Page 6 of Love at a 7-Eleven

He picked it up and looked at it immediately—smiling as he checked it out. "Okayy," he said.

"I know you do a few get-togethers every season. Coming up, you have the welcome party for the guys and their families. I was hoping I could help you with that—free of charge. I could work with whatever budget you normally have, and plan something—showcase my style to the players and their wives."

He laughed lightheartedly like I wasn't serious. He finished laughing and then he tilted his head at me, still smiling. Those seconds felt like minutes as I waited for him to continue and tried to figure out what to say next.

"The welcome party? I just order catering and have the caterers set up some tables. We don't make a big thing of it."

"And I wouldn't make a big thing of it, either. But I could do a few extras they would enjoy—some nice touches to welcome them back for the season. And, like I said, I would want to plan it for free and work within your budget. You wouldn't need to do anything. I thought about it, and I believe it's a good way to get my foot in the door with some people. I would love to do kids' birthdays. I hoped this would be a good way to meet a few young families. I'm not trying to sell anything to them. I'm more just hoping they'll like what I've done and ask me about it."

I took a deep breath and smiled at him, feeling like there was no way he could deny me.

"If anything, it'll just take something off your plate for the start of the season."

He rocked in his chair again. This time it was a shorter sequence of rocks that he seemed to cut short. He made a thoughtful face like he was about to say something, but then he glanced over my shoulder and his expression changed. I knew someone was there. I turned to see who he was looking at, and it was Bonnie, the receptionist, looking sheepish.

"The new chaplain is here to see you. Marcus's guy. He's not replacing Wayne. I'm not sure what he's doing, actually. I think Wayne wanted you to show him around."

"What does he need? A tour?" Bob asked, looking annoyed.

"I don't think so. I'm getting him a badge, and I think we're supposed to show him back to Wayne's office. He's been here before. I think if you just take him back one time, he'll make it on his own. Marcus said he gave him the key code. I think he's talking to Kendrick."

"And Wayne said he can use his office?" Bob asked.

Bonnie nodded. "I guess he trusts him."

Bob breathed a heavy sigh like it was something he didn't want to deal with. I tried not to get hopeful, but I thought maybe this would make him consider letting me plan the party. Or maybe it would do the opposite and put him in a bad mood. There was no way to tell.

"Tell him I’m going to be fifteen more minutes. I'm wrapping up with Lila and then I have to talk to Amy about the helmet order. That's a whole dumpster fire I'm dealing with."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"He's ten minutes early, anyway. Just show him to the lounge and tell him I'll be there in fifteen or twenty minutes."

"Ten-four, thank you." Bonnie gave us a nod and then walked away.

I turned to stare at Bob who was in slightly worse spirits than before. He managed a small smile, but I could tell by his expression that his mind was now on other things. He took a deep breath. "Welcome to preseason," he said with a sarcastic smirk.

I smiled. "I could help you with the party," I said with a little innocent shrug. I thought it might take now that he seemed overwhelmed. I knew if he refused me, it would be my last effort.

He let out a sigh and looked at me with a regretful expression. "Could we just see about next year, Lila? I've really got a lot going on this season, as you can see. We have extra things happening with Marcus's family, and the new helmets are a… I'm not going to get into the helmets. I would love to help you, but it's just short notice, and I'm going to do things like normal this year."

He smiled and stood up like he was about to usher me out.

That was it. I was being rejected. The feeling hit me like a hot wave suddenly rushing through my body. He was rejecting my idea without so much as giving it thought. I had a notebook with some ideas for the welcome party and I hadn't even shown it to him yet. I felt stunned in those seconds as he got up and walked around his desk to hug me goodbye.

"The normal shindig is going to have to suffice this year," he said in a playfully regretful tone. "They're going to have to settle for the catering that Uncle Bob sets up for them. Greek food. Same place, same order. Beggars can't be choosers." He added that last statement as I stood.

Bob reached out and hugged me. "Thank you for coming by, Lila Mae. Text me sometime next spring if you're still into this stuff, and we'll see if we might work something out in the future."

"Yes, sir, thank you," I said smiling even though I wanted to burst into tears.

To say the meeting had not gone as I planned would be an understatement. I held a smile, but I was in shock as I turned and walked out of his office. I honestly thought it would be a sure thing.

"Send my love to your parents," he said.

He was speaking like he was in a good mood, like hadn't just been rude to me. It was the last thing I thought would happen. Bob Simmons was rejecting a gift, which hurt my feelings. I could feel myself turning red as I walked down the hallway, and I took a deep breath, begging my body not to let it happen. I had the presence of mind to stop in the restroom before I encountered Bonnie.

I took a minute to process what had just happened. I really thought it was a sure thing. I wondered how he could reject me when he was so close to my dad. I thought of the different times he had interacted with our family. Maybe I was taking it too seriously, but at that moment, I felt betrayed.

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