Chapter 19
Levi
How do I Convince Her?
My euphoria over the Ducks potential offer is starting to wane. My newly minted real girlfriend is about as excited to move to California as she would be about getting a root canal. She’s been distant, although my busy schedule hasn’t helped. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I’m worried that this absence is causing us to grow further apart.
Otto strolls into the kitchen this morning with his ever-present Starbucks cup in his hand. The guy must spend a fortune on coffee.
He immediately notices my grumpy face. “Who stole your Snickers bar?” he says, then laughs at his own joke. He knows my weakness for those candy bars, a perfect combination of chocolate, peanuts, caramel, and nougat.
Plopping down in the chair across from me, he waits patiently for my reply. I might as well spill the beans about the Ducks, it’s the biggest thing on my mind right now.
“You know when Coach called me into his office after the game last night?”
Otto immediately perks up in his chair. “He kicked you off the team?”
I wave my hand in a dismissive fashion. “No, nothing like that. He introduced me to an Anaheim Ducks scout that was at the game.”
“And?”
Feeling a little braggy talking about my pending offer, I decide to make it sound less like a sure thing than what Hal indicated. “The Ducks expect to get the first overall pick in the draft, and they’re thinking about drafting me.”
“Five-hole, baby!” my housemate shouts, holding his hand up for a high-five. We slap hands as Otto exclaims, “Levi Nyberg is heading to CALIFORNIA!” When I don’t get up and dance around the table, Otto’s smile fades. “But? What? There must be a but in there somewhere.”
Staring into my coffee cup, I mutter, “Bailey’s not excited about me moving out west.”
Otto snorts. “Didn’t you ask her to come with you? It’s that easy, man.”
“Let me rephrase. I asked her to come with me, but she didn’t say yes, and she wasn’t excited about it.”
My heart sinks as I remember our conversation. “What am I going to do in California?” she asked. When I suggested she find a mom-and-pop bakery to work for, she was lukewarm at best. I wonder whether she’ll even research bakeries in the Anaheim area.
“Ouch. Got any ideas about how to change her mind?”
How do I convince her to come with me? What will change her mind? I’ve racked my brain all night and still haven’t come up with anything.
“Not a one so far,” I grumble.
“That’s not like you, Levi! You’ve always got a plan. You’ll think of something.” Otto stands, slaps me on the back, and saunters back out of the room.
He was no help. I was hoping he’d tell me what to do.
~*~
Bailey and I don’t see each other for over a week because of the Stars’s road trip. I feel like we’ve already broken up. It seems inevitable that Bailey and I will break up when I move to California since she won’t agree to go with me. How do I change her mind?
What if I romance her? Show her how I feel? It occurs to me that I need to step up my romance skills.
She’s attending our next game, the last home game of the season. I’ve taken her to pizza places and burger joints after previous games, but none of those screams romance. Time to pull out all the stops. This might be my last chance to change her mind.
I’ll surprise her after the game by taking her to Le Chateau Gourmand. I took my parents there when the Golden Stars won the Frozen Four a few years ago. The food is spectacular, and the ambiance is high-end, with white tablecloths, waiters clad in black suits, and strolling violins.
My spirits rise. Romance and superb food should put Bailey in an amenable state of mind. Then we can discuss how we can make this move to Anaheim work for both of us. Isn’t food a good way to a woman’s heart, too? After I make the reservation; visions of a romantic meal fill my head. Will food and romance win Bailey’s heart?
~*~
Later that evening, the door chime rings. Joey and I exchange confused looks. “Did you order DoorDash?” I ask from the dining table where I’m trying to get my homework done.
“Nope. But I’ll get it,” Joey says as he leaps up from his position on the couch. He’s usually not so agreeable, but he is the one closer to the door.
“Does Levi Nyberg live here?” a shrill female voice asks.
“He does! Come on in,” Joey says.
My jaw hits the floor as Bailey’s grandmother waltzes into the entryway. I leap from my chair like I’ve been electrocuted. “Nana, what brings you here?” I ask.
“I’m here to discuss this whole Anaheim nonsense. Can we have some privacy?” she says, giving Joey the stink-eye. He nods and scurries off to his bedroom, closing the door with a definitive click. No eavesdropping from him today.
“Shall we sit?” I ask, gesturing to our living room’s eclectic collection of furniture. Our decor screams ‘bachelor pad’—if it’s functional, it stays.
She plops down on the flowery loveseat. I take a seat on the paisley couch. She’s sitting like she’s at a royal tea party, clutching her purse like it’s the Crown Jewels.
“What are your intentions with my granddaughter?” she demands, her blue eyes boring into my soul.
Wait, didn’t she grill me about this at the wedding?
“Well, I’ve asked Bailey to move to Anaheim with me, you know, if I get drafted by the Ducks.”
She snorts. “So, do you just want to play house, or is there more to it?”
Ah, I see what’s happening. Nana’s here to make sure I’m not a no-good scoundrel.
“Guess I put the cart before the horse, huh?”
She nods, unimpressed.
Shifting uncomfortably, I ask, “Do you think Bailey loves me?”
“Do you love her?” she shoots back, not missing a beat.
It’s like I’ve been hit by a lightning bolt of clarity. This is the grand plan Otto hinted at, and I’ve been too dense to see it.
“I do,” I say, surprised by my own revelation. Why didn’t I realize this sooner?
Nana chuckles. “That girl’s as smitten with you as you are with her.” We stare at each other for a few seconds. Her knowing smile and twinkle in her eye tell me that I’ve finally won the old lady over. A warm feeling floods through me; being accepted by Nana is like discovering the Holy Grail.
After another couple of beats, she stands slowly, joints protesting, and says with a wink, “You know what you need to do. Good luck.”
I escort her to the door, watching as she navigates the porch and heads towards an ancient Pacer parked at the curb. Laughing, I close the door. Bailey’s been driving her grandmother’s relic? I’m buying my girlfriend a new car with my signing bonus.
Even though I’m a rookie in the romance game, my reservation at the fancy French restaurant now feels like a stroke of genius. It’s the perfect setting for the next step in my grand plan.