The Option Play, page 19
“Just once? Wait, are you comparing this place to a frat house? It isn’t that bad, is it?” I looked around, too. Maybe I could straighten up a little. “None of us are really neat freaks, like other people I know.” I poked his chest. Mercy. He was still working out a lot, I could tell.
“Caitlyn?” one of my roommates called. “I think we have to call the mediums again. I walked through a cold spot in the dining room and—oh.” Ashlyn stopped dead. “Kellen Karma. Kellen Karma?”
He nodded, because he was. “It’s nice to meet you,” he told her, and offered his hand. They shook and he glanced at me when he let go. I nodded, impressed that he hadn’t seemed to count how many times he moved his arm up and down.
Between her encounter with ghosts in the dining room and now a Woodsmen in the living room, my roommate seemed to be in a state of shock. “Like, I thought that he dumped you and that was why you never go out,” Ashlyn stuttered to me.
“Caitlyn, I don’t appreciate hearing this person insult you. Let’s go.” Kellen gave her a very, very hard look, and she shrank back.
“I have to get dressed first,” I said. “Come on upstairs.” My room wasn’t much cleaner or neater, and Kellen cleared a space for himself on the bed before he sat on it. “I hope she doesn’t get scared and want to move out,” I sighed. “She’s one of the cool roommates. But she keeps talking about cold spots and I keep explaining that it’s because the air conditioning doesn’t work very well. It’s not spiritual activity.”
“Why did you leave your parents’ house?”
“Oh, you know,” I said, and quickly grabbed clothes. “I’ll be right back.” I did try to get dressed as fast as I could, but I wasn’t really right back. When I returned from the bathroom, Kellen was still sitting on my bed. He had his phone open, as always, but he had a book open, too, one that had been on my nightstand.
“You’re reading Romeo and Juliet,” he commented.
“I finished it. I was giving it a re-read,” I explained. “Come on. You probably don’t want to hang out in here. I guess it is a little bit of a mess.”
“It does smell slightly of sage, which masks the sulfur coming from the kitchen,” he granted, but stood quickly. He showed me his watch. “Under sixty-four minutes.”
“I’ve been timing myself and I’m getting a lot faster,” I said proudly. “Where should we go? How about the beach?” I took his hand to pull him along but dropped it when we got downstairs, where all three of my roommates now waited to stare. Even Courtney had stopped with her smelly vegetables to come out and get a glimpse of the Woodsmen player. Kellen was polite to them all and they looked thrilled, up until the point when he told them not to worry about the possible presence of Stachybotrys chartarum in the house, that black mold was generally only dangerous to those with allergies or asthma. Then they started to look disgusted.
I drove us in my car, which was a first for us as a couple—no, not a couple, just as two people, together. “I go faster than you do,” I said as we left town and I shifted from fourth gear into fifth.
“Fuel efficiency drops at this speed, drops dramatically,” he pointed out.
“Isn’t it fun, though?” I glanced over and saw him nod. “See? So, tell me. How have you been? Say something other than ‘fine.’”
“Good.”
I reached over and pinched him.
“I’ve been busy,” he said, taking my fingers off his ribs. “I’ve been working on a new investment strategy. We’ve been having captains’ practices with the new quarterback.”
“How’s he going to be?”
Kellen shook his head, frowning.
“Ok, you have to explain! Why did you re-sign with the Woodsmen? Did you know that this guy was going to be bad?”
“I didn’t know he would be quite this bad. The Cottonmouths were out, obviously. The Granite made an offer that wasn’t commensurate with what the Woodsmen presented.”
“I really, really hope that you didn’t go negative on the Cottonmouths because of what happened with Barclay on the Tig Ol Bitties,” I said.
“Please never say the name of that boat again.”
I nodded, sorry that I had. “I’ve been feeling guilty about everything for weeks, ever since I heard that you re-signed with the Woodsmen and decided to stay here.”
“You don’t need to feel guilty. The Cottonmouths couldn’t match the Woodsmen offer either, not after what they’d already paid out to Teddy Hayes in his last deal.” He was quiet for a moment. “I spoke to the general manager and head coach about Barclay, about him hurting you and the other things that happened on the boat. The pile of coke, for example.”
“The what? Cocaine? I didn’t see that!”
“They didn’t like what they heard,” Kellen continued. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re looking for a new tight end this season.”
“I hope Barclay gets traded to Jupiter.”
“That team already has a deep bench at his position,” he said, and I glanced over again and smiled at him.
“So, the Woodsmen were really your best option?” I pressed. “It didn’t work out with the Dukes in New Mexico, either?”
“I decided that I didn’t want to go to New Mexico after all.” We flew over a bump. “You generally drive this fast?”
“Generally, I do,” I said. “I worked on my engine after I got back from Florida and made some modifications, like a new exhaust heater, throttle body, and parts of the drive train. It was pretty fun.”
“It does sound fun. Not for me, but for you. You’ve been busy with the modifications and your move. Why did you decide to do that?”
“Well, I am in charge of my life,” I answered. “I figured it was time. Time to grow up a little, right? That’s what you were saying to me.”
“I don’t know.”
“There’s something you don’t know?” I asked him. I was teasing, but he sighed.
“I don’t think I know very much, micetta.” He looked out the window, quiet, for the rest of the ride.
Chapter 11
“Now, this water is perfectly safe,” I said, pointing to the waves. “No whales, sharks, urchins, or coconut crabs, and despite what you told me about electric eels being freshwater animals, I checked. There are none in the Great Lakes.”
“I don’t think I ever said there were.” Kellen sat down in the sand. “Tell me about what you were doing tonight, why you got home late.”
“Were you waiting on my street for me since five? Is the photo release that important? Wasn’t that already part of our old contract?” I asked curiously, then settled next to him. There weren’t that many people out now, but the sun wouldn’t set for a few hours. It was one of the benefits of living so far north.
“I waited there for a little while,” he answered. “About forty-six minutes.”
I told him how Danni had shown up at the auto body shop. “At first, I was mean to her,” I confessed. “Right to her face. I guess I’ve been blaming her for what happened, like it’s her fault somehow. Which it isn’t, not really. When I started on the Wonderwomen, I took someone else’s spot, too, and that’s just how it goes. It’s just business.”
“You told me before that even if something is just business, it doesn’t make it feel any better.”
“That’s true. I don’t remember saying that, but it was smart of me,” I answered, and he smiled and looked more like the Kellen who’d been in Florida. Was that the difference? Yeah, that was what was wrong with his face. Not that there was anything actually wrong with how he looked, which was nearly perfect as always. But he seemed unhappy, and I opened my mouth to ask why.
“So you helped her,” he prompted. “The new cheerleader.”
“I’m going to keep helping her,” I told him, “just like the big girls at my old dance studio always helped the little ones, just like my friend Gaby did for all the new Wonderwomen. It’s nice to be the person on the other side of that. I’m glad I can be, and you know what? I really like to dance.”
“You didn’t already know that?” he asked me.
“Yeah, I did know that, of course I did. I mean, today I realized how much I’ve been missing dance, doing it for real. I wish I could be out there with the squad on Fan Day, for example. Are you going to that?”
“Woodsmen players are contractually obligated to attend Fan Day.”
“It’s all autographs and meeting people,” I mused. Things which I knew he hated.
“I hate it,” he admitted. “I thoroughly hate it.”
“Most of the guys have their families with them. It always seemed like a big reunion to me, a big party for all of them.” I watched him. “Did you ever have anyone there?”
“Generally, I spend my time reading.”
Not an answer. “Yeah, I could see you doing that. If you wanted, I could come this year.”
“We’re not pretending anymore,” Kellen said. “You’re not contractually obligated yourself.”
No, and he’d paid me everything he’d owed, too, immediately after I’d returned here. “About our contract,” I began. I picked up a handful of rocks. “Why didn’t you put up those posts? I initialed the one about the breakup, how you were brokenhearted but it was for the best, all that stuff. Why didn’t you publish it? I’ve seen your other pictures.”
“You’ve been checking?”
“Kellen? Answer me.” I turned and looked him full in the face.
“When I thought about it, it seemed like a better idea to continue the charade. Has it been a problem for you?”
“Well, no. It’s actually been helpful in a way, like nobody’s messing with me, not at all. And a kid ran up to me the other day and told me that you’re his favorite player, which was nice.”
Kellen got a small smile again. “That is nice.” He took a rock from my hand and tossed it into the water. “Am I hindering you from starting a new relationship?”
“You mean, I can’t get a guy because they all think I’m with Kellen Karma? No.” I wasn’t dating and I didn’t want to, not really. I had other things to focus on.
He nodded slowly. “I was wondering why you didn’t post anything of your own, saying you’d dumped me. But you haven’t put up anything since you left Florida.”
“You’ve been checking, too? No, I’m not really interested in that for myself, not anymore.” I swallowed. “Why did you want me to leave like that?” I asked him. “I just stood there on the curb at the airport watching your car pull away, and it felt so awful. I cried almost all the way to Detroit. Just sniffles, not full-on,” I explained. “Thanks for getting the first-class seat again.”
“Don’t thank me.” He stood up. “I’m sorry you were crying.” He looked down at me and held out his hand. “Let’s walk.”
I let him pull me up, totally aware that he’d answered only about twenty-two percent of my questions. Mercy! Was I seriously thinking in percentages? “Listen to me,” I said, squeezing his hand. “You have to talk, or I swear, I’m going to leave you here on this beach and you’ll have to walk back to your house. It’s really far and you’ll probably pass out before you get there.”
“We’re only four miles from my house. I run to this beach all the time.”
“Really? Are you sure about that distance?” Of course he was. “No, don’t distract me!”
“Ok, micetta, what do you want to talk about?”
“Several things. First of all, did you actually come to my house because of some photo release?”
“I do need that from you.” He hesitated. “No,” he admitted, and I grinned.
“You wanted to see me again?” I prompted but this time he didn’t answer. “Ok, I’ll let you off the hook with that one. But why did you make me fly home from Florida? You really have to tell me.”
“After we left the boat and got in the car, I received a call from the authorities in New Mexico. My father had died and I needed to come to deal with everything.”
I stared at him, my mouth hanging open. “What?” I breathed. “Kellen! That was what your phone call was about? And so you went to New Mexico to arrange his funeral?”
“He wanted to be cremated. He wanted his ashes mixed with my mother’s and for both of them to be ‘liberated’ into the Pacific Ocean, near where they first met. I haven’t done that yet.”
“Kellen,” I said again. “Mercy, I’m so sorry! I was thinking such mean things about you leaving me but you had that happen!” I hugged him, my cheek pressing against the buttons on his nice shirt. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
He put his arms around me, too. “Thank you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me then?”
“I don’t know.” He paused. “I don’t…”
“You don’t talk,” I told him. “You don’t say things if you don’t have to.”
“I suppose. I didn’t think you’d want to come and have to deal with everything with me,” he said.
“Well, that was wrong. I would have, and I would have been glad to be there with you.” I picked up my head. “And I’m coming to Fan Day.”
“No, that’s a poor idea. I wouldn’t go myself except for my contractual obligation. And your former team will be there.”
“So? I can handle them. I’m definitely coming. And I definitely would have come to New Mexico with you. I don’t think anyone should go through sad stuff alone.”
Kellen’s chest moved up and down, a sigh. “Maybe not.”
“Definitely not.” I put my cheek against him again. “I’m sorry, Kellen. I’m sorry about your dad.”
Another sigh. “Me, too.”
∞
“No. No, you’re going to be fine. Wait, hang on,” I ordered, then I quickly typed, “I’m five minutes out. Stuck in traffic at the gate.” I hit the brakes hard to avoid the bumper of the car in front of me—the panting sobs coming from the speaker were a big distraction. “Take a breath!” I said into the phone. Ding! I looked at the screen and wrote, “I don’t know how many meters away! A lot, but if necessary, I will get out and run.”
The two of them were about to drive me crazy.
“Caitlyn? Caitlyn?” my phone begged.
“Danni, you know what you’re doing. The cars are moving and I have to concentrate on driving. And you have to concentrate on your preparation. Go somewhere quiet and breathe deeply. Stop crying because you can’t ruin your makeup again.”
I could tell she was trying to pull herself back under control, but as I reached to hang up, she was already saying something else. I hesitated for a second but hung up anyway. She was ok.
At least, Danni was much better than she had been before, the day we’d met and she’d banged her head on my desk at the shop. She hadn’t been cut from the team, which was the best I thought we could have hoped for. Sam and Rylah weren’t monsters or anything, and when she’d met with them and explained that she had the yips but was working with me to get over them, they were cautiously optimistic. And they’d given her a break and said that they would reassess her skills before the opening game. For Fan Day, she was still in.
“I didn’t fall once! I’m sooo relieved. They were sooo nice, too! And they were happy to hear that you’re doing sooo well, Caitlyn,” she’d relayed to me just after she’d left Woodsmen Stadium the day of their meeting.
“I’m doing so well?” I’d asked her.
“Yeah, like, I told them that you have a successful career, a beautiful home, a hot boyfriend. They were glad.”
“Oh. I guess—yeah, I mean, I do have a good job, and I like my house.” Kellen had sent over a cleaning service and an HVAC repair person, so things were scrubbed down and neat, and the ghostly cold spots were gone. But I had liked it even before that. “And a boyfriend,” I’d added with less confidence.
“He’s sooo fine,” she’d said, and that was absolutely true, so I’d agreed wholeheartedly. Anyway, Danni and I had practiced a ton and since she’d be in the back row and the stage wasn’t elevated, I thought she’d be fine today herself. The fans weren’t here to criticize. They were coming to the stadium to get autographs and meet the players before the season started, to get a chance to take a tour of the huge facility, to go down on the actual field where the actual Woodsmen played. I had been to Fan Day many times myself before I’d become a cheerleader and it really was a fun time.
“1500 meters,” I typed wildly into my phone as I drove towards the guard shack at the edge of the players’ section of the Woodsmen Stadium parking lot. Lyle, my old friend, was in there today to welcome back all the guys, and he came out to welcome me, too.
“Caitlyn Waite!” The team had put in air conditioning for him, so his glasses fogged right up when he emerged from his booth to hug me. “I’m glad to see you. Are you here for Karma?”
“I am,” I agreed, and looked down at the latest message on my phone. Oh, apparently that many meters was actually about a mile. “No, I’m right outside,” I wrote to Kellen.
“He’s never been…his best on this day,” Lyle said. He gestured to the car behind me to wait and I saw one of the defensive backs in there fuming. Well, he would have to get over it. I thought the team would get rid of him before they got rid of Lyle.
“Kellen gets nervous on Fan Day,” I explained.
“Nervous? Kellen Karma? How can you tell?”
Well, one way was that he’d sent me a trillion texts already and it wasn’t even noon. Thirty-two texts, if I was being precise, which Kellen liked to be. He wasn’t saying anything about not wanting to be here, but he’d been checking on my location. A lot. And I totally hadn’t meant to run late! I’d taken the day off from work at the shop and spent a long, long time getting my look perfect. My hair alone had been a forty-three minute ordeal and then my eyelashes had just gone nuts for some reason and it had taken forever to get them right. In the end, Gaby had come over with her two kids to help out, and then I was so glad that Kellen’s cleaning crew had come because they’d taken care of all that mold for the baby.
But now, I was here. Back at Woodsmen Stadium, and the last time I’d been at this place? I’d also hugged Lyle, but I’d been crying so hard I’d almost run into the guard shack with my car because I couldn’t see through the tears and my swollen eyes. But today was a new day! I said goodbye to him and parked, then got out again and smoothed my dress, the one that Gaby had insisted on.
