Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
“I know.”
“They also fucking know,” I say, getting heated. “I just don’t know what else to fucking do,” I admit. “I just don’t. I should let you go. We take off tomorrow and head to Colorado,” I tell her.
“What hotel are you guys staying at?” she asks me.
“I think the Marriott.” I open my travel schedule and send her the information. “Now you have it.”
“Go to sleep,” she urges softly. “Tomorrow is a new day.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Sleep tight.” I hang up the phone and get undressed.
The flight the next day is the same thing as the bus. No one is saying anything to anyone. Everyone is on fucking edge, and it just gets worse when I see the headlines.
“Coach Gilmore Loses It Behind the Bench. Is He Right for the Job?”
“Warriors Start to Crumble and It Starts with the Coach.”
“Should Warriors Coach Gilmore Step Down?”
“The Pressure Is Mounting for Coach Gilmore as He’s Fined $25,000.”
Two text messages come in at the same time one from my father and one from my sister Ashley.
Dad:
Keep your head up.
Ashley:
Remind me never to piss you off.
I answer my father first.
Me:
Will do.
Then answer Ashley.
Me:
I learnt that from you.
I put the phone in my pocket and when I arrive at the hotel, I pull up Beautiful Goddess on my phone and call her.
“Hey,” she answers right away, “how are we doing today?”
“I don’t know,” I admit to her.
“What room are you in?” she asks me. “I’m going to send you a Bundt cake; that makes everyone feel better.”
I laugh at her. “I’m in room four twelve, but I don’t need a Bundt cake.”
“Really?” she asks. “What do you think would make you feel better?” I hear her moving on her end and I wonder if she’s working from home today.
“You,” I reply. “You make me feel better.”
“I was hoping you would say that,” she says at the same time there is a knock at my door.
“Did you already send the cake?” I laugh, walking over to the door and pulling it open, and my mouth hangs open when I see her there.
“I did better, I brought me.”
twenty-four
Victoria
I sit on the bed and wait for him to call. Trying to tell myself this is a good idea and not that I shouldn’t have booked a fucking flight to surprise him on the road.
I literally had no one to ask if this was a good idea or not, since our relationship is on the down low. “What do you think would make you feel better?” I ask him as I take off toward his room. He tells me his room number and I walk out of my hotel room, looking right and left as I put the hoodie on and head toward the stairs. I’ve been here for four hours so I had a chance to do a dry run before he called, even though I didn’t have his room number. I open the door and step into the stairwell as I walk down to the fourth floor. I peek into the hallway through the little window, my pulse picking up like crazy. I open the door and listen for a second before I rush past the rooms to his room.
“You,” he says right when I get to his room. “You make me feel better.”
“I was hoping you would say that.” I put the phone on mute and knock on his door softly, hoping like fuck no one comes out of their rooms, especially my brother. That would be an awkward conversation, especially after last night.
“Did you already send the cake?” He laughs as he pulls open the door and I see his mouth open and his eyes widen.
“I did better, I brought me.”
“What are you doing here?” he asks, and I look around.
“Can I answer that in your room so no one catches me?” I suggest as he lunges for me and drags me inside.
His arms wrap around me as he buries his face in my neck and picks me up off my feet. My legs circle his waist as he walks over to the king-size bed in his room. His bag is pushed to the side and still packed up. “What are you doing here?” he asks me again as he sits on the edge of the bed, and he takes his face out of my neck, only to hold my face in his hands, kissing my lips softly.
“After the game, or maybe during your whole Hulk episode behind the bench…” I run my fingers through his beard and take in his tired eyes, and I want nothing more than to make this right for him. “I booked the earliest flight I could get on, which was at the ass crack of fucking dawn. Then I had to book a hotel room here, and I called and asked for early check-in, but the girl was not having it. So I booked the room last night and had to download the app to check-in so they wouldn’t give my room away,” I ramble and see his eyes get lighter with each word. “Then I got here and hid upstairs until you called.”