Page 25 of Sliding into Love
When the noise dies down, I laugh and wave a hand to Kenneth. He picks up on the handoff, moving on with the rest of what we’d planned to tell them.
“With Tollide out, we'll need to fill the role he played for our team. I'm working on some things for that, but don't be surprised if I call you up and ask you for a hand. Some things will get shifted around. Practices might run a little bit longer. I won't do anything to keep you away from your families, and you will have plenty of rest. The Blue Jays will not be defeated by anaccident. I'm not asking for a perfect season. I'm only asking that everyone gives their best from here on out.”
“For Tollide,” I say.
Immediately the room chants back, “For Tollide!”
From there, Coach blows his whistle and starts hashing out plans for practice. Not wanting to get caught up in whatever these guys are about to do, I hop off the stool in an attempt to make my way through the crowd to the door. I'm almost there when I feel a hand on my elbow. I whip around so fast the other person startles.
It's Kenneth.
He jumps back, hands lifted in the air as if I'm a police officer. I take a deep breath, calming my heart rate. It's been years since I've had someone stop me in a locker room with a hand on the arm. Back then it was for miserable reasons. It's hard to differentiate between past and present with things like that.
“I’m sorry,” Kenneth rushes to say. “I just wanted to make sure I caught you so we could go talk.”
Clenching my jaw, I nod once before tilting my head towards the door. “Let's go.”
He manages to keep in step with me all the way to the elevator. When we reach our shared office space, I shut the door and move over to the chair across from the desk. I can't sit beside him right now. I'm too keyed up.
Kenneth notices the distance. I watch as he frowns but doesn't say a word. When he sits in his chair, he leans forward, his hands clasped tightly together. His knuckles are white, and his face is downcast.
“I’m sorry if me touching you was unwarranted. I didn't want to yell and draw people's attention since you seemed to be in a hurry to leave. I understand why you might be that way too. The situation down there just now… I appreciate you handling it. Ikind of choked up because the conversation with Bardot didn't go well.”
Shit.
Now I have to pretend like I don't know what happened.
I quirk one eyebrow. “It didn’t?”
When attempting to lie, it's best to leave as much open for interpretation as possible. Also saying as few words as you can is a good idea.
Kenneth's shoulders drop as his hands reach up to hold his head. “Yeah,” he mumbles. “It was a shitshow. Poor guy lost his cool. Started shouting and immediately wanted to know what had happened.”
“He wasn't in the meeting either.”
At my observation, Kenneth drops his hands. I can tell he's trying to recall all the faces that were there, but I don't need him to confirm what I already know. Bardot left. I watched him leave.
Kenneth grunts. “Shit. I guess he did sneak out. Maybe one of us should try to call North or the hospital to see if he went there. I don't think I have North's number yet.” He shuffles around some papers on his desk. The chaos of it makes me cringe.
Reaching out, I lay a hand over his. He freezes at the touch. I don't let go until he looks at me.
“Neither of us has North's number, but we can call the hospital to confirm if Bardot is there. Or we could go up there ourselves to see. I'm not sure what else you have on the agenda for today. I feel like I'm getting a good handle on things so we might be able to step away for a while if you want.”
That's when he smiles at me. My heart does that tightening thing again, and I mentally put myself in time out.
Granted, I haven't been put in time out since I was a toddler, and that was really only once for trying to explain to someone that they were going to be charged tax for their lemonade at my lemonade stand. I wound up getting into an argument abouthow they shouldn’t be doing illegal things with their money if taxes were such a problem for them.
My little brother and father didn't find it as amusing as I did so time out it was. Jake because we lost a sale. Dad because the man I’d inadvertently insulted was a bit of a hothead.
Now though, I have to mentally kick myself because the thoughts I'm having for Kenneth are not ones I need to have again. I slowly let go of his hand and lean back. He does the same, mirroring my movement. I don't know if he even understands that he's doing it. To find out, I slowly raise my hand to my mouth and wipe it as if anything's there. A second later, he does the same. I shift my shoulders and again he repeats it.
“What's on the agenda for today?” I ask instead of continuing the game.
We could probably go for hours without him even understanding, unless someone interrupted us, of course.
As if the universe wants to play a trick on me, there's a knock at the door. Kenneth turns to look at it as if he can see through the thick wood.
“Come in,” I call out to whoever's on the other side since Kenneth doesn't want to answer. What is it about him needing me to do things for him, and why do I enjoy it so much?
