We settled on the bed, Grace still in her ball gown, because she refused to take it off, saying, “It isn’t midnight yet.” Of course, I read Snow White … as if I could get away with a different story. By the end, she was sound asleep, and I watched her breathe. Her hair was as curly as Ford’s, but the same beautiful caramel color of Hannah’s. I was hard pressed to find any resemblance to me, as she slept, but she’d inherited my eyes. Her eyes were as ice blue as mine.
Hours later, I woke to the sound of a click. I looked up to see Ford lowering his phone. I groaned, already dreading the ribbing I was in for.
Sophie
Chapter Fourteen
My phone dinged, indicating a text message. I grabbed my phone, eager to see if it was from Colt. I didn’t recognize the number, but I opened the message. I burst out laughing when I saw the attached picture. It was Colt sleeping next to Grace, but Colt’d had a full makeover. I read the message, “I stole your number from Colt’s phone. Figured you needed to know he likes to dress up.”
I was sure this must be Ford. It seemed like something a brother would do. A few seconds later, he confirmed it with. “This is Ford, btw.”
“Nice to meet you,” I texted back. “Awesome pic. Lol.”
“Same here. Hope to meet you soon,” he replied.
I sent a text to Colt. “You look good with lipstick.”
“Damn it!” he replied, instantly. “I’m going to kill Ford.”
“Lol. It’s sweet!” I answered. “I’m glad he sent it.”
“Ha, blackmail is what it is” Colt answered. “But now I have a weekly Saturday night date.”
“Oh really?” I teased him.
“Yeah, she was gorgeous. High maintenance, though.”
“Sounds like your type,” I said, with a winky face.
The next few weeks flew by, with me looking forward to my conversations with Colt. I pestered him nightly about his rehab, making sure he did his exercises, but didn’t overdo it. His progress was incredible, even if he was frustrated by the speed of it.
My workshop was almost finished, while his coaching job was about to begin. I wondered how long we could keep up our long distance relationship. More like friendship, a little voice inside my head taunted. I pushed the thought away. I refused to ruin a good thing with negative thoughts. Our relationship was whatever we made it.
I admitted to myself that I wanted more, though. Talking to Colt each night, sharing our lives, was what I looked forward to each day. I spent all day trying to figure out a question to ask him, knowing I’d have to answer it, as well. It had become a staple in our conversations. The first time had been impromptu. Our conversation had lagged one night, and I’d blurted out a question that had been on my mind. After that, we’d start each conversation with a question. There were no limits, and we had to be honest. They ranged from the ridiculous Have you ever worn a pink feather boa? (Colt was a yes, no details), to the deeply personal What’s your deepest regret? (Obviously, not knowing his daughter.)
The question that started all of this, though, was one I’d wondered about, since Colt told me about Hannah.
“What happened after you left Hannah’s graduation?” I asked him. That was a blank space in the timeline I’d wondered about. I kept silent, hoping he’d answer.
After the longest pause in the history of pauses, he finally did. “Basically, a road trip,” he said, with a low laugh. “I was pissed and had a sports car. I drove for hours, mainly headed south. Wound up in New Orleans. I spent two weeks there, making bad decisions. That was when I got Grace’s name tattooed on my arm—the only decision I don’t regret from that time. I left when I ran out of money. Can’t say I remember much of it. Then I followed the coast to Panama City. Got a job on the beach and crashed on some guy’s couch, until training started. Drove back to Alabama,” He laughed without humor. “I was a mess. Coach chewed my ass up and down the field. I wasn’t the same guy that left. I came back with a chip on my shoulder. He knocked it off.” Affection seeped into his voice. “He wouldn’t let me quit. He said I needed football, and my team needed me. He was right. I’m where I’m at, because of him.”
“He sounds like an incredible guy,” I replied, softly.
“He’s a grade ‘A’ asshole,” Colt responded, with a laugh. “But yeah, he’s what I needed that year. I’ve never forgotten it either.”
My thoughts were interrupted by my phone ringing. The number was unfamiliar, but it was the same area code as Colt’s, so I answered it.
“Hello,” I answered, curious.
“Sophie McCall? This is Neil Malcom. I’m the dean at Baylor University,” the man replied.
“Yes, sir. How can I help you?” I asked, the surprise in my voice evident. I’d never had any dealings with Baylor University. In fact, I wasn’t sure where it was. I did a quick Google search on my laptop, as we went through pleasantries. It was in Waco, Texas. Things were starting to come into focus now. I snapped back to the conversation at his next words.
“I’d like to offer you an interim teaching position at my university. It’s for a creative writing course. We were going to cancel it, as the current professor is unable to teach this semester, due to sickness in the family. However, your name was brought to my attention as a possible replacement. I do need to make you aware this would be a temporary position. There is a possibility it could become permanent, though,” he told me. I sat down in a daze. I couldn’t seem to form any words at that moment.
“Ms. McCall?” I heard him say, and I knew I need to say something.
“Yes, I’m here. You’ve surprised me is all,” I replied quickly, trying to gather my racing thoughts. I knew who was behind this, and I was overjoyed at the thought of being closer to him. But accepting this job would change my entire life, and there was no guarantee any of it would work out.
“Yes, its last minute, and I’m afraid I’ll need an answer immediately. If I can’t provide a professor, I’ll need to cancel the class. You understand, I’m sure,” he continued. My heart stuttered, I had to choose. Did I take a chance?
A few hours later, Colt’s face lit up the screen on my phone. I smiled at the picture that I’d changed his contact to. It was the first picture he’d taken with Grace, while they ate ice cream. His face was lit up with the brightest smile I’d ever seen.
“Hey, champ. How’s it hanging?” I answered cheerfully.
“Glad to hear your voice,” he sighed. “I don’t remember being an asshole in high school. Seriously. These kids whine like two year olds. I get better results from Grace,” he griped at me.
“So I’m going to go with the first day of training sucked?” I replied, laughing at his grumbling.
“Yeah. It’s hot, Coach. I can’t do that many, Coach. Why do we have to do that, Coach? All damn day long.” He was warming up now. “And don’t get me started on the weight room. I could bench press those whiny brats.”
He stopped at my snorting laugh. “They can’t all be lean mean throwing machines,” I teased him, before saying, “You know, I got a call from Baylor University today.”
There was a moment of silence, before he said, “You did? What did they say? I might have mentioned you to the dean there. His son is on the football team here. In fact, I made him throw up twice today.”
“Well, Neil Malcolm offered me a teaching position for their creative writing course.”
“That’s awesome! I kind of feel bad for riding his kid so hard now,” Colt replied excitedly.
“Yeah, it’s interesting that the dean would call me to offer a job for the exact course I love to teach,” I prodded. He’d admitted to talking to the dean, but there was no way I should have been offered a position like that with my experience, much less by the dean of the school.
‘Well, you’re awesome. You shouldn’t be surprised other people know it.” Colt replied, dancing around the topic.
“Uh huh. What exactly did you tell the man, Colt?” I asked, point blank. I need to know w
hat he had to bribe the dean of Baylor University with to hire me.
“Just that you were an awesome teacher, and you were looking for a position that allowed you to teach creative writing,” he said proudly. While I was flattered, and believe he did tell Neil Malcolm those things, I was also positive there was more to that conversation.
“And that was it? You didn’t promise him anything? Offer him anything? He just said okay, here’s a job? Is that what you’re telling me?” I was stubbornly pushing the discussion, because I needed to know what he did, to get me the job.
“Does it matter?” Colt asked, frustrated. “You know you’ll do an awesome job, and you’re helping him out. He really did have a last minute opening.”
“That he could have filled with dozens of more qualified candidates, looking for the same opportunity,” I cried, aggravated by his avoidance of the question.
“Are you qualified? Do you want the chance?” he asked.
“Yes. You know that,” I sputtered.
“Then what’s the issue? I put in a good word for you. Neil took my recommendation. It happens all the time with jobs,” Colt said reasonably. I closed my eyes in frustration. I knew he was right, but I couldn’t get past the idea that he bribed the dean to offer me the job. It was too convenient.
“That’s it? You promise me you didn’t give him anything?” I persisted, wanting to make sure I knew the facts.
“I didn’t promise him anything, other than the fact that you are an amazing teacher,” Colt said, melting my heart a bit. He had such faith in my abilities. “But in the interest of full disclosure …” I felt my heart drop, before he continued. “Hannah also put in a good word for you. She knows the dean’s wife really well.”
“What? Why would Hannah put in a good word for me? We’ve never met.” I was shocked to say the least. I felt bad for the times I was jealous of her. She was obviously a very kind person.
“She knows how much I want you to come to Texas, and you won’t, unless you have a job,” Colt admitted, sending my heart racing and my thoughts into overdrive. I figured the job offer was an indication that Colt wanted me there, but now he was openly admitting it.
“Oh,” I said, unable to come up with anything more creative, while my mind was stuck in the crazy happy loop of Colt wanting me to come to Texas.
“What did you tell him?” I heard the hesitation in his voice, as he asked the question. Had I been so upset I’d said no? My answer would be pivotal to our future. Did I take a chance on us? Or was I going to stay in Georgia?
“I told him it was a fantastic opportunity,” I answered. “And that I’d be honored to teach at Baylor University.”
I pulled the phone from my ear to protect my hearing from his excited shouts. After a few minutes, I heard him say, “Why would you put me through all that, if you told him yes?”
“I needed to know what you would do to get me out there. I know I can do the job, but opportunities like this don’t just get handed to relatively new teachers with little experience teaching the course. I figured you had to have something to do with it. I wanted to make sure you hadn’t promised to name our firstborn Neil, or something insane like that,” I said, only slightly joking. His laugh rumbled over the phone
“Our firstborn?” he asked. “It'll be Albert. I promised that name away ages ago in a Physics class I was failing in college. The professor agreed to let me do extra credit, if I named my firstborn after Albert Einstein,”
I paused, not entirely sure he was joking. “You’re serious?” I questioned, wondering if we could get away with a middle name.
“Yep,” Colt said, to my dismay. “Anyway, I have a spare room. When are you getting here?”
I pulled my thoughts away from the fact that there was a high probability I would have a son named Albert, and instead focused on the fact that I needed to be packed and moved within a couple weeks.
“Classes start August twenty sixth, but I need to be there a few days before for teacher orientation,” I told him, overwhelmed at the thought of everything I needed to get done in a few short weeks.
I’d handed in my resignation that day, but now I needed to pack, and figure out what to do with my furniture. Most of it was second hand stuff, but there was some stuff I wanted to keep. I also needed to tell my family. I winced at the thought. That was a conversation I wanted to hold off, indefinitely.
“I can’t believe you’re going to be here,” Colt said, an undefinable emotion coating his words.
“Me either,” I told him, happy he was happy about my move. I’d made the split second decision, while on the phone with Dean Malcolm. Saying yes had been terrifying, but the second I did, I knew it was the right decision. I didn’t know what the future held, but I’d never regret taking the chance with Colt.
I was in the middle of getting dressed, when my phone rang. I mistakenly answered without checking the caller ID.
“Are you kidding me? You text me something like that, and then dodge my calls for three days? You’re lucky I’m not allowed to fly, or I’d be there hitting you with my shoe,” Michelle screamed in my ear. I switched the phone to speaker and dropped it on the bed. I figured it would take her a few minutes to calm down, and there was no point in damaging my hearing.
“You text me that you’re moving to Texas for a ‘job’.” I could actually picture her making the air quotes. “When really, it’s because of COLT ANDERSON.” I wondered if all this screaming was really good for a woman in her advanced state of pregnancy. “Then you refuse to respond to my texts or phone calls. You didn’t even answer Patrick. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? NO, you don’t. Because, you are a selfish sister.” I heard her gasping for breath, as she sniffled. I was wondering if these were crocodile tears. I wouldn’t put it past her.
“I texted you back, saying I was fine, and that I didn’t want to have this exact discussion. You know, the one where you yell at me, because you don’t agree with how I live my life,” I explained, yet again, because, obviously, reading my text wasn’t enough of an explanation.
“You can’t pack up your life and take some temporary job, just to be around a guy that hasn’t given you any type of commitment!” she shouted angrily. “It is irresponsible and INSANE. You should be coming home.”
“Is that what this is really about? Me moving to Texas and not back home with you?” I asked, quietly. “I’m not coming back to Colorado, Michelle. I need to live my own life, and moving to Texas is no different than when I moved to Georgia.” She immediately interrupted me. “You moved to Georgia for college. It was very different. Now you’re just chasing some guy. You’re chasing Colt!” she cried melodramatically.
“I’m not chasing him. He invited me.” I rolled my eyes at her dramatics. “Relationships need proximity, Michelle. I’m taking a chance. I want to see if this has a future. You, of all people, should support this.”
“You’re getting further away, and not closer,” she sniffled.
“Technically, Texas is closer to Colorado than Georgia.”
“That is not what I meant! You’re drifting away. Your life is changing,” Michelle continued, hiccupping now. I dropped on the bed with a sigh.
“So is yours,” I told her gently. “You’re married, and now you’re going to be a mom.”
“I know!” she wailed. “But you’re supposed to stay the same!” I laughed at her reasoning. “You’re growing up. Why can’t things stay the same?”
“I’m going to assume that’s a rhetorical question.”
“Are you sure about this?” she asked, with a sigh. “You’re making this huge change in your life for a guy. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
I closed my eyes against the tears that formed at her words. I knew she loved me and only wanted to protect me. It was comforting. At the same time, it was smothering. I’d spent my entire life trying to explain to my family why I live my life the way I do. Mom understood, but once she was gone, they tried to wrap me in bubble wrap. On
ly by escaping, could I breathe again.
I looked at myself in the mirror. I was still sitting on the bed, with nothing on, but a bra and panties. Not even a matching set, I noticed with a frown. My thumb traced the wings tattooed across my ribs. They were there to remind me not to give up. Following my heart meant trusting my wings enough that I could fly.
“I’m not doing this for Colt, but for me,” I explained to her. “I have faith in myself. No matter what happens with Colt, I took a chance on us. I don’t want to live with regrets.”
“Okay. I love you, and it’s your life. I have to let you live it,” she said, grudgingly. I bit back a smile at her tone. “When are you leaving? How are you getting there?”
I could tell she was trying, but my answer was going to start another fight. I sighed, as I fell back on the bed. “I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m driving.”
“What? You’re driving? By yourself? Do you know how dangerous that was? What do you mean tomorrow? How long have you known about this? Were you intentionally keeping it a secret?” she screeched, spewing questions that I had zero intentions of answering.
“Michelle! I love you! I’ve got to finish packing. Talk to you soon. Bye,” I shouted over her, before hanging up the phone. The phone immediately started ringing again, but I switched it to silent and finished getting dressed. I had a million things to finish before I left.
I shut the back of the smallest U-Haul trailer I could rent. I should probably be sad that the sum total of my life fit in a four-by-eight-foot space, but I wasn’t. Things could never make me happy the way experiences could. Joy bubbled out of me at the thought of the adventure ahead of me. I took a last look at the life I was leaving behind. I’d met my friends for dinner last night to say goodbye. There’d been a few tears, but I doubted we’d remain friends, as time went on. I’d been here for six years, but I couldn’t say I’d miss it.
The Anderson Brothers Complete Series Page 32
