Page 18 of The Player Penalty
One more ritual to complete, and then the rest of the day is mine.
“Hey, Dad. It’s me, Julian. Your son,” I say after the familiar beep. Does he even listen to these? This may no longer be his number, and I’m dumping family problems on some stranger in Boise, Idaho. “In case you missed today’s race, I won it. A teammate pushed me there at the end, putting me across the finish line. I’m getting better. Maybe you and Mom could watch one?” I’m not that big an idiot. There’s no point in begging a bitter old man who resents my existence. If your father says you’re dead to him, believe him the first time. It will save you a lot of pain. “I mentioned Christmas in my last message. It looks like we won’t get together this year too. Is this still your number? I don’t know if you’ll even get this, and I no longer care. Life happens when you’re busy being miserable. Say hello to Mom for me.”
Julian: You want to play? The flight isn’t for a few hours.
My phone rings seconds later.
“Okay, hear me out. It’s a bold plan, but it just might work,” she says.
“Hit me.”
“We play something else.”
The throbbing headache is gone. The aspirin took care of all my lingering soreness. That was surprisingly quick. “It’s a risk. What do you have in mind?”
7-Lily
“I want to thank everyone for coming to this tropical paradise because of the cold weather up north.” Guests chuckle while Boone looks at Maddie and smiles. It softens his features, so the frozen tension around his eyes and mouth disappears. He seems almost friendly. “Madelyn and I have given each other many names during our relationship: boss, assistant, partner, friend, and asshole. That was me, by the way.” He pauses while the gathered crowd laughs. I can’t be the only one who thinks the last title is deserved. Sarah and Jake forgave him, while I still think he was horrible to her. “Since then, I’ve called Madelyn my love, heart, girlfriend, and fiancée. Now, I finally get to add the last one, wife.”
Boone Rivers rambles on, and I tune him out, choosing to look over the crowd instead. The wedding was perfect; it was a simple ceremony on the beach, with guests standing in a crowd around them. The two of them matched perfectly, her in all white and him in black—a devil and an angel, that was them.
The reception is outside, too, which makes sense in a tropical paradise like this one. People take advantage of the open bar, ordering pretty drinks with umbrellas and fruit wedges. My twenty-first birthday is long past, and I’m sticking to a single Shirley Temple. It’s a virgin, like me, but it won’t get me drunk either. I’ve drunk alcohol many times before, but I won’t riskgetting hammered in front of my father and a wedding full of strangers.
“I haven’t thanked you for joining me,” Dad says. “This was a nice trip before the holidays, wasn’t it?”
Like most of the men in attendance, Dad is decked out in a cotton shirt and chinos. Not surprisingly, Julian is the exception. He’s dressed in a perfectly tailored suit and is currently busy flirting with one of the servers. If my useless eye is any guide, he won’t be around much longer, either.
“I’m glad we were invited.” I smile and secretly wish we were at home. Unfortunately, they invited my dad, and he invited me. Now, I’m surrounded by strangers at a tacky tiki bar. There are some familiar faces, but they’re busy being in a couple, and my dad doesn’t count.
I go back to staring at Julian, who catches my eye, nods, and returns to his conversation.
Dad notices and says, “Are you comfortable working with him? If you’re interested, I spoke to Boone about a place in the accounting department. Lots of useful skills are there for you, and I’m sure we can do something permanent once you finish school.”
I want to choke. “I’m not his type, Dad; plus, working with him leaves me a lot of free time for school, and you know how important that is. He works around my schedule, which helps so much. I’m keeping up very well this semester.”
He hesitates. “Tell me if he steps even a toe out of line.”
Every word I spoke was accurate, if only part of the story. Julian’s rules are simple ones. First, I do whatever I want, and second, I use the time to work on school. Every so often, he asksme to get him lunch. I see him a few days every week, and I’m not stuck in a department or job role that will lead to failure.
Dad appreciates that I’m nearby while I avoid the silly internship he bargained for.
“I will, promise. It’s fun working so close to you. I’m glad for the opportunity.” That last part is true.
Dad kisses my temple and yawns before we turn our attention to the dance floor. Most guests are part of a couple and busily take advantage of the live band and warm breeze.
“It’s past my bedtime,” he says. “Don’t forget your medicine.”
“My alarm is set.”
He leaves, and I sit at the table alone and lonely. Julian is my closest friend and is busy looking for another score. Sarah is dancing in her husband’s arms. A braver person might go looking for a dance partner of her own. The idea terrifies me.
I slip away from the party and down the short trail to the beach. At this late hour, there’s no one but me. The wind picks up enough to tickle rather than push, so I wander closer to the water’s edge.
I shake my hair loose and quickly separate the strands. Stepping out of my shoes, I step further into the water, and my toes dig into the wet sand.
Once, as a little girl, my dad took me on a beach vacation. The waves and sounds of the ocean fascinated me, but the idea of actually entering the water was frightening. I’d heard stories of people drowning or being eaten by sharks and was convinced that would be my fate. So, I spent the entire time happily making castles in the sand while my dad fruitlessly tried coaxing me into the water. The more he pushed, the more scared I became.
Our next vacation involved a series of museum trips.
