Chapter 2
EJ
A few days later
EJ's twin brother, Dominic, lived in Milwaukee and ran their gym location there.
The cities were close to each other, and both boys went back and forth to each gym location at least a couple of times a month.
Dom managed Milwaukee and was there most of the time, while EJ managed the Chicago location.
Their dad was invested, and he stopped by the gyms as much as he could.
The boys were popular at both locations, but gym members especially loved it when they had an encounter with NFL legend Eddie Decker.
EJ (Eddie Junior, the first-born twin) had played college football and baseball and went on to play a few years of pro baseball.
He had his fair share of stardom, but his level of fame was nowhere near that of his father's.
Eddie Decker was the most beloved Chicago Bear of all time.
He would probably go down in history as that.
The boys knew their dad's stardom had given them a leg up when they opened their gyms, but it wasn't the reason why they thrived. The ETC brand was stellar. It was an amazing concept, and the twins had worked tirelessly to make it a success.
People loved seeing EJ and Dom together and getting photo-ops with them.
They were affectionately known as the Double Deckers, a phrase that had gained popularity when they were playing college football on the same team.
EJ lived and worked in Chicago, and he often got recognized in public, but that intensified when he and his brother were together.
It was a common occurrence for someone to yell the phrase 'Double Deckers' to get their attention when they were together.
On campus at the gyms, things were different. They got approached and had conversations with people, but it was a relaxed environment, and the clientele at the gym was full of elite athletes. People were used to encountering them there. Membership was not cheap, and all of the patrons were relaxed.
That summer, both gyms would host a mini-triathlon for kids. They would be held during back-to-back weekends so that both twins could go to both races. It was something they had done before, and it worked out best that way. They had already set the dates for alternating weekends in June.
EJ worked all the time.
He was on his way home from the gym now, and he had been on the phone with Dom for his entire ride home, discussing more plans for the race.
"What was that?" Dom said.
"My phone was switching over from Bluetooth," EJ said.
"Oh, you must be home. Okay, well, I'll let you go," Dom said.
"Hey, I was going to tell you about this thing I'm trying to figure out. I talked to this lady today on my lunch…" EJ trailed off awkwardly.
It wasn't the best way to bring it up, but EJ didn't know how he felt or where to start. The boys had been extremely close their whole life, and it was odd for EJ to have something from their childhood that Dominic knew nothing about.
"What lady?" Dominic said, assuming EJ was still talking about work.
"It's not about the gym," EJ said. "I was talking to Caleb the other day and trying to get his advice about women.
It was something about Kayla. Anyway, he brought up someone from my past who…
and I realize you don't know anything about this, which is weird.
It happened that one summer when I got all depressed about breaking my foot. "
"What are you talking about?"
EJ held the phone to his ear by using his shoulder while he unlocked the door and walked into his house. "I'm starting at the beginning. Hang on. (a sigh) Okay. The year I broke my foot… I had gone to Gram and Pa's that summer to work with him in his woodshop."
"I remember that summer," Dominic said.
"Well, they thought I was with neighborhood friends the whole time, but I met a girl.
Savannah. We spent weeks together. Every day, I'd go over to her house.
Her parents weren't home. It was her stepdad's house, which made it even more amazing that the neighbor remembered her last name.
That all happened today. I have to keep my story in order. "
"What happened today?"
EJ had taken his shoes off and put his things away, and he washed his hands so that he could heat his dinner.
He opened the fridge as he continued. "First, let me say that I met with Caleb the other day, and that's when this all started.
I was frustrated about something from the breakup with Kayla, and I was talking to him about not being able to trust women.
That's when he brought up someone from my past—wondering if I knew anyone when I was young, someone who I could maybe trust to love me for who I am. "
"And now you're thinking you should track down this girl from Gram's house that summer?"
"Kind of. Yes. I've been working on it for a few days. I think I found her, actually. I went back to that neighborhood today at lunch."
"Gram and Pa's old house?"
"Yeah."
"That's in Pontiac."
"I know, but it's not that far. It seemed further when we were kids."
"You're kidding," Dominic said. But he knew EJ well enough to know he was serious. "Is that what you were talking about when you first brought up a lady? Is it someone in Pontiac?"
"Yes. I went to that house and bumped into a neighbor who remembered Savannah's mom.
She remembered Savannah's name. Rodgers was her last name.
She said she's been living there for a long time, and she remembered the family I was talking about.
I guess Savannah's mom lived there for a couple of years with the guy who owned the house.
She said the kids' last name was Rodgers, and that seemed right even though I couldn't remember.
This Savannah girl was the only person who liked me, even when she didn't know who Dad was.
I went that whole summer and never told her. "
"So, that's what this is about? Your plan is to just look for this woman now and call her up, see if she wants to go out with you?"
"Yes. I found a girl by that name, Savannah Rodgers. She only has a few photos on her social media, and most of them are at a salon."
"She works at a salon?"
"Uh-huh, it seems like she does hair, which makes sense because she cut mine one time."
"I remember that."
"I know. I told Gram I did it. We got into so much trouble that summer, Dom. Not bad trouble… well, sort of. We made out like eighty times, and we burned a few things. We took her stepdad's cigarettes. That was the first time I ever smoked."
"Are you sure you even want to get in touch with this girl?" Dom asked reasonably.
"Yes, and it's not like that. We didn't get into bad trouble."
"Just smoking cigarettes and making out at twelve years old. Burning things, EJ?"
"I was about to turn thirteen, and when you say it like that, it sounds worse than it was.
She was a nice person. Probably still is.
I'm going to see her to get a haircut. I'll go to her salon.
It works out great that I could see her in that capacity.
She got me in tomorrow, so I arranged everything and took the day off. "
Dominic laughed because he thought his brother was joking. The boys didn't take days off for one, and secondly, it took one hour to get a haircut. Most of the time, the boys had someone meet them at the gym to do it.
"I'm being serious. I won't be at work at all tomorrow.
She does have a few pictures of her face online, and I know it's her.
I just have to see her one more time. I think a haircut is a great way to do it, actually.
She probably won't even remember me. And there's always a chance it's not even the right girl. I've got to scope it out."
EJ pushed buttons on the microwave to heat up his food.
"Okay, but why do you need a whole day off to go get a haircut?" Dominic asked.
"Because it's in Pittsburgh. I thought I said that."
"P-Pittsburgh? Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?"
"Yes."
Dominic scoffed. "For real?"
"Yes."
"What are you thinking? Even if she's the right girl, that would never work."
"I'm not thinking, Dom. Not overthinking, at least. It was a good suggestion by Caleb. I like Caleb, and I respect his opinion."
"What? This has nothing to do with liking Caleb or respecting his opinion. What if you go all that way and it's not even the right girl? Can you call her and make sure of that first?"
"No, I can't call her. I don't want to. I'm just going to get a haircut, that's all."
"And what happens if you like this girl? What if you want to go out with her again? It's a little bit of an issue that she lives in a different state."
EJ let out a sigh as he sat down at the bar with his dinner.
"Look, Dom. Right now, I feel like I should follow any good leads for a woman I can get.
You and Lila are both married, and, look, I am so happy for you guys.
But I want to find someone I like and want to spend time with.
I want to chill with someone when I come home from work.
I'm sitting here about to eat some meal prep that a lady brought to my house when I wasn't even home.
It's delicious, but I want the lady eating next to me. I want noise in here."
"You could have noise any day of the week. You know about eight different people who would happily come over right now. E, they'd move in and be great roommates."
"I want a woman, Dom, and a dog, and eventually some kids running around."
Dominic sighed. "You could have a woman, but you're too paranoid. Kayla was a saint. She wasn't out to get you and your money."
"You say it like money is what I care about, but I don't, it's personality. That just didn't click. Something didn't click with us. And she was a nice girl, but I wouldn't call her a saint." EJ didn't mention the lingerie.
"Still, you need to figure out what it is you're looking for in a woman," Dominic said.
"I feel like I'll know it when I see it. You never know. It might be this girl in Pittsburgh. I used to really like her, but I just never could tell anyone about it because I lied to Gram and Pa about where I was. I knew they wouldn't let us be over there alone."
"You told me about it afterward. You couldn't shut up about this girl you kissed over and over."
"When did I tell you about it?"
"For like two months after you came back that fall. I thought you were lying because you wouldn't give details about her."
"Because I knew I'd get in trouble. I don't even remember telling you anything," EJ said.
"Oh, you did. Only a hundred times. But that was the fall when you started playing quarterback. You forgot all about her after that. You had more women than you could shake a stick at by October."
Middle school. It seemed like a lifetime ago. EJ was lost in thought and didn't respond to Dominic right away. The phone was now on speaker and resting on his counter.
"So, you're going to her even though you're not sure?" Dominic asked. "Did you book an appointment for a haircut?"
"Yes, I did. Originally, I had it booked for next week, but I told them to call me if something else came up, and they did."
"Are you flying there?"
"I'm driving. It's seven hours. I've been meaning to read the book Hank wrote. I told him I would. I'll get the audiobook and do that while I'm driving."
Dominic knew what EJ was referring to. Hank was a patron at their Chicago gym and also an ex-Chicago Bull basketball player. The book in question was a sports biography.
"Are you going there and back in one day?" Dom asked.
"Yes, the haircut's at noon and it's an hour later there, so I have to leave bright and early."
"You're unbelievable. I can't believe you're doing that."
"You can't?" EJ asked sarcastically, making Dominic laugh.
"Okay, maybe I'm not that surprised."
"She's sweet. And she's cute, Dom. From what I can see in the pictures, she's really cute. And it looks like it's still her maiden name."
"How sure are you that she's the same girl you knew?"
"Only about sixty percent, especially seeing how she lives in a different city. But it's a few hours of my life. It's worth it."
"A whole day," Dominic corrected.
"Either way, it's worth it. What if something happens? What if she's the woman of my dreams?"
"Are you going to tell her who you are? Are you being honest? What name did you make the appointment under?"
"Edward Paul."
It was EJ's real first and middle name, so it was a not-so-fake pseudonym he used a lot.
Dominic breathed a sigh. "Okay, well, I'm curious to see how it goes, so call me on your way home tomorrow and let me know."
"I will."