Page 11 of It Started With a Scarf

"That wasn't at a football game, though, was it?" "No. The Bears played out of town this week. Dad got that award at a dinner party. They'll talk about it at a game—probably next week. They play at home next week. I'm sure he'll go stand on the field and they'll play a video about it at the game."

"That's exciting. Are you staying in Chicago until then?"

"No, Blakie, I'm coming back tomorrow or the next day, probably."

"I'll get you some meal prep ordered for when you get back. Just text me when you figure out a time."

"Thank you," he said.

Dominic and his brother owned two upscale gyms that catered to pro and college-level athletes. Their father, Eddie Decker, was the most famous Chicago Bear of all time, and the boys, (twins Edward Junior "EJ" and Dominic) were athletes as well. They were local sports heroes in Chicago, playing football at their high school and then both going on to play football at Northwestern. They were Eddie Decker's twins, and they grew up to be strapping young men and popular in Chicago sports. They were affectionately known as the Double-Deckers.

EJ was a two-sport athlete who played baseball at Northwestern as well. He got drafted to play pro baseball during their junior year, and he went off to pursue that dream. He played two years in the minors and then a year in the big leagues with the Cubs before a knee injury took him out at the beginning of his second season.

Dominic was already working on the Chicago gym location by then. EJ worked with Dominic while he was rehabbing his knee, and by the time he was finished, his mind was set on running the gym with his brother instead of returning to baseball.

Elite Training Center—The ETC.

The boys had a passion for sports and training, and they knew how to put the whole package together for a complete customer experience. Their gyms were gigantic family fitness facilities. They catered to elite athletes and their families, and they gave them a unique experience with pools, saunas, basketball, tennis, and a variety of other sports along with healthy dining.

The Milwaukee location was newer, and Dominic had moved there to open it and be the man in charge. That location was even larger than the one in Chicago. The brothers had purchased a full-size indoor football field and track. It had originally been built for a semi-pro team. It had to have upgrades, but it was a great piece of property, and they had gotten a great deal on it. They renovated the small stadium and built the ETC campus around it. Their efforts were paying off already.

Dominic and EJ had nearly sixty people on staff at the two locations. They had premier fitness centers in both Chicago and Milwaukee, and their brand was thriving. Dominic lived in Milwaukee full-time and his brother lived in Chicago, but they both had apartments in the opposite city and they visited each other regularly. The guests loved having the guys around. Dominic loved Milwaukee and he didn't normally stay in Chicago this many days in a row, but there had been a lot going on at the Chicago gym.

He hung up with Blake and stared absentmindedly out of the window of his apartment. He was on the third floor, and he could easily see the bus stop on the corner across the street. Dominic's window had a clear view of the street and bus stop, and he noticed the girl with the scarf the instant he saw her get off a bus.

He had been thinking about her, and it felt like some kind of sign.

What was she doing at his bus stop?

Dominic stared at her as the bus drove away. She was carrying a leather backpack and wearing that same wool coat and colorful scarf as the night he met her. She started walking in the opposite direction of his apartment, and he panicked and raised his window. He whistled, but there was noise from the street, and she didn't hear him or pay any attention to the sound.

Dominic took off. He left his apartment on foot and high-tailed it downstairs. He took the stairs. He ran into a few people in the downstairs corridor and had to slow down and act like a normal person. He was wearing a t-shirt with socks and slides and it was October in Chicago and quite cool out. He got a few looks, but he ignored them as he walked past everyone and onto the sidewalk.

He realized by the time he stopped and looked around that she was gone, out of sight. It was impossible to know what direction she had gone. She could have rounded the corner and gone down a different street, or she could've walked into any of three or four surrounding buildings by now. He stood there and looked around, but he couldn't see her and didn't know which way to go to look for her.

Dominic had chalked up meeting the girl to chance. He had been disappointed about not having a way to reach her, but he was also able to put her out of his mind. But seeing her a second time was so unlikely that he thought it meant something.

He went back into his apartment and was instantly trying to think of ways to reach her. If she had used this bus stop once, she would probably use it again.Wouldn't she?But he couldn't stand there and watch for her.

Dominic went to dinner with a few friends that night, and he was still thinking about the girl. Marley with the scarf crossed his mind so much that evening that he decided to take matters into his own hands and find her. He remembered the restaurant where he met her, and he went by there on his way home from dinner.

It was 9pm, and it was busy in there, but he easily found the guy he knew to be Tom.

"Can I help you? Oh, Mr. Decker. Hello again. It's nice to see you."

"Hey, I'm glad you remember me from when I was here the other day. I had something to ask you about… it's about a… there was a woman. She was sitting at my table when you came up, and she was interviewing for a job."

"Oh, Marley!"

"Yes! Marley! Great! Can you tell me how to get in touch with her?"

"No, actually."

"Oh, is it company policy or something?"

"No. That's funny. Tucker McDaniel asked me the same thing. He was asking about her, too. I wanted to talk to her, myself. I wish I could. She'd make a great server. She said a few different things about not taking the job, that she didn't want to take the bus home so late, and that she just didn't think she was cut out for the restaurant business. We were talking for a minute or two, and she hugged me and fluttered off like a bird."

"She never called?"

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