Chapter 26 #2
Mark Dempsey, the general manager, nods. “That explains the hit he took to the groin during Max’s at bat. I take it Max knew about the assault?”
I nod. “He found out. He also managed to walk off the field during batting practice when Javier found me in the Houston stadium, and had me pinned to the wall. Max saved me again.”
“Didn’t he smile and laugh when he trotted past Morales rolling around on the ground in agony?” Winston says with a snort. “It’s a good thing he wasn’t interviewed after that.”
“Coach Dunn requested Max not be interviewed for a week or two,” I say sheepishly, smiling down at my lap. My hands are twisted tightly together, but I hope the rest of my body appears calm. “Coach figured if Max were interviewed, he’d say something to incriminate himself.”
“That was probably wise.” Mark pauses, waiting until my eyes meet his. “And how did you come to live with Max?”
My mouth drops open. “How did you know about that?”
He smiles. “This is my team. I know everything.”
“Someone trashed my apartment. It was the night we returned from Houston. I found the guy in there after he’d taken an ax to the door.
Ripped up my couch, destroyed basically everything.
I didn’t know who to call, and ended up calling Max.
Actually, that’s not accurate. He called me.
He was outside my apartment and wanted to know if I was okay. ”
Marcia raises an eyebrow. “Outside your apartment?”
I shrug. “He showed up. I didn’t know he was coming, but I sure was glad he did. I didn’t know where to go. Finances are tough, and I have two pets. Finding a hotel that would take them would be a challenge. He offered up his guest room.”
“That was weeks ago. Why are we just now finding out about this relationship? Had you been honest earlier, it would have gone a long way to smooth things over,” Winston points out.
I nod. “We haven’t been in a relationship. I fought it. My life has been chaos, you know? And I love this job. I love this team. I don’t want to leave here. It wasn’t until recently that things with Max … evolved.”
“So you’re now coming to us in an attempt to save your job. Is that correct?” Mark asks.
I shake my head. “No. I’m attempting to save his.
I love what I do here. Especially when I get to see a guy like Max completely change his diet and have such amazing success on the field.
I don’t even mind traveling with the team.
But I can find another job. I can’t find another Max, and neither can you.
I watch the team at meals. I see them in the dugout and locker room.
Without even trying, he’s become the heart of the team.
He belongs as a Raptor for as long as he wants to play. That’s why I’m here.”
The firing squad before me are silent as I take them in.
Marcia looks at me approvingly, nodding subtly at me.
Winston has an introspective expression, while Mark looks somewhat proud.
The rest of the team keep impassive looks as I push back from the table.
“If you’ll allow me an hour, I can clear out my things from my office.
It isn’t much, so it shouldn’t take me long. ”
“Just a moment, Ms. Holmes,” Winston says suddenly, coming to his feet. The rest of the team follows suit. “No decisions have been made regarding yours or Max’s jobs. Please continue to fulfill the obligations of your contract. We will let you know our decision soon.”
“Oh, okay. I just assumed —” I stammer, my brow furrowed in confusion.
He interrupts me with a hand held up. “You’ve given us a lot to discuss. Thank you for your time.”
Low mumbles follow me out of the conference room, and a foreboding feeling sits deep in my stomach. Did I just make it worse? Will they fire me and let Max go?
Worse still: will he forgive me if that’s the case?
I spend the remainder of the day organizing my things in Max’s apartment.
Fearing the worst, I want to ensure it’s a quick getaway if needed.
I make a few trips down to the garage to dump things I don’t need into my car, thankful that they’ll be safe here.
I certainly can’t leave anything in my car outside my Commerce City apartment.
When I finally feel like I’m ready for whatever happens with Max and the Raptors, I fall into Max’s bed completely exhausted.
I’ve sprayed his cologne twice across the sheets, and I’m not proud to admit I stashed the bottle in my car.
I had to use Google to find the company, as I’d never heard of it, then almost had a heart attack when I found the Maison Francis Kurkdijan bottle of Baccarat Rouge 540 to be over seven hundred dollars!
Of course, Max would have expensive tastes for cologne.
I should feel bad about taking it, but I don’t.
It’ll be the only thing I have to remember him by when I’m living in my car.
I only vaguely remember Max sliding into bed, feeling his whispered, “I’ve missed you,” against my hair as he pulls me into his arms.
It’s quiet when I wake up the following morning, and only the indentation in the bed from Max’s body lets me know he was there. I creep into the hallway, listening hard for Max. Does he know about my meeting? Who would tell him first, the team or his agent? How mad will he be? So many unknowns.
I notice the clock shows it’s after nine, and I’m surprised to have slept in this late. While I’m not necessarily a morning person, I’ve gotten acclimated to being up early for my job. Shit, I’m already late. I have so much to do today.
Jogging back into Max’s bedroom, I grab my phone off the charger and scroll through my notifications.
When nothing appears from the team, I choose to take one last shower in Max’s amazing bathroom, then carefully bag up all of my toiletries.
When the shit hits the fan, I’ll need to get these quickly.
Shampoo, conditioner, and makeup are absurdly expensive, so I’ll need to make these last as long as possible while I search for another job.
An hour later, I’m gingerly walking into the Clubhouse, ready to check on a handful of players as they work out.
I’m checking on diet plans, food requests, hydration needs, and how the few guys are responding to injuries, when I feel a presence behind me.
Turning, I see Max staring at me. His look is odd.
He’s not angry, but also doesn’t appear exactly happy to see me, and I don’t know how to process that. “Uh, is everything okay, Max?”
He waits a moment before he responds. “No, it’s not.”
But before I can ask anything else, he stalks out of the weight room.