Chapter 53
~Daley~
It’s kind of amazing how fast the life I spent almost two decades building can be dismantled.
I waste no time getting started when Jane arrives on Monday morning for our coffee and catch-up.
“Deacon asked me to move in with him,” I blurt out, not even giving her a chance to sit down first. “I want to go. Tell me I’m crazy.”
No matter how much I tried last night, lying in bed and turning the issue over and over in my mind, I couldn’t come up with a good reason not to agree. There were logical reasons, sure. Cautious ones. But good ones? Not a single one.
If I think Jane is going to talk me out of it, though, she quickly proves me wrong.
Her face lights up, a huge grin spreading across her face and her eyes welling with excited tears.
“You’d be crazy not to go. You love that man, Daley Adams, and if there was ever a time in your entire freaking life to follow your heart, this is it. ”
Her grin is contagious, and I beam back at her even as I fight against the learned urge to temper my enthusiasm. For too long, I told myself I didn’t deserve this kind of happiness. Fuck that. I’m thrilled about the idea of living with Deacon, and I don’t want to pretend otherwise.
“What about your job, though?” I ask her, aware that this decision won’t only affect me. “Our business? The kids? I’d be abandoning everyone.”
“Says who?” she shoots back. “What year are we in? Video calls exist. Move your tutoring online if you want to keep doing it. If you don’t, the kids will survive, and I will too.
Honestly, with my kids getting older, I’ve been skipping out on you earlier and earlier each day to take them to hockey and baseball and dance and whatever else they decide to sign up for.
I can still run the admin and finances for you remotely and be your feet on the ground here in town if you want me to, but don’t you dare make any decision based on what you think is best for me. ”
“You don’t need the paycheck?” I ask tentatively. Jane handles my finances, but we never really discuss hers.
“I’ve never needed the paycheck,” she informs me, laughing when my mouth drops open.
“I needed something to do that wasn’t about my kids.
I needed time out of the house and a sense of independence, and you gave me that.
I’ve loved working with you, but more than anything, I just want to see you happy. ”
My throat tightens, and before I know it, we’re hugging, our shoulders shaking with a mix of laughter and tears. I couldn’t have made it through all these years alone without Jane by my side, and no matter what happens, our friendship isn’t going anywhere.
“Besides,” she sniffles when we finally pull apart, “now you’ll be able to hook me up with Wolves tickets whenever I want. From both River and Deke. That’s worth more than a paycheck any day.”
I’m still mulling over the idea of taking my tutoring remote later in the day when I finally finish going through all the messages on my home phone. Tucked in near the end is one that sticks out from all the others.
“Ms Adams, my name is Anthea and I work for Channel 11 in Sioux Falls.”
Grimacing, I’m about to hit ‘skip’ when her next words take me off guard.
“We’ve been looking for someone to do a science section on our weekend morning show.
I understand you have experience working with kids as well as impressive academic credentials, and with the current interest you’re generating thanks to your connection with the Wolves, it’d be good publicity for the show too.
Give me a call if you’re interested in having a conversation about it. ”
She rattles off her number and I jot the digits down, equal parts intrigued and wary. My eyes flit to the clock, mentally figuring out what time it is where Deacon is and if he would have left for the rink yet for tonight’s game. It’ll be close, so I send a text, not expecting an immediate answer.
Do you know anything about a woman named Anthea from Channel 11?
His reply comes back almost instantly.
Yes. Why? Is she bothering you?
Not exactly.
I’m debating over what to type next when the phone in my hand rings, Deacon’s name lighting up the screen.
“What’s going on, Mama?”
I fill him in on the message she left, and he sounds almost as conflicted as I feel.
“You’d be amazing at that if you want to do it, but I’m a bit confused. She hates Megan, and I thought she hated me and anyone associated with me by extension. I’m worried she has ulterior motives.”
“Do you have any issue with me giving her a call and feeling it out?”
“Not at all,” he assures me. “It’s up to you.
And if this is something you want to do, you should go for it.
You’ve seen a lot of the annoying side of fame already, but there are some perks.
Doors get opened for you that wouldn’t otherwise.
Take advantage of it when it happens, to help compensate for the downsides. ”
All of that makes sense to me. “You’re wise beyond your years,” I tease him.
“I can’t fucking wait to kiss that sarcasm out of your mouth,” he shoots back, his heated tone sending a shiver down my spine. “I’ve got to run. The bus is here.”
My grip tightens on the phone, wishing I could reach out to touch him instead. “Good luck tonight.”
“Thanks, Mama.”
Figuring there’s no time like the present to explore my options, I call Anthea right away.
Friendly and engaging, she explains that they’re planning to do a family-friendly science segment on a weekly basis, alternating between experiments families can do at home, talking about scientific breakthroughs in the news, and interviewing people working on scientific projects.
Honestly, it sounds incredible, a way to share my enthusiasm for my chosen field with a much wider audience than my one-on-one tutoring sessions.
As one of the senior entertainment reporters, she’s involved with the show at the production level, and she promises I’ll have plenty of input into the topics being covered.
It all sounds a little too good to be true, quite frankly, so I prod a bit to try to find a flaw. “There must be more qualified people than me to do this, people with experience working in TV.”
“Perhaps, but you’re photogenic, approachable, and like I said, people are always going to be curious about who our Wolves captain is dating. We get something out of the connection too, obviously.”
I push a little further. “Deacon mentioned that you know his ex-wife?”
For the first time, she hesitates. “Megan and I used to work together, yes.”
“And you didn’t get along?”
“That’d be putting it mildly. You’ve already had a taste of how manipulative she can be.”
I assume she means the selfie Megan took of the two of us at the game, but I’m more interested in her own experience. “How did she manipulate you?”
Anthea blows out a breath. “Not many people know this, and I’d appreciate it not getting around.”
“I’m the last person to spread gossip, I promise.”
She has no reason to believe me, considering she doesn’t know me at all, but she decides to trust me anyway.
“I had just gotten engaged and brought my new fiancé to a work party. Megan decided he suited her better than me, so she went after him until she got him. Then, after she met Deke, she dumped him for an upgrade.”
“Shit,” I mutter, and she huffs out a humourless laugh.
“Yeah. So, when I heard she’d cheated on Deke too?
Didn’t surprise in the least, and I enjoyed covering all the sordid details of her downfall.
It was a shame Deke got caught in the crossfire since he seems like a decent enough guy.
Best of all, I know that hiring you will piss her off, so that might be another reason why it crossed my mind. ”
That kind of ulterior motive, I can get behind. “I’ll be in Sioux Falls next week. Can I take a few days to think about it, and we can meet for coffee early next week?”
“Sounds perfect. Speak to you soon, Daley.”
The only other big loose end I have in town is my house. Leaving it empty seems like a waste, but it’s the house where River grew up. Where I grew up as an adult and found my footing in life. Selling it would feel like cutting off a part of me.
River is the one to propose a solution when I speak to him on Wednesday.
The team won their game in San Jose on Monday night but lost in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
It’s his first loss with the team, and he had two goals scored against him while on defence, so I call him Wednesday morning to see how he’s doing.
Thankfully, he doesn’t need much of a pep talk from me. He’s philosophical about the loss, and when I tell him about moving in with Deacon, he makes a suggestion about the Wikaskwa house before I even bring it up.
“Brayden and Jonny have been talking about renting a place together so they can get out of their parents’ houses. What do you think about renting it to them? I can chip in a bit so they don’t have to pay too much.”
I think it sounds almost like keeping it in the family. “You already paid off the mortgage, so I don’t need them to pay anything. As long as they cover the bills and don’t destroy it, that’s fine with me.”
“Great. I’ll let them know.” He hesitates a second before adding, “It’ll be nice to have you in town, but you know you don’t have to come to every game, right?”
As much as my son loves me, I totally understand that no 18-year-old wants their mom at their work all the time. “I know. I promise to give you as much space as I can.”
Now it’s my turn to hesitate before bringing up the other matter we haven’t discussed yet.
“By the way, I have a letter for you. It’s from your father.”
Silence stretches down the phone line between us for several long beats.
“What does he want?” he finally asks, his tone flat.
“I think he wants to meet you, but I haven’t read the letter. I’m not sure exactly what it says. I’ll give it to you when we see each other, don’t worry about it until then.”
“Okay. Fine.”
That’s all he says on the matter, keeping his feelings on his father as close to his chest as usual. I wish him good luck for their game tomorrow, the last one on this trip before they return home on Friday, and as soon as we hang up, I get to work on booking some movers.
And just like that, my life has completely changed.