18. Charlie
Ihaven’t even shut the door to my room when Emily knocks on it.
”A close friend is out of town? Why didn”t you just say this is your house, Uncle Charlie?”
I peek out of the door to make sure no one heard her and pull her into the room before shutting the door.
”Let”s not say anything about that, okay?”
She frowns, and says, ”Why not? Aren”t you proud of it?”
I smile and take a breath before answering. ”I am actually really proud of everything I”ve accomplished. There are just some people who get weird around me when I say I own extravagant things like this.”
”I always wondered why you moved away from this house. I remember Mom loving it.”
”She decorated most of this. I guess I needed a change after she was gone. So many significant memories of her helping me here and bringing you to visit.”
Emily thinks about it for a moment and then nods. ”I can understand that.”
”So, we have a deal? No spilling the beans?”
”Why do old people always say that?”
Shaking my head, I say, ”Will you keep my secret for a bit? To be honest, I crave this anonymity.”
Once the words are out of my mouth, I realize how true they are. It”s not always easy to be around people who aren”t trying to get something from me. This group of girls and coaches/parents treat me like an equal, rather than I”m above them, which I appreciate. And with my growing interest in Ava, I”d rather not destroy the fantasy yet.
Every woman I”ve dated in the past five years has been trying to bump into me so we can start dating or has been recommended by a friend”s cousin once-removed just so they can say they helped to get us together.
If marriage is in my future, I”d rather it be with someone I can connect with on all levels, someone who isn’t worried about how we look together, but who wants to build a life. Someone who loves me for me and sees us going the distance, rather than an alimony opportunity.
Ava might fit that bill, not that I think she would go for me at all. She tries to avoid anything having to do with money. And since I’ve worked my tail off to get to where I am so that I can support and take care of my family, I don’t want to be ashamed of it.
Which is kind of what I’m doing by telling Emily not to say anything, huh?
I almost married someone who only cared about my money until she opened my eyes to that world. And I”ve kind of been jaded ever since.
Until Ava. Of course, nothing has happened, but it”s almost like using a dating app under a friend”s name. I”m just borrowing a friend”s identity to enjoy a little more time in the unknown category.
Emily rolls her eyes and leaves the room. ”Good luck. I”m not sure you can keep this secret for that long.”
I chuckle and unpack my stuff into the dresser. It”s strange not using my usual room, but I figured Marsha and Ava would be more comfortable there. Luckily, I had an old assistant who had time to come and clear out the wardrobe in there and stock the kitchen with a few things. I”d planned to stay here regardless of the hotel situation, but with this many girls in the house, we”re going to need more than protein shakes and salads.
I walk out of my room and bump into Ava.
”Sorry about that.”
She”s got a sheepish look on her face. ”You”re good. I”m coming to see if you need anything put on the shopping list. There were a few things here, but we need to make a big grocery run for the week. We”ve got a whole slew of things the girls have requested.”
I reach out and take the paper, our fingers lightly brushing, which turns into a shock. “Sorry about that..”
”It”s just static,” Ava says. She’s moving her legs back and forth like she’s jittery. “If you want to write what you like and then leave the list on the counter, I”ll go with Marsha to pick it up.”
Shaking my head, I say, ”Don”t worry about it. I”ll go. You prepare with the girls for the weekend ahead.”
I smile when I see most of the girls in their bathing suits outside jumping into the pool already. How do they still have that much energy?
”I can go. It”s not that much work. And It will be helpful to have a few pairs of hands to go with.”
”Sounds good.” I”m so used to sending out for things and having people bring food and other goods to me. It”s been a really long time since I”ve been grocery shopping. Maybe it won”t be that bad.
I write a few things on the bottom of the list and then set it on the kitchen counter. Instead of leaving, I sit on a barstool and check my messages. I wouldn”t put it past Ava to take the list and leave by herself. The girl is stubborn for sure, but I like that about her.
It”s not fifteen minutes later before she walks out, fumbling with a little side purse.
”Hey,” I say, smiling as she jumps. ”Sorry, I didn”t mean to scare you.”
”Seems like that happens a lot to me.”
”Are you ready to go?” I ask.
”Y-you”re coming?”
I nod. ”I figured I could help. There”s a lot of stuff we need to get for a week here.”
”Is your friend okay with a small fee to use his house?” Ava asks.
”He said it was free.”
Ava shakes her head, as if that”s the last thing she expected to hear. ”We can pay. Especially if he rents this place out. We need to compensate him.”
”I can check with him again, but he sounded like this would be a pay-it-forward moment. Let”s just worry about feeding the girls and we”ll figure out payment later.”
She gives me a look like she”s trying to understand my motives, but I grab the keys to the nearest van and walk toward the front door. We could”ve parked in the large garage if I didn’t still have a couple of my old cars parked in there.
”Where”s Marsha?” I ask.
Ava sighs. ”She said she”s feeling a migraine coming on, but I wonder...”
”What do you wonder?”
”Never mind.” Ava looks at me again once we”re in the car and back on the road.
”Care to share?” I ask, more curious now than ever.
”She has this idea that you and I would make a great couple.” Ava makes eye contact, her eyes squinting a bit as if she can read the answer on my face.
Inside, I”m ecstatic that someone else is finally putting us in the same realm. But I have to school my expression. Ava looks like a doe about to bolt.
”And you don”t agree?” I say, backing the van up down the driveway.
”I”m cursed in relationships. And I always pick the guys who think they can handle my life and then end up leaving two weeks later.”
That wasn”t a no. I should take that as a sign.
”I get that. Most women don”t like that I”m a workaholic.”
”Most guys don”t like that I”m athletic and so competitive.”
I chuckle, surprised we”re having this conversation. It”s such a little thing, but from how she was putting up walls when we first met, I”d say this is progress.
”I like that about you,” I say, giving her a small wink.
”You”re just saying that.”
Shaking my head, I say, ”No, what”s better than someone who”s willing to try different sports and makes it exciting? I played hockey growing up and that”s a tough sport. Watching lacrosse is different but just as intense.”
”I”ve always loved watching hockey. I still don”t get what icing means, though. Aren”t some people bringing an NHL team to Utah?”
I open my mouth to say more and then nod. ”That”s what I heard. Sounds like it will be a fun adventure. And don”t worry about icing. Most people don”t know what it means either.”
We drive to Costco, chatting here and there about things. The conversation is a lot smoother than any other we’ve had. Maybe she’s getting used to the idea that I’ll be around for a while.
I have to stop and think about that for a moment. Since when did I swing from the no-dating category to looking for an opportunity to make it happen?
We squeeze into Costco just before they close the gates, each of us armed with a cart.
”Where first, Coach?” I ask, waiting for her to give me directions.
”Probably the fresh fruit. We”ll need a bunch of that for the girls. Then we”ll get some meat, Greek yogurt, and go from there.”
I lean over to see the list and breathe in her lavender scent. She smells good.
”No treats on there?” I ask.
”Oh, there”s plenty of treats. I”m just trying to balance them out with more nutritious stuff. I don”t need them to be slow when it comes time to play.”
“I don’t remember you ever playing lacrosse when we were younger. What got you started?”
Ava disappears into the cold fruit locker and I wait outside. Not because I”m cold, but because there are still a million people here and I probably wouldn”t be able to get the cart all the way around the middle section.
Ava comes out with half her cart filled with fruits and vegetables and walks over past the bakery and meat sections. She stops to pick up several packages of meat and two rotisserie chickens.
”I started around fourteen. You and Bobby were gone already, you went to college and Bobby to the National Guard. I needed something to do, and a friend invited me to try lacrosse. I absolutely loved every minute.”
”Were you recruited to play at CU, then?” It had come up in my research of her online profile.
She nods. “Yeah, I played in a travel tournament between my junior and senior year of high school and that’s where I got to see a few more schools than the local ones. CU offered me a full-ride, so I took it.”
“If you started later, why do all these tournaments when the girls are this young? Emily has at least four years of school left.”
”It”s never too early to have options. There was a girl on my team who committed to a school at fourteen.”
Shaking my head, I say, “I can’t even think I’d know what was the right decision at fourteen. Four years is a long time to stick to a commitment like that.”
Something in her expression flickers. “Not all the girls who commit end up going to those schools. Commitment is often broken in our society.”
I think that has a deeper meaning than college lacrosse. But I don’t want to dive into that, so I change the subject.
”You mentioned hurting your knee. When did you do that?”
She sighs and pushes the cart along to the dairy area. A lot of eggs and milk later and we”re strolling up and down the aisles. I”m thinking she won’t answer when she says something.
”The first time I tore my ACL was my junior year of high school and then a second time in my senior year. I missed out on all the opportunities to show coaches my improvement. So I went to CU and played.”
”I take it you tore it again. Is that why you stopped playing professionally?”
She turns and looks at me like she”s seen a ghost. ”Maybe. Did you stalk me online?”
I shrug. ”Maybe. I had to know who was teaching my niece. Well, Coach Ava, anyway. I only remembered you from when you were younger.”
“You did enough teasing to make life difficult back then.”
She turns to guide her cart over to the cereal section.
”Are you okay?”
”To be honest, I”m just surprised you”re still talking to me.”
”Why?” I ask, not understanding what she means.
After piling in a few more things, she turns to me, emotion clear on her face. ”Guys can be really cruel, you know? The ones I”ve dated didn”t like that I could win a lot of competitions or games or that I knew a lot about sports.”
”Are you kidding? You”re like a unicorn in that. Women I”ve dated before haven”t even known what icing was to begin with. That just shows you”re on a whole other level.”
”Only if you”re not into models or other gals with more to offer than I did. That’s why my ex left.”
Ava turns around, but not before I hear the catch in her words.
All I want to do is hug her right now, to tell her she”s amazing and I”m very interested in her. But how do you do that when you”re walking around a crowded Costco?
We get the rest of the food and wait in the long lines to check out. I watch as Ava opens her phone and taps on an app. It looks like the logo of a local bank and sighs at whatever number is there.
Yes, I looked away. I don”t want her to feel like I”ve invaded her privacy.
It”s then that she gets a text and starts to furiously tap out words.
”Who are you talking to? Marsha?” I ask, chuckling. While she”s distracted, I step in front of her and give the woman my club card. They scan the food and I”m just waiting so I can pay for the food.
”My roommates from college and I have a group text. It”s just blowing up with a bunch of messages, mostly from one. She”s a camp counselor and doesn”t get great service.”
I smile, trying to picture Ava with a bunch of girls while playing lacrosse in college.
”That”s cool. What are they saying?” Why did I ask that? I”m not that close with her now to understand the complexity of their chats.
”Well, my one roommate called off her wedding and then went on the honeymoon by herself. She ended up meeting a guy there she knew from a few summers back. I think things are heating up for her.”
Now I”m curious about what Ava would say if asked about her current situation. ”I”m stuck with a guy trying to pay for all my stuff.”
The cashier says the total and Ava gasps while I tap my card on the screen to pay for it.
”You didn”t need to do that. That”s a ton of money we have to split among the girls.”
Shaking my head, I say, “I”ve been a single guy for a long time. I”ve built up enough to share. Just let me do it.”
We walk toward the exit and Ava says nothing.
”What is it you invest in?”
”Like I said before, all kinds of things. Each is different, but it”s a challenge I love to take on.”
”Is it worth all the time spent working to have that much?”
I study her face and see that she’s not trying to be rude or sarcastic. She’s genuinely curious.
Shaking my head, I say, ”Well, I used to do a paper route and search for empty soda cans to turn into the recycling truck. Going from that to what I do now is a lot more rewarding.”
”So, money didn”t change you?”
I breathe out and say, ”Yes and no. It made life a lot easier than the dollar menu at McDonald”s, which is what I did through college. But I think the goal is to help people rather than use it for my own good all the time.”
”You”re about the only one who thinks like that.”
”What do you mean?” She”s actually letting me load stuff into the van, but we”ve had to push down the back row of seats to make room for all the food.
”I mean that people with money don”t always turn out like you.”
”Your parents?” I ask, taking a guess. ”Are they okay?”
Ava nods and says, ”Yeah, they”re living their best life on a yacht somewhere.”
”That”s cool. I don”t think I could be at sea for too long, though.”
”They won the lottery just after my father sold his company when I was in seventh grade. I thought we were flying to see Gran and celebrate, but it turns out they wanted to travel for a bit. A couple of weeks turned into months, and I think I’ve seen them three times since.”
And now I”m dead inside. I didn’t know she carries that much weight around with her.
“I’d always thought they were sick or something. Bobby never talked about them.”
She gives a shaky smile before she says, “It was easier to not talk about them.”
I stop loading the van and reach out my arms, pulling her to me. She”s a few inches shorter than I am and her head fits just under my chin. I don”t know why, but this feels like the most right thing in my life, like my soul is reaching out to hers and we”re connecting.
”I”m so sorry, Ava. I had no idea.”
”Most people don”t. I struggled through injuries after that, and my Gran was the best, always helping me through therapies and driving me to my appointments. Going to CU helped because I was close enough to drive to get there, and I got a full-ride scholarship, which helped since my grandparents were on a fixed income.”
Yes, I”ve been through a lot in my life, but I”ve always had the support of my family behind me. At least before they passed away.
”I”m so sorry, Ava. No one should have to go through that.”
She nods and takes a step back, as if she”s just now realized that she”s been this close to me. Her cheeks go bright red and she turns to focus on the food.
We have a quiet car ride home, but the silence gives me a lot of time to think about our conversation. Ava has been through a lot, not only with guys she”s dated, but with the people who were supposed to have her back through life.
And it makes me want to protect her even more.