The One (Coming Home To The Grove 3)

“Well, you better be. The companies are watching, and they’re not going to hire an athlete that can’t even throw a strike.”

I roll my eyes. What happened to the guy that’s constantly kissing my ass? One bad day, and he’s turned into an asshole. “Got it, Mike. I’ll get it together.”

And then before he can answer me, I hit end on the phone and lay my head back, ready to get back to the hotel.9RoseI admit to my dad the next day over breakfast that I don’t want to work in the big city under some big shot. “I’d rather be my own boss,” I tell him with more confidence than I feel.

My dad nods. “You never were one to enjoy taking orders.” He seems to think for a minute. “Since you got your degree in business, all you’ve gotta do now is figure out what kind of business you’d like to open so you can be your own boss.”

“Is that all?” I laugh at how simple he makes it sound.

After breakfast I help my dad reorganize his office, which is a mess of books. My father was a man who had a passion for learning and would keep on learning until the day he died, I’d bet.

“What do you enjoy doing?” he asks as I hand him another book to go on the shelf.

“I dunno,” I tell him.

Instead of putting the book up, he holds it to his chest. “Really, honey. If memory serves me right, I remember when you were growing up you were always designing stuff online. You’ve created websites, promotional images and all kinds of stuff like that. Do you still enjoy doing that?”

“Yeah, but Dad, I need something to make money. Not a hobby. Plus, everyone’s a designer these days.”

“That’s not true,” he says, shaking his head. “Well, yeah, the market is full of designers, but you would stand out. You always did. And you can’t tell me that people wouldn’t hire you. You have a gift for stuff like that.”

We finish putting up the books, and already my mind is spinning. I do love creating websites and other digital products, but almost everything I’ve done in the past, I’ve just done for free for friends. Could I make money doing it?

My phone rings, and instantly my thoughts go to Brody and wanting to run the idea by him. But after glancing at the caller ID, I see that it’s my friend Olivia. We met my freshmen year of college. She was a graduate student and about to start her residency as a veterinarian. We hit it off almost instantly, especially when we discovered that we were both from Forest Grove.

“Dad, I’ve got to take this,” I tell him as I walk out of his home office and down the hall to my bedroom.

“Hey Liv,” I answer.

“What’s going on?” she asks. She’s never one to beat around the bush. Always gets straight to the point.

But I play dumb with her, even though I know what she’s talking about. “What do you mean?” I ask innocently.

She snorts. “Really? Is that how we’re going to play this? Okay, well, your husband pitched in I don’t know how many games this week and he looks like a kid that’s lost his puppy with his sad eyes. Plus, the announcer even said something about you not being in the stands. So spill it.”

I lie back on my bed and barely contain my groan. Man, if people are noticing I’m not there, it’s going to make it even worse for Brody. I try to keep it simple when I explain it to Olivia, “I came home to see my parents.”

There’s a big pause on the phone, and I know before she even says anything she’s going to call me out.

“Okay, so you’ve been waiting to graduate so you could be with Brody. Now you can, and you go home to stay with your parents instead. Yeah, okay, sounds perfectly reasonable.”

Her words are dripping with sarcasm.

I take a deep breath. “I don’t know, Liv. I love Brody, but it was so hectic following him everywhere. I feel like I need to figure out what I want to do with my life. I mean, I can’t just not work and follow him around forever. Plus, you wouldn’t believe the women.”

“Brody wouldn’t cheat on you. He loves you,” she interrupts.

“I know that. I do. But it’s hard seeing all these young—"

“You’re young!”

“I mean women younger than me, throwing themselves at him. I just needed a break. I’m going to spend this time trying to find a job or something I want to do.”

“Okay, so what about Brody? I mean, it’s obvious he’s not taking it well.”

“He’s just going through a rough patch. That’s all. He’ll figure it out. I’m sure it has nothing to do with me.” I mean, we were apart before I graduated college, and he did fine. This has to be about something else. “So what about you? What are you up to?” I ask her, trying to change the subject.