Page 33 of The New Guy
“It’s here,” Gavin says. “Hello Eustace. Good trip down from Boston?”
“It was perfect,” she says. “No trouble at all.” She stops and gives Gavin an appraising look. Then her eyes move to me. “Who is this? A boyfriend?”
My blood stops circulating.
“No!” Gavin sputters. “He’s…”
“Our neighbor!” Jordyn says. “He’s a hockey player! He signed my jersey!”
“Oh. I see.” Her eyes slide away from me dismissively. “Does Jordyn have another pair of shoes? We’re going to the ballet.”
Gavin frowns. “She wears those with everything. You didn’t mention the ballet.”
“It’s no matter.” She waves a hand. “Get in the car, darling.”
“Wait waitwait.” Gavin holds his hands out. “Where is my goodbye?”
The little girl skips back over to her father and they say their goodbyes, and I look away.
Another car slides to a halt in the street, my name showing on a placard in the window. I hurry over and put my bag into the trunk. Then I slide onto the back seat.
“LaGuardia?” the driver asks.
“In a second,” I say tightly. “We’re waiting for him.”
It only takes another minute until Gavin joins me. His daughter’s car pulls away first. He tosses his bag into the trunk and climbs in.
The car glides down Henry Street and turns toward the airport before Gavin says, “I’m sorry about that,” he says in a low voice. “Her assumption…”
“It was nothing,” I whisper.
“Yeah, but…” He clears his throat. “It didn’t have a thing to do with you. She is always just waiting for me to fuck up somehow. Lose my job. Date a loser. Something she can use as leverage.”
“I think you just called me a loser.”
“No! It was just an example! I…” He glances sideways at me. “Oh, you’re joking.”
I smile. “Yes, I’m joking.” Although my heart has begun to race nonetheless. In another life, I’d be thrilled to be mistaken for Gavin’s boyfriend.
But in this life, I can’t have anyone guess that about me. Ever. So my greatest fantasy is also my greatest fear.
The car accelerates onto the highway, in the direction of the airport. And the start of a two game road trip, where Gavin will be with us constantly for a few days.
I cannot let it affect me.
I already chose my path. I just have to stick to it.
ELEVEN
Gavin
When it’stime to board the jet, I hang back and wait for the players to go first. They probably have favorite seats, and a pecking order. I don’t want to step on any toes.
I notice that Jimbo, the equipment manager, does the same thing. He’s a friendly kid a couple of years younger than I am. After the last player boards, he nods toward the jetway. “Shall we?”
The plane is luxurious—with the generous seats you’d find in business class, and upholstery in the team colors. I sit next to Jimbo, and after the plane takes off, I enjoy an Indian style chicken curry that’s better than anything I’ve ever eaten on a flight before.
As night falls, the lights dim. Some of the players sleep or watch movies on their tablets. And there’s a loud poker game at a table in the back.
