Page 33 of Play of Love
Chapter 9
Josh
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Ididn’t have as much to drink last night. Just one can of beer. It was the least amount I’d had in months.
I wanted another, and my usual bottle of wine and rum, but I miraculously found the strength to resist.
I’d distracted my mind with some old recordings of the last three years’ worth of games. I used to do this a lot, that way I could help with game strategies. I’d look at how the game played out: who did what, what worked, what didn’t. It was something I was really good at.
I had always planned to coach one day, but that would be when I was too old to play. Carl Ferguson, who played for the Centaurs, was the oldest player in the football world. He was in his mid-forties and would be forty-six next year. There was no talk of his retirement. He was one of their best players, too valuable to lose.
I hoped to be like that. So I was good for another couple of years. The question was what I was going to do with those years, and it started now.
To make sure I got enough sleep I went to bed at a reasonable time and set my alarm for five. Again, that was something I hadn’t done in such a long time I forgot what it felt like to wake up at that hour. I felt surprisingly alert, like traces of my old self was peeking through the guarded wall of grief that suppressed me.
I showered and got ready, dressing in a hooded jacket and jogging pants. While I waited for the Disney princess I did some sit-ups and crunches. I also thought I’d take a walk on the beach, too, when she finished with me. I didn’t know what she had planned for today yet, but I wanted to do that. The beach soothed me. It was one of the perks of living so close.
Amy was still annoyed at me by the time she left yesterday; I couldn’t worry about that. I was thinking about what I needed to do to sort myself out.
I sat by the French windows in my room, waiting for her to come. Just before six I heard the front door open, then some shuffling around. I then heard her coming up the stairs praying. I wondered if that was it, maybe she used to be a nun. It would explain the uptightness and the prudish attitude towards sex.
Maybe she left the convent and was trying her hand at something new so she needed the money to get her foot in.
She took caution in opening the door and came inside holding a large can of whipped cream. When she saw my empty bed her face fell and she looked panicked.
She was wearing a cute little top today. Super girlie with its candy colors and ruffles. I liked her hair too. It was up in a loose bun on top of her head. Her hair off her face made her look even younger and drew attention to the sharp definition in her high, exotic cheekbones.
“I’m here, Kansas, and if that cream isn’t for me to use on you get rid of it.”
Her head whipped up at the sound of my voice and she looked truly shocked to see me, but happy at the same time.
“You’re awake?”
“Well spotted, princess.”
She smiled at me and I felt that warmth again.
I stood up, put my hood up and made my way past her. “You coming?” I asked, because she still looked so surprised.
“Yeah.”
We did some more interview preparation because the rep was coming today, then we talked about the appearances and photo shoots she’d booked me in even though I said I didn’t want to do it. She advised that doing things like that was good because it created good press and had the added benefit of turning the media attention away from my family. I liked that she was so sensitive and protective. I absolutely didn’t want to answer any questions about how I was feeling or how the incident affected me.
When the rep and Zelda arrived I was in much better shape. In body and mind. I didn’t know the rep, but Zelda looked quite impressed with me. All dealings I’d had with her, over the last few months in particular, had been terrible and we’d ended up arguing. It was good that she could see that I was trying. By the time the rep finished and they were done, she looked satisfied with my comments and at ease.
Amy did too.
“What now?” I asked Amy once they’d left. She’d just walked into the office and taken her seat around the desk.
“I get back to work. Lots of emails to respond to and people to call back.”
I wondered what everyone wanted but guessed I’d find out soon. She seemed to be quite good at this and I wondered again what her former job was.
“What did you do before coming here to work for me?”
The question threw her and she looked surprised by it. She straightened up and pulled in a breath.
