Page 67 of Not that Impressed
He nods at me in an approving way. “Ellie told me about the team text, and the way they pulled together for my girls. Tell the guys thank you?”
“I will.”
He pounds me on the shoulder, reaches to shake my hand one more time, and then heads toward the door. “See you later, Pemberton,” he says before he goes inside.
I fall asleep on the short drive back to my apartment and then crash on my bed as soon as I get home. It’s hours later when I wake to the sound of someone coming into my apartment. I lay in my bed blinking into the darkness before I stretch and roll out of bed. Charlie is the only other person who has the code to my door, so it must be him.
He’s sitting on the couch when I come into the living room, reaching for the remote to the TV.
“Hey,” he says. “Didn’t mean to wake you up. I knew you’d been home for a while, so I wanted to come check on you.”
“It’s fine.” I head for the kitchen. I need a proper meal anyway. I’ve eaten here and there, tried to make sure both Ellie and I got something in our stomachs over the last couple days, but the team nutritionist would be appalled with my lack of attention to my food intake considering my regular diet is about five-thousand calories a day.
Charlie follows me and takes a seat at my dining room table, turning the chair to face me in the kitchen. He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. “You missed the game today.”
I arch an eyebrow at him. I don’t need to be reminded. I haven’t had long to ponder what I did or how Coach is going to react when I finally see him, but it’s been heavy in my stomachsince I passed the stadium on the way home from the Bennets’ house.
“I’d do it again,” I say in a gruff voice. “Ellie needed me. Libby needed me. You’d do the exact same thing for Janelle—don’t deny it.”
He shrugs and smiles ruefully at me. “I’m not in the running for MVP.”
I pull eggs from the fridge to avoid answering him for a few moments. “Neither am I,” I say as I reach for a bowl to mix them in. I turn away again to grab more items from the fridge: bacon I fried up on Thursday night, cottage cheese for some extra protein, spinach, peppers, and a few other veggies to add some heft.
“Will.” Charlie’s voice holds censure, but it’s gentle. He knows how much this guts me.
“I would do it again,” I repeat. “There’s always next year.” Charlie doesn’t respond. That’s a gamble, and we both know it. Anything could prevent me from achieving the success I’ve had this year next year—an injury, something happening with the team, me not being able to perform the way I have so far. “It’s just a job.”
Charlie holds back a smile. “It was never just a job until you met her.”
I let out a short laugh. “Well, maybe I was doing things wrong until I met her.”
He doesn’t hold back the smile anymore. My best friend grins at me as though I’ve finally figured everything out. And maybe I have.
Charlie stands up and comes to lean against the counter. “We’re taking bets on how long it is before Caleb Gallagher gets arrested for his vigilante justice.”
“My lips are sealed.” I whisk the eggs together.
“Apparently this isn’t the first time he’s used his skills in the gray area.” Charlie widens his eyes and then reaches over to snag a slice of bacon. “You making enough for me?”
I crack in several more eggs. “Sure, man.”
Mr.Colin
So grateful to hear that @Libby_in_the_Bennet_House is home safe and sound. So much gratitude.
@kay_bakes_1: Pick me boy!
@smiling_24_7:
@bennetfanz100: Your so fake!!
CHAPTER 29
ELLIE
Libby and I have never been as close as Janelle and I are, but she hasn’t wanted me to leave her side in the few days we’ve been home. It’s breaking my heart. She hasn’t talked much more about what happened between her and Grayson, not in so many words. I haven’t pushed her. That man is lucky he’s in FBI custody.
The first night Libby was home, she insisted Janelle and I have a sleepover with her like we used to do when Libby was little and we were teens. She forced laughs and smiles, like it was just for fun. That’s how she ended up in a Libby sandwich, between Janelle and me, our arms wrapped around each other. When I was sure Libby was asleep, I had let tears slip down my cheeks.
