Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
I close the door to the office and turn off the computer screen.
“Why’d you do that, Opal?” Shelly asks.
“I need to talk. I think I've blown it with Champ.”
“Uh oh,” Shelly says. “We need to get Beth in on this conversation. Boot the computer back up.”
I pull up the video conference software and call Beth. All the while, I’m looking through the office window to keep an eye out if Champ shows up.
Beth says, “Hey, ladies! What’s up? How did it go Friday night?” Beth leans forward, clearly excited.
I wince at the memory. “Champ showed up.”
“Girl, so what’s the problem?” Shelly asks, turning to me.
“The problem is right after he showed up, so did my brother. They got into it, and Champ stormed off. ”
“Uh oh,” Shelly repeats. “Have you talked to him since?”
“No, but I called the gym in Raytown for something, and he wasn't there. I'm scared he's on his way here, and he's going to fire me.”
Shelly shakes her head.”He needs you too much in this office. I set it up, but it can't run without somebody there, and I can't do both offices. Besides, you live here in Jefferson, so it makes sense for you to work here.”
“I know, but…” Tears prick my eyes. “I feel so terrible for letting him down. I can't describe the look of disappointment in his eyes. He looked so betrayed.”
“He probably does feel that way,” Beth says. “You know how much he hates your brother. Champ generally lets things go, but he’s still sore over the fight he lost to Doyle. He goes around telling everybody how Doyle cheated.”
“That's not how my brother tells it,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Yeah, with these two, who knows what's true,” Beth says. “But the point is, the cat's out of the bag, and now you've got to deal with it.”
“Do you have any suggestions on what I should say?” I ask, feeling desperate.
“Just be honest. You didn't want to tell him because you knew how he would react, and you wanted him to give you a chance, not dismiss you because of who your brother is.”
“She's got a good point, Opal,” Shelly says, agreeing with Beth. “Don't try to hide anything.”
“I don't think there's anything left to hide.” I sigh.”Oh, God.” Tension ripples across my skin. “He's here. I'll talk to you guys later.”
“Good luck,” they say in unison.
I end the video conference and close the software. I don't want to give Champ any more reason to be mad at me.
“I’m going to take this as my cue to leave,” Shelly says, hugging me. “Hang in there, and don’t let him steamroll you. Call me later.”
“Thanks, Shelly. I will.”
“You’re leaving?” Champ asks, looking confused.
“Yeah, I’m all finished up. Opal’s doing great with the software, so I’m letting her do some work and get used to it. I’ll see you back in Raytown.”
“See you later,” Champ says, his eyebrow arched at Shelly’s swift departure.
Champ stands in the doorway of the office and turns to face me.
“Hi, Champ. I’m—”
“What the hell happened at the Chili cook-off, Opal?” Champ cuts me off. “How come you didn't tell me your brother is Doyle Malone?”
“Hello to you too,” I say, trying to compose myself under his fierce glare. “I didn't tell you because I was pretty sure this is exactly what would happen. I've heard how my brother talks about you, and it's probably the same way you talk about him. Growing up with three brothers and seeing their stubbornness about rivalries, I knew you would be blinded by it. Would you have given me a chance if you knew he was my brother?”
Champ looks at me for a long moment and shakes his head. “I sure as hell wouldn't.”
“See, that's exactly it. You want to judge me for something my brother did or didn't do years ago.”
“He most certainly did cheat in that fight,” Champ says hotly.
I hold up my hands. There’s no way my brother or Champ are being one hundred percent honest about what happened, and I’m not interested in hearing either try to justify why they’re right, and the other is wrong. “Regardless of what happened in that fight, it has nothing to do with me. You should also know that I love my brother, even if he is a pain in the ass sometimes. Do you understand that, Champ?”
“Yeah, I can understand that, Opal,” he concedes, his voice evening out. “You have to understand that honesty is the most important thing to me. Is there anything else you're withholding from me?”
“Absolutely not,” I say without hesitation. “I'm exactly the person you think I am. I'm a woman who took a while to figure out what I wanted in life, and now I’m a college student who loves working for you. Champ, I'm sorry I didn't tell you who my brother is. Are we going to be okay? Or did you come here to fire me?”
Champ inhales deeply and crosses his arms over his muscular chest. “Aside from talking to you, I wasn't sure what I was coming here to do. I can't deny that firing you crossed my mind several times. But you do a good job, and I like having you around.”
Even though this is a serious conversation, my heart skips a beat.”You like having me around?”
“Don't read too much into it,” he says, his voice gruff again, but the air between us feels clearer and more positive. “You can stay, but if you ever hold anything back from me again, we're gonna have a very different conversation.”
“I understand, Champ. I won't keep anything from you. I promise on everything.”
“Good. Shelly says you’re getting on okay with the software?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s not too different from what we used in one of my classes at the college. Once you figure out the menus, it’s all straightforward.”
Champ nods and pauses for a moment as he looks at me. It takes all my nerve to maintain eye contact with him. It’s important that he sees me as a strong woman, even if I feel like a quivering mess inside.
“Good. I’m glad to hear that. Oh, hey, I've got to take this call,” Champ says as he takes a ringing phone out of his pocket.
“Hey, Roman, what's up?” I hear Champ say. “Fuck man, seriously? Okay, thanks for letting me know. No, no, don't worry about it. I'll figure out a way to get back to Raytown.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask after Champ ends his phone call.
“No. Goddamn truck broke down on my way here. I need a new engine block, and I'm not going to have my truck for at least a week.”
“Oh, man, that sucks. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“No, no. I'll be fine,” he grumbles. “Goddammit, why is my phone ringing again? Oh, hey, Harley. I'll be back in a minute.” Champ pauses for a moment and leaves the office, walking to the other side of the gym .
I watch him outside the gym office. His expression is more serious than I've ever seen, like he's preparing for bad news. I see him nod a couple of times and make a face. “Yeah, okay, Harley. I don't have my truck, but I'll figure it out. I'll get you everything today.”
“Is there something I can help you with?” I ask when Champ comes back to the office.
Champ looks at me assessingly. “Are you finished up here for the day or close enough to it?”
“Yeah, I have some more invoices to enter, but they're nothing urgent.” Champ looks at me as if deciding whether he can trust me and if he wants to admit he needs help.
“What kind of car do you got?”
“I've got an SUV.”
“Okay, that'll work. I need to take some supplies to my buddy Harley up on King Mountain. Are you up for that?”
“Sure, yeah. Whatever you need, I can help.”
“We might need to stay overnight because it's a bit of a drive. Is that okay?”
A thousand thoughts race through my mind. An overnight trip with Champ? Hell, yeah. This may not be how I expected to spend time with Champ, but there's no way I'm going to say no to spending several hours and possibly staying overnight on King Mountain with him.
“Yeah, I just need to pick up a change of clothes at home. I can spend the night up on the mountain if it comes to that,” I say, mentally crossing my fingers that it turns out that way.
“Okay, good,” Champ says, some of the tension fading from his face. “Let’s get going.”