Chapter 3
Dominic
Nearly a week later
"I know you're needed in Chicago, but when are you coming home?" Dominic's assistant asked from over the phone. Blake was her name. She was his little sister's friend from Chicago. She had wanted to move to Milwaukee to be near a guy, so his sister, Lila, asked if Blake could have a job at his gym. Dominic brought her on as a personal assistant even though he felt confident managing his own affairs. She was part-time, but she was good, and Dominic was about to offer her a full-time position since there were so many other things to be done at the gym.
"I'll probably come back sometime in the next few days. Why, is everything all right?"
"Yeah, it's just that people like it when you're around. The Brewers are finished in the playoffs, and several of the guys have been coming around more. Britt was telling me that Jacob and Smitty were asking about you today. People like it when you're there. They look for you. They want your approval."
"Thank you, I take that as a compliment, and yes, I'll be home soon. What about Ty? Is he doing all right?"
"Yeah, everybody loves him. Britt's helping him get settled. I canceled that lunch you were supposed to have with Abe tomorrow."
"Thank you. Sorry about that. I'll be back before long. I'm helping EJ with some things at the gym here. He's got that new guy, Stef, from California, and he's training a couple of others."
"I know, and I know you're busy. No pressure, we just miss you. How's Chicago other than helping your brother? How was your dad's thing, and the baseball games?"
"I only went to one game, but it was good. Cubs won two out of three. I’m sure you heard talk about it at the gym"
"Yeah."
"Dad had that thing with the Bears, too."
"That wasn't at a football game, though, was it?" "No. The Bears played out of town this week. Dad got that award at a dinner party. They'll talk about it at a game—probably next week. They play at home next week. I'm sure he'll go stand on the field and they'll play a video about it at the game."
"That's exciting. Are you staying in Chicago until then?"
"No, Blakie, I'm coming back tomorrow or the next day, probably."
"I'll get you some meal prep ordered for when you get back. Just text me when you figure out a time."
"Thank you," he said.
Dominic and his brother owned two upscale gyms that catered to pro and college-level athletes. Their father, Eddie Decker, was the most famous Chicago Bear of all time, and the boys, (twins Edward Junior "EJ" and Dominic) were athletes as well. They were local sports heroes in Chicago, playing football at their high school and then both going on to play football at Northwestern. They were Eddie Decker's twins, and they grew up to be strapping young men and popular in Chicago sports. They were affectionately known as the Double-Deckers.
EJ was a two-sport athlete who played baseball at Northwestern as well. He got drafted to play pro baseball during their junior year, and he went off to pursue that dream. He played two years in the minors and then a year in the big leagues with the Cubs before a knee injury took him out at the beginning of his second season.
Dominic was already working on the Chicago gym location by then. EJ worked with Dominic while he was rehabbing his knee, and by the time he was finished, his mind was set on running the gym with his brother instead of returning to baseball.
Elite Training Center—The ETC.
The boys had a passion for sports and training, and they knew how to put the whole package together for a complete customer experience. Their gyms were gigantic family fitness facilities. They catered to elite athletes and their families, and they gave them a unique experience with pools, saunas, basketball, tennis, and a variety of other sports along with healthy dining.
The Milwaukee location was newer, and Dominic had moved there to open it and be the man in charge. That location was even larger than the one in Chicago. The brothers had purchased a full-size indoor football field and track. It had originally been built for a semi-pro team. It had to have upgrades, but it was a great piece of property, and they had gotten a great deal on it. They renovated the small stadium and built the ETC campus around it. Their efforts were paying off already.
Dominic and EJ had nearly sixty people on staff at the two locations. They had premier fitness centers in both Chicago and Milwaukee, and their brand was thriving. Dominic lived in Milwaukee full-time and his brother lived in Chicago, but they both had apartments in the opposite city and they visited each other regularly. The guests loved having the guys around. Dominic loved Milwaukee and he didn't normally stay in Chicago this many days in a row, but there had been a lot going on at the Chicago gym.
He hung up with Blake and stared absentmindedly out of the window of his apartment. He was on the third floor, and he could easily see the bus stop on the corner across the street. Dominic's window had a clear view of the street and bus stop, and he noticed the girl with the scarf the instant he saw her get off a bus.
He had been thinking about her, and it felt like some kind of sign.
What was she doing at his bus stop?
Dominic stared at her as the bus drove away. She was carrying a leather backpack and wearing that same wool coat and colorful scarf as the night he met her. She started walking in the opposite direction of his apartment, and he panicked and raised his window. He whistled, but there was noise from the street, and she didn't hear him or pay any attention to the sound.
Dominic took off. He left his apartment on foot and high-tailed it downstairs. He took the stairs. He ran into a few people in the downstairs corridor and had to slow down and act like a normal person. He was wearing a t-shirt with socks and slides and it was October in Chicago and quite cool out. He got a few looks, but he ignored them as he walked past everyone and onto the sidewalk.
He realized by the time he stopped and looked around that she was gone, out of sight. It was impossible to know what direction she had gone. She could have rounded the corner and gone down a different street, or she could've walked into any of three or four surrounding buildings by now. He stood there and looked around, but he couldn't see her and didn't know which way to go to look for her.
Dominic had chalked up meeting the girl to chance. He had been disappointed about not having a way to reach her, but he was also able to put her out of his mind. But seeing her a second time was so unlikely that he thought it meant something.
He went back into his apartment and was instantly trying to think of ways to reach her. If she had used this bus stop once, she would probably use it again. Wouldn't she? But he couldn't stand there and watch for her.
Dominic went to dinner with a few friends that night, and he was still thinking about the girl. Marley with the scarf crossed his mind so much that evening that he decided to take matters into his own hands and find her. He remembered the restaurant where he met her, and he went by there on his way home from dinner.
It was 9pm, and it was busy in there, but he easily found the guy he knew to be Tom.
"Can I help you? Oh, Mr. Decker. Hello again. It's nice to see you."
"Hey, I'm glad you remember me from when I was here the other day. I had something to ask you about… it's about a… there was a woman. She was sitting at my table when you came up, and she was interviewing for a job."
"Oh, Marley!"
"Yes! Marley! Great! Can you tell me how to get in touch with her?"
"No, actually."
"Oh, is it company policy or something?"
"No. That's funny. Tucker McDaniel asked me the same thing. He was asking about her, too. I wanted to talk to her, myself. I wish I could. She'd make a great server. She said a few different things about not taking the job, that she didn't want to take the bus home so late, and that she just didn't think she was cut out for the restaurant business. We were talking for a minute or two, and she hugged me and fluttered off like a bird."
"She never called?"
"No, she didn't, and I have no idea how to get in touch with her. She worked at Abercrombie, but I went there a couple of days ago to follow up with her, and they said she wasn't there anymore, that she quit. I don't even know her last name. I gave her my phone number, but I never had hers."
Dominic could tell that the guy was telling the truth.
"They didn't tell you where she went to work?"
"No. And I feel bad asking so many questions since something had obviously happened for her to not work there. I don't know if she quit or what."
"Okay, thanks, it's no big deal," Dominic said even though it felt like a huge deal to him. No lead to Marley was a gigantic letdown.
"Hey, if you find her, tell her I'd be willing to work with her on her hours. I know she was thinking about riding the bus after a shift, but I work weekends anyway, so I could give her a ride home. I didn't even think about telling her that when she was here. Can you tell her if you see her?"
"Yeah, sure. How did you do a job interview with her and not get her last name?" Dominic was being lighthearted and he made a face that made Tom laugh.
"I don't know!" Tom said. "We didn't get that far. And they didn't mention her last name at Abercrombie. I asked if they knew where she was working now, and they said they didn't. I felt like a creep as it was." Tom reached out to shake Dominic's hand. "I wish I could help you more, bro. Will you be joining us tonight? Can I get you a menu?"
"No, I'm… I just stopped by to see about Marley."
"Oh, yeah, sorry I couldn't help. I only had contact with her through Abercrombie. I gave her my number, but I don't have hers."
"No worries," Dominic said.