Chapter 16 Nola #2
A cheerful voice greeting me with, “Hey there!” while rapping on my window startles me from my doom scrolling as I sit in the school pickup line.
I got to Garnet Charter School ten minutes early, still bouncing between being rattled by Stella and reminding myself she meant nothing by it—besides, it’ll all be over in a few months anyway.
The last thing I need is to be accosted by the PTO president. We woke up to frost, have been treated to snow flurries, and now the wind is gusting. It’s not chitchat weather. Jen’s got an all-too-eager grin on her face. I hold up my device and shout through the glass, “I’ll text you.”
She motions for me to roll down the window and I reluctantly oblige, giving her a gap at the top of two inches. Placing her mouth near the crack, she says, “I noticed you hadn’t signed up for a spot in Wrap the Community with Love.”
“I’m sorry, but do you go out of your way to see if I have signed up for every single school function, volunteer opportunity, and parent engagement event?” I know I’m not being a team player, but the last thing I have time for this month is wrapping a bunch of donated gifts for charity.
There are four evenings dedicated to this during the last week of school before Christmas break.
Nobody ever wants shifts on Friday because that’s when there’s an influx of last-minute presents dropped off.
Recognizing that is the most bah humbug attitude in the world, I internally make a note to buy a few extra for the donation pile at home and continue my dismissive stare.
She seems undeterred by my attitude and keeps that plastered smile going. “Anyway, I went ahead and signed you up for next Friday.”
Perfect.
I roll my window back up in response as my phone vibrates with a text.
Max: Hey, I’m aware it’s last minute, but Aaron wants to debrief about the weekend meeting. He’s in town and wants to meet tonight.
I look up at the school and then at my clock on the dash. There are still three minutes until the bell.
Me: Are you texting in front of your students?
Max: It’s cute you think they aren’t texting in front of me right now.
Me: Is this meeting about the secret team I can’t know about?
Max: Affirmative.
Me: Why does he want me there?
Max: Because you’re my wife and theoretically, this move will affect you.
Me: What time and where? Belle’s back in town. I’ll ask her to watch Emma.
Max: He made a reservation for Chandlers at eight.
At seven thirty, Belle’s shooing us out the door so she and Emma can hunker down to watch Elf before bedtime.
It’s already been the longest Monday on record, and now I’m headed to a dinner that is out of my sweatpants-and-nacho comfort zone, wearing the burgundy dress I wore for the wedding.
Even in my NYC art days, I never was into stuffy restaurants with pretentious food offered in tiny portions.
Dinner should not cost the same as rent.
Downtown is decked out for the holidays and despite the cold, plenty of people are darting in and out of restaurants and shops.
We get stopped on Front Street by the masses heading into a farm league hockey game at the arena that connects to the Grove Hotel.
They’re rowdy and excited with their cowbells clanging.
They’re going to a night of fun and I’m going to a night of small foods and business talk.
I should be excited. It’s as art-world-adjacent as I’ve been in a long time, but I also wish Max and I were headed to the hockey game instead.
Max.
I sigh. He looks stunning wearing his gray suit.
Even better than he did eleven days ago, if that’s possible.
He’s styled his hair differently, parted and combed on the side and he’s shaved his face.
No growth to be found; almost as if he’s attempting to be taken seriously as a professional who’s seen the errors of his ways and changed.
He anxiously taps the steering wheel of his Land Cruiser as he waits for his turn to pull up to the valet.
“Are you nervous?” I ask, but he keeps drumming away, ignoring the question. “If you want to tell me how you think your meeting went, I’m all ears, Maxford.”
He stops and looks over. “It went well.”
“Well, Aaron’s asking us to dinner, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say things went more than well.”
Max pulls us up to the valet and signals to the manager waiting to take his car.
“I wasn’t totally honest with you. There wasn’t just one meeting—I had two and both team owners and club managers said the same thing: they’re interested in bringing me on, but I need to be the new man I claim I am.
No more hotheaded behavior and schoolboy antics.
Focused and ready to lead is how they keep spinning it.
I’d be one of the older players and am expected to mentor the rookies.
Aaron vouched to both teams I’m all that and more since you’ve come into my life. ”
His tone hints there’s a catch but all I’m hearing are positives. “That sounds like things are turning out the way you’d hoped.”
“Yeah, except I’m pretty sure Aaron doesn’t believe a word he said and tonight’s a test for us to show him we’re in love and in this for the long haul.”