Chapter 36 Johnson
Johnson
With Grace focused on school today, I make a point to have my personal trainer come over to run me through a tough workout, followed by a massage.
I also have a check-in call with Lily and Aiden about a range of endorsement and appearance requests. While we organize the bulk of my commitments during the off-season, we’ve gotten in the habit of doing a mega touch-base over the bye week each year.
The program I funded for children whose parents struggle with alcohol addiction—which is now officially named Safety Net—also gets my attention today.
The new executive director, Maria, and I zoom for about an hour, largely going over her strategic plan for the first year.
She also walks me through all the details of the planned launch event in December.
Fifteen million well spent, if it changes these kids’ lives and gives them the support system they need.
Once I get through these duties, the only thing on my agenda is to relax on my couch until Grace gets home at six.
Grace gets home. I like the sound of that.
I get about an hour of rest in before another plot twist happens. Around four in the afternoon, my mind half-watching the movie I clicked on, my phone rings.
Seeing who is calling, I pick up immediately.
“Mom, hi…”
“Hi Johnson.” Her voice is anxious. “I’m sorry to bug you in the middle of the hurricane recovery.”
“It’s okay, the storm issues are long over here. What’s the matter?”
She sniffles into the phone. “It’s—It’s Lainie. She got let go from her job this morning.”
Shit.
“That sucks. Is she okay? I’ll help with anything she needs while she’s figuring things out.”
“She was upset when she got home, but it wasn’t a great place to work with her new boss, so not too upset. Except Mark—”
What did that asshole do?
“Mark, he started screaming at her, how he couldn’t do everything, make all the money, couldn’t stand it anymore. All this nonsense that didn’t even make sense.”
“What? Why would he even say that?” Shit, this guy is such bad news. “Is he still there?”
“He drove off, saying he wasn’t going to stay at the house anymore.”
I click my jaw back and forth. It doesn’t feel like enough to throw money at this problem now. I need to get there.
It only takes me five minutes to decide. I call Lily as soon as I do.
“Can you charter a plane for me to get home to Alabama as quickly as possible?”
Lily doesn’t ask questions, hearing the urgency in my voice. Next, I text Grace, asking her to come early if she can.
Things get more complicated when my doorbell rings, indicating Grace is here.
I open the door for her, ready to apologize for the change in plans I’m about to share.
But she knows something is wrong as soon as she catches my expression.
“What’s happened?” She walks in when I back away to create space for her to enter.
“It’s my sister. She lost her job today, and then her husband had a fit and drove off, threatening not to come back.”
“Oh no.”
“Yeah, with his four-year-old and baby at the house too. He’s a dick.”
“She must be so upset,” she says, empathy filling her voice as we stride into the formal living room and she throws her bag on the couch.
“I’m really sorry, Goldie, but I’m going to have to head to Alabama as soon as Lily finds a plane. Help them deal with the fallout.”
She nods, and I’m happy to see there’s no hurt in her expression. I wish this wasn’t happening and I could spend our last couple of days together.
“I totally understand. Family comes first.”
Then an idea strikes. A little wild but…this whole situation is—
“Would you want to come with me?”
She looks surprised, a reaction I totally understand. “Really? I mean, you’d really want me to come?”
“Yeah, I do. You don’t need to do anything to help, but just…I’d like you there so we won’t miss out on our last couple of days before I get back into the football grind.”
She takes an understandable pause to think about it. And then I get the answer I was hoping for.
“I definitely can come, as long as we’re back by Sunday. Are we going to stay a secret with your sister though?”
Oh yeah. What to do about Lainie?
The answer is obvious as I think about it. “My sister would see through any pretense in a heartbeat. Let’s just be real with her. We won’t be the focus anyway, and it’s not like my family is going to tell Landon or anyone else.”
“Okay.” She cocks her head, like she’s calculating whether there are any other obstacles. “Good thing I packed a bag with a bunch of my stuff.”
Just then, a text from Lily comes through, saying a plane will be ready in two hours. I message her back confirming there will be an extra passenger, without naming Grace, so she can update the charter company.
That planning resolved, I kiss the top of Grace’s head. “Come with me to my room, so I can get packed.”
“Can we also leave twenty minutes early so I can walk through Landon’s house one more time?”
We add that to the itinerary, and forty-five minutes later, we’re in my car driving to meet the charter plane after leaving Landon’s house.
And Grace is about to meet my family.