CHAPTER 39 KAYLEE
He came and went so quickly it almost feels like it was a dream.
Monday morning rolls around, and I haven’t told Cooper what I’m thinking yet, but I emailed both him and Carla late last night requesting a meeting with the three of us first thing this morning.
I’m going to do it today. If she says no, then so be it. I’ll have to quit, because I’m moving back to Vegas regardless. But if she says yes…
I try not to get my hopes up.
When I meet Cooper in the kitchen, he glances sideways at me as he prepares his usual fruit and granola breakfast parfait. “What’s all this nine AM business about?”
“Just an idea I had that I wanted to run past you and Carla.”
“Everything good with Ben?” he asks, shoveling a spoonful of yogurt into his mouth as he leans against the counter. He’s not subtle in taking on a different angle to get to the bottom of today’s meeting.
“Everything’s perfect.” Except for the fact that I’m here and he’s there.
“He’s a good dude,” Coop says as he takes another bite.
I set to work on making some instant oatmeal. “Yeah, I like him,” I murmur.
Cooper laughs. “I’m glad you two found your way back together. Watching you sulk was getting really old.”
My jaw drops. “I was not sulking!”
“Were too,” he grumbles, and I giggle.
“Fine. It was a little scary holding onto the secret and going through it alone.” I run a hand along my belly for emphasis.
He glances up and his eyes meet mine. “You were never alone.”
“I know,” I murmur. “Thank you, by the way.”
He offers a smile. “And whatever announcement you’re making today…you never will be. You were there for me just as much as I was there for you when we were both going through a difficult time, and you’re stuck with a friend for life now.”
I make a face like I just smelled something rotten. “Ugh. Great.”
He laughs and I half expect him to muss my hair or something, but he just bumps my shoulder with his. “Count yourself lucky, lady.”
I offer a sad smile. I’m ready to go home, ready to be with Ben, ready to start our lives, ready to be close to my family again and tell them everything that’s happened…but I’m still going to miss Cooper and the dynamic we’ve built over the last few weeks. “I do.”
After breakfast, we walk to the office across the street, and the rare sentimental side of me rears its head as I wonder how many more times I’ll be taking this walk with Cooper.
It was meant to end eventually since the corporate housing was only a temporary solution, but it’s still ending earlier because of the decisions I’m making.
They’re the right ones. I fully believe that.
But it’s still harder than I thought it would be.
Carla ushers us into her office when we arrive. “What’s all this about?” she asks.
I draw in a deep breath. “I’m pregnant,” I say.
Her brows arch. “Oh! Congratulations.” She offers a cautious smile.
“Thank you. I love this job, Carla, and I am so grateful for the opportunities you’ve given me, but I need to go back to Vegas.
I need to be near my family, near the father…
my fiancé.” Even though we’ve been engaged a day and a half, and we were engaged before, it’s still the first time I’ve said the word since he put the new ring on my finger.
My tongue feels strange forming the word—just as the word husband will feel strange once we make it official, I’m sure.
“Your fiancé?” she asks.
“Ben proposed over the weekend and I accepted.”
She smiles sadly. “Ah. Congratulations again, Kaylee. I’m so disappointed to be losing you.”
“Well, that’s actually why I wanted to talk to the two of you. Just because I’m leaving San Diego doesn’t mean I need to stop working with you.”
“What do you mean?” Carla asks. “We need you here. I can’t run events without my spokesperson.”
I nod. “I know, and I totally understand that. But I have some friends I can recommend for my position here in San Diego, and I was thinking about your words about wanting to expand. Have you thought about maybe starting a Las Vegas division of StrongFitKids?”
“Las Vegas?” she echoes. She presses her lips together. “I hadn’t really considered it. I was planning to keep it in California until we grew it.”
“Well instead of opening a Las Vegas division, then, what if I could help you grow it?” I ask.
Her brows dip. “How?”
I clear my throat. “Ben owns a private gym up in Montana. He wants to expand the business and open more locations when he retires from playing, and he hired me to build the kids’ program.
I talked to him this weekend about building the StrongFitKids program into his gyms, and he loved the idea.
We’ve got the content there. We just need to repurpose it. ”
I glance at Cooper, and he’s looking at me with some mix of awe and disappointment. I wait a moment for him to jump in and say something, and when he does, he does not disappoint. “Wow, Dalton. What a brilliant idea.”
“I’d obviously need to keep in close contact with the programming directors here, if you think it’s a good idea, Carla,” I say.
“But we could do that over Zoom. Vegas isn’t far.
We could travel to meet up once a quarter or once a month if we need to.
We have lots of options. I have grown to love this program in the short time I’ve been here, and I want to help turn it into the vision you’ve always had for it. Affordable, fun fitness for kids.”
Her jaw slackens a little. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes,” Cooper says, and I shoot him a grateful smile.
“I need a minute to think about it.” She clears her throat. “How long until you need to get back to Vegas?”
“As soon as possible.” I never should have moved here in the first place, but if I hadn’t, I’d be missing out on an entire potential future where we’re doing great things for kids.
She nods. “I understand. Give me a bit to think this through, and have Ben get in touch to let me know he’s on board with the idea before I make any decisions.
Pull together a potential list of replacements, and Cooper, if you have anybody in mind, let me know.
Can you at least stay through today?” she asks me.
I nod. “Of course. I can stay two weeks if you need me to, but our next event isn’t until next month anyway. I can help with the rest remotely until you find a replacement.”
“Great,” she says. “If you’ll both excuse me—”
I move to stand, but Cooper’s voice stops me. “Can I just say one thing?”
Carla and I both look at him.
“Kaylee is an incredibly hard worker, Carla,” he says.
“She has put her job first over and over in the short time she’s been here, and I honestly think there’s no better person you could possibly hand this company over to.
And you wouldn’t even be doing that. You’re simply expanding in new ways—a departure from what you’d envisioned, perhaps, but something that could grow even bigger than you ever imagined.
I don’t see how there are any disadvantages to what she’s offering you. ”
“Thank you for your input, Cooper,” she says. “I will consider it from every angle.”
We take that as our cue to leave, and once we’re back at the table where we always sit to work, I glance up at him. “Thanks for those words back there.”
He reaches across the small space between us and squeezes my forearm gently. “I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. You’ve been a great partner, and I’ll be sad to lose you, but you’ve got bigger and brighter things on the horizon regardless of what she says.”
Tears fill my eyes at his kindness. “You’re a good guy, Cooper Noah.”
He smiles and winks. “Don’t tell anyone. Wouldn’t want to ruin my rep.”
I giggle as I text Ben to ask him to let Carla know he’s on board with this potential plan.
And then I start my last day at the San Diego office of StrongFitKids.