35. Noah
35
NOAH
M atthew Garrison was grinning at me in the fading light of the training facility parking lot, looking like a different man from the last time I’d seen him.
I was back in Pittsburgh for a status update with him and his coaches, and we’d just found out they were planning to start him at the next home game. We’d taken a major risk by benching him, but now it was about to pay off. Matthew seemed stronger and hardier than ever, nothing close to the shell he’d been during our last visit.
“I appreciate you, Noah,” Matthew said. “I’m glad that you’re on my team. Thank you for helping me get here.”
“I’m proud of you,” I answered as I clasped his shoulder. “You worked hard as hell to prove yourself. I always knew you had it in you.”
His smiled widened. “We both know who my inspiration is. No one fights harder than Mrs. June Garrison.”
“That’s the truth,” I laughed. I checked the time on my phone. “You busy for dinner?”
“Uh, actually, I was hoping that maybe I could interest you in a quick stop, before dinner. Someone is requesting a visit.”
“Your mom?”
He nodded. “Yeah, she’s been doing so great in rehab! I told her you’re here, and she said she wants you to drop by so she can show off.”
“Seriously? I’d be honored. But are you sure?”
Matthew laughed. “She said she’d be pissed if she didn’t get the chance to show you how far she’s come. Like mother, like son.”
“Got it. I’m in.”
Twenty minutes later, we were in the hospital rehab center’s exercise area with two physical therapists and June acting like she was about to walk the runway at the Miss America pageant. I hadn’t seen her since the night we had dinner together and Maddy had saved the day. My stomach twisted at the thought of how much she’d done for me, and that she wasn’t beside me for this important visit.
June looked older seated in the wheelchair, but the grit that had pushed her and gotten her son so far in life was still evident. Her eyes shone with determination, and I could tell she liked the idea of having an audience. Like mother, like son.
“You ready, Mrs. Garrison?” the male PT asked.
She was seated at the end of two handrails with the PTs on either side of her. “You know it. I need to show my son’s fancy agent that Matthew isn’t the only one with a fighter’s spirit.”
“Yeah, Mom, let’s go,” Matthew clapped and cheered for her like she was a teammate. “You got this!”
Matthew had told me on the way over that surgery, some cognitive issues resulting from the stroke, and the need to stay off of her broken legs as they healed had weakened her physically to the point where she almost had to learn to walk again. He’d said she’d anticipated it being painful and had been reluctant to try until he’d used some of the same techniques his coaches used on him to help motivate her.
“We’re here if you need us,” the other PT said.
June shot him a withering look. “You know the drill; wheel me over and eat my dust!”
Everyone laughed and June hoisted herself up on the handrails. She took tentative steps while Matthew cheered her on, hunched over and clapping right by her side.
“Absolutely incredible!” I cheered as she took tentative steps. “Looking good, June.”
June wiggled her shoulders. “Thanks for noticing, you’re looking pretty good yourself!” She finished the walk and lowered herself back into the wheelchair at the other end.
“I’m starving,” June admitted as she wiped her brow. “And I’m sick to death of the food in this place.” She glanced back at her therapists. “No offense.”
“Hold on, I have an idea,” I said. “Matthew and I were going to go out for dinner, but what if we have something sent in?”
“That’s nice of you, but there’s only a Panera nearby, and I’m tired of that, too,” June said.
“Oh no, I’m not thinking Panera,” I said as I pulled out my phone. “Hold on.”
I made a few calls and tracked down a conference room that wasn’t in use. Within forty-five minutes, I had transformed the space into a first-class dining experience, complete with a tablecloth and fine china.
“What… how did you do this? It smells delicious!” June exclaimed as Matthew wheeled her in.
“Noah Parker can make anything happen. He can make dreams come true.” Matthew shot me an appreciative look.
“He made Morton’s come to First Presbyterian, that’s definitely a dream come true! Noah, this is exactly what I need, thank you so much,” June said. “For everything .”
She gave me a pointed look, and I returned it with a knowing nod.
“A little different from our first dinner,” Matthew said as he filled his plate to overflowing. “We were a foursome, and things were tense as hell at first. Maddy was like a little peacemaker.”
I’d been trying not to think about how much Maddy would’ve loved cheering June on. It was exactly the sort of situation where she excelled, bridging the professional and personal worlds of my clients. I’d been so tempted to snap a photo of June looking triumphant to send to Maddy, to let her know things were looking up, but we hadn’t talked since our breakup, and I wasn’t about to reach out now. Each day that passed without her seemed to seal our fate.
June stared at me. “Yeah, where is Maddy? I thought you two were joined at the hip. I haven’t talked with her in ages.”
I shifted, unsure of how to be honest about something so personal with them. I always strove to keep the focus off me and on my clients. But my relationship with the Garrisons felt different. And based on the way June was scrutinizing me, it wasn’t likely she was going to let me off the hook.
“We’re no longer together. And she’s moved on from PSM.”
June wasted no time weighing in. “Are you kidding me? How did that happen? Did you screw up, Noah?”
The accident sure hadn’t stolen the June-ness from her. She was still the blunt, take-no-shit, yelling-from-the-sidelines mom who wasn’t about to let me skip past the breakup with Maddy.
“I think I might’ve,” I admitted with a heavy heart. “But that’s life, right?”
I knew June wasn’t about to fall for my juke. I braced myself for her scolding.
“Bullshit,” she shouted, narrowing her eyes at me. “If you screwed up then you can make it right. You and Maddy were perfect together. You need her, Noah, and I’m not just talking about business.” She paused. “But yeah, you need her for that too, because if it weren’t for Maddy we wouldn’t be sitting here eating steak and brussel sprouts.”
I didn’t need to be reminded about the many ways Maddy had made my life better, and the void in it since she left.
“Well?” June demanded.
Matthew chuckled as he shoved mashed potatoes into his mouth.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Call her,” June said as she jabbed toward my phone. “Right now.”
“Mom…” Matthew scolded, looking like an embarrassed high schooler. “Don’t make him do that.”
“No, don’t you see? This is the perfect time! He can use me as an excuse to call. A status update. Say that I demanded to talk to her. The customer is always right, you know.”
I wasn’t the kind of person to get nervous, but my gut hollowed out at the thought of reaching out to Maddy. The more I thought about it the more obvious it became that June was right, it was the perfect excuse to call her. Maddy would love to hear about her progress.
“If you don’t I will,” June warned, swirling her fork at me like it was a magic wand. “I have her number from that time she called me.”
“ Mom ,” Matthew said.
“It’s fine,” I sighed. “You win, June.”
“She always does,” Matthew laughed.
They both watched me as I picked up my phone and dialed. There was no way they could sense the war going on inside of me. I’d honed my poker face to perfection for situations like this one. But the truth was, I was a mess. The phone rang and rang, and I was about to hit the disconnect button when she answered.
“Noah?”
Just hearing her say my name was enough to send a knife through my heart. Did she sound hopeful ? No, couldn’t be. I was imagining things.
“Maddy, yeah, it’s me. Listen, I’m in Pittsburgh with the Garrisons and they wanted to give you June’s progress update. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
June leaned closer to me. “Put her on speaker,” she demanded.
Maddy giggled. “I can hear her in the background, guess she’s doing better.”
I pushed the button and placed the phone on the table. “Can you hear us?”
“I can. Hi, June and Matthew! Fill me in, what’s been going on with you?”
“Girl, I’m gonna run in the New York Marathon,” June deadpanned.
“June, it’s so good to hear your voice,” Maddy gushed. “Is rehab going okay?”
Matthew jumped in to give Maddy more background about how things had been going, and I sat back to let the three of them catch up. The rapport between them was obvious, which made me miss her even more. Maddy had a knack for connecting with anyone and everyone, no matter the circumstances. It was one of her many gifts.
Damn it, I missed the hell out of her.
“I wish I was there with you,” Maddy said as they wrapped up. “It sounds like everything is going really well.”
“We wish you were here, too,” June said as she held my gaze. “Maybe we’ll get to see you soon. You never know, right?”
I held my breath as the silence stretched on before Maddy answered. “That would be nice. In the meantime, I’ll be watching the next game, cheering Matthew on while he kicks ass and takes names.”
He flexed his arm. “You know it. Watch out, Cowboys!”
Maddy laughed. “Okay, well I’ll let you go. Thanks for the update. Keep going, June!”
“Onward,” June cheered in response.
I reached for my phone to take it off speaker so I could say goodbye to Maddy, but I heard her hang up before I had a chance. Fine. It was fine. What else did I expect?
“Noah Parker, you’re an idiot,” June said as she focused on her plate again.
“ Excuse me?” I laughed.
“You let her get away.”
I had to agree with her there. But I was still twitchy about being open about my personal life with clients. This conversation was new ground for us.
“And if we’re being honest, you look like shit, Noah,” Matthew said as he sawed through his steak. “Sorry, but you said as much to me the last time we were together. Now it’s your turn to get a reality check.”
I had thought no one would notice the hollows under my eyes, but the Garrisons were apparently more perceptive than I’d expected.
“Figure out what went wrong and make it right, Noah,” June said. “Win her back. You have to.”
I kept hearing June’s voice echoing in my head on the drive back to the hotel. Make it right . It sounded so simple. My entire job was “making it right” for my clients, but it wasn’t quite so easy for me in my personal life. I wasn’t even sure if it was possible with Maddy at this point.
I fell into a state of highway hypnosis as I drove, letting my thoughts drift, until I had a revelation so major it nearly caused me to slam on the brakes.
I’d been so busy “making it right” for my clients that I’d completely forgotten about Maddy. If I wanted her to take me back, I needed to prove to her that she was my priority, not PSM. Our last conversation in my condo now made sense.
I beat myself up as I thought about the many ways I’d failed to show her how much I cared for her, and all the chances I’d missed to prove my feelings. It was no wonder she’d walked away! I was an idiot. A fool for letting her think she took second place.
No longer.
It was time to get my Maddy back.