“Let me help you both. I can take out another loan on the gym. I have some savings.”
I drop my head into the curve of her neck, clutching my hands around her back and hiccupping a sob. I love her tenderness and compassion even more than I do her courage and tenaciousness. She’s fierce and driven and the best friend a girl could have.
“You’ve done more than enough already. And maybe you’re right.” I pull back from her embrace as she flicks away a teardrop from my cheek. “Maybe I can schedule an interview with Coach Green first. If not, then I’ll work my way down the list. I’ll pull up my big girl panties and make it happen.”
“Atta girl,” she says, giving me an encouraging double thumbs up. “Now, maybe you should think about taking a shower. You smell like a winery.”
She darts out of my reach as I let out an exaggerated gasp, trying to smack her ass for the comment. Just as I’m about to run out of the kitchen after her, my phone lights up with an incoming call.
I glance down at the number. It’s a 206 area code. A Seattle number. Relief washes over me as I know it’s not an emergency call about Hannah from Spokane.
Curious as to who it is, I hit the answer button.
“Hello? This is Harper Conrad speaking.”
My greeting is met with a moment of silence until a deep, recognizable voice fills up the line.
“Miss Conrad. Marek Talbert. Did I catch you at a good time?”
After picking my jaw up off the floor, I nod before remembering to use my words.
“Yes. Sure. Of course. Hello, Marek.”
“I won’t beat around the bush. We have a press conference scheduled at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow at the arena. My media team will have a badge for you and a cameraman, if you have one, at the press entrance on the north side. You’ll have a chance to ask two questions. I hope they’re good ones. We’ll see you then.”
I’m about to say…well, something.Anything. But the line goes dead before I have a chance.
Holy shit.
Marek Talbert just called to personally invite me to the team’s press conference tomorrow.
I’m literally stuck in this position when Jade comes wandering back in, holding two bottles in her hand.
“Which shampoo do you like better? Apple Blossom or Lemon Meringue?”
She looks up at me and then scowls.
“What’s the matter? Was that Hannah who called?”
My head is still in a trance as I slowly shake it. I open my mouth in slow motion and then snap it closed, doing this twice more before I can finally get the words out.
“That was…holy fuck…it was Marek Talbert. He invited me to the press conference tomorrow.”
My knees give out and I slide down to the floor, my back against the cupboards.
Jade throws her arms in the air, bottles hoisted high, with a celebratory whoop.
“Praise Jesus! It’s a miracle of all miracles.” She twirls in a circular happy dance before stopping suddenly with a panicked look on her face. “Oh shit, Harp. We need to get you something to wear and do your hair…and you need to rehearse your questions. Let’s go.Chop, chop!”
She claps the bottles together in an attempt to wake me from my haze.
Am I dreaming this? Did he personally just call to invite me to interview him?
Because reality doesn’t work like this. At least, not usually for me.
But I’ll take whatever I can get and consider it a win.