Page 15 of Double or Nothing

I realize I’m jumping in blindly, that I should read this contract over, or have someone read it over for me. What’s the worst that can happen? I mean, my life can’t get any worse than it is. It can only go up from here, right? So, I take the fancy non-Bic pen from his hand and sign my name next to the x.

“So, when do I start?” I ask.

“How soon can you pack?”

I know he said we would need to get a start on things right away, but I guess I didn’t realize how immediate that was going to be.

“I… uh, I have a few things I need to take care of.” Like telling Kat. And Mac. I need them with me. I can’t do this without them.

For the first time, I crack a smile. The thought of the three of us hitting New York and making it big. They’re my family. The only family I need, anyway.

“You’ve got two days. Wheel’s up on Sunday at noon.”

Fuck, that’s a quick turnaround.

I look at my signature on the page. There’s no backing out now. I don’t have a choice.

What I need to do is get ahold of Kat. Tell her what happened and that I want her to come with me. Mac, too.

Dante extends his hand to me. “Sutton Cole, I hope to hell you’re ready to be a star.”

“More than ready,” I assure him.

He slides on the sunglasses that are probably more expensive than the damn trailer I live in and walks out of the restaurant.

Still in awe, I sit back in my seat in the booth. The blank copy of the contract lies before me.

This is it.

This is my new beginning.

The start of a future for me and Kat.

Chapter 10

Sutton

Come on, Kitty Kat, where are you?

After meeting with Dante, I immediately called Kat. When she didn’t answer, I opted to run home and start packing my stuff. Wheels up on Sunday, Dante reminded me before he sped away down the street.

Packing should be easy. It’s not like I have a lot. A handful of clothes. A few things of my mom. Some cards that Kat made me. And my guitar. I’m sure they’ll want me to play with a decent one, not this resale shop guitar I purchased four years ago. Even so, this, right here, it’s my baby. No way am I leaving her behind.

I’m packed. I’m ready to roll. I still have a whole day until I leave.

The message I left for Kat asked her to meet me at the baseball field at six. It’s twenty after six, and she’s still not here. The minute I finished packing, I headed out to meet her. Sure, I had plenty of time between when I finished and when I was supposed to meet her, but I was too excited to just sit around and wait. Not to mention, I didn’t want to risk my dad waking up. No way in hell was I about to let him ruin the best day of my life.

My feet kick the dirt as I pace the field while I wait for Kat. Memories of meeting Mac here, of the homeruns, the cheers in the crowd, hit me hard. How when Grandma Virginia cheered, everyone else was drowned out. It makes me laugh thinking of that. Even more so how much it reminds me of Kat.

My biggest fans.

“Hey, hot stuff.” The sound of her voice instantly brings a smile to my face.

“Hey there, Kitty Kat.”

“So? What was so important that I had to rush right over here?” she asks as she saunters toward me.

“You’re twenty minutes late,” I argue. I’m mostly joking, but I have to admit, the excitement is killing me. And she was the first person I needed to share the news with.

---