Open Net

by Mulliner, Brittney

  “Thank you.”

  He met me at the bottom of the stairs and offered me his hand. I studied it for a moment before placing mine in his palm. He squeezed it and led me toward the foyer. Mom was standing holding Jackson, watching us with a growing smile. “You kids have fun tonight. We’ll be just fine here.”

  I mouthed a thanks and stepped out the front door Olli had opened for us. He seemed in a rush to get out of the house. When we got in the car, I watched him. “Are we late for something?”

  He clenched the steering wheel. “Kind of.”

  “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

  He shook his head and shot me a smile. Maybe he felt as nervous as I did. I decided not to push him and settled in for the drive.

  We ended up downtown parked in front of a three-story building I’d never been to. Olli turned off the car and hurried around to open my door. I scanned the windows for a sign or business name, but there were no hints of where we were headed.

  “Come on.” He took my hand once I got out of the car and led us to the door on the far south side of the building. It was a staircase. I was so thrown off that I followed him, too confused to question.

  Once we were on the third floor, he paused and smiled at me. “Ready?”

  “For what?”

  He winked and opened the door.

  It was an empty room. Windows overlooking the street below on one wall while the other three were mirrored from floor to ceiling. The hardwood floors were bare, no carpet or tables or smell of food. What were we doing here?

  A door on the other side of the room opened and an older couple walked in holding hands. They were both dressed nicely, her in a dress and him in slacks. I looked at Olli, but his eyes were fixed on them.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Letang, so nice to finally meet you.” The woman had a faint accent I couldn't quite pinpoint.

  We met in the middle of the room and Olli shook their hands. “Marsha, thank you for this.”

  Marsha nodded and stepped to the side. “This is my partner, Victor.”

  I shook both of their hands while smiling politely. I had no idea what was happening or who these people were.

  “Are you guys ready?” Marsha looked between me and Olli. He nodded so I followed his example.

  “Great, we’ll start with a simple waltz.”

  I froze.

  “Olli?” I peered up at him feeling utter shock.

  He smiled and kissed my cheek. “I know I’m about five years overdue, but it’s not too late.”

  The air in my lungs whooshed out. I’d begged Olli to take dance lessons with me before our wedding. I wanted us to have a beautifully choreographed dance prepared for the reception, but practice and games and life kept getting in the way. We’d ended up swaying side to side and although I’d been disappointed at the time, I’d long forgotten about it. Knowing he remembered and wanted to make it up to me meant the world.

  “Oh, Olli.” I stood up on my toes and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

  Marsha and Victor stood next to us, showing us the proper posture and where to place our hands. They started slow, showing us the footwork, and how to not step on each other’s toes.

  It took us about twenty minutes to get comfortable enough for them to add music.

  “One, two, three. One, two, three.” Marsha clapped out the beat, nodding at us as we moved around the room.

  “We’re doing it.” I laughed and gazed into Olli’s eyes.

  He smiled down at me. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”

  I shook my head. “It means more now.”

  He pulled me closer, pressing us together, but Victor wasn’t having that.

  “Posture! Hand on his shoulder!”

  We stepped back from each other and resumed the proper positions.

  This felt so right. Being back in his arms. Just me and him. I’d missed this so much. Weeks without him was my personal torture. I wanted this ordeal to be over. I wanted us again.

  I had to remain strong. I had to stick to what I’d told him. For him to finish therapy and continue working with Dr. Elliot and then he could return home. I couldn’t give in just because being in his arms felt like home.

  Still, I felt better now than I had in weeks. The hole in my heart was filled. The fog, the darkness, the pain faded. He was what I needed to feel better.

  Yes, I knew I needed to feel better on my own. I needed to be confident in myself and my abilities as a mother. I was working on that. The support group was helping but being with Olli was the last piece.

  I wasn’t meant to do this all on my own. I had Olli in my life for a reason. I had my mom, the pride, and the support group to help me. I wasn’t alone.

  I ignored Victor’s directions and rested my head against Olli’s chest. I felt him kiss the top of my head as I sighed into him.

  The nerves and apprehension disappeared with the slow music. This was my person. My Olli.

  I never would have guessed what tonight had in store, but it was exactly what we needed.

  20

  Olli

  That date gave me all the hope and strength I needed to push through. I put every ounce I had into my physical therapy sessions. I pushed myself to my limit everyday then headed to my sessions with Dr. Elliot.

  “You seem like you’re in a good place, Olli,” she said with an encouraging smile.

  I smiled back grateful the doctor could see it. “I feel like I am. I’ve been practicing the technique you taught me. Every time I get frustrated or have a setback, I ask myself what is the very worst thing that could happen because of it. Each time it’s not that big of a deal. I might have to wait a few extra days or focus on a different opportunity.”

  She nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. How are things with Emma?”

  “I think they’re good.”

  “You think?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve been giving her space. I still go over every day to see Jackson, but I don’t push her to talk. She made her expectations clear.”

  Dr. Elliot watched me for a moment. “You’re not growing impatient with her or your situation?”

  “Not really. Definitely not the way I was last month. I know what I have to do to fix things so I’m working on that.”

  “You’ve come a long way, Olli. Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks. Have you guys talked about plans?”

  I shook my head. I hadn’t even thought about it. “I’ll probably go over for dinner. Chloe Murray has hosted a dinner for everyone that stays in town, so maybe we’ll go to that.”

  She hesitated, and I got the sense there was something she wasn’t telling me.

  “Do you not think that’s a good idea?” Was it too soon for a big holiday? I couldn’t bear the thought of missing Jackson’s first Thanksgiving. We dressed him up in a little pumpkin outfit for Halloween, but it was just for pictures. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but this was different. Thanksgiving was a time to spend with family. Did she think we should have space on that day?

  “Oh no. I was just curious if you two had talked.”

  She was big on that question. She wanted to know if we’d talked about Jackson, Emma’s postpartum depression, when her mother was going home, anything. I hated admitting I didn’t bring up any of that. I mean, I asked how Emma was feeling or how the support group was going, but I didn’t push the topic.

  “Should we?”

  Her smile was gentle. “That’s up to you.”

  I narrowed my eyes. I swear the woman had an answer for everything but when I asked for it, she wanted me to figure it out myself.

  “You want us to talk more.”

  The corner of her mouth lifted. Was that a yes or no?

  “I think you should think about it. Maybe show Emma you’re looking to the future.”

  Huh. That was a good idea and it was a good neutral topic. It didn’t mean I had to move home; just that I wanted to be with my family.

  “I will.”

  She nodded.
“Have you spoken with Coach Romney lately?”

  Ugh. Again, more talking. I shook my head. “He hasn’t called me in for a while.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  I mouthed the words as she said it. I knew she was going to ask. “I trust Coach. I know he hasn’t forgotten about me. If he needs to tell me something he will.”

  “No frustration?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Good. How is physical therapy going? Have you had any recent scans?”

  “Things are going well. Madi is happy with how things are progressing. She said the range of motion is almost fully restored. I think it’ll return to one hundred percent before new year. Then I need to work on building back up the strength and muscle.”

  She leaned into her seat. “When you first came in my office if I’d told you things wouldn’t get better before next year, I’m pretty sure you would have flipped my desk.”

  I laughed. “Probably.”

  “I’m glad you’ve accepted your reality and you have realistic expectations for yourself and your body.”

  “It’s taken a bit of time.”

  “And work, but you did it.”

  I wasn’t used to getting praise from her, but this session things had changed. I didn’t want to get too excited though. For all I knew she was telling Coach I’d be meeting with her for the rest of my career. That would be awful.

  But maybe she thought I was doing well enough on my own. Maybe we could stretch this to once a month. Or less.

  I’d had about as much talking about my feelings as I could handle. I was good for the rest of my life.

  “That’s it for today,” she said. “I’ll see you again on Thursday.”

  I smiled and stood. There went the chance of me being done. Oh well. Since I already finished physical therapy, I headed back to Grant’s. I refused to call it home, even though I was getting closer to slipping every day. Since it was across the street, I didn't bother driving. It took me a few minutes before I unlocked the front door and stepped inside. I heard voices and froze. Grant was never home during the day before.

  I slowly walked through the entrance and stopped when I saw into the living room. Grant was sitting on the floor playing with a baby.

  “What-“

  I stopped when I saw Addison walking in from the kitchen. She looked over and smiled. “Hey Olli.”

  Grant glanced over his shoulder and nodded. “Hey.”

  “Hi guys.”

  Addison sat next to Grant, placing two glasses between them. She was acting like this wasn’t the first time she’d been over. Was this normal?

  I watched them as I crossed the room toward the stairs. They seemed comfortable around each other, more so than just one night at the gala could have done. I narrowed my eyes at Grant leaning over Elijah. He was talking to him in a high-pitched baby voice. I shook my head and headed up to the guest room.

  After setting down my bag I picked up my phone and called Emma. I needed to know if I was the only one that had missed this.

  “Hello?” she said.

  “Hey, I have a random question for you.”

  There was a pause. “Okay?”

  “Has Addison said anything about Grant?”

  “Um not since the gala.”

  Huh. So, Addison hadn’t told Emma about this. Maybe it was the first time and they were just really relaxed around each together.

  No. There was no way this was the first time.

  “Why?”

  Her voice brought me back from analyzing what I just saw. “She’s over at Grant’s right now.”

  “With Elijah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Huh.” She sounded surprised.

  “They’re in the living room and Grant’s playing with him. This could be the first time, but Addison was in the kitchen getting them drinks. I know that doesn’t mean anything, but that’s not normally what someone would do their first time at someone’s house, right?”

  She laughed. “No, definitely not. It took her at least two weeks to feel comfortable leaving her shoes on at our house.”

  I loved that she said our.

  “So how long do you think this has been going on?”

  “No idea, but you bet I’ll be asking her about it.”

  I smiled at how excited she sounded.

  “They didn’t act awkward or anything when I walked in, either. It felt like I walked into the twilight zone.”

  “I bet. I can’t believe she hasn’t told me.”

  I loved talking to Emma like this. Sure, we were gossiping, but we were on the same page. We were joking. We were acting like us.

  “Should I do some recon work? Get pictures to prove it happened?”

  She laughed again. “I really doubt you’re stealth enough to pull that off.”

  I scoffed. “I can be discreet.”

  “No honey. You can’t.”

  My heart nearly burst. Honey? She hadn’t called me anything but Olli in months. We were getting back to what we had. I was running out of things to say but I didn’t want the call to end. Things were going too well.

  “I was going to stop by after I shower. Do you want me to bring over anything for lunch? Your mom mentioned she’s been craving a pastrami sandwich yesterday. I can pick that up.”

  She didn’t respond right away, and I swear I started sweating.

  “That would be really great. Thank you.”

  I pumped my fist. “Yeah, no problem. I’ll be over in a few.”

  I hung up feeling like the champion of the world. I showered in record time and headed back downstairs, unsure of what I would walk into.

  They were both still sitting on the ground laughing at something Elijah had done. Grant looked up and smiled. “Heading out already?”

  “Yeah, I’m going to pick up lunch for Emma and Janice. Do you guys want to come?”

  They locked eyes and seemed to be having a silent conversation.

  Addison tuned back to me first. “No thanks. We’re good here.”

  The way she was smiling made me want to make a sarcastic comment, but I resisted. “Well, you three have fun.”

  They went back to Elijah, ignoring my existence. I watched for a second longer before walking to the front door. I wasn’t sure what was going on and I couldn’t wait for Emma to investigate.

  They seemed friendly at the gala, but maybe I’d missed something. Apparently, there was an attraction I hadn’t noticed.

  Emma opened the door before I’d even started up the steps. “Mom’s so excited, she asked me to track your phone to see how far you were.”

  I shook my head and stepped inside. “I got here as fast as I could.”

  “I know that, but she felt like you were taking your sweet time. The second I said pastrami she started pacing the living room.”

  Sure enough, when we walked toward the kitchen Janice hurried in from the living room. “It’s about time.”

  I laughed and handed her the bag with her order in it. “I asked for an extra pickle too.”

  She held the paper back to her chest and rushed to kiss my cheek. “You’ve always been my favorite.”

  Emma rolled her eyes and pulled her sandwich out before sliding the bag back to me. We sat at the kitchen island in a comfortable silence while we enjoyed our food. Emma finished and wiped her mouth before speaking.

  “How was PT today?”

  I nodded and swallowed. “Good. Madi said I should have full range of motion by New Year’s.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Really? That’s great news.”

  Janice nodded in agreement as she took another bite.

  “Yeah, then we’ll start working on building back my strength.”

  “I’m really proud of you, Olli.”

  Those words were exactly what I needed to hear. It was nice when Madi or Dr. Elliot gave praise, but it was nothing compared to seeing Emma smile at me like she was.

  “Thanks.” I balled up the sandwich wrappe
r and tossed it in the trash before turning back to Emma. “Have you thought about plans for Thanksgiving?”

  Emma’s eyes darted to her mom’s before turning back to me. “Not really.”

  I acted like it was nothing. It shouldn’t bother me, but it felt like she was hiding something. Was she planning on going home with her mom? It made sense. Then her dad and sister could meet Jackson, but what about me?

  “Okay. Dr. Elliot just asked about our holiday plans and I realized we hadn’t talked about it.”

  Janice stood up and wrapped up what was left of lunch. She put the leftovers in the fridge then walked back to the living room. Soon, the TV was turned on and the volume went up. I had a really bad feeling about what was coming.

  “Am I missing something?”

  Emma paused then peered to the counter. “No. I just haven’t thought that far ahead. Mom is flying back next week, and I was thinking of going with her.”

  I stepped forward. “With Jackson?”

  She nodded. “Of course.”

  “Without me?”

  She met my eyes but didn't say anything.

  “Emma?”

  “I didn’t want to interrupt your treatment.”

  “So, you were just going to leave without talking to me about it?” I felt like things were crumbling around me. We were making progress. Things were getting better.

  Weren’t they?

  “It would only be for a week or so.”

  I nodded like I understood, but I wanted to pull out my hair. I took a deep breath and thought about Dr. Elliot’s recommendation.

  What would be the very worst thing that could happen if she went? She could decide she wanted to be with her family and never come back. She could realize she had all the support she needed there. She could realize she didn’t need me.

  I was spiraling. This wasn’t working.

  “Olli, what’s wrong?”

  I cleared my throat and decided to be honest. “That scares me.”

  Her eyebrows pulled together. “Why?”

  I told her about my worst-case scenarios.

  “Olli.” She sighed. “That’s not going to happen. My life is here. My home is here. You’re here.”

  I wanted to believe her, but it wasn’t enough to make me feel better.