Page 107 of Gross Misconduct

“I have some time before I head to the firehouse for my shift, so I wanted to stop by.” Derek hands over two wrapped gifts. Griffin ferries them to the table with the other presents. The girls have gotten a nice bounty.

“This is my boyfriend Cary.” Derek whacks him on the shoulder to get him off his phone.

“Hi! Sorry!” Cary instantly springs to attention. “It’s so nice to meet you. Sorry I wasn’t at the Sourwood Cup. Sunday is a big open house day, so I was running around like a chicken that had snorted cocaine before having their head cut off.”

I try to picture that visual, and the manic energy seems on point for Cary.

Cary turns to Jolene. “That analogy was in no way an endorsement of cocaine. I’ve never done cocaine, for the record. But from what I hear about cocaine…”

Derek gently tips the iced coffee up to Cary’s lips, unfazed by his boyfriend’s word vomit. Cary gives him an appreciative look.

“I got the girls a telescope,” Jolene says, tucking her bright red hair behind her ears. “The treehouse is a great place for stargazing.”

“They’ll love it,” I say. It’s amazing that Annabelle and June will be this big and this mature in only a few years.

Cary’s phone buzzes. He tries to ignore it, but the pull is too strong. “Sorry. I’m not a workaholic. I just really, really love my job.”

“He’s very good at his job,” Derek adds.

“Oh my God.” Cary throws a hand to his chest with a hearty gay gasp. “I got an offer on this farmhouse I’ve been trying to sell forever. Freaking finally.” He has Derek hold his drink while his thumbs peck away at the screen. His gleeful smile reminds me of charging to the net in games, arcing my stick back with the knowledge that I was totally going to score.

“I’m going to check out the snacks,” Jolene says.

“Bye lady.” Cary blows her a kiss as she goes. “And remember what I said about not doing cocaine.”

She tips her head, as confused as I am about how to respond to that. She lands on a thumbs up and runs off. If Cary can be a parental figure to Jolene, then maybe I have a shot at being a good one to Griffin’s girls.

“One second.” Cary jumps back on his phone. “I have one other person mildly interested. I’m going to let her know about the offer and see if I can generate a little bidding war. And…there.” He cackles a maniacal laugh and tucks his phone in his back pocket. “So when you’re not playing hockey, what do you do?”

“I’m figuring that out. I’m looking into college.” I shrug.

“To study what?”

“I’m not sure.” My plan quickly unravels in my mind upon scrutiny.

“Have you ever thought of being a real estate agent?” Cary slurps some of the final remnants of his coffee from the clutches of the ice cubes.

“You think everyone should be a real estate agent,” says Derek.

“Not everyone. But I think Jack could be a good fit.”

“You just met him.”

“Let the man talk, Derek,” I say, suddenly very intrigued by Cary’s confidence in his assessment.

“There are a few former athletes in my office, and they love it! It’s a good transition for them because they’re not chained to a desk, and sales lets you be competitive for a living. You don’t need a degree. You have to get licensed, which takes a few months and at a fraction of the cost of a college tuition.”

“Huh.” I hadn’t considered being a real estate agent, but I love competing. Cary seems to be having more fun with his job than anyone else I know. Plus the thought of sitting in a classroom for the next few years doesn’t set my world on fire.

“If you do well, you can make really good money. You seem like a schmoozer, too. I get a flirt vibe from you.” Cary takes a business card from his wallet and hands it over. “My partner and I have an opening on our team for a trainee agent. Our last one was great, but then her grandmother died and left hereverything, so she moved to Mykonos to be a lifestyle influencer.”

“Nice work if you can get it,” I say.

“Tell me about it.” Cary slurps the last drops from his coffee, persevering until he sucks down every last drop. “I tried the college thing, and it wasn’t a fit for me. I’m so glad I found real estate. Listen, college doesn’t start up until the fall. You have a few months. Be my trainee, and if you’re not feeling it, then you can go to school.”

“I think I’m sold,” Derek says.

“Me too.” For the first time in my job hunt, I feel excited about something. I picture myself using my charm to sell houses and creating bidding wars. It’s worth a shot. Like Cary says, if I don’t like it, college will always be there. I stand on my tiptoes, feeling downright giddy. Cary really is a good salesman.

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