep the Hawkeyes in mind, will you? We’re always looking to add talent to the coaching side of things and Bex would be happy to have you.”
The fact that Sam is keeping the door open to the Hawkeyes for me means everything.
I have one last stop before I head home and pack a few things.
“Good morning, sir. How can I help you today?” the woman at the front desk of Jerrin’s new facility asks.
“Hi, yeah… I wanted to come in and make an advance payment for a resident that you have here. Can I do that?” I ask.
“Certainly sir. What is the resident's name?” she asks, breaking eye contact with me to quickly click the keys of her keyboard.
“The name is Jerrin Di Costa.”
She flashes a smile up to me. “Oh, we love Jerrin here. He has really settled in well and he comes down once a day and plays the most beautiful music on that baby grand for us here in reception.”
I’m glad he seems to be doing well and I hope they’ve mentioned all this to Juliet. After all the dust settles, I hope that she still feels, if nothing else, that what happened over the last few weeks was worth her brother getting into this facility.
“And how much would you like to apply to his account today?” she asks.
If I could, I’d just ask her to set up auto pay on my unlimited spend black card and pay the monthly payment indefinitely, but I have no idea how Juliet is going to take me leaving without telling her the real reason and I can’t risk her being upset enough to cancel the account set up.
Instead, I’ll pay a lump sum and make sure that my credit card company refuses any refunds… just in case she tries.
I know how she feels about her father for abandoning her. I can’t imagine she’ll see me any differently.
“I want to pay ahead for the next two years,” I tell her.
“Oh…” she says, shooting her eyes back up to mine from her computer screen. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather pay per month? It’s about ten thousand a month—”
Before she can finish her sentence, I slide my black card over the desk.
“That’s not a problem. Two years will be fine for now. Thank you,” I tell her with a reassuring nod.
“Ok, then.”
She starts typing and then slides my card through the reader.
Who knows what will happen two years from now when I’ll be eligible to apply for a work visa again. My spot on the Hawkeyes will be filled by then and I don’t want to play for another team. The only reason I’d come back is for Juliet. But asking her to wait for me is unreasonable. I deserve to lose her for what I put her through. She deserves better than that.
As the receptionist is finishing charging my card and applying it to Jerrin’s account, a blob of black silky hair catches in my peripheral. I look up quickly to see who is walking in this direction, a tingle of panic setting in that Juliet is here and is going to catch what I’m doing… but it’s not Juliet… it’s Theresa, Juliet’s mom.
She’s dressed in full scrubs and seems to be too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice that I’m standing at reception.
I turn to face her and her eyes flicker to me. It takes her a second to register that it’s me but once she does, she slows and I’m surprised at the small smile she gives me. I half expected her to pretend she didn’t see me and keep moving.
“Ryker… this is a surprise. What are you doing here?” she asks.
