Game Winner (Penalty Kill 3)

“Levi, I’ve never failed before,” I say quietly.

“And you’re not going to fail this time either,” he reassures me.

“Thank you.” I sniffle at him. “Thank you for loving and supporting me.”

“Presley McCarthy, you’ll never have to thank me for that. I should thank you for loving and supporting me. I promise it’s going to be just fine.”

I sit there, silently, listening to the sounds of the city around me and Levi breathing softly on the phone.

“I love you,” Levi whispers to me.

“I love you too.”

“Can I ask a question? Because you did wake me up. Did you say Trevor was engaged?” Levi asks.

I giggle. “I helped him pick out a ring today. Marley doesn’t know, but yes, he’s going to ask her to marry him.”

“Wow,” is all he says.

“Hey, Levi.” I clear my throat, unsure if I should say anything. “Do you ever think about our lives, you know, like in the future?”

“Smarty, I love you. More than anything. However, I really don’t want to talk about marriage, houses, and kids at three o’clock in the morning over the phone. Especially when both of us have to be up in a few hours. I need to get to the gym and you need to explore the city.”

“You’re right. We can always talk about this some other time.” Levi’s right. We shouldn’t be talking about this over the phone and there’s no rush.

“I love you. Go get some rest and call me tomorrow,” he directs to me.

“I love you.” I take a deep breath and hang up.

I sit there looking at the brightly lit skyline of Pittsburgh. This is going to be my new home. This is where my new life is about to embark. I close my eyes and count to ten. Levi’s right, my dad is right; I’m smart and a strong woman. I can do this.

~

“Wow, this place is beautiful,” Marley gasps as we walk into the last apartment.

Stacy, the realtor, called Mom this morning and said another place had just opened up and she wanted to show us. The first five buildings were a bust.

“Presley, this is perfect for you,” my mom says, walking over to the massive windows that face out to the street.

“How far is it from the school?” I ask Stacy, who is standing next to me.

“About a mile. This area is full of young people, couples, and starting out business people. It’s really a great neighborhood.”

I look at the apartment, strolling through it. The living room is large enough to fit two couches, and the updated kitchen would be perfect for someone who cooked a lot. I can almost picture Levi in there making chili. As I go down the small hallway, there is a massive master bedroom. It is the size of my current living room, and a large bathroom is attached.

“This is out of my budget.” The building also has a gym, a pool, and a running track. Add all that together with the view, and I can never afford it.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you knew.” Stacy looks from my mom to me.

“Knew what?” I ask her.

“A Mr. McCarthy called me the other day and said that price wasn’t an issue as long as it was a safe, secure building in a good neighborhood. He already gave me the information to take care of the deposits and everything. All you had to do was pick the place.”

I throw my hands in the air, stalking over to the large picture living room windows. Even though I should be so thankful that my dad is doing this, I’m a little irked that he did.

“Presley, did you really think he wouldn’t do that?” Marley asks, giggling.

I turn back around, and my mother is smiling. I shake my head. “No, I shouldn’t be surprised at all. I just wanted to do it on my own.”