Page 115 of Off the Mark
Dempsey was already working magic on her phone, pivoting fast to the next option because she really was the best agent around. “One of the team owners is an old friend of mine. And for what it’s worth, I adore Riley and Quinn, and they seem to genuinely like you too.”
Her fingers paused, gaze rising to mine. “The lesson here is that when you’re confronted with two choices and one is working with a stodgy corporation and the other is a team of fearless, bloodthirsty women…”
“Go with the fearless, bloodthirsty women every single time,” I replied.
And the relieved smile that flew across my face as soon as I said those words was the final indication I needed that my instincts were correct.
“You bet.” She stood without taking her attention off her phone. “If I’m calling you later today, it’s because I’ve got good news on the team front.” She tapped a second more before slipping her phone away and resting a hand on my shoulder. “Being on a team will be different for you, Charlie. They’ll be relying on your performance. But also, you’ll be relying on them.”
“Helping one another,” I said.
“How do you feel about that?”
I hummed under my breath, thought about what Rowan had said yesterday—all the vulnerability about asking for help, but also the reward.You drove five hours in the middle of the night to sit with me when I was in the hospital. I asked and you came. Didn’t make me weak for asking either. It did make me realize that I could rely on you.
“Ifeellike…” I drew out the words as my mind raced. “I should give this whole asking-for-help thing a shot.”
Dempsey winked. “That’s my girl.”
She spun to leave, then seemed to change her mind. She dropped a hand to the back of her chair, nails drumming across the top. “I’m not speaking as an agent here, but as a retired rider. What your dad’s gone through is much too common in this industry. His pain and depression. His listlessness. Even his struggles with money, though I know Malcolm hasn’t always made the smartest decisions when it comes to his finances. But it’s like we take our last turn around that track, and the world is zapped of its color.”
She bit her lip. “I don’t even have to tell you how hard it will be when that time comes for you. You lived it with Malcolm. Our bodies can’t do this forever, and the only way I could prepare for that day was to have a plan for my future.”
Heat flooded my face. I’d said something similar to Rowan last night, about how much I admired him—an athlete who’d come out the other side of retirement without losing himself.
“You don’t have to have it all mapped out, but starting to accept that reality will help, Charlie. Joining a team is the best next step, but what comes after that will be up to you.”
I stood and hugged her. “Thank you for saying that. I wouldn’t want to do any of this without you.”
“Same here, babe. Now, time’s a’wastin’. Go get your man.”
Dempsey walked away, leaving me at the table with half a latte, one less sponsor and—hopefully—an entire team in my future. And when I reached into my bag for my phone, my fingers closed around plastic instead.
Curious, I fished it out and realized it was a raspberry Ring Pop. Rowan must have slipped it in there at some point when I wasn’t looking. I couldn’t even be surprised by the gesture.
We were always doing things for each other, back at Jolene’s, weren’t we?
I held it between my fingers. My entire body was suddenly so buoyant I thought I might float away, up into the blue summer sky, over the skyline of the city Rowan loved with his whole being.
If I had to base my understanding of what falling in love felt like, it’d be something dramatic courtesy of the romantic comedies I’d been slightly confused by as a teenager—realizing you were in love was like being struck by lightning, or swept away by a tidal wave, or devastated by a hurricane.
I’d convinced myself I wasn’t in love with Rowan because I couldn’t point to the one moment when I felt struck by lightning. The hot, frenetic attraction between us was always on the “instantly devastating” side of things, but our emotional connection was more like the steady growth of flowers blooming in a garden.
It grew and grew, bolstered by our friendship, our tentative trust, all the times we took care of each other in ways that felt natural to me.
I’d shown up in Philly, stumbled back into Rowan’s life with a bizarre request, and then been shocked at the intensity of my feelings for him, even after years apart.
But I shouldn’t have been. I was only stumbling back into the wild, abundant garden of our love. Reaching for the sun, reaching formoreno matter the season.
I curled my fingers around the candy and pressed it to my lips with a smile. Then I grabbed my phone and dialed a new number.
Tabitha answered with a cheery greeting. “I’ve beenwaitingfor you to call. Are we doing a girls’ night? I can make myself free immediately. Listen, that’s the sound of me shoving my work into a trashcan.”
I laughed. “Yes, to a girls’ night, but before we do that…can I call in a girls’ favor?”
28
ROWAN
