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Holy shit, have we been that obvious?
“Jesus Christ,” I laugh with mirth, “I’ve been sweating bullets over sharing this with you, and you’ve known for weeks,” I reply, shaking my head in disbelief.
He shrugs his shoulders. “Well, I didn’t know for sure, but I had my suspicions.”
“Damn. I really can’t get anything past you, can I?” I laugh again.
“Nope,” he chuckles. “So, tell me about her.”
Dan quietly listens as I fill him in on the past few months with Phoebe. I tell him everything, from her showing up late to practice, to our trip to New York, and finally, the disaster in her apartment. I was worried about him being pissed, yet he’s sitting here soaking up every detail.
“Well, I’ll be damned. That was her uncle?” he asks, his brows arched in shock.
“Do you want some popcorn, Dan? This isn't a soap opera. It’s real life, you know,” I reply with a lighthearted laugh.
“I know, I know, but damn, this is something out of a movie. So, what happened next?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I didn’t know you were such a drama queen, Dan,” I scoff. “You’re living your best life right now.”
“You would be too after being cooped up in a hospital for months. Now tell me, dammit. What happened after the uncle left?”
I proceed to tell him about how Phoebe basically begged me to leave. I left out the part where she told me to get the fuck out. I wanted to hold on to at least a little of my pride.
“Hold on…you just left?” He scrunches his face together in disappointment.
I give him a confused face. “What was I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know, talk some sense into her. Tell her you love her. Hell, anything but leave,” he huffs, shaking his head.
“I did. She knew I was about to say it. I tried to tell her I loved her, but she stopped me,” I respond.
“Well then you should’ve tried harder, Knox. I didn’t raise my godson to be a damn quitter,” he scolds.
“What about CCU? What about my career? There are so many unknowns. She has a point, Dan. How are we going to make this work?”
Dan, my idol, rolls his eyes at me. “Knox, you’re acting like changing jobs is the end of the world. Like I said, I had multiple coaching jobs before I found my fit at CCU. It sounds like you’re trying to stick it out for me, and I would never want that. I wantyouto be happy. CCU will have no problem finding another coach. It sounds like you already have a few interviews, so take ‘em.”
“Dan, I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little shocked by your response,” I say in disbelief. “I knew you would eventually come around, but I for sure thought you were going to be disappointed. This is definitelynothow I thought this conversation would go.”
“Listen, Knox. If cancer has taught me anything at all, it’s that life is short. Every chance you don’t take is a missed opportunity. Six months ago, before my diagnosis, I may have been disappointed, but when you have the opportunity to live like you’re dying, you stop taking things for granted. You stop sweating the small stuff. You’re good at what you do. You’ll find another job, Knox. You can’t find another Phoebe.” The last sentence is a shot to the heart.
“You can’t find another Phoebe.”He’s damn right about that.
Before I have a chance to respond, Dan’s phone starts ringing.
“Hello,” he answers, holding his phone up to his ear. “Calm your britches, I’ve been catching up with Knox… Yeah, yeah… Okay, I’ll be there soon,” he says before ending the call.
“Damn, that son of a bitch is impatient,” he mumbles to himself. “Knox, I’m sorry to do this but I gotta get going. Gotta make my rounds while I’m in Coral Cove, if you know what I mean,” he grunts out as he stands from the couch.
“No, I get it. You’re practically royalty here in town, Coach,” I laugh.
Dan and I spend the new few minutes saying goodbye before he slings his arm around me in a hug and heads for the door.
“Dan,” I call out before he closes the door behind him. “You take care of yourself, and don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.”
“I don’t need any- Actually…” He trails off. “There’s one thing I need you to do.”
“What’s that?” I ask, nodding my head.
