Page 46 of Houston, We Have a Problem
“Of course.” Now he sounds like he’s on the verge of laughing. “You good? I thought you had some fancy party with Micah tonight.”
“I do. Uh, Bonnie’s here.” And telling him that is supposed to help me?
There’s a pause and some shuffling, and then Jordan says, “Are you okay with that?”
“Of course. It’s a little weird, obviously, but I’m the one who invited her. It’s not like I’m still hung up on her or anything, and she’s here with Derek Riley anyway.”
“You met Derek Riley?”
I pull my phone away to stare at the screen as if that might help me make sense of what I just heard. “Brook?”
“Uh. Hi. Sorry. Jordan put you on speaker.”
Jordan finally admitted yesterday that they’re dating, but it’s still too weird to think about. I still can’t get the image of them kissing at trivia night out of my head, and that’s not something I need to dwell on right now when I’m pretty sure I just interrupted a make-out session. It was strange enough hearing some of the things he said about my sister yesterday—all of them good—and inevitably wondering if we’re going to end up brothers rather than friends.
I think… I think I’m okay with that.
“You okay, Hou?” Brook asks.
I let out a deep sigh. I need to get back inside and see if Micah’s dad has shown up yet. I called Lloyd hoping he would come to support Micah, knowing she wouldn’t have told him about this because this is where he married our mom. There are a lot of painful memories associated with this place since Mom’s death. But I also wanted Lloyd to come so I could pick his brain about what to do when I can no longer play. He’s gotten into all sorts of different businesses, so I’m hoping he has some goodideas. It might make the thought of retiring easier to bear if I have a game plan.
“I’m fine,” I tell Brook, even if it doesn’t feel very true. “Congrats on the new job, by the way.”
There’s a thump, and then Jordan says, “Ow!”
“I wanted to be the one to tell him!” Brook complains.
“You really are terrifying with that pillow, Queens.”
Shaking my head, I start making my way back across the deck to the open doors. “I’m glad you’re getting back into what you love, Blondie.” Even if I still don’t know why she got out of research in the first place, Jordan says she couldn’t be happier about this lab job she’s starting up on the weekends.
I feel like everyone’s lives are passing me by, while I’m stuck in this big unknown. I don’t like it. “You’ll have to tell me all about it,” I add, hating that I have to say it. Brook and I used to tell each other everything.
“I will,” she promises. “Have fun tonight, and tell Micah that she’s amazing!”
“Tell Derek Riley that he’s the bomb dot com,” Jordan adds.
“Yeah, I’m not saying that.” I hang up right as I step back into the lights and music.
A small cheer rings out from a group over by the photo backdrop, a nice boost to the ego as they scurry over to get a photo with me as soon as I arrive.
“Welcome back,” Derek grunts.
“Everything okay?” Bonnie asks.
My phone buzzes with another text that I read in between photos. It’s exactly the kind of text I want to get, but I can’t bring myself to feel hopeful when I’m still so confused by the stupid Jesse thing.
Darcy: I loved seeing you with all those kids today, by the way. You seem like a great coach.
Why do relationships have to be so difficult?
Chapter Eighteen
Darcy
October 30
I may not want tobe here, but I can see why Connor wanted Tamlin to come to this gala. It’s an annual sort of thing hosted by the World Series winners as a way to give back to their communities and show their gratitude for their fans. Because the dinner is at minimum five hundred bucks a plate, most of the people here are incredibly high profile, from star athletes to team owners to celebrities wanting to build their image.
