Page 92 of The Path to Loving Him
I turn around to look at her, and to my demise, she’s wearing pajamas, just like I asked her.
Dammit, I miss the robe already.
But new leaf.
Friends.
Focus on what’s important, Ryland.
“Hey.” I set the microfiber towel down. “How was your shower?”
“Fine,” she says. “How’s your foot?”
“Recovered.”
“That was quite the sight to see.”
“I’m just surprised a slew of curse words didn’t fly out of my mouth. If it were Aubree, Mac would still be repeating everything she heard.”
“Does she tend to do that?”
“All the time,” I say. “By the way, you didn’t have to clean up the toys. But thank you.”
“I did it for your pride, so you didn’t come downstairs and have another accident.”
“Well, it’s appreciated but not necessary. We can do things over here on our own.” I hear the words, and they come off as unappreciative, but I don’t know how else to say it. I don’t need the help, at least from someone I barely know.
“I’m sure you can, but I just thought I’d lend a hand . . . since we’re friends and all.”
“Thanks.” I shift uncomfortably, unsure of what else to say.
“Well, I’m going to get back to my apartment.”
“Cool, yeah. Oh hey, I was thinking, have you heard from Bennett recently?”
She pauses at the door. “I talk to him every day.”
“Oh.”
“Why?”
I lean against the counter and say, “With the playoffs coming up, I wasn’t sure if he had any idea if he was moving up when the MLB teams expand to a forty-man roster.”
“He hasn’t mentioned anything. Then again, we don’t really talk about it because he feels a lot of pressure to move up. He’s ready, he just needs the call.”
“He was ready when he played for me,” I say. “Hopefully, he hears something soon. Would you fly out there for his first game?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I have a lot of responsibilities here, and I think I’d only go if he was going to start, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it. Keep me updated. I’d love to know since I don’t have a lot of time to follow things like I used to.”
“I will.”
She starts to walk away again, and for some reason, I ask, “What does he think about you coaching his old team?”
She leans against the door and says, “He’s proud of me. Excited that I get to work with you since you were one of his favorite coaches. Can’t see why since you’re a bit of an ass.”
That makes me chuckle. “Only when I feel that I’m wronged. I’m a pretty decent guy. You’ll find out soon when we move from friends to best friends.”
