Chapter 4
LANEY
Is it a sign I need to move because I slept so much better at Jessa’s than I have since moving in with Chandie?
It could also be how tired I was tired after everything that happened yesterday.
I walk out to the kitchen in a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt Jessa let me borrow. The kitchen is clean, and Jessa is standing in front of the stove making eggs. This is like night and day different from my current living situation.
“Hey! How was your night?” Jessa asks. She pulls out two plates and spoons some scrambled eggs onto each.
“It was great. Thank you again.”
“You’re not allergic to eggs or milk, right?” Jessa asks, looking up at me with a worried expression.
I shake my head and take a seat on a barstool next to the L-shaped cabinet. “No allergies here.”
“I have some scrambled eggs and toast. I buttered the bread, but I have some jam you can put on it too, if you prefer. Or, I think there’s an almost-bad avocado we can try.”
Laughing, I say, “I’m good with jam. Thank you, Jessa. You didn’t have to do all this.” The spread is already more than I eat on a typical weekday.
She shrugs and takes a seat on the stool next to me.
“It’s the least I can do. I’ve been trying to avoid the store for a few days, but I’m at the point where I need to go shopping again.
Otherwise, I would’ve thought about pancakes or something.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a roommate, and even if you don’t decide to stay here, just know you can crash here whenever you need to.
” She frowns as she looks at the meal she’s placed before me.
“Eggs and toast are just right for breakfast.” I take the fork from her and smile. “Can I ask why you’re so willing to give up your peace for me to move in here?”
Jessa takes two cups and walks over to fill them at the refrigerator water dispenser.
“Because no one should have to live in a nightmare situation because they think that’s the only option they have.
And I think we could be good friends. Eat, and then we’ll go by your apartment so you can change.
I can drive you to the office if you need. ”
I smile and nod. “That sounds perfect. Thank you.”
I take a few bites of the eggs and look over at her.
I slept better than I have in a couple of weeks, and this is closer to the city than my current apartment.
It’s hard to even think of any cons about this place, whereas living with Chandie feels like a constant air horn instead of a simple red flag.
Although I didn’t sign an actual contract, I told Chandie I’d stay there for at least six months. But maybe if I pay for another month, even when I’m moved out, she’d be able to find someone else to share with.
“Can I let you know what I decide in a few days?”
Jessa looks up at me and grins. “Absolutely. My biggest rule here is to keep dead things to food.” We both laugh, and I’m grateful we can joke about it several hours later.
I was surprised Burton saw how uneasy I was about any mention of death and weapons last night.
Not that I’d see him often, but observant is in my brain file of him now.
I glance at the ring on her left hand and say, “When is the wedding?”
Jessa wiggles her fingers for a few seconds before saying, “We were thinking next February. That gives us enough time to plan the wedding, and it’ll be in the offseason for Clark, so that helps. We’d take our honeymoon during the hockey All-Star break.”
I laugh. “The life of a sports power couple. Will he move in here?” I ask, swirling my finger around as if to motion to the house.
“We haven’t gotten that far yet. I’m renting this place, and Clark owns his house. But with all the roommates, he doesn’t want to kick them out. So we’ll have to figure something out.”
At least if I move in, I won’t have to move for about nine months. That beats seven days.
“Do you like his home?” I ask. “Clark’s, I mean.”
She smiles at me. “It’s a good place, and it’s very convenient.”
Nodding, I say, “Yeah, because it’s across the street.” I can imagine it’s nice to be within walking distance of her boyfriend, especially after some of the longer away trips.
We chat on the way to my apartment, and I start to like Jessa more and more. She’s a few years older than I am, but we click like we’ve known each other since childhood.
“Do you want me to go up there with you?” Jessa asks as we park in front of my building.
I scan the parking lot and see that Chandie’s car is gone. “I should be okay. Give me a minute to change, and I’ll be right out.”
I hurry to change out of the clothes I wore last night. Then I grab my makeup bag and pack a few things in a carry-on sized suitcase so Jessa doesn’t have to cart me back and forth all the time.
Even just a few days away from this apartment will be great. Hopefully that will be enough time to make a firm decision. Or get to know Jessa enough that I’m not jumping from the frying pan and into the fryer when it comes to roommates.
I walk out with my purse, my work bag, a water bottle, and a bag of extras, grateful Jessa has room in the trunk.
“You are amazing to go around the city on public transportation,” she says. “I’d be afraid of getting on the wrong train and not realizing it until it’s too late.”
“I’ve had my fair share of mishaps.” I point to the compact sedan in the corner of the parking lot.
“That’s my car. It made the trip from Seattle but died right after I was trying to pull out of the parking lot the first day I moved in, so like, eight days ago.
I just need to save up for the major fixes so I can drive it again. ”
Jessa glances at it and says, “We could have Burton look at it. He’s worked on this car a few times in the past year.” She pats the steering wheel as if it were a pet.
I’m not sure I’m close enough to Burton to ask him favors like that, but I’m grateful he and Clark were there last night at my apartment.
I nod, and we drive to work. “Anything exciting happening at work today?” I ask.
Jessa sighs. “I have to do some more content compilations for the hockey team. And the baseball team has its media day this week to prepare for the beginning of the season.”
“I thought they usually get all that done earlier? They’re in the regular season now, right?” That’s what I’d been told when they asked if I could work with them in the summer when I’m done with hockey.
“Seeing as it was another whirlwind bringing a team here, SMG is still scrambling to finish everything we usually do beforehand. At least the field should be done by the time they get back from this road trip.”
I’d forgotten about how the hockey team had come here just a year before, after relocating from another state.
And in the past few months, the MLB designated Salt Lake as a place for an expansion baseball team.
I think the owners of our teams like the challenge of getting things done in a tight timeframe.
“What about you? Anything exciting?”
I glance at the calendar on my phone. “Just a morning skate and then a bunch of media meetings until we prep for the hockey game tonight.”
“I’ll be at the pre-game press conference. Save me a seat if I’m late.”
We park and get out, waving as we head in opposite directions once at the training facility. I’ve got my laptop and a bunch of items I need to email and go through before the game tonight.
After the morning feature I’m assigned to do with our top goalie, I walk out to the TRAX, taking it up to the arena. We usually arrive several hours early so we can cover interviews and work on whatever is needed before warm-ups. This is where I’ll have to be for the media press conference.
My phone rings, and I grin when I see my grandmother’s picture on the screen.
“Hey, Grammie,” I say, smiling at the top half of her face, since all I can see are her eyes.
“Laney, girl. How are you? I didn’t hear from you last night and wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
My chest swells. I’ll be forever grateful to her and my grandpa for taking me in after my mother passed and being there when I needed them most, even on the everyday things.
“Yep, I’m still alive. I got invited out by a few people from work. It was late when we got back, and I went right to sleep.”
“You work too hard, Laney. When do we get to see you out here again?”
I shake my head. “My work is easy compared to yours. How are the goats?” I avoid the question of when I’ll be out to the farm again because I’m not sure. When I mention visiting, they take it as a solid promise that I’ll be there and at an exact time.
“They’re doing well. Pearl misses you.”
My little fainting goat. She’s one of the spunkiest animals I’ve ever had. I got to spend a lot of time with her over the winter break after we adopted her, and then again when I first moved back here two weeks ago.
“I miss her. And you and Grandpa. What do you want for your upcoming birthday?”
“Just a cake I don’t have to make and my grandbaby to visit.”
I mentally go through my calendar and nod. “We don’t have an away trip that day, so I’ll come by, and we can do whatever you want.”
“That sounds lovely. You know your grandpa will love that too. Are you settling in? Making some friends?”
Last night’s events run through my mind, and I smile. “I think so. I mean, it’s mostly people from work, but that’s not all bad.”
“It’s good to see you getting used to being back.” She hesitates, and I have an idea of what she’s going to say before she says it. “Have you talked to Tim since you’ve been home?”
Bile rises in my throat. “No, I haven’t actively contacted him, though I can’t say the same about him.”
Not that I would ever think about doing that again. He’d charmed me for the six months before I got the job in Seattle, telling me I was his everything and the only woman in his life. Sadly, I was just one of a few dozen.
He could never get over my love of animals. I don’t know if it’s because I was practically raised on a farm or if I’ve just always loved them, but his vision for the future included nothing with four legs. I’d rather become a garden gnome than live without an animal to come home to.
“Did you see the new post about Princess?” Grandma asks.
My phone pings with a notification from the animal app we love called Furever Homes. I found it a year ago, and it’s Grandma Marianne’s favorite thing to check.
We’ve been following a thread about a pig named Princess for weeks now, and honestly, if the whole saga were turned into a book, I’d read it without hesitation.
She was apparently a house pet for a wealthy older woman who passed away, and the adoption company has been trying to find a home for her ever since.
Their method of reaching people was to dress up the pig and give hilarious captions.
“I haven’t. What did she do this time?”
“Furever Homes dressed her up in a little dress and a small tiara and took pictures. They’re ridiculous and adorable all at the same time.”
“I’m excited to see it. Well, I have to head into a meeting, Grandma. I love you, and I’ll see you soon,” I say, waving goodbye.
She waves back before the line goes dead.
I need to add birthday present for Grammie to my to-do list. But what do you buy someone who’s content with exactly what they have?
Maybe a photoshoot of the animals around the farm? I don’t know if that’s the best idea, but she would love it. I’ll have to brainstorm more ideas so I can get it put together for her.
There’s a guy on the train a few feet from me who looks like Burton from the back, but when he turns, he looks nothing like the lacrosse player I met yesterday. I don’t typically look for people’s doppelg?ngers, but I guess Burton left an impression.
My meeting starts in fifteen minutes, and I still have a lot of information to put together. I sit at a table, open my laptop, and get to work.