Playing for Keeps (Indianapolis Eagles #3) Page 15

  With all of us in agreement, I place the call and get us a two p.m. tee time, along with rental clubs.

  With plans in place for the afternoon, our conversation turns to the game last night and the rest of the games to come on this road trip.

  After we’ve all finished our breakfast, we make our way back to our respective rooms to grab our bags and make our way to the bus.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Madison

  I got up early this morning and headed straight into work. Having not really been here for a week, I feel like I’m behind and have a lot of work to catch up on. In reality, not much really happened last week and what did occur was easily handled by my assistant. I just don’t like dumping everything on her, but need to get used to doing so, at least for the next few weeks.

  I have kept myself busy, working through my emails from last week that weren’t urgent. The hours pass by and thankfully, I don’t even think about my dad or the call we’re hopeful will come today, until my phone starts ringing, and I see his face fill my screen.

  “Hi, Daddy. How are you today?”

  “I’m good, sweetheart. I just got off the phone with the radiation department. We’re going to start my treatment on Wednesday at ten a.m. I need to be at that first appointment thirty minutes early, and she said that I should expect to be there for two hours that first day. The other times, I only need to show up a couple minutes early and I’ll be in and out in an hour.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll plan to pick you up then around nine on Wednesday. Do we need to bring anything with us?”

  “Not that she said,” he tells me.

  “Okay.”

  “Did you go into work today?”

  “Yes, I got up early and came in. I’ve already been here a few hours, and I’ll probably stay most of the day, unless you need me for something.”

  “I’m good, Madison. Get your work done and I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Will do, Daddy. Take it easy today, and I’ll call you later. Love you.”

  “Love you, too, sweetheart.”

  We disconnect, and I turn back to my computer. I pull up my calendar and block out the time for Wednesday’s appointment. Adding the first appointment to my calendar reminded me that his doctor wanted to see him the day after his first radiation appointment, but he didn’t mention anything about that, so I send him a quick text.

  Madison: Did you call Dr. Raymond’s office to get the visit scheduled for the day after your first radiation visit?

  Dad: No, but I can do that right now. I’d forgotten about that.

  Madison: Just let me know what time for Thursday. Also, for the remainder of your radiation appointments, are they all at 10?

  Dad: Will do, and yes, all my appointments are at 10.

  I finish adding in his appointments to my calendar, when my boss, Brock, walks in my office and takes a seat across from me.

  “Hello,” I greet him as cheerly as I can muster.

  “Good to see you. How’s everything going?”

  “Okay. My dad just called with his radiation schedule. He starts on Wednesday and will go every other day, for ten days. I just got done blocking out my calendar, so that everyone knows I’m not available during those times, unless it’s something urgent.”

  “Take all the time you need. You know we’re here for you. Family always comes first.”

  How I lucked out with such an amazing boss, I’ll never know. Most places wouldn’t be this accommodating without a bunch of paperwork or making the employee feel guilty for being gone so much. But somehow, I have a boss and co-workers who will cover for me without a blink of an eye while I need to be focusing on my dad and his treatments.

  “Thank you. I really appreciate it, and with all hope, I’ll be back full-time within a few weeks. The doctors are hopeful that he’ll be finished with his treatment once these five radiation treatments are done.”

  “However long it takes; try not to stress about work. I know that’s not easy for you to do, but I want you to try not to worry about what’s going on here when you need to be focused on your dad.”

  I’m just so overwhelmed with how accommodating my boss has been, my emotions get the best of me and the tears are stinging my eyes before I know it.

  “I didn’t mean to make you upset,” Brock says, a little uncomfortable, as I try and stop the tears from falling.

  “I’m not upset, just overwhelmed that everyone has been so accommodating and understanding.”

  “We’re a family here. That’s one thing I always stressed when I started this agency years ago. That hasn’t changed since day one, and it’s not changing today. When one of our own needs our help and support, we’re there to prop them up and offer that support. You’ve seen that with other people who’ve worked here over the years, so it’s no different when it’s you that needs the help and support.”

  “Thank you again. I’ll keep you updated on his progress, and if anything changes and I end up needing to be out longer than anticipated.”

  “Perfect, now get out of here and go take some time for yourself before your life is crazy for the next few weeks.”

  “Oh, I’ve got a full inbox to make it through before I can get out of here later today.”

  “That wasn’t a suggestion, Madison. That was an order from the boss,” he tells me, a smirk on his face.

  “Okay then,” I reply. Who am I to argue with my boss.

  “You need to take some time for yourself, and nothing important is happening today. So, go get a massage, or do something just for you.”

  “Thanks, Brock. I’ll shut down and get out of here, since you insist.”

  “And”—he pauses at the doorway— “don’t worry about coming in on Wednesday. Just focus on your dad that day.”

  “Thanks,” I call out to his retreating back.

  I shut down my laptop and pack it up to take with me. I’ll have time later to continue going through my emails, but his idea of getting in some time for myself sounds really good right about now. I pull up the number to my favorite spa and call to see if they can get me in this afternoon for anything.

  With a half-day package booked that includes a massage, facial, manicure, and pedicure, I leave the office and head home. Once I’m in my car and connected to the Bluetooth, I pull up Richard’s name and call him.

  “Hey!” he greets me as he answers.

  “Hi. How are you?”

  “Good, just finished up with breakfast and am about to head down to the bus. How’s your day going?”

  “It’s been busy. I got up early to come into work and get a head start on getting caught up, but I just had a conversation with Brock and he told me to leave and take the afternoon for myself. Said I needed some time to decompress before the stress of Dad’s treatment starts.”

  “I agree with him. So, what are you going to do?”

  “I booked a spa afternoon. I’m headed home now to check on Max, as well as change before I have to be at my appointment.”

  “And did your dad get the call on when his radiation starts?”

  “Oh, yes. He starts on Wednesday morning.”

  “I wish I was going to be home so that I could be there with you.”

  “I know.” I sigh. “I wish you were going to be here, too. I miss you so much.”

  “I know, babe. I miss you, too. Only six more days and I’ll be home.”

  “Have I ever told you how much I really hate long road trips?”

  “You and me both.” He chuckles.

  “What are you doing on your day off?”

  “I booked a tee time for Scott, Brian, Mark, and I for this afternoon. The golf course isn’t far from the hotel we’re moving to, so we’ll just Uber it over.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  “Yeah, none of us really wanted to just sit around inside the hotel and it’s so nice here, so we decided to get outside to enjoy the California weather. Oh, before I forget. Scott said Becca and Michael had a bad nig
ht, and that she was really stressed out. I told him I’d see if you’d have any time to stop by and check on her, and maybe lend a hand if she’ll accept the help.”

  “Oh, of course. I’ll call her and see if I can maybe stop over with some dinner after I meet the couple about the furniture, or maybe tomorrow night, if that works better for her.”

  “I know Brian was going to have Kinley also go over and help her today. Apparently, the baby was up most of the night just screaming, so Becca didn’t get any sleep and was stressed that something was seriously wrong with Michael.”

  “Sounds like a rough night,” I muse.

  “I’ve got to head to the bus, but I’m glad that you’re taking some time for yourself this afternoon. I’ll call you once I’m back from golfing and probably dinner, how’s that sound? Maybe we can FaceTime again tonight,” he says, the desire coming through his voice.

  “I’m sure you could persuade me into another FaceTime call.”

  Richard barks out a laugh. “You’re naughty, you know that? Now, all I’m going to be thinking about today is how long it will be until I can see you naked on my iPad tonight.”

  “My job here is done!” I tease him.

  “I’ll get you back. I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, but I will get you back.”

  “I’m sure you will.”

  “All right, babe. I need to head down for the bus. I’ve gotten texts from both Brian and Scott since I’ve been talking to you, asking where I am at.”

  “Okay, call me later and enjoy your afternoon golfing with the guys.”

  I get home and check on Max before I change out of my business attire and into something a little more comfortable. I make myself lunch, sending Becca a quick text to check in on her.

  Madison: Hey, heard you had a rough night. Can I stop by and help with anything? I can bring dinner over tonight, or tomorrow night if that’d be better.

  Becca: Thanks, it was rough. Kinley just got here, so maybe tomorrow night, as she’ll be working if that works for you.

  Madison: No problem at all. Get some rest and I’ll be in touch tomorrow.

  My afternoon at the spa is just what I didn’t know I needed today. I leave feeling relaxed and pampered. Taking this time just for me is exactly what was necessary to help melt away some of the stress I’ve been feeling lately. I head straight for my condo after I leave the spa, to meet Laura and the couple. Hopefully I can unload some of this stuff, since it’s all in great condition.

  I arrive a little early, so I take the time to load a few more boxes into my car that didn’t fit in the last couple of loads. I have a few that need to be donated still, and a few left to go to the house. Just as I’m loading the last box, Laura pulls into the parking lot.

  “Hey, how was your day?” she asks, greeting me.

  “It was good, how was yours?’ I reply, as we both walk into the building and wait for the elevator.

  “Good, office is quiet with the team gone. This time of year is always kind of strange. We’re past the trade deadline, so no possible surprise paperwork with trades can pop up. The only player movement that can happen at this point is if we call up a player due to an injury, and that doesn’t take much of my time. Otherwise, we’re just in this holding pattern until we know who we will play in the first round of the playoffs.

  “We’ve secured home ice advantage, at least through the first couple of rounds, so we’ve started to receive potential dates for the games from the league. But until they are finalized, we can’t do anything on our end, yet. So, like I said, it’s kind of a weird time of year and my life will become crazy, once all of the playoff dates are set in stone and we know who we’ll be playing in the first round. Sorry, I forget you understand how all of this works. I’m not used to my female friends understanding the inner workings of the sports world as much as I do.”

  I laugh. “Yeah, I guess we’re kind of an enigma. I love challenging unsuspecting people to sports trivia. It can be kind of fun watching them pale when they realize they’ve challenged the wrong woman.”

  “I loved doing that in college!” Laura laughs. “However, the guys caught on quickly never to challenge me to hockey-related stats, so my fun only lasted so long.”

  “Did you ever play hockey?”

  “Yes, I’m like most of the guys on the team. I’ve been wearing skates since I could walk. My dad didn’t care that I was a girl. He had me out on the ice with him all my life, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. Hockey has been good to me over the years. I don’t play it much anymore, but it will always be in my blood.”

  “Do you think you’ll buy your dad out one day and own the team?”

  “It’s something we’ve started to discuss. He’s nowhere near ready to retire and sell it off completely, though, and I’m already a part owner. He made sure of that when he started the team, and that my portion was protected when I married Robert, so that he couldn’t try and claim any ownership of the team, in the event we divorced. Thank God he did that, but in the end, Robert didn’t even mention my ownership when we divorced and were splitting assets,” she tells me as we reach my condo and I open the door.

  “That’s so awesome that you might one day own the team outright. Do you think any of the players would balk at the idea of playing for a team owned by a woman?”

  “I don’t think so, at least, not the guys who are on the team right now. They’ve all been very nice to me whenever I’ve interacted with them. Now, I don’t know how much that has to do with the fact that I’m the owner’s daughter or just because I’m just one of their co-workers in their eyes. Every team that I know of has women in their front offices, so it isn’t like they don’t interact with them at all. Have you dealt with guys not wanting to sign with you as an agent because you’re a woman?”

  “Oh, absolutely. The agency business is so sexist it’s not even funny. Thankfully, I work for an amazing agency and they don’t put up with that crap. When I first started out, the agency assigned lower-level clients to me and over the years, I’ve climbed my way up the ladder to the big-league players. Most of my clients are now ones that I obtain directly, either from scouting them myself or by referrals. My clients are happy with my representation, and they tell their friends who tell their friends, et cetera. I’m actually not taking on any new clients right now because my client list has grown so much in the last eighteen months.”

  “That’s great that business is so good for you. I love it when women excel in the sports and sports-related industry. We need more to join us.”

  “Oh, I agree wholeheartedly.”

  “Enough about work, let’s look at some furniture,” Laura says as we walk into the living room.

  “The dining set is over this way,” I say, taking a few steps toward the dining area. “And the other small tables are in the living room and in the guest room.”

  “This is a gorgeous set,” Laura says, walking around the table and chairs. “It will fit perfectly in my new place, so consider it sold.”

  “Great! When do you move in?”

  “I close on the house next week!” she says excitedly. “You were asking $300 for it, correct?”

  “Yes,” I confirm, as we walk back into the living room to look at the other pieces she was interested in.

  We’re in the bedroom when the buzzer sounds, alerting me that someone is downstairs. I quickly go answer it and buzz the couple up.

  “Hi,” I greet as I open the door.

  “Hello, we’re here to look at the furniture,” the young man says, holding out his hand for me to shake. “I’m Matt, and this is my wife, Susan.”

  “Nice to meet you both, please come in.”

  I show them the sets and after agreeing to a price, discuss getting in touch to set up a time for them to pick everything up, once they secure a moving truck. Once they head out, Laura and I chat for a little longer.

  “I think I’ll take the tables, as well. I don’t know exactly where I’ll use them, but the
house I’m buying is much bigger than the apartment I’ve been living in since my divorce.”

  “Perfect,” I tell her.

  “And you’re sure it’s not a problem for me to move everything next week once I close on the house?”

  “No problem at all. I’m not really in a rush to sell this place, so another week of the furniture sitting in here isn’t going to hurt or delay anything. I still have to have it cleaned and then maybe painted, if my realtor thinks anything needs to be updated.”

  “Thank you so much,” Laura states.

  We both grab our things and head for the door. I stop briefly to lock up, then we head for the elevator and back down to our cars.

  “Would you like to grab some dinner?” Laura asks as we approach our cars.

  “Sure! That would be lovely. All I’ve got waiting for me at home is some leftovers. Do you mind if I run home first to feed Max?”

  “That’s not a problem. I’ll run home myself and change into something a little more comfortable.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Did you have any specific place in mind?” I ask.

  “Does sushi sound appealing to you?”

  “Absolutely. Does the Sushi Bar work for you?”

  “That’s my favorite place,” Laura states.

  “Perfect, let’s plan to meet there in, say, forty-five minutes? Does that give you enough time to get home and then to the restaurant?” I ask.

  “That will work just fine. See you soon!” she says as she ducks into her car.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Madison

  My dinner with Laura last night was nice. We got to know each other a little more and have started a nice little friendship. Growing up, I was always such a tomboy that I didn’t have many girlfriends, so having my new little tribe of friends—Becca, Kinley, Laura, and Bridget—has been really refreshing and something that I’m learning to love. Their friendship these past days since we found out about my dad’s cancer has been one of the things keeping me upright. That, and having Richard by my side.