Page 4 of Home Field Advantage
“Not to jump into anything when you’re already down about it, but…” She wrings her hands together like she’s nervous. “We need to talk.”
“Not you, too,” I groan.
She tilts her head and raises a brow in confusion.
“Clark”—I blindly gesture to the locker room I just came out of—“he also had a word with me right before this.”
“Right.” She nods.
“Can I have a word with you, too?” Sage asks, looking up at me.
“For you? I’ll give you as many words as you want.”
“I want a bazillion,” she emphasizes.
I poke her nose with my index finger. “Then a bazillion words you get. And if it’s okay with Mommy, maybe we can get a post-game treat? That always fixes everything.”
“Can it be ice cream? Please!” she pleads, hands clasped together.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Depends on what kind?”
“Cotton candy! Duh!” She giggles.
“Then we candefinitelyget ice cream.” Sage dances where she stands, and I look up to April. “If that’s okay with you?”
April nods but remains silent as she turns to walk down the hall. Sage takes my hand as we follow out into the parking lot. She skips the entire way to my car. Once I have her buckled in her seat, I close the door and face April.
“You want to talk now or later?”
“I really hate to do this now,” she says, the words coming out painfully, like shereallydoesn’t want to have to do this. “But I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it for the past month. I didn’t want to put more on your plate with the busy end of season schedule, but now they need an answer.”
“Who needs an answer to what?”
She averts her gaze briefly, and I know her enough to know she avoids eye contact with me when she’s nervous.
“I was offered a new job opportunity,” she spits out quickly.
“That’s great?” I question, unsure what has her so nervous. “Are you going to accept?”
April finally looks at me again. “I’d like to. But it requires moving to Wyoming. They want me to help get the new obstetrics team up and running at the new hospital. It’s ahugeopportunity for me, and an honor to even be asked. The other hospital on the opposite side of Cheyenne has outgrown their department and can no longer keep up with the demand. It’s only temporary.”
Did she say Wyoming?
What the fuck?
When I don’t respond right away, she continues. “It’s not my favorite idea to move out of San Francisco and uproot Sage’s life, even if it’s only temporary.”
Just as I’m about to open my mouth to ask more questions, the conversation I had with Clark circles my head like a movie replay that was meant to come into focus at this very moment.
A second chance to get my life together.
“I’m sorry to spring this all on you. I just need to give them an answer,” April finally says. “But we have to discuss Sage.”
“Take the job. I’m coming with you.”
CHAPTER 1
DID YOU SEARCH FOR SMALL TOWNS TO LIVE IN WYOMING?
