Chapter Fifty-Three
JT already knew that she was cutting it close when she left Boston.
She’d wanted to stay and talk with the folks at the team for as long as she could.
It might’ve given her a better chance of having them pick her when the draft started.
And she was willing to do just about anything to make that happen.
The meeting made it clear they weren’t sure what to make of her after her complete one-eighty on where she did and did not want to play in the upcoming season.
She couldn’t blame them. She’d been shocked by the change in her family and the way her hometown embraced her.
She’d been delightedly surprised by that.
She had always hoped her family might find a way to support her, even if they didn’t fully understand her, and she was hopeful they had.
But falling for Ali wasn’t something she’d ever expected.
Unfortunately, that extra time with the team execs trying to get them to see why it would be worth taking a chance on her meant one thing: She was going to be late.
She was going to be late, and her phone was dead.
She’d sent the text that she was on her way when she left Boston, but then traffic got bad and the cord in her car crapped out and she was following directions that were supposed to take her around some big accident on the main highway only to have her phone go into power save mode and die.
She arrived at her parents’ house at quarter to seven needing a shower, an outfit for dinner and a way to tell Ali she would meet her at the inn. Oh, and her dog would need a walk, too. There was no way she could get it all done in fifteen minutes.
“Mom? Can you call the inn?” JT asked as she walked in the door to the kitchen.
Mrs. Cox walked into the kitchen. “Why are you yelling at me?”
JT rushed in, gave Toby a pat and skidded to a stop at the counter. “Hi. Sorry. Can you call the inn and ask them to tell Ali I’m running late?”
“Why don’t you call her yourself?”
JT held up her phone. “My phone died and I don’t know her number by heart. Please, Mom. I have to get ready as fast as I can, but can you get the inn to tell her I’m coming?” JT was freaking out. She could imagine Ali sitting there waiting for her and worrying when she was late.
What if she left? What if she thought JT had blown her off or stood her up?
Shit. She had to hurry. She raced to the basement to grab her clothes.
She didn’t have time to think about what she was going to wear.
She’d brought one nice outfit for Christmas, a pair of nice pants to go with a blazer and a button-down, but then she’d spilled on them when she was messing around at the table making the kids laugh. Shit.
The suit-adjacent outfit she’d worn to meet the executives was more professional than date night, but it would have to do. Thankfully she had one more clean dress shirt. After the quickest shower of her life, she dressed as fast as possible, and hurried upstairs to talk to her parents.
“Did the inn say they’d tell her?”
Her mom nodded but her face betrayed skepticism. “I talked to some kid at the front desk, but I don’t have much confidence he’ll tell her so you better hurry. I swear if you screw this up because you got lost…”
“I didn’t get lost! There was traffic!” JT’s voice was a shriek.
Her mom laughed. “Oh my god. I can’t remember seeing you like this about a girl. It’s kind of fun. Go, I’m sure she’s waiting for you. Hopefully you have good news to tell her about today.” She raised her eyebrows. “And maybe you’ll tell us later?”
JT laughed. “I’ll tell you, but don’t wait up.” Toby whined. “Shit, can you guys take care of her?”
JT’s dad laughed. “Oh, because that would be a change from what we’ve been doing for the last several weeks? Of course we’ll care for Miss Toblerone in your absence. Though if you keep ditching her, she might be our dog soon.”
JT gasped. “You wouldn’t!”
“I might!” her mom said, letting Toby give her kisses. “Get your ass out of here!”
JT drove as fast as she dared to the center of town.
There was usually only one cop in town on duty at any time but on New Year’s Eve she thought they might have a second one working.
She parked in front of the inn, checked her hair in the rearview mirror and stepped into the freezing air.
If she didn’t hurry, her hair would be frozen when she got to the door.
On the way, she admired their sculpture. It looked good with the lights trained on it. She saw a couple walking up to it and considered offering to take their picture, but she was too late to be nice.
She ran up the stairs and opened the door to the entryway.
Inside, the lights were bright and there was music playing.
She shrugged out of her coat and hung it on the coatrack and then made her way into the side room with a roaring fire.
She didn’t see Ali at first. She was blocked by a tall man with his back to JT.
She stepped through the room, trying to get to the restaurant but stopped when she saw Ali. She looked stunning. Her blond hair framed her face and her dress displayed a tasteful but glorious amount of cleavage. JT’s face broke into a massive grin.
How could she get so lucky?
“JT,” Ali said, her voice strained.
The man turned around. Kyle. He straightened his shoulders and made himself seem larger than he was. He was dressed up in a flannel and a jacket.
JT’s heart fell. “I’m sorry I’m late. Traffic was terrible and my phone died…” It sounded so weak even as she said it. Ali’s face was unreadable.
“What did your brother say? That she’s a flake?”
Ali’s eyes blazed with anger. “Shut up, Kyle.” She walked to JT and wrapped her in a hug. “I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered in JT’s ear.
JT exhaled but she kept her eyes on Kyle. “What’s he doing here?”
Ali stepped back. “Apparently, my mom gave him the impression the other day that he should meet me here. But that that was before I talked to her, and I guess she never told him not to come.” JT made a face of disbelief.
“Exactly. Kyle, I’m sorry my mom gave you the impression I have any interest in seeing you. I do not.”
Kyle scoffed. “Your mom made it pretty clear that you wanted to get back together with me.” He preened like he thought that might work.
Ali closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Kyle, regardless of what my mom might have said to you, we are divorced. I have no interest in changing that. At. All.”
Kyle’s face reddened as people walked through and took in the scene. JT feared he might get angry so she stepped closer to Ali. She wasn’t as big as Kyle, but she was still much larger than Ali.
He seemed to deflate. “I thought you and I were forever, Ali.” He looked like he might cry. “We were something special.”
JT watched Ali’s face for signs she was buying this. “Kyle, I’m sorry, but if you’ll excuse us, we have a dinner reservation.”
Kyle blinked but didn’t move.
Ali grabbed JT’s hand and pulled her toward the dining room. JT looked back long enough to see Kyle being herded to the door by a teenager who was probably the kid her mom talked to on the phone. He looked maybe seventeen, but he didn’t appear intimidated by Kyle.
Ali led JT to a beautiful table set with white linens and candles. “I’m glad you made it.”
JT waited for Ali to sit before she took her seat. “I’m sorry. Did they give you the message?”
Ali nodded. “Yeah, after I’d been waiting for ten minutes. What the hell happened to you?”
JT took a sip of water. “I’m sorry. I got redirected around this huge accident on the highway and then the cord stopped charging my phone so it died and I had no way to get in touch until I got home.
I don’t have your number memorized so I had my mom call here while I rushed to get ready.
I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry or think I stood you up.
” She reached across the table and took Ali’s hand.
Ali flicked her eyes around the room. JT pulled back but Ali gripped her hand with her fingers.
“I was worried,” Ali said in a low voice. “I was scared you decided you didn’t want this and didn’t know how to tell me. I freaked out a little.”
JT’s chest ached. “I’m sorry. I never meant for that to happen. I went to Boston to try to fix everything and then I fucked it up.”
The waiter arrived with a glass of champagne for each of them and offered them a look at the menu for the night. The New Year’s Eve menu had only a few options, so they sent him away quickly with their choices.
“You didn’t mess anything up.” Ali smiled across the table and offered her glass to clink JT’s. “Cheers.”
“To us?” JT said, unable to keep the doubt out of her voice.
Ali took a sip and smiled. “That sounds good. So, will you finally tell me what you were doing in Boston or am I going to have to torture it out of you?”
JT drank half her glass, considered it for a second and then finished the rest. “Okay, I went to talk to the Boston team’s executives.” JT watched Ali’s reaction, but she mostly looked confused. “I asked them to consider drafting me.”
Ali’s face brightened. “Is that something you normally have to do? I mean, you’re a star and I would think all the teams want you.”
JT blushed. “That would be nice. But I had already asked the league to put me anywhere but Boston. I didn’t want my family to be so close and never come. I thought it would hurt too much. But after spending this week…”
“With me.”
“Yes, with you.” JT nodded as she spoke. “And also seeing that maybe my family could change and could find a way to support me, I wanted Boston to know that I want to be on their team if they are willing to pick me.”
“So, this thing between us?”