Page 15 of Everything In Between
I roll my eyes. “It is.”
“Pro: he may help you stop beating yourself up over what happened with Corey. Help you move on and find joy in your life again.”
“I have moved on,” I protest. “And I have joy.”
“Sure, in most ways. But I know you, Jersey. I know there are times when you catch yourself falling into thewhat ifs. And I can see how down you get after receiving a verbal beating from Cal. You may be stuck in this contract for the next three years, but that doesn’t mean that you have to suffer through those years too.”
“You know me too well,” I tell my friend.
“Or maybe I just know you well enough. At least I hope I would after eight years of working with you. And holding the position as your best friend for much longer than that.” She winks at me and then glances down at the watch on her wrist. “I should probably get going, though. I’ve got a few errands to run before heading home.”
We both hop off the couch and she grabs her items. I walk with her to the door and wrap my arms around myself while she finds her keys in her bag.
“I really don’t know what I’d do without you, Beth,” I say softly.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you, either. I love being a part of your crazy life. Think about the Hayes thing, okay? There are more pros than cons—the list doesn’t lie.”
I nod. “I will think about it.”
“Promise?”
“Ipromise.” I fight off a smile when she hugs me tightly.
“Okay, well keep me posted.” She pulls away and holds me at arm’s length. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I see her out, closing the door behind her and leaning my head back against the paneling. As soon as the apartment is empty, I run myself a hot bath to decompress from the day and mull over everything we talked about, returning to the topic of texting Hayes Vogt over and over again. Even when I try to focus on something else,anythingelse, my thoughts circle back to the damn pros and cons list sitting on my coffee table.
Getting out of the tub, I towel myself off and pad back out to the living room, finding the list and studying it begrudgingly.
After mulling it all over, I realize Bethany was right. The pros do significantly outnumber the cons. Or at the very least, they’re a little louder and more prominent in my mind as I consider everything. I managed to add two more cons to the list, but even I can recognize they’re weak excuses.
Taking the leap, I type out a message to the phone number he scrawled over the extra Post-it note and hit send before I can erase it.
Jersey
Hey. It’s Jersey.
SEVEN
jersey
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
The fingernailpolish cracks on my thumb as my teeth nibble nervously at my cuticle. I pull my hand away and glare down at my finger. There’s now a huge chunk of the polish missing from the nail.Damn it.
I worry at the dead skin on my lip with my teeth, my nerves getting the better of me as I wait for a response.
Hayes Vogt is a busy man, with a million things on his plate. He’s got a game this Sunday—I may or may not have looked up the schedule for the Milwaukee Majestics while waiting for his reply—and he has a goal of leading his team to victory. Which were his exact words in the interview I watched of him from last week, also while I’ve been waiting.
He’s probably asleep already. Maybe he’ll respond in the morning when he sees it.
That’s what I tell myself, as I settle back into the couch cushions and close my eyes.
My phone vibrates on the coffee table a moment later, and I nearly jump out of my skin. I reach for it, and a bubble of excitement and trepidation blooms in my belly.
Hayes
Oh hey, Jersey Matthews. Bout time I heard from you
