Page 5 of Taylor

“How are you holding up?” he asked, knowing this situation would be hard on Taylor, aware of the accommodations he needed during their travels.

“Good. My family was going to surprise us with a trip to Disney, so I think I actually dodged a bullet,” he said before sipping more coffee. “Now I just have to figure out how to get back to New York.”

“If you’re looking for a few quiet days, my cabin is open. My family is having their holiday in the city this year instead of our cabin. It is empty and quiet. Much better for relaxing than Disney.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course. It’s just sitting there, empty, right now. It has everything you need for a couple days of R&R,” said Coach Wagner.

“Wow, that actually sounds perfect,” Taylor said, relief settling in after this good news.

“You’re welcome to it, as long as you don’t mind spending Christmas alone. I don’t know how you feel about that.”

“You know me, Coach... Any excuse for alone time in the season is appreciated.”

“Well, it’s yours if you want it. Snow’s not bad there yet. If you rent a car, you can be there in an hour.”

“Seriously?”

Coach nodded. “It’s yours. I’ll text you the code to the door.”

“Thank you so much. It sounds great. I appreciate it.”

“Think nothing of it. There aren’t many players I would offer my cabin to, but I know you, and I trust you,” Coach said with a hearty clasp on the shoulder.

“Thank you,” he said, ready to get out of this airport.

He turned to say goodbye to the woman who had waved over Coach Wagner... but she was nowhere to be seen...

That’s odd.

2

ALICE

“Yes, Mom, I’m sure I won’t make it. I got stuck on a business trip.”

“So, you’re liking your new job?”

“Loving it!”

Alice lied.

“Okay, well, come over when you get home. I feel like I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“Of course. I’ll talk to you later.”

Letting out a big exhale, she hung up her phone and tossed in on the couch next to her.

Did she feel bad for lying to her mom on Christmas...? Maybe a little, but she couldn’t face her family this year. They would be having Christmas in New York City with her ultra successful sister and her perfect family, as well as her sports doctor brother and his perfect family. Alice couldn’t bring herself to face them and let them know she had been fired from another job.

No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t seem to get her life together. She’d never had a job held for over a year because she could never hold it together long enough. She wasa fuck-up, a twenty-eight-year-old who had only got by because she had a family to bail her out.

The timer on her phone went offto rinse her hair. She walked to the bathroom and got in the shower. After testing the water to make sure it was the right temperature, she got in and watched multicolored water swirl down the drain. She had just left her office job and decided to color her hair in celebration. Who can be sad when they have rainbow hair?

When she finished in the shower, steam filled the bathroom. The mirror squeaked as she wiped away the condensation to get a good look. It looked pretty good, but you couldn’t tell much when it was wet. In search of a hair dryer, she dug through the bathroom until she found an old one. She didn’t really have any plans for the next week except relax, paint, draw, and get her life figured out before New Year’s. It was time.

Luckily, the blow dryer worked, and she dried her hair and peered at her reflection. It was perfect, vibrant, and colorful. If she could have hair like this all the time, she would. She felt like herself when she was allowed to be as colorful as she wanted to be.

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