28 Jax
Jax slouched on one of the plastic upholstered armchairs in the hospital lobby, thinking about how his life had gotten so
off track. In an attempt to secure the life he thought he’d always wanted, he lost the only thing he needed. Or maybe he should
say the only one .
That’s where fate was cruel. Without the bet, there would be no Cora. He never would’ve met her in the first place. He never
would’ve been on SoulMatch. He never would’ve abandoned his two-date rule. He never would’ve met the woman he fell in love
with.
But with the bet, there was never a possibility of a future with her. Their relationship was doomed before it even started.
Of course, when he made this ridiculous deal with his uncle, that hadn’t mattered to him. His only goal was to get the job.
The job he thought he always wanted. The job he thought he deserved. Falling in love was never part of the plan.
He wasn’t sure when their relationship had stopped being about the bet for him. Was it when they were sitting in the sand,
looking at her photographs? Or when he watched her connect with the kids while they played games? Or over hot dogs while they
gazed at the waves?
Or maybe it had happened even before that.
Somewhere along the way, his time with Cora had stopped being about getting a job and started being about Cora.
He’d never met anyone who tempted him to want to look at forever. The idea of a commitment like that had sounded so restrictive,
he had trouble taking full breaths. But here he was, not being able to imagine a future without her.
Except he’d ruined it.
“Hey, Jax! Is that you?”
A familiar voice pulled him out of his slump. He sat up to see Haden being wheeled across the lobby, his parents behind him,
carrying a crate with all the comfort items he kept in his room.
Jax jumped out of his chair to meet them. “What? Are they springing you out of this joint?”
Haden pressed his lips together in a proud smile and nodded. “No more Jell-O for me.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. Congrats, my man.” He held out his hand, and they did their secret fist-bump.
“It’s nice to see you, Jax,” Haden’s mom said. “We’re going to pull the car around while you chat.” They left their son with
Jax and the hospital aide, who was manning the wheelchair.
“Why are you here?” Haden asked. “It’s a little late for games, isn’t it? They almost didn’t let me go home tonight since
it was so late.”
“I’m here for a different reason. Remember my friend you met? Her sister was just admitted.”
The ten-year-old nodded sagely. “That’s a bummer.”
“Big time,” Jax agreed. “But it looks like she’s going to be okay.”
“That’s good. So why are you down here instead of up there with them? I bet they’d let you use the game cart.”
“The truth is, I did something dumb, and my friend is mad at me.”
“So that’s why you look like that.” He waved a hand in front of Jax as if to sum up his entire appearance.
Leave it to kids to tell the whole truth.
“Did you say sorry?” Haden continued.
“I did, but sometimes saying sorry isn’t enough.”
Haden thought about that for a second. “Maybe. But a wise game player once told me that everyone makes dumb moves once in
a while. It’s what you do to fix the dumb move that counts.”
Jax smiled. “I did say that, didn’t I?”
Haden shrugged. “You have good game advice every once in a while.”
“Glad I can help. But in this case, I don’t know if my dumb moves can be undone.”
“But do you like her?”
Jax nodded. “I do.”
“Then don’t give up. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get it right.” He leaned in and lowered his voice to conspiratorial
tones. “You told me that once, too.”
Jax chuckled. “I did. Maybe it’s time for me to start taking some of my own advice. Thanks.”
Just then they spotted Haden’s parents pull their car under the carport. Haden’s mom got out to open the door for him.
“Looks like my ride’s here. Gotta go.” He held out his hand for another fist bump. “I’ll see ya next time.”
Jax nodded as the hospital aide wheeled Haden away. “I hope not,” he whispered once Haden was out of earshot. Because nothing
would make Jax happier than Haden not ever having to spend another night in the hospital.
Okay, not nothing. Fixing things with Cora would make him pretty happy. Ecstatic, even.
Don’t give up.
He might’ve taught Haden a few life lessons, but Haden had taught him plenty, too. The biggest one was to keep fighting, even
when the odds seemed stacked against you. And if Haden could keep fighting, so could he.