Page 131 of Bountiful
“Yeah, okay.” I’d rented the colonial out to a young family with two little boys. The mom next door and I were already talking about sharing a nanny for a few hoursaweek.
“I’ll give myself some time to think about it. There’s always coaching. I could see if my teammates know anybody on staff at the University ofVermont.”
“Interesting.”
“I could open a bar and drive your uncle and Alecinsane.”
“Youwouldn’t!”
He laughed. “No. This family runs on coffee-shop hours.” He squeezed me. “But I might bring up the idea at Sunday luncheon just to see who blowsfirst.”
“Youareevil.”
“And you’re a perfect angel fromheaven.”
I snorted. “There aren’t any of those onthissofa.”
“You’re right,” Dave agreed. “She’s over there.” He glanced at Nicole. “We’ll take her outside in a few minutes? Go find your bathing suit. I’m going tocallBess.”
Dave
“Is something wrong?” Bess asked when she answered thephone.
“I knew you’d lead with that.” My sister lived to worryaboutme.
“You’re on vacation, and I already got a call today. Pardon me if I wonder why I’m getting asecondcall.”
“I’ve been thinking about your one-yearoption.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I hadn’t been lying when I’d told Zara that I almost couldn’t imagine retiring. It gave me the cold sweats. But lately I’d been listening to Zara describe the new house and the furniture she was buying. And the dishes in the hutch in the dining room. The omelet pan Audrey had given her for thekitchen.
I wanted to bethere.
The future wasn’t something I dreaded anymore. If they tossed my ass off the team tomorrow, I knew exactly where I’d go. I wouldn’t even have to stop and thinkaboutit.
“Jesus,” I swore as an idea began to takeshape.
“What’s the deal, bigbrother?”
“Maybe this isn’t as tricky as Ithought.”
“The contractthing?”
“Yeah, the contract thing. If I take the one year, Nicole will be three at the end of it. I could spend eight weeks in Vermont next summer, and maybe see my family four or five other times before then. For forty-eight hours.Maybe.”
“That’s about right,” my sisteragreed.
I glanced at Nicole. She was toddling at top speed away from Zara, who wanted to put some kind of swim diaper on her. Nicole wasn’t interested, though, and the chasewason.
Even if I only took the one-year contract extension, she wouldn’t be a baby anymore when itended.
Zara paused in the middle of the room, trying to guess the trajectory of our toddler. She stood there in shorts and a bikini top, hands on her hips, a slightly exasperated smile onherface.
I wanted to take her right to bed and untie thatbikinitop.
“Ahem,” Bess said into my ear. “I don’t mind hanging up on other people to talk to you. But you have toactuallytalk.”
