I hear my name go up in the crowd and groan inwardly. I can’t not turn around and face the sudden chanting. Maybe she’ll hear it and find me. Putting on my patented grin, I turn and wave at the crowd screaming my name. Everyone and their mother knows I had that meeting with the Raptors today.
It settles down and they wait for me to say something.
I really wanted to tell Daisy first, but I don’t see her anywhere.
But I can’t let the fans down either. Fans make a career in any major sport.
“You’re looking at the newest center for the Minnesota Raptors!”
The whole place explodes in cheers and I’m rushed with people hugging and pulling me this way and that. A beer is shoved in my hand and another is poured over my head in celebration.
“You’re starting without me?” Collin roars from the doorway and the attention is turned to him as he announces he’s also signed his contract with the Raptors. The place is so loud I think I blew out an eardrum.
And still no Daisy. Where the fuck is she?
Jenny taps on my shoulder and crooks her finger. I waste no time in following her. She pulls out her keychain from her pocket and unlocks the door leading up to the attic stairs.
“She didn’t want the noise,” Jenny yells into my ear.
“But her birthday…”
“She doesn’t want to think about it. It’s making her sad.”
Of course it is. Why did I not think about that?
“Yo! Jenny!”
We both turn to look to see one of the baseball guys pushing his way through the back door. He’s carrying a large bag and what looks like a full dozen orange and purple roses.
“Found this on the back porch. It’s addressed to some chick named Daisy.”
Jenny smiles. “Maybe her brother had them sent to her. She was telling me he’s in the military and she didn’t think he’d get to call her today.”
That would definitely cheer her up if she’s sad.
“I’ll take them upstairs to her.” I take everything from the guy and Jenny unlocks the door so I can go up the stairs. I hear the lock turn as I go up. At least she’s making sure the assholes can’t get up here. They still have access to the basement, but not the attic.
I knock on her door. “Red, it’s Hutch. You awake?”
After a full minute, I start to think sheisasleep. You can’t really hear the noise from up here. It’s muted to a tolerable level and if she went to sleep with headphones in, she’d never hear me knocking let alone the party downstairs.
It’s only when the lock turns and she opens the door, I let out a sigh of relief. I didn’t want to go back to the party. I wanted to spend time with Daisy and share the biggest accomplishment of my life with her. Her smile is all I’ll ever need.
“So do I say congrats or are we frustrated with no contract yet?” Her eyes land on the roses I’m carrying and they go wide. She starts backing up until the backs of her legs hit the bottom of her bed and she falls backward onto it, scrambling to get as far away from me as she can.
“Daisy?”
“Why do you have those?”
“What?” I look down and remember I’m carrying the roses. “These?”
She nods.
“All of this was left on the back porch with your name on them. Someone said your brother sent them.”
“Robbie would never,” she hisses out. “He knows what those mean.”
I carefully set them down on the table and turn my attention to her. “What do they mean?”
