"I’ve been fixing up around the condo," she explains. I bought her a condo when I signed my first contract. You would think after eighteen years, she would have put money aside, but that would be too obvious. "And the air conditioner unit gave out." And there it is.
"How much?" I ask, knowing I’ll fix it for her.
"They said I should put in a new unit, but you know I don’t have the money for that."
"Of course you don’t," I mumble.
"Don’t you pull that shit on me, Bradley." I roll my eyes now. "You were the one left with a trust fund, not the one who raised you," she hisses. "That sorry son-of-a-bitch excuse of a man could have at least taken care of me since I gave him his only son." And there it is—the bitterness that lives inside her.
"Send me the number, and I’ll call the guy," I say, rushing to get off the phone with her.
"Thank you. How are you doing?"
I shake my head, walking out of the room toward my bedroom. "I’m fine, Mom."
"Are you in any more trouble?" she asks as I turn on the shower.
"Not yet. But the season just started."
"Well, try to stay out of trouble," she scolds. "With all the extra money you might have from not paying back to the league, you can send your mother a check."
"Sorry, Mom, someone is at the door." I use any excuse to get off the phone with her. "Send me the information, and I’ll get it settled right away."
"Thank you. And if you need anything, let me know." I almost laugh out loud at that last line.
I hang up the phone, shaking my head. "Best behavior," I remind myself. I look at myself in the mirror. "You can do it." If only I believed those words myself.
Chapter 3
Frances
Ava sticks her head into my office. "If you don’t need anything else?" She smiles. "I’m going to head out."
Looking up at the clock in the corner of the computer, I see it’s just after six. "I’m so sorry for keeping you later than five. How about if you work later than five, you can take off the hours on a Friday?” I smile at her as her eyes light up.
“I think working for you is going to be really good.” She grins. “Also nice email.”
I roll my lips, thinking back to the email I sent to everyone, including the owner. It wasn’t a bad email, just a recap of what was discussed in the meeting and the other idea brought forward. I’m not going to do this he said/she said bullshit with any of them. It’ll all be documented from the beginning. "I just informed everyone on what I was going to do on my end."
Ava chuckles. "You sure did." Turning, she walks to her desk to grab her purse. I open the email again to reread it, and if I could, I would give me a high five.
Picking up my phone, I pull up the number and press the blue phone button. It rings twice, and then he picks up. "Well, well, well," he says, and a smile just fills my face. "Why are you calling me and not FaceTiming me?"
"Well, first, I didn’t know if you would pick up." I hear the ringing of the phone and look down to see that he is trying to FaceTime me. I click connect and watch the little wheel go around in a circle while it connects. His face fills the screen, and my heart clenches in my chest when I realize how much I miss home. "Hi, Uncle Max."
"There she is," he says with a smile on his face. "Miss Producer."
I roll my eyes. "Or just Franny."
"How're you doing?" he asks, and I have to swallow the lump in my throat. I will never admit to anyone that I’m out of my comfort zone or I regret this decision.
"Amazing," I lie. "Had my first board meeting today."
He whistles. "I see you're kicking ass and taking names already." And I can see that he’s at home in Long Island. Last year, when my cousin, Michael, moved to Dallas, it didn’t take him long to follow. It also helped that Michael had his first child, and the thought of not living by their grandchild was just too much for both him and my aunt Allison.
"I don’t know about that." I try to keep my voice calm and not let him see how I really feel. "But my segment got approved."
"Is that a good thing?" He’s not sure if he should be happy or not.
I smile now. "It’s a great thing."
"What are you not telling me?" His eyes narrow to slits. "Do I have to come over there?"
I laugh nervously. "Not yet, but …"
He shrieks, "Aha!" He points at me. "I knew there was more to this phone call."