Page 63 of Huge Pucking Play

"And? How did he take it?"

I twist my napkin between my fingers. "He was shocked at first, but then...supportive. Very supportive."

"That's wonderful!" Her face softens. "Isn't it?"

The tears spill over now. "Marjorie knows about us."

Sophie's expression darkens. "Oh, shit. How?"

"Apparently, one of the players said something to her." I swipe at my cheeks. "She called me into her office today. Said I had to end things with Garrett or she'd fire me."

"She can't do that!" Sophie's voice rises, drawing glances from nearby tables.

"She can. And she will." I stare down at the table. "Conflict of interest. Ethics violation."

Our drinks arrive. Sophie waits for the waitress to leave before continuing. "Have you told Garrett about this yet?"

"No." I take a long sip of tea. "It just happened this morning."

"Okay." She reaches for my hand again. "Let's think this through. You're pregnant. You love your job. Marjorie is threatening to destroy your career unless you dump the father of your baby, who happens to be a coach you work with professionally."

Put that way, it sounds like a bad soap opera. I nod miserably.

"And you want to be with Garrett, right?"

The question catches me off guard. But the answer comes without hesitation: "Yes."

Sophie squeezes my hand. "Then don't you dare let Marjorie take this from you."

"But my job?—"

"Is a job." She cuts me off. "An important one, yes. But there are other jobs, Cyn. There's only one Garrett, and only one baby—your baby."

I shake my head. "It's not that simple. If she fires me with cause, finding another position in sports medicine would be nearly impossible. All that education, all that debt..." My voice catches. "What kind of mother would I be if I can't even support myself?"

"The kind who chose love over fear." Sophie sits back, studying me. “There are solutions if you're looking for them instead of problems."

"Like what?" I ask, desperate for any path forward.

"Talk to Garrett first. He's on the leadership team—maybe he can talk to management about some options.”

The waitress returns for our order. Sophie gets a salad. I manage to request soup despite the knot in my stomach.

"What if there are no options?" I ask when we're alone again.

"Then you face that together too." Sophie's voice is softens now. "But Cyn, life's too short to let bitter women like Marjorie dictate your happiness. Trust me on this."

She winks, and I find myself smiling.

"Tell Garrett everything," she continues. "Don't make decisions out of fear. Make them from love. For yourself, for him, for the baby."

Our food arrives, and Sophie dives into her salad while I stir my soup aimlessly.

"How is it," I ask after a moment, "that you always make the most complicated situations sound so simple?"

"Because they are." She points her fork at me. "Love is simple. Everything else is just logistics."

I don't entirely believe that, but something in her certainty steadies me. The panic that's been clawing at my chest since Marjorie's office eases slightly.

---