Page 78 of Tackle

“But as far as the health department’s concerned, you’re in the clear.”

“Thank you,” Emerson mumbled, still distracted.

“Take care, Ms. Kelly.”

“He’s not wrong, you know,” Leslie said as soon as Franks and Lopez left.

Emerson turned to see she’d come up beside her. “How do you mean?”

Leslie shrugged. “I don’t know. It just seems like you’ve had your fair share of bad luck lately and maybe it’s not all coincidental.”

Emerson reflected on that a minute. She frowned. “I did have a moment’s thought that it still might be Holly, but I doubt it’s her.”

“Why do you say that?” Leslie asked.

“She’s in a whole other state.”

“They do have telephones in other states, you know.”

Emerson shook her head. “No, I know. I had that thought too. But… I don’t know… Why would she go to so much trouble? It doesn’t make sense.”

Leslie’s eyes bugged. “Isn’t not making sense the definition of Holly?”

“I guess,” Emerson mumbled, but she still didn’t think it was Holly. Problem was, if her bad luck wasn’t a coincidence, she wasn’t sure what else it could be.

Chapter Twenty-five

“You’ll text me the minute you land?” Emerson said, sounding worried. “I know I’ll still be in the air but I want to see a text from you when I turn my phone back on.”

Standing in the middle of the airport terminal, Oz cupped Emerson’s face. He hated that they had to take separate flights to the Super Bowl and that his was leaving an hour before hers, knowing that she was nervous to fly after the scare they’d had two weeks before with Ivy. But he wasn’t sure what to say to alleviate her fears. He figured stating statistics was a moot point.

“I promise to text you but only if you do the same,” Oz assured.

“As soon as the plane’s wheels touch the ground,” she promised.

“I hate leaving you here alone. You’ll go straight to your terminal and look for Ivy, right?” Thankfully, for his peace of mind, the girls had booked the same flight and each had already sworn not to let the other out of their sight until they reached the hotel.

“As soon as I watch your plane take off.”

He supposed he had to be happy with that.

He heard his name called. Looking over his shoulder, he held up an index finger at his coach. “I’ve got to go.”

Emerson clutched at his hips and he knew exactly how she was feeling. He didn’t want to let her go either. “I’ll see you in a few hours,” he promised.

She nodded. “And we’ll have the whole evening to ourselves. Ivy will be off having dinner with Colt and his parents and your mom’s flight won’t be in until tomorrow afternoon.”

Oz heard his name called again and knew he was running out of time. There was just one last thing he wanted to say. “I love you.”

She moved her hands from his hips to wrap her arms around his torso. “I love you too,” she mumbled into his chest.

“Last warning, Oz. Get your ass over here.”

Emerson stepped away. “Go. I don’t want you getting into trouble.”

He leaned over and brushed her lips with his. Not the kiss he wanted, but with the time constraint, better than nothing. “I’ll see you soon.”

He looked back one last time once he reached the entrance to the bridge. She waved and he held up a hand. They weren’t novices at saying goodbye to each other, but it never got any easier.

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