by Kahlen Aymes
“Hi, Teagan,” I said as she opened the door and stepped aside for me to enter.
I leaned in to hug her but had barely made it two steps into the foyer when a small body collided with my legs and tiny arms wrapped around them. I looked down at her exuberant face and slid a hand over her silky hair.
“Jensey!” Remi said happily, hugging my thighs as tightly as she could.
I bent and lifted her easily into my arms where she settled snuggly onto my hip. “Hey, squirt,” I said and then kissed her squarely on her cheek. “How have you been?” I asked.
“Good.” My focus was squarely on the cherub face and the long dark hair that was curling around her shoulders and down her back. “I have a new boyfriend!”
My eyes widened, and I pulled my head back, surprised. “You do, do you?”
She nodded hard. “Yep! Daddy said I need to cool my jets, but I don’t have any jets, do I?”
“It means to calm down, honey.” Remi looked so serious that I couldn’t help laughing out loud, joined by Teagan and also Chase from further back into the house. “What’s his name? Did you meet him in school?”
“Yeah, his name’s Tommy. We played at recess after he saved me from that mean boy who pulled my hair.”
I frowned. “Who pulled your hair?”
“Nolan.” Remi wrinkled her nose in distaste.
“Nolan, huh?” I asked, letting Remi claim my full attention.
“Uh huh. Then Tommy slugged him so hard he fell down, and Nolan cried.”
I wasn’t sure if I should tell Remi violence never solved anything, or if I should get Tommy and his parents box seats to the next Braves game.
I couldn’t help grinning because I liked the second option better. “Then what happened? Did you tell the teacher?”
Remi scowled at my question. “No! She saw him hurt me, but we all got a timeout. I don’t like Mrs. Weshey. I didn’t do nothing but get my hair yanked, and Tommy didn’t either! He was just being my knight in shining armor. Daddy said he did the right thing to help me, cuz I was a dis-tersted.”
I looked at Teagan, and she had laughter dancing in her blue eyes.
“Dis-tersed?” I let out a short laugh, as Chase appeared behind Teagan.
My friend reached out to shake my hand, and I obliged. “Distressed. Our little damsel in distress,” he said wryly with a sly wink.
“Yeah!” Remi nodded. “A damsel in dis-terst! Mommy said all of us are damsels sometimes.”
“But, just sometimes,” Teagan agreed, touching the end of Remi’s nose with her finger. She waved me further into the foyer in front of the winding mahogany staircase. “We have to go soon, but you’re welcome to stay here if you like, Jensen.”
Chase reached into the coat closet just inside the door and pulled out a Braves baseball cap and shoved it on his head, low over his eyes. He nodded as he pulled a set of car keys from his pocket. “Sure! If you want to use the pool, you can use one of my suits and order dinner in, on us.” He smiled the same smile I saw so often on Remi’s little face, as he slid his arm around his pregnant wife’s waist.
Chase and Teagan made a beautiful couple, and they certainly made beautiful babies, I thought, looking back into Remi’s anxious face.
“Nah, we should get going.”
“Oh, that’s right; you’re tired.” Teagan left Chase’s side to go into the room behind him, only to return in a few seconds with a dark purple duffel with a caricature of Dora the Explorer embroidered on the side. She handed it to me at the same moment Chase took Remi from me to hug her goodbye.
“Be good, okay, sweetheart?” Chase smoothed Remi’s hair at the back of her head as she returned the affection by wrapping her arms around his neck.
Teagan kissed her cheek and patted her back.
“I’m always good, aren’t I? Lessen you talk to Mrs. Weshey!” Her eyes got wide as she made a goofy face.
“Did you talk to that teacher?” I asked, meeting Chase’s green gaze over Remi’s head. We were practically like brothers, and we had the same inherent values. I knew he’d be as upset about any other child bullying Remi, as I was. The two of us managed a good system of co-fathering, both of us respecting the other’s role.
His lip twitched at the start of a smile. “Yes. And, with the principal and both of the boy’s parents. I’ve considered putting Remi into that more elite school across town if it happens again, but Teagan isn’t on board. What do you think?”
“Oh, my gosh!” Teagan admonished, giving us both a gentle shove through the side door off the kitchen that led to the garage. She pushed a button to open the garage door, and it began to whir as the one door behind Chase’s black Lexus sedan opened. “They’re just kids, and it’s so far!”
“Yeah, but I don’t want her hurt,” Chase and I spoke in unison, then I continued.
“If they can’t control a six-year-old bully, there are issues with the administration and teaching staff.”
Teagan rolled her eyes and hugged me. “Thanks again, Jensen.” She pulled away and nodded for Chase to hand Remi over who readily moved from him to me, settling into my embrace.
“Bye, baby.” She cupped Remi’s cheek lovingly. I could still see Teagan’s hesitation when leaving Remi and it was expected after everything she’d gone through. After three years of illness and not knowing if we’d lose her, we all had trouble trusting that she’d be okay. It would be another year before the medical team could officially declare her leukemia cured. Time with Remi was something to be treasured, and none of us took even one minute for granted.
I turned and walked out the open garage door at the same time as Chase and Teagan got into their car.
“Can we get pizza?” Remi asked enthusiastically, waving at her parents. “Can we go to Chuck E. Cheese, please?”
I carried my little girl to the car using only one arm and had the bag Teagan had filled with her pajamas and a few of her favorite toys slung over the other shoulder. I probably should have let her walk, but I missed her, and I enjoyed the closeness.
It was a balmy Atlanta night, but it was already mostly dark. Just a hint of pink remained on the western horizon as the sky turned a violet blue. The air was humid and heavy, and though I’d discarded my coat and tie, and managed to roll up the sleeves of my button down, I was still hot. Remi didn’t seem to notice. Even in the low light from the streetlamps, I could see the bloom on her cheeks. It was such a welcome difference from a year ago when she was on the verge of death.
It didn’t matter that I was tired as hell; I’d drag my ass to the end of the earth for Remi. Dressed in a cute outfit with a large ladybug applique on the front of her white shirt and red shorts with black polka dots; Remi was sweet as hell. “Sure. If they’re still open. It’s kinda late, kiddo.”
“Oh, well, that’s okay.” She smiled big and then hugged my neck. “What’d ya wanna eat?”
“Not sure. We’ll find something good.” I offered a wink.
“I missed you, Jensey!”
“I missed you, too, sweet pea.”
“Don’t tell mommy, but I was happy when Jace got sick, cuz I knew she’d get you to come.”
I reached the car at the far end of the driveway and pulled open the rear door and placed Remi in the car seat that was a permanent fixture in the back seat of my SUV. It was the one Teagan used to drive, but she didn’t take it with her when we divorced. “Remi.” I looked at her sternly and shook my head as I buckled her in. “Wishing someone sick is not very nice.”
“Well? I did.” The deep dimples in her cheeks disappeared as she pouted with a shrug. She was so adorable that it was difficult to reprimand her. “Jackson was mean to me last time they came over, anyways.”
Jackson was Chase’s sister’s ten-year-old son, and her twins, Jace and Jaylan, were seven. I pulled the straps together in front of Remi, securely positioning them and clicking them together and testing them with a short yank to make sure they were snug. “What’d he do?”
�
��He cheated! Jace, Jaylan, Jackson, and me were playing Twister, and he shoved my arm, so I fell down and got out! Then he laughed,” she said petulantly.
I sighed and shook my head, offering her a sympathetic look. “Well, that’s too bad.” I touched her velvety cheek with my index finger before closing her door, then sliding into the front seat and buckling my own seatbelt. I glanced at my watch. It was already 8:30, and from experience, I knew they closed at nine. “You haven’t had much luck with boys being nice lately, huh?”
I started to back out and drive out of the gated property with Chase and Teagan following close behind. I turned left, while they turned right, down the street. They were headed downtown while I was going somewhere to get food, and then go home.
“No. I don’t like very many boys. I hope I get a sister.”
“A sister would be nice, but a brother would be cute, too, wouldn’t it? You and your dad could play football with him.”
“Nope!” Her tone was cheerful but adamant. I glanced in the rearview mirror, and she was shaking her head adamantly. “No brothers!”
JENSEN
“Bryan will see you now, Jensen,” My boss’s secretary, Tracey, said and then ushered me through the door to the big office. We’d both worked at the network long enough to be on a first-name basis.
Bryan rose and offered his hand as I approached the large desk sitting near the window on the far wall. We were both dressed in dark suits; he was wearing a navy-blue pinstripe and mine was black, with a cream dress shirt and black, gold and cream silk tie. “Good morning, Jensen,” he said, sitting back down and motioning me to take one of the leather chairs in front of his desk.
I nodded, unbuttoning my suit jacket so I could sit down. “Morning.”
“Can I offer you coffee or something?” Bryan asked.
I shook my head. “No, thanks. I’m just stoked to hear your decision.”
My boss leaned back in his big leather chair behind the massive oak desk and rubbed a hand over his lower jaw. This was not a good sign.
“Or… am I?” I asked, my left eyebrow shooting up in question.
“If it were up to me, there would be no question, Jensen. But I know you can’t move to Bristol, and we have a candidate who is willing to move.”
I wanted to argue that I could do most of the job from the Atlanta offices and only fly to Bristol for one day per week and I wouldn’t have to live there, but Bryan continued.
“I haven’t interviewed her yet, but they’ve flown her in from Jackson Hole. I have to talk to her, at least, Jensen.”
“Jackson Hole?” My face twisted skeptically. “As in, Wyoming?” I wasn’t a sexist, and I knew a woman could do the job, no problem, but… Wyoming? What kind of situation could she be coming from? Was she a local newscaster? Did towns that small even have a sports anchor? I wondered.
His mouth thinned wryly, and he shook his head. “Yes. Wyoming.”
Bryan, though fifteen years older than I, was not only my boss, he was my friend, so I felt comfortable asking him the next question. Apparently, he hadn’t looked at her resume very closely, or he’d know the answer.
“Does she have any experience? I mean… it’s freakin’ Wyoming.” I’d never been there, but I imagined lots of mountains and evergreen trees, but hardly any population. “I’ve been with the ESPN forever, you know that I’m ready to run with it.”
“I know how hard you’ve worked, and you’ve certainly paid your dues traveling so much during your little girl’s illness. I get it, but she’s coming from a smaller market, and she’d move to Bristol if needed. Corporate is looking at it from a fiscal point of view, and she does have some experience. Before Jackson Hole, she worked at the local FOX station in Dallas for two years, and she was a Cowboy’s cheerleader for a while.”
I sighed as reality dawned. Okay, I thought, remembering the flight attendant from my recent flight, so this woman had to be gorgeous; she’d have players clamoring to talk to her, which was a plus for the on-air portion for the new job. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. “It can’t compare with the seven years I have here. Was she in production? What kind of on-air experience does she have?
“You know I can’t discuss that, Jensen.”
“Yet, you can tell me she was a cheerleader and worked at Fox?”
“The basics are public knowledge. I can’t share the details.”
I really hadn’t considered that I might have any real challenges for this job, and even if I didn’t think this woman could possibly compete with my resume, the network would have no travel expenses because she’d locate at corporate headquarters, and probably, they’d be able to pay her less due to my seniority. This was a significant roadblock. “Well… shit,” I murmured incredulously. “They are seriously going to make this about money?”
Bryan was leaning on the arm of his chair with his elbow, meeting my gaze. “Isn’t it always about money?”
I was embarrassed and felt my face flush with heat. I didn’t want to move to Bristol, Connecticut, but I didn’t want to quit and work at a local station, either. Cable ratings were much higher these days, and I had no intention of going backward in my career. There were a lot more opportunities with specialized cable stations than one of the big four networks because of their limited sports programming. Sure, they all had versions of sports or regional sports networks on dedicated cable stations, but trying to go to Spectrum, NBC Sports Network, or the NFL Network wasn’t something I wanted to even consider. I’d have to move, which defeated the whole reason I needed this new job. ESPN was my home, and it was the biggest sports network in the country; worth seven times its closest competitor. Any other network would be like a demotion.
Fuck! My mind railed. I inhaled again and let my head fall back just enough to look at the ceiling briefly as I considered my options. “Yeah.”
“I know you don’t want to move away from your daughter.”
Bryan knew about my divorce from Teagan and the situation with Remi. He knew about my history with Chase because who in the sports industry didn’t know Chase Forrester?
My head snapped forward again, and I shook it, slowly. “Exactly. Chase changed teams so I could still see Remi regularly. He quit Arsenal, Bryan. That was huge.”
My best friend had made an enormous sacrifice in his career by leaving behind a team he loved in order to keep Remi close to me, and he still commuted. There was no way in hell I could move away from Atlanta after that sacrifice.”
“I know this puts you in a bind, but just let me get through the interview before you start worrying, okay?” He glanced at his watch, signaling he had another appointment. “You’re a valuable asset to the network, and that will carry a lot of weight.” He tried to reassure me, and I reminded myself this woman was from Timbuktu, and couldn’t possibly bring to the table what I knew I could. “You have a big future here, Jensen, no matter what happens with this one particular position.”
Whatever, I thought in frustration. Preach that shit to the choir. “Okay, sure.” I rose abruptly and nodded, preparing to leave his office, barely able to quell my frustration.
“Jensen,” he called. “I’ll call you after lunch?”
“Sure.” I left his office. “See you later, Tracey,” I murmured, impatiently, as I passed her desk in his outer office.
“Have a good day, Jensen.”
“Thanks.” I tried to be calm, but I was pissed. I mean, how could they even consider giving my promotion to some unknown from nowhere?
My thoughts annoyed me in the elevator ride down to the lobby. I needed coffee, and there was a street vendor just outside the building who sold an array of beverages and bagels.
As the silver colored doors slid open and I turned to walk through the lobby toward the outer doors, I couldn’t help but notice the production supervisor speaking to someone in the waiting area. I glanced at my watch, as it dawned on me; this was more than likely Bryan’s interview appointment. This was Wyoming girl?
Curiosity got the better of me, and I walked a few more feet forward, dodging several other network employees and moving through the lobby to get a better look. I stopped dead in my tracks, causing Brandon McMillian, another of the correspondents to crash into me from behind. One of the senior staffers shared the first name Brandon, so when McMillian joined the network, we nicknamed him Mick.
“Ugh!” I grunted, looking over my shoulder.
“What the hell, Jeffers?” he admonished. “Walk much?”
“Sorry,” I muttered offhandedly. “Do you know who Cindy is talking to?”
He followed my gaze and let out a low whistle that was hidden in the echo of footsteps on the marble and the din of multiple voices. The dinging of the elevators, and the giant screen streaming the station made it even more difficult to hear. I was relieved he didn’t draw attention. “No, but I’d like to!”
“Hold on,” I put a hand on his shoulder. “I think she’s interviewing with Walsh.”
“I thought the only job opening in his department is the one you’re up for.”
I kept my eyes trained on the two women as they talked. “And, you’d be correct.”
“Don’t take this wrong, but I’ll be helping you clean out your desk if she’s moving in,” he laughed. He was a friend, and I knew he was kidding, but there was no question that the young woman was gorgeous. Stunning, even.
The slender woman’s features were beautiful, her bone structure delicate, and her suit was certainly befitting of an interview, with her blonde hair swept up off her graceful neck. I licked my lips, wishing I could hear the conversation and not caring that I was making the wave of people walk around me. I smiled at my friend, before returning my attention to the two women I’d been watching for the past sixty seconds. The blonde was picking up her briefcase and was beginning the trek to the elevators with Cindy.
“Come on, Mick. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee on your way out.” I nodded toward the doors and started moving with him in that direction, avoiding a run in with the two women.
The tinted windows of our first floor made for a striking contrast when we went out the revolving door and into the bright sunlight. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my sunglasses, shoving them impatiently on my face.