Page 83 of Force At Third

“In the words of Lizzo, it’s about damn time.” Chloe beams.

“It’s not?—”

“It is,” Leland cuts me off. “Even they knew it was inevitable. You and I just need the time to catch up.”

“Ooo … this is gonna be better than the daytime soap operas we used to watch.” Chloe laughs.

“The what?” Roman asks.

“Oh, that’s right. Y’all had cable. CeCe and I had a set of rabbit ear antennae,” Chloe answers.

“They missed out,” CeCe adds.

“Damn right, they did.” Chloe winks.

“You have cable?” Pope asks Roman.

“May never have gone out to eat, but Gram’s wouldn’t have survived a day without some Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy,” Roman answers.

***

Pope and Whit head back to their place so he can catch a few hours before having to be at the field for their third game against the Brewers. Chloe, CeCe, Leland, Roman, who will be on the injured players list until cleared, and I are heading back to CeCe’s.

With everyone out of the vehicle and Locke holding the door open for me, I shake my head.

“I need to see Marks. I need my phone. I need?—”

“You’re going to go inside and rest. Marks will be here. The rest can wait.”

“No, it can’t wait. I need to call Mom. She’s?—”

“Landing at Trenton in”—he looks at his watch—“thirty minutes.”

“What!”

“Told you all of this, Gwen.” Gwen. “Now, please get inside and chill, got me?”

“Got you?” I ask, pissed.

“Fuck, really?” He shakes his head in frustration.

“You’re not my father.”

“Damn right, I’m not,” he states.

Chloe comes around the SUV. “Gwen, come inside with me?”

I hold up my finger. “Give me a minute.”

I turn back to him. He’s leaning against the SUV, arms crossed.

“Trying here, Gwen. Trying real hard. Work with me?”

“There’s no room for everyone here.” I throw my hands in the air.

“They can have my place.”

“Um, hello, fire.”

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