Page 12 of Make the Play

“Wow,” she says once she’s finished eating. “I really thought we were getting too much food.”

Reid stands and pulls up his T-shirt, slapping his abs. “We’re growing boys, baby Reynolds.”

Corie wrinkles her nose, making us all laugh. She’s cute as hell. I definitely have to keep my distance from her.

ChapterFour

Corie

I’ve been back in Nashville for a month. I’m still unemployed and mooching off my older brother, who has been taking care of me since we lost our mom the summer after I graduated from high school. I hate that he’s supporting me. That’s not his job as my older brother, even though he thinks it is.

I’ve been trying to do small things like making dinner, grocery shopping, and cleaning up. Landry reminds me he has a housekeeper who does the cleaning, grocery shopping, and even some cooking, but I have to do something. I’m not used to sitting around idle. I worked all through college and even more during the summers.

I feel… lost.

Every day, I look at job listing websites and apply for jobs. I don’t want to, but I’m going to have to start searching outside of Nashville. I don’t want to move away from my brother and best friend again, but I have to go where the work is, and it’s starting to feel like that’s not Nashville, at least not for me.

My phone rings, pulling me from my thoughts. I smile when I see Sloane’s name. “Hey, you,” I greet her.

“Hey, hey. What are you doing today?” Sloane asks, as if I’m doing anything different than I’ve done every day for the past month.

“Oh, you know. Same old. Just sitting by the pool with my laptop, looking for jobs.”

“Still no luck?”

“Nope. I think it’s time to start expanding the area I’m searching.”

“No. No, something will come up. Take the rest of the summer to relax and see what happens.”

“You know I hate depending on Landry to support me.”

“I know you do, but he can afford it.”

“That’s not the point,” I remind her, just as I have almost every day since I graduated from college and moved back home.

“I know it’s not, but it’s still the truth. Come on… hang out with me the rest of the summer. I don’t start back to work until the middle of August. I need some bestie time.”

“What do you call what we’ve been doing the last month since I’ve been home?”

“Come on, Corie, it’s not enough. You lived away from me for four years. Four very long years. I missed you.”

My heart squeezes. Sloane has been there for me through thick and thin, and I missed her, too. We talked on the phone and texted every day. She would visit during the summers, but it wasn’t enough. She’s like the sister I never had.

“I’ll give it until the beginning of August. If I haven’t found something by then, I’ll need to change where I’m looking. Trust me, I don’t want to move away again, either, but that’s all a part of growing up and being an adult, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbles. “Thereisa job in this city for you. I can feel it.”

“I hope you’re right,” I tell her.

“Now that we have that settled, I’m on my way over. Do you want me to bring food?”

“Actually, why don’t we just make something here? Landry’s home, and I’m sure he’ll be hungry, too.”

“Sounds good. I’m on my way. I’ll see you in fifteen.”

“Drive safe,” I tell her, placing my cell phone back on the chair beside me. Closing my eyes, I tilt my head back and enjoy the feel of the sun beating down on me.

Although I hate that Landry is supporting me, I can admit that it feels nice to take a break. It's weird because I’ve been nonstop for the last four years, but it’s also nice to have nowhere to be, and I have time to figure out my next steps. Sloane’s right. I need to give it time and see how it all pans out.

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