Page 132 of Whiskey Wednesdays
When he ran his nose along my neck, goosebumps broke out on my skin. I shook myself and took the bag, then pulled out a package of Kami origami paper from the bag.
I stared at it for a moment. “Oh my God, this is some of the best origami paper.” The beautiful two-sided colored paper was the perfect weight and folded easily.
Connor watched me curiously. “I’m glad you like it.”
“How did you know?”
He smiled. “How could I not know? You leave us little origami animals, and you told me about your mom teaching you.”
I stared up at him and my heart squeezed. “Thank you.”
When the weekend came, Connor talked me into staying for a couple of nights at his house. He didn’t have to try very hard. I missed him, especially when I went back to my apartment and crawled into my cold bed. But I also needed the quiet time to sort through my chaotic feelings and thoughts.
On Sunday night, I gathered up my things before heading back to my apartment for the coming week. Connor had set his cell phone down on the kitchen counter, and I glanced down and noticed the photo on his screen saver. It was the selfie he took several months ago with Elodie and me in his living room when we’d gone swimming together. We’d been smiling as we tried to fit us all into the frame, and we looked like we belonged together. It was a nice photo.
That week I didn’t tell anyone at the arena that Tuesday was my last day. Connor and Titus knew it was coming up, but I hadn’t given them exact details.
Connor came into the medical office just as I was finishing up for the day. He’d brought lunch with him.
“Looking at you in that white jacket never gets old. Come eat lunch with me in my office.”
He looked at Titus and raised an eyebrow, probably daring Titus to invite himself.
I rolled my eyes. “That smells good. Titus can’t join us though since he and Abby are going to sit down today and get their stories straight. I don’t want my best childhood friend to end up in a Canadian jail.”
Titus patted the top of my head. “Don’t worry,choux, we’ll be ready. Some of your questions are fascinating. I’m curious to hear what her answers are.”
I swatted his hand away. “Yeah, just make sure you go throughallthe questions, not just the more intimate ones.”
Connor and I headed to his office. Valerie looked up when we walked into the reception area.
“You have two new messages, Mr. McCoy, but neither are urgent.” Then she smiled a little at me. “Hi, Isabella. Thank you for the birthday brownie last week. That was nice of you.”
I’d brought her a brownie when I saw a generic mylar birthday balloon by her desk. I knew what it felt like to have a birthday and not have family or friends around to celebrate it.
I smiled. “You’re welcome. My dad made it, so I know it was good.”
We walked into his office and set the food down on his desk.
He nodded toward the door. “Are you two friends now?”
“Maybe ‘friendly’ is a better word. She doesn’t have family around, and I think she’s a little lonely. I talked to her a few times in the ladies restroom, and we got to know each other a little bit.”
He smiled. “People are drawn to you. You have a habit of picking up strays.”
“I’m probably a stray myself, so there may be some truth to that. Where’s Coach Bailey? I haven’t seen him around this week.”
Connor’s face went hard. “He’s on suspension. The assistant coach is going to step up, and Titus will assist. Bailey’s been playing head games with the players, and he isn’t helping the team. They’re winning despite him.” He folded his arms. “I got an earful the other day about how he’s been treating you.”
I avoided his eyes, and started pulling out food. “Huh. I told you he reported me to my school. This smells good. Thanks for lunch.”
He sat on the edge of his desk. “Bella.”
“What?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about him?”
“Because it was my problem.”
