Page 11 of Everything's Better With You
“I’ll be fine.”
“Uh-huh.”
Leslie rolled his eyes and left the stadium, walking briskly toward the parking lot, hoping he wasn’t going to be waylaid any longer.
And boy did his heart gopitter-patterwhen he saw Joe standing by his rental car, laughing with Marti. Oh, Les had wanted to kiss her when she’d taken his side on the fight to win Joe’s commitment to coach. It would be a major victory for Greenvale and a dream come true for Les.
A chance to spend quality time with Joe and show him that settling down with the right person wasn’t settling.
“Hey,” Marti said. “I was just giving one last plug for Joe to come here.”
“Great.” Les beamed. “I’ll get your Venmo link later.” He winked and Joe barked out a laugh.
“The honorable Leslie Payton isn’t above bribery. Good to know.”
Joe hugged and kissed Marti on the cheek, and she shook Les’s hand before saying goodbye.
“Her husband is a physical therapist who specializes in sports medicine and her son is coming here next year. You know, if you’re still trying to build your dream team or whatever.”
“Will it help me convince you to take the job?”
Joe sighed, but he was smiling. “What are we doing here, Les?”
“You mean, at this very moment? Barry wanted me to get you set up for the night.”
“Uh-huh, and after that?”
Les shuddered at the possibility of after that.
“After that, there’s always the after-party at the Goalpost—”
Joe frowned.
“And,” Les added quickly. “I’m supposed to answer any further questions you might have.” He slid his hands into his back pockets to avoid reaching for Joe. They were still in public, and he certainly wasn’t about to make any moves without consent. He’d learned that lesson watching his fellow NFL colleagues make countless missteps that ruined their careers.
“Hmmm, questions. All right. I’ll follow you?”
Les did a mental fist pump and end-zone dance. “Yes, sir. Right this way.”
They got into their vehicles and Les drove out of the parking lot, down the main road into campus, and then turned left onto the road facing Jackets Pond and he parked in front of the second to last of the six cottages owned by the college. Currently three of them were vacant after several retirements this year. Many of the long-term employees had purchased houses in town, and one of the cottages was always leftvacant for visiting professors, but Barry and the board had approved the one most recently remodeled for Joe.
Leslie hopped down from the truck and reached back in for the cans of water. Joe climbed out of his rental and rested an elbow on the roof.
“What are we doing here?”
Les approached and held out the can of water. “This, I hope, is your new home.”
Joe had been in the process of opening the can, which sloshed onto his shirt.
“Are you serious?”
“Come on,” Les said, holding up the keys. “Let me give you a tour.”
Joe stood staring at the house as if it might swallow him whole. He didn’t speak. Leslie couldn’t tell if that was a good sign. He went ahead and climbed the steps and had the key in the lock when he heard Joe’s car door slam. He smiled to himself and opened the door.
Yeah, he’d come over earlier and cleaned up, dusted, and changed the bedding. He put out towels and set up a Keurig and coffee cups, put creamer in the refrigerator… He even brought over a collection of teas in case Joe preferred that in the morning.
He wished he would have had the opportunity at some point over the past fifteen years to find out Joe’s morning preference for himself.
