Long Distance Lover

by Donna Hill

  She nodded.

  “Be right back.” He walked down the short hallway and pulled open the closet. When he reached for his jacket he noticed a pamphlet sticking out of one of the other jacket pockets and it immediately caught his attention. He took a quick glance over his shoulder before lifting the pamphlet out. “You and Dyslexia. How to Cope.” Slowly he shook his head. Now everything made sense. He stuck the pamphlet back in the pocket and closed the door.

  When he returned to the living room, Kelly was still seated on the couch with her head back against the cushions, her eyes closed and her right hand tapping out a beat to the sounds of Kirk Whalum on saxophone.

  “He’s coming to town in a couple of weeks. Would you like to see him?”

  She jerked for a moment, sat up and turned to him. “You…are you asking me out?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” He chuckled. “Like I said, all work…”

  “Well…I…”

  “Think about it. The concert is in two weeks. Let me know.”

  She nodded.

  “So I’ll see you day after tomorrow. Don’t forget to stick with the menu and the vitamins. Very important.”

  “Sure.”

  “And thanks again.” He walked to the door, turned once. “Take care of yourself.”

  “You, too.”

  The door closed softly behind him.

  Kelly let out a long breath. He’d asked her out on a date. A slow, steady smile moved across her mouth. He’d actually asked her out. Hopefully David would stay gone for a while. The thought of David made her remember about the unplugged phone.

  After reconnecting the phone, she did what she’d been dreading. She called David in Atlanta. He answered on the second ring.

  “Kelly? Where the hell have you been? I’ve been worried sick. Why didn’t you answer the phone? What took you so long to call back? I sent the desk clerk up there hours ago.”

  She could almost see him pacing as he fired questions at her.

  “David, I’m fine. I turned the phone off so that I could get some rest.”

  “That’s not a very wise thing to do. What if something happened?”

  “Nothing happened. I told you I’m fine. How was your flight?”

  He pushed out an exasperated breath. “Fine. Long. But I’m here now.”

  “Any word on Reggie?”

  “He’s not doing well. He’s slipped into a coma.”

  “Oh my God. Please send my prayers to his family.”

  “I will.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t have much choice. I have to stay. The team needs me and I want to be here for Reg. But I want to be there for you, too. You’re the one I’m worried about.”

  “David, please, just take care of things in Atlanta. I’ll be fine. I promise. How’s everything with the team?”

  “I’ll see everyone tomorrow at practice. I’ve called a special meeting. And I’ll have to start scouting for an assistant coach as well.”

  “Hmm.”

  “How did everything go today?”

  “Fine.”

  “Did the ambulette take you back to the hotel?”

  She hesitated for a moment. “Yes. Right on time. No problems.”

  “Good. Okay, well now that I know you’re all right I can relax.”

  Kelly laughed. “Yes, please do.”

  “I don’t think you realize how much you mean to me, Kelly.”

  Her breath caught at the sudden intimate tone in his voice. “Of course I know,” she said on a light note hoping that she was only imagining things. “I’m your star athlete and you want me to be well and back on the track. And I want to get back out there, too.”

  Silence hung between them for a moment.

  “Get some rest, Kelly. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Yes, I will. Take care, David. Good night.” She hung up.

  David paced his bedroom floor with the disconnected phone still in his hand. The moment those words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. He could tell by Kelly’s hesitation and her response that she was put off by what he’d inadvertently confessed.

  “Dammit.” He tossed the phone across the room where it landed on the couch. He was losing perspective. Having her so close during their time at the hotel had worked on him more than he’d let on. And his feelings only seemed to intensify with the insertion of the good doctor into their lives. He had to get it together. There was a championship at stake. The amount of notoriety and sponsorship dollars he could garner if he pulled out the winning team would make all of his dreams come true. Then and only then would he pursue Kelly the way he wanted.

  Kelly was floating. For the first time in weeks she was actually looking forward to the next day and the one after it. She and Alex were going out on an official date. David wouldn’t be back anytime soon and she could have some breathing room.

  She went to the closet and took the pamphlet out that she’d hidden in her coat pocket. Alex’s words came back to her: as long as David has power over you, you are powerless. She wasn’t going to be powerless any longer. It was time that she finally took control of her own life.

  She brought the pamphlet to the living room and sat down. Taking her time she went through the information again. Excitement bloomed inside her. Tomorrow morning she was going to call and make an appointment to go in and speak with a representative. She sat back and smiled. Yes, she was going to start taking control of her life.

  Chapter 24

  “I called this meeting today to bring everyone up-to-date on what’s happening with Reggie and ultimately the team.” David cleared his throat and looked around at all the anxious faces. “I spoke with Reggie’s wife yesterday when I arrived. Reggie has slipped into a coma.”

  A gasp circled the room.

  “The doctors are hopeful that he will come out of it on his own. But they don’t know when or what shape he will be in when he does.” He got up from the edge of the desk and stood. “I am going to be looking at a few candidates in the next couple of weeks for a replacement for Reggie. A temporary replacement,” he quickly added. “Until then, practice goes on as usual. I’ll be here running things and taking care of the day-to-day operations.”

  “What about Kelly?” Stephanie asked. “When is she coming back?”

  David cut his eyes in her direction. “Kelly is going through rehab. When she returns she will be good as new.”

  “When?” Stephanie pressed. “We have preliminaries in two months.”

  “I know that,” he snapped.

  Stephanie folded her arms beneath her breasts. “I think the team deserves to know where we stand and how we are going to handle the prelims,” she said sweetly.

  “And we will handle it—as I see fit.” He glanced around the cramped room. “Any other questions?” It was more of a challenge than a question. “Good. See you out on the field in a half hour.”

  One by one they filed out, murmuring to each other. David couldn’t worry himself about what they thought. His main concern was shaping up a winning team. He knew the whole interpersonal thing was more Reggie’s ball game. He was the one who coddled them and served as counselor and father to many. David had always focused on training, the media and the business end of things. And it had worked. Until now. He heaved a sigh.

  Stephanie walked out onto the track with an extra bounce in her step. She felt invincible. She knew that, very soon, David would have no choice but to put her at the head of the women’s track division. She was faster than ever, could take the hurdles with her eyes closed and it was only a matter of time before she broke precious Kelly’s sprinting record. And when she did whatever reservations David may have had would be moot. She would be in and Kelly wou
ld be out. Simple as that. The way it was supposed to be.

  She gently massaged the tender spot on her upper thigh and smiled.

  David stood along the side of the track while the men’s relay team hit the field. He held his stopwatch in his hand as they sped around the track.

  “How’s it going?”

  David turned right, toward the direction of the voice and frowned in annoyance. “What do you want, Miller? This is a closed session.”

  “I’m a sports reporter, reporting on sports,” he tossed back.

  “You need to leave before I have security throw you out.”

  “Answer this for me? Where is your golden girl and when will she be back? Sports fans want to know.”

  “I won’t tell you again. Get out. Now.”

  “Fine. If you won’t tell me, I guess I will have to do my own digging to find out.” He turned to leave.

  “Wait.”

  Miller turned back with a smug smile on his face.

  “She’ll be back on the track in a month. Six weeks at the outside.”

  Miller arched a brow. “Really, just in time for preliminaries.” He made some notes on his pad. “How does Stephanie Daniels feel about that?”

  “She’s happy. Just like the rest of the team. You have your story so beat it.”

  Miller grinned. “Thanks for your time.” He walked away.

  David watched Miller until he was off the training grounds and out of sight. He was a royal pain. Called himself a reporter, but all he wanted to report was sleaze and scandal. David shook his head then turned his attention back to the team. Stephanie was on the starting blocks. He leaned against the fence and checked his watch as she took off around the track.

  She didn’t have the same smooth form as Kelly but she did have speed. He checked the watch. His eyes widened. He looked out at her again as she flew around the track. She was going to beat Kelly’s time. His pulse raced. She was coming into the home stretch. He stepped closer, checked the watch just as she crossed the finish line.

  She’d beaten Kelly’s record by two tenths of a second. But could she do it again, in competition? Maybe he could win it without Kelly.

  “Stephanie!” He waved her over. She jogged to him barely winded.

  “Yes, coach?”

  “That was pretty good.”

  She smiled. “I know.”

  “Let’s talk in my office.”

  “Sure.”

  “Close the door,” David said once they’d reached his office.

  Stephanie shut the door then took a seat.

  “What is said in here stays here. Is that understood?”

  She nodded.

  “There may be a possibility that Kelly won’t be ready in time for the preliminaries. And I emphasize a possibility.”

  “And?”

  “I want you to be ready to step in.”

  A slow smile crept across her mouth. “Of course. I’m ready now.”

  “We’ll see. I want to work out a special training schedule for you, starting tomorrow morning. Meet me here at six a.m. sharp.”

  “I’ll be here.” She stood. “Thanks for giving me a shot, Coach. I won’t disappoint you.”

  “Stephanie, if you breathe one word of this…”

  “I won’t.”

  “Good. See you in the morning.”

  Stephanie headed back to the locker room. Finally, her dreams of stardom were within her grasp. She wouldn’t be second fiddle anymore. And before she was done, Kelly Maxwell would barely be a memory.

  Chapter 25

  Kelly pulled her baseball cap farther down over her brow. She avoided eye contact with the three others in the waiting room on the off chance that someone would recognize her. The longer she waited the more she was beginning to have second thoughts.

  “Ms. Maxwell?”

  Kelly’s heart thudded. She snatched up her purse and limped to the reception desk.

  “Ms. Stevens will see you now. It’s the second door on the right.”

  “Thank you.” She went down the hall and knocked on the door.

  “Come right in.”

  Kelly slowly opened the door. This was her first big step toward freedom. She shut the door behind her and with it—the past.

  She’d spent more than an hour with Ms. Stevens, answering questions and taking evaluation tests. The conclusion: she was definitely dyslexic, not stupid and there were ways to combat it so that she could actually read and comprehend what she saw on the page. Her particular problem manifested itself whenever she felt stressed and was overly tired. The result was not that she saw letters backward as many with the learning disability did, but rather she was often unable to process what she saw and the anxiety of it caused the letters on the page to literally move in front of her eyes or what she would write made absolutely no sense to those who read it, though in her mind’s eye it was fine.

  Ms. Stevens wanted her to attend some relaxation classes once per week and she would be retaught how to think and translate what she saw and read.

  “It’s not going to be easy,” Ms. Stevens had said. “There are going to be days when you will want to give up. But the key to success is your understanding that there will be days when you will be unable to read and when that happens you need to relax, take a break and come back to it later.”

  “I have a problem with numbers, too,” Kelly had said. “Sometimes I get them mixed up. I can’t even manage a bank account.”

  Ms. Stevens gave her an encouraging smile. “You’ll learn how to manage that as well. Be patient. I know it has been a lifelong struggle, but you’ve taken a major step in coming here. Your life is about to change and that’s exciting.”

  Kelly felt encouraged, better than she’d felt in longer than she could recall. She would be able to go into a restaurant and order from the menu not from memory. She’d be able to walk into a bank and open an account and maintain it herself. She’d be able to read a newspaper, magazine or a book and understand what she read. Yes, there would be bad days, but the good days would finally surpass them.

  As she rode back to the hotel, clutching the booklets that Ms. Stevens had given her, she was filled with a sense of power. Something she only felt on the track. Now she would have power over her life, and the hold that David had over her would finally begin to loosen its grip.

  As soon as she walked into the door of her hotel suite the phone was ringing. Even before she picked it up she knew who it would be.

  “Hello, David.”

  “How did you know it was me?”

  “Lucky guess.”

  “How are you? I called earlier and didn’t get an answer. Is everything all right?”

  “Everything is fine. I, uh, went out for a walk. I just came in.”

  “For a walk? Alone!”

  “Yes, alone,” she said, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice. “I needed some air and the walk is good exercise.”

  “I really don’t like the idea of you wandering around New York alone.”

  “David, please. I’m not a child! I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  “New York is not back home, Kelly. People there don’t care that you’re on crutches. They’d just as soon knock you down to get to a bus as steal your purse.”

  “Yes, it’s a real jungle,” she said drolly.

  “I’m only thinking of your safety.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Did you take your vitamins?”

  “Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “And I even brushed my teeth this morning. All by myself.”

  “Sarcasm doesn’t become you, Kelly.”

  “You don’t give me much choice. Listen, I don’t
want to argue. I’m tired. I’m going to take a nap. How is Reggie?”

  “Still the same.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’ll keep you posted. Get some rest. I’ll call you later this evening.”

  “Sure. Bye, David.”

  When she hung up the phone she really was tired. Dueling it out with David was exhausting. The sooner she got totally out from under his thumb the better off she would be.

  David slowly hung up the phone and stared off into space. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit. Something was going on with Kelly. Her entire attitude toward him had changed dramatically since she’d been in New York. She’d never openly challenged him and the decisions he made on her behalf. Now, everything was a battle. She had an opinion and an attitude to go with it.

  The sooner he got her out of there and back home, the sooner things would return to normal and the old Kelly would return. It couldn’t happen soon enough for him.

  He sighed. In the meantime, he still needed to find an assistant coach. There were a few really good candidates and he would have to make his decision soon so that he could get back to New York and see exactly what was going on. But he had to be assured that the team would be in good hands during his absence.

  He flipped open a folder on his desk of one of the candidates, and was going over his credentials, when there was a knock on his door. He closed the folder.

  “Come in.”

  “Do you have a few minutes?” Stephanie asked.

  “Sure. Have a seat.”

  Stephanie closed the door, waited to see if David would object and when he didn’t she crossed the room and sat down.

  “Whatsup?”

  “I just want to thank you for working with me this morning and for giving me this chance.”

  David leaned back in his chair. “I’m all about winning, Stephanie, for the team. If putting you out there as lead will do that for us, then so be it. But—” he held up his index finger “—like I said, there is no guarantee. If Kelly is ready and back in time…” He let his words trail off.