What do you think we can get away with? I asked.
I looked up and felt my face going red, even though no one knew what I was texting about.
I have a lot of ideas, Kiri. A lot of ideas.
I slept in and got room service breakfast. I was going to die when I had to go home and cook for myself again. Having food at my beck and call was the ultimate luxury.
Was Echo a good cook? I had no idea, but I wanted to find out. I bet she was. She seemed like she would be.
She and I had come a long way since then. A long way in a short time.
After a shower, I dried my hair, styled it, and put on some shorts and a tank. I hadn’t heard from Echo yet, so I texted her.
There was a knock on my door a few minutes later.
I opened it to find her grinning at me, her hair in a sloppy bun on the top of her head and her arms on display in a tank, paired with the cutest little yellow skirt I’d ever seen.
“You look amazing, wow,” I said.
“So do you. I love your hair like this.” She came in and I closed the door. “So, Kiri, what do you want to do with our day? Should we get naked now, or chat for a few minutes and then get naked?”
I picked up my bag and put it over my shoulder. “I think we should try and get to know each other with our clothes on. Wow, I cannot believe I just said that.”
Echo leaned against the bed and then looked out the window. It faced the parking lot where there were still a few cheerleaders doing jumps and fooling around, even though the competition was over.
“You want to talk and get to know me, ugh, that sounds like the worst.” She made a face, but she was joking.
“Okay, fine, we can do that. Where do you want to go? What would you like to do?”
I grinned because I’d been waiting for her to ask me that exact question.
“You’ll find out.”
“This isn’t technically Disney,” I said as the car dropped us off, “but it’s still fun.”
We were at what people called Disney Springs, a place full of shops and restaurants and lots of places to walk, but no rides other than a merry-go-round. There was also a chocolate shop and bowling and live music.
“I don’t know about this,” she said, but I took her hand and started walking. I had to stop when she wasn’t walking with me. I got yanked back and looked at her in confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“Uh, holding your hand and taking you on a walk? Isn’t this what we’re supposed to be doing?”
Echo looked down at our linked hands and up at me, her mouth opening and closing a few times. I almost laughed at how stunned she looked.
“Is that too much?” I tried to drop her hand, but she only gripped my fingers harder.
“No, this is exactly what we’re supposed to be doing.” This time she took a step and so did I and we walked together.
There were dozens of other couples and kids and families swarming the walkways, but I was only thinking about Echo.
“So, I have some questions,” I said.
“Should I be scared?” she asked.
“Maybe.” Her eyes went wide. “No, I'm kidding. I just thought we should actually get to know each other if we’re going to try this thing. What was your major in college?” I knew she’d gone, but that was about it.
“Kinesiology with a minor in biology.”
I nodded. “That makes exact sense.”
“What about you?”
“Journalism and graphic design.”
“That also makes sense.”
We had to squeeze together to get through the crowds, and I asked her if she wanted to go into any of the shops. We strolled in and out, browsing, but not buying. There were samples to try in the chocolate shop, and I caved and bought a few items, including a frozen latte and chocolate chip cookies. Echo got hot coffee and I shuddered, imagining drinking something warm in this weather.
“Weirdo,” I said as I sipped my latte with relish.
There was some live music at one of the stages that we bopped to, and that started a whole different discussion about our favorite music, and we found a lot of common ground there, thankfully. She could drink hot coffee as long as she still liked Billie Eilish.
After walking around for a little while under the pounding Florida sun, we both realized that we’d forgotten to bring sunglasses and had to stop and get some. Echo looked good in literally everything she tried on, but she settled for a pair that looked vintage.
“You like?” she asked, posing and blowing me a kiss.
“Gorgeous.” I actually did kiss her then, and it was amazing. I’d missed this kind of thing so much, and I couldn’t stop smiling at her.
I settled on a pair of aviators that almost made Echo drag me into the bathroom to fool around, which I discouraged.
“I’m not getting banned from this place, Echo. We can do that back at the hotel,” I said.
“Fine, fine. I guess one of us has to be the responsible one.”
I made a face. “Ew, I don’t want to be responsible. Who wants to be that?”
“No one.”
I let Echo pick where we ate lunch, and she picked a restaurant right on the river that ran through the area.
“This is beautiful,” I said as we watched the boats go by with people on tours.
“You’re beautiful,” she said and then we both started laughing. “Sorry, that was really cheesy.”
“Cheese is literally one of my favorite things, so you’re in good company.”
I could not stop grinning at her and watching her hair catch the light and how she moved her hands when she talked.
I was falling and I didn’t know how to stop it, or even if I wanted to. I hadn’t been lying when I said I wanted to protect my heart, but was that even in my power? I could tell Echo right now that we weren’t going any further, we were just going to stop everything right now, and I was never going to speak to her again, but that wouldn’t stop me from feeling these things. These little tendrils that had taken root and started to grow under the warm Orlando sunlight.
We capped off lunch arguing about flared jeans and then spent the afternoon bowling, where she eviscerated me and was insufferable about it.
“I still beat you at Nationals,” I said as she did a little shimmy and victory dance like I had the day before on the bed in the hotel.
“Still won at bowling. You still lost.” She pointed at me and did a moonwalk in her bowling shoes while I glared at her and willed my heart to beat a little bit slower.
Dom gave me updates and pictures of the kids on rides and I was so glad they got to have that time. Those memories were going to last for the rest of their lives, and even if they would be sad about losing, they’d have this day.
“What are you smiling about over there?” Echo asked me, leaning over my shoulder.
“Dom has been sending me pictures and videos. They’re all so cute, I’m going to miss them so much.” Even Mack got in on the action and rode all the non-water rides with her cast, her arms in the air and a joyful scream on her face.
“I know what you mean.” Echo sat back and sipped on her soda. We’d both agreed that drinking, even if we weren’t with our squads, was not a good idea. You never knew who was out and about and might catch a picture of you.
“I feel like we’ve been through so much, and now they’re just going to be gone and I might not hear from them again. We’re such a part of each other’s lives for such a short time and then it’s over. And it will never be the same.”
Echo set her drink down and scooted closer, putting her arm around me.
“It’s hard. It really is. But they’re not going to forget. I’ve seen you, Kiri. You’re a great coach and they adore you. You’re much nicer than I am.” I wasn’t sure if that was true.
I wiped a few stray tears. “Sorry. I try not to get emotional about it in front of other people.”
“It’s okay to have emotions, you know. You don’t have
to hide them.”
I sniffed and she handed me a napkin.
“I know, I know.” I blew my nose and cleared my throat. “Okay, that was ridiculous. You ready to go?”
“Yeah, I’m ready. You want to go back to the hotel and hang in my room?” she asked.
“Sure.”
We held hands until we got into the car to take us back to the hotel.
“So maybe not the best to PDA in front of everyone. At least not until we figure out how we’re going to move forward. I don’t want to deal with fifty bazillion questions and speculations,” I said.
“Good point.” She unlinked her fingers from mine, and I tried not to feel the sense of loss that came with the removal of contact. Things would be different when we got back home. The two of us could go on dates and hang out and do whatever we wanted. I could meet her cat and her friends and see her apartment. I was beyond curious about her apartment.
“So, remember when I texted you that night that I wanted red wine and a massage?” she said as we sat at a red light in the back of the car. The driver hummed softly to himself.
“Yeah?” I said.
“Well, we can’t do the red wine, yet, but what do you think about getting massages in my room?”
“I think that sounds like one of the best ideas you’ve ever had.”
She grinned and rested back on the seat. “Good.”
“How in the hell did you get this room?” I asked when she opened the door of her room after swiping the key.
“I had some points, so I upgraded,” she said as I took in the palatial suite.
“This puts my room to shame.” I walked around the main living area with a couch and huge TV and balcony with a view of the pool, and then glanced into the bedroom with the absolutely massive bed and double the number of pillows that were on mine. She even had a little kitchen area with a microwave and fridge.
Echo called and booked the two massages and passed me a bottle of water.
“I can’t believe we have to leave tomorrow,” I said.
“Our flight isn’t until the afternoon. You?”
“Ours is at nine. Kill me.” My main job tonight would be harassing the team into packing all their shit, checking their rooms to make sure they had packed their shit, and then triple checking to make sure they had packed their shit. There would be no missed flights, not on my watch.
“That sucks, sorry,” she said. “It’s going to be so weird, going home. It ends so abruptly. We’re doing a party at one of the parent’s houses on Friday night.”
“We’re having one too. My parents will use any occasion to have a potluck. It’s really sweet.”
“Back to reality,” Echo said with a sigh. “You ready for it?”
“Not really. I’ll have to wallow for about a week.” She sat down next to me on the bed.
“Need anyone to wallow with?”
I smiled. “I could wallow with you.”
“Can we wallow naked?”
“Oh, yes, nudity is definitely required for wallowing.”
We were interrupted by the arrival of the massage tables and massage therapists. They set us up next to each other and Echo and I went into the bathroom to put on robes.
She reached out and tweaked one of my nipples and I slapped her hand away.
“Not now, we can do that after they leave,” I whispered.
“I’ve never been so eager to get a massage over with,” she said.
Without further incident, we went back into the room and got our couples massage and chatted with each other and the massage therapists as we got our bodies worked on. I think Echo’s massage therapist had a crush on her, but mostly because she appreciated Echo’s muscles. It was only fair, Echo’s musculature should be appreciated.
Our plans of getting sexy after the massage were interrupted when we were both so drunk on the endorphins that we ended up taking a nap together instead.
By the time we woke up, I knew the team was going to be back soon, and I needed to make my way back to my neck of the hotel.
I got dressed slowly and tried not to feel sad that I wasn’t going to get to see Echo again until we got back to Maine.
“What are you doing on Tuesday night?” I asked as she lounged on the bed, still in her robe.
“I don’t know, do you have any ideas?”
“I was thinking we could go out to dinner. Maybe somewhere halfway between us?” That seemed like a fair compromise.
“Are you asking me on a date?”
“Yes, I am asking you on a date,” I said.
She got up and skipped over and placed a kiss on my mouth. “Yes, I will go out with you, Kiri. Do you want to pick the place?”
I put my arms on her shoulders.
“No, you can pick. I don’t really care.”
“You have any food allergies?” she asked.
“Nope, I’m good. As long as there is something with cheese, I’m happy.”
She kissed me again. “I think we can accommodate that.”
I kissed her hard, almost as if it was the last time. We were being ridiculous, acting like we were separating for a thousand years instead of for a few days. Plus, we could always text each other.
“I’ll see you back in Maine,” I said, pressing my forehead to hers.
“Have a safe flight, baby.”
Fifteen
Someone pounded on my hotel door and I thought for a second there was a fire or an earthquake as I jolted out of sleep. It was four a.m. and I had been hoping to get a few more hours before I had to rouse the cheerleaders and chaperons and get them on a shuttle to the airport.
Somehow I stumbled to the door and got it open without hurting myself.
“Whaaa?” I said as Dom stood outside my door, fully dressed.
“The baby is coming. I have to get on a red eye flight. Heath is meeting me there. I have to go.” His eyes were wild and frantic, and that roused me into wakefulness.
He had to get to the airport, now.
“Okay, did you pack?” He looked at me as if I’d spoken another language. “Come on.”
I took him back to his room and started throwing shit in his suitcase. Even though I’d told him to pack the night before, he hadn’t. Whatever, it didn’t matter. I got everything I could find in his suitcase, made sure he had his wallet, called him a car and told him to get his ass downstairs.
“You’re having a baby!” I said, throwing my arms around him. “You’ve got this. Please update me on everything. I’ll handle the squad. Give Heath a hug for me.”
He still looked a little bewildered when I shoved him into a car that was set to take him to the airport.
Unable to get back to sleep, I paced around my room and double checked my suitcase and tried to watch TV until it was time to knock on all the cheerleader’s doors and get them up and ready to go.
“Dom had to leave so you’re stuck with me,” I said as I took in the sleepy faces. They did not want to move, so I encouraged them to use the little coffee makers in their rooms and I would look the other way. That helped to pep them up a little and I also ran downstairs and got some bagels and handed those out.
Somehow, we all managed to get on the shuttle and to the airport with plenty of time to get everyone through security. I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until everyone was in their seats on the plane and we were taking off.
I did it.
The seat next to me was empty, since it was reserved for Dom, so I let myself stretch out and relax, putting up the arm rest and laying on my side to rest.
The next thing I knew, the flight attendant was shaking my shoulder and telling me that we were landing. I didn’t know what it was about planes, but I always fell asleep, no matter what time the flight was.
Back to Maine, back to reality. The cheer season was over. I tried not to cry as I hugged all the kids and sent them back home when we got back to Corsica. Mack cried on my shoulder and I held her tight.
“I’m going to miss you all,
and I know I speak for myself and Dom. You have all taught me more than I could ever teach you.”
At least I waited until I was in my car to really break down. When I walked through the door, the kitties attacked me and I nuzzled their fur and put my face on their bellies and that helped me feel a little bit better.
“I missed you little assholes,” I said, rolling around on the floor with them. The three of them meowed and pawed at me and stuck to my side for the rest of the day. They liked to let me know I was never allowed to leave them again. I promised I wouldn’t, but I kept my fingers crossed behind my back. I had my girl’s night in Portland in two weeks, and then my vacation with Katie and Penny next month that I was very much looking forward to.
Summer was here, and I was ready to work hard and play hard. Echo was definitely going to be part of that plan, and I wondered if she was on the plane right now. Her flight was due to land at eight, and then it would take her over an hour to get back to her apartment.
If I said I wasn’t counting down the hours, I would have been lying. First, though, I had to get my laundry done and restock my fridge.
I was folding laundry when Dom messaged me that he had arrived, and had met Heath. They’d checked into their rental and then had gone right to the hospital. Labor was progressing, but they still had a while to wait.
I sent him good luck and hoped that it would work out. The second the ink on the paperwork was dry, Katie was ready to storm into their house and make a nursery happen in a few hours. I’d never seen her so excited about anything before.
Echo didn’t reach out to me until later that night. I was off from my nap on the flight, so I wasn’t tired, even though it was my normal bedtime. I’d been puttering around, waiting for her. I’d even started answering emails to pass the time.
Back home. Sad and lonely.
Same I said. Already missing the kids.
We lobbed texts back and forth for hours and there was that feeling in my chest again. That feeling of falling. I wanted to ignore it, but it was getting louder, as if someone had turned up the volume.
I feel asleep with my phone in my hand, right in the middle of writing a text.
A baby girl arrived the next morning, seven pounds, three ounces, twenty-one inches long, healthy, perfect. Heath and Dom had been in the delivery room and had both gotten to hold her just after she’d been born. The birth mother was on board with the adoption, but there was still time for her to change her mind.
Bring Her On Page 15
