Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 145402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 582(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 582(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
She hung up and set her phone aside.
"Sarah?" Nicky asked.
"My parents' travel agent," Allison said. Nicky gave her an odd look, and Allison looked almost offended. "You don't think I book my own travel, do you? Who has time for that?"
"Everyone else in the real world," Dan said dryly.
"Surprised your father let you keep her when he wrote you out," Nicky said. It was a rude reminder that Allison had lost most of her inheritance by abandoning her parents' dreams for her. Even Nicky knew how bad that sounded, judging by his flinch. "Uh, that came out wrong. I just meant—"
"I know what you meant," Allison said, a little frostily. "He doesn't know."
"I'm sorry." Nicky sent a pleading look at Neil to save him from his thoughtlessness.
Neil didn't have to intervene, because Allison followed Nicky's frantic glance to Neil. "You do like the mountains, don't you?"
"I cut through them once," Neil said. "We didn't stay. Is this really okay?"
"Is it okay, he says," Dan said, "like we didn't all just invite ourselves to his vacation."
"Give us a number?" Renee asked Allison.
Allison waved it off. "Don't worry about it."
The waitress and two servers turned up with their plates then, and the conversation temporarily derailed as everyone helped sort the orders out. Halfway through brunch Allison got a confirmation call for a five-bedroom cabin in the Smokies. They could get their keys from the main office anytime before eight, and it was just over two hours from campus by car. Allison checked the clock on her phone as she relayed the details to her teammates and nodded in satisfaction. It wasn't even one; they had plenty of time to pack and get on the road.
When they started trying to lock down a departure time, Neil had to say, "I have to see Abby before we go."
"Oh," Dan said, "then no rush, take your time. We'll pack while she fixes you up."
Having a plan and a destination meant no one was interested in lingering over their food. They wolfed down what was left of their breakfasts and flagged the waitress down for their check. Neil didn't know when Dan had swiped the team's purchasing card from Wymack but she charged their meal and tip to it. Neil's phone was with his bag at the stadium still, so Nicky called Abby on the way across the parking lot.
"Hey," Nicky said. "When do you want to see Neil? We've decided we're all gonna bail out of town for the week. Soon as you green-light Neil we can go. Yeah, okay, see you in a bit."
He hung up and clambered into the backseat. When they were on the road he leaned forward between the front seats to say, "She's gonna meet you at the stadium so she can get to all her stuff. She says Coach is already there trying to rebook his tickets. Hopefully he signs everyone we need before the news scares them off."
"Can I take the car?" Neil asked Andrew.
Andrew didn't answer, but he drove to the dormitory instead of the stadium. Neil climbed out when the others did and started around the hood. As he turned he saw Kevin get into the passenger seat. Andrew glanced back when he realized Kevin wasn't with him but didn't slow and didn't ask.
As soon as Kevin was settled Neil got them on the road again. Abby's and Wymack's cars were parked side-by-side at the curb at the Foxhole Court. Neil punched in the newest security code and led the way down the hall. As they neared the locker room he looked back at Kevin and said, "Let me talk to him first. He won't be in the mood to talk to anyone when you're through with him."
Kevin kept his eyes on the floor and said nothing.
Abby was sitting in the lounge waiting for them. She started to get up, but Kevin detoured to her and bought Neil time to make for Wymack's office. Wymack's door was open just wide enough for Neil to see his desk. Wymack was surrounded by his usual paper chaos and had his phone to his ear. He didn't bother to move itineraries off his keyboard before trying to type one-handed. He looked up at movement in the doorway and motioned for Neil to come in.
Neil closed the door behind him and took one of the chairs opposite Wymack to wait. It only took a couple minutes more for Wymack to get his flight fixed. Neil heard "Columbus" and knew Wymack was looking at the striker Neil had chosen. Finally Wymack hung up and set his phone back on its stand. A couple taps of his keys locked his monitor and Wymack sat back to give Neil his full attention.
Neil stared back at him, suddenly lost. He was fluent in two languages, nearly there in a third, and could string together some useful survival phrases in a half-dozen more. But with the whole truth bared between them Neil didn't have the right words to say.
"You should have thrown my file away," Neil said at last. "You should have walked away when I threw your contract back in your face. But you took a chance on me and you brought me here. You saved my life. Three times," Neil said, "you've saved my life. I can't just say 'thank you' for that."
"You don't have to," Wymack said. "I brought you here, but you saved yourself. You're the one who decided to stay. You're the one who stopped being afraid long enough to realize you could get a grip here and a foothold there. You found your own way.
"If anything," Wymack continued when Neil tried to protest, "I should be thanking you. You told us last night you intended to end the year dead or in federal custody. You could have shut everyone and everything out and worried about yourself this year. Instead you agreed to help Dan fix this team. You're saving the two I thought we couldn't reach, and you're a living example for Kevin to follow. He never used to watch you," Wymack said, "but he's had eyes on you since December trying to figure out how you stand your ground."