Page 2 of Going for Two

Neither of the Thompson sisters had been known for their romantic relationships. While I had never given dating much importance, Olivia looked at it as a source of entertainment. Romance had never been in our vocabulary after watching the destruction of our parents’ relationship and how that had affected us as kids. Which was exactly why Olivia was looking at me like I potentially needed medical attention.

“Yeah,” I whispered back to her. “I’m okay.”

“I’m honestly disappointed I took tonight off for this stupid wedding. Let’s bail after the first dance,” Olivia suggested as the first chords of our friend’s dance pumped through the DJ’s speakers. “We can go to our favorite spot in the city and celebrate before you start tomorrow. Then there will officially be two Thompson sisters in Chicago professional sports.”

That ache of longing in my chest grew as I watched the way the newlywed couple danced in a room full of people as if they were the only two there. They were so attuned to each other, they moved as one around the dance floor. The groom leaned down to whisper in Heather’s ear, telling her something that had her throwing her head back with joyous laughter.

I wonder how it would feel to have someone know exactly how to make you laugh.

The closest I’d ever gotten to that kind of joy was through my job—between the relationships I built with my athletes and the joy I had when I nailed someone’s recovery to give them the chance of returning to what they love to do. All of it was fulfilling, but I was certain it was nothing compared to being known completely by someone else.

Maybe now that I’d achieved my dreams there was finally time for me to focus on something besides a career. Maybe there was more out there than the next achievement I could list at the bottom of my resume. Maybe there was a different kind of achievement I could strive for—like filling my life with memories that I could look back on fondly with someone when we were old and grey.

I might have achieved things in my life that were tremendous, but there were plenty of things I had yet to do that I had never given much importance to before. I didn’t want to wonder what those experiences were like anymore.

Olivia and I snuck out of the reception once we got to speak with Heather and the dance floor filled up. Neither of us really enjoyed being around the people of our past. It reminded us too much of raised voices, doors slamming, and pretending that everything was fine to all the people in that very room.

I tossed the keys to Olivia as we approached the car. Her ability to endure the people at the party without the need to drink more than one glass of champagne was far greater than mine. The two of us sang at the top of our lungs to all our favorite songs as we drove back into the city and toward our favorite place. The lights on Lake Shore Drive passed overhead as we circled around the city to the north side. The parking lot was empty when we pulled in. The sun had long set and anyone that had been enjoying the last few days of good weather in Chicago was gone.

We made our way down to the beach off 12th Street hand in hand with our heels dangling from our fingers. Before either of us could sink down onto the sand, we turned together to look at the massive stadium that sat looming over Lake Michigan—Gateway Stadium, the home of the Chicago Bobcats and the place I’d be spending many of my weekends this year. While the team’s practice building was on the south side of the city, the stadium was positioned proudly as part of the skyline.

“Are you excited?” Olivia’s voice brought me back from my spinning thoughts.

“I am.” I gave her hand a squeeze.

“I’m not sure I can give you advice. Football’s quite different from baseball.” Olivia worked for the Chicago Cougars, the city’s professional baseball team, and was at the end of her fourth season with the team. She had a huge hand in inserting the Cougars’ marketing into pop culture moments. This season the team was positioned to make it to the playoffs and potentially make a run at the World Series.

Olivia approached her job with a more carefree attitude than I did, like going out with the team during the off-season or even helping our friend, Maggie Redford, fall in love with the team’s shortstop, Tommy Mikals. All things I considered distractions.

I was sure that any advice that she could give me would be far from anything I would find useful.

“You’re probably right,” I agreed as the two of us devolved into a fit of laughter.

“Maybe don’t fall in love with anyone. I mean, it ended up good for Maggie, but man—the drama.”

“I don’t think that will ever apply to me, but thanks for the sentiment. I already get enough scrutiny being a woman in this industry. There’s no need to bring any more attention to myself.”

“I think you’re about to go on the ride of a lifetime,” she told me absentmindedly as she continued to look up at the modern lines of the stadium.

“Maybe.”

“You don’t think so?” Olivia’s brows pinched together as she looked over at me as if the four glasses of champagne I’d consumed at the wedding were affecting my head. “This is rumored to be Nolan Hill’s last season. At the very least, I’m sure you’ll be around a media frenzy.”

“Maybe.”

“Okay, what are you thinking in that big, beautiful head of yours?” Olivia leveled me with a look.

“I’ve just been wondering if I’m missing something lately,” I admitted to her quietly once I finally tore my eyes away from the stadium and turned around to study where the lake blended in with the night sky.

“Like what?” Olivia sank down in the sand and I followed suit.

“I wonder if I’ve missed out on life and it’s too late. Sometimes I feel like I focused too much on a career that will never matter when it comes to the end of my life, and I haven’t invested any time into making moments that I’ll look back on to prove that I reallylived.”

“It’s never too late,” my sister replied fiercely. It was easy for her to say. She had always been the more free-spirited of the two of us. “What do you want to do? Bungee jump? Go to a new country? Karaoke? Eat at a five-star restaurant?”

Leave it to Olivia to immediately dive into an idea without questioning it at all. She has always had one of the biggest hearts.

“I’m not sure. I need to think about it,” I admitted. All I knew was that something was missing.

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