Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 106772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Cutter shook his head. “They’re not married, and according to my mom, he needs to shit or get off the pot. Whatever that means,” he said, mumbling the last part.
She had said “boyfriend,” hadn’t she? Why did I say “husband”?
“Eavesdropping again?”
He shrugged, which was all the admittance I needed.
“Does your mom or Antonia know you’re here?”
Cutter shook his head. “I ran out when I heard what Brendan said.”
“Understandable.” I stood and made my way to the counter to grab my phone. “I’m going to go change, and then I’ll take you home. It’s too dark for you to walk on the road.”
“Coach?” Cutter called as I reached the door leading into my house. I glanced at him. “If Toni says we have to move, can I live with you? At least until I graduate and go to college.”
His question gave me pause, and I found myself nodding before I could stop myself. “If it comes to that, yes, we’ll figure something out.”
“Thanks.”
“Anytime, Cutter.” I left him and Scout in my gym and ran inside to put some sweats on. While we didn’t have any snow on the pavement, the nighttime temperatures were still dipping into the twenties.
I’d never disliked someone I hadn’t met before, but I really couldn’t stand Brendan. At first, it was because he was with Antonia, and I stupidly thought I stood a chance. But now it was more. How does one arbitrarily decide a kid is going to boarding school without even talking to the child? In my book, that was just wrong.
Back in the garage, Cutter and Scout were involved in a rousing game of tug-of-war. Scout would win eventually because he cheated.
“Are you ready?”
At the sound of my voice, Scout dropped the toy and came over to sit by me. I stroked his head and waited for Cutter. At the door, I patted Cutter’s shoulder.
The drive to his house was quick and quiet. He got out of the truck after thanking me. I followed, determined to give Brendan a piece of my mind or at least request a sit-down with Miriam. As Cutter’s coach, I had his best interests at heart.
The door flew open, and Antonia came storming out of the house. She flung herself at Cutter, clinging to him.
When she let him go, she cupped his cheek. “Please don’t ever leave like that again, and if you do, answer your phone. You scared the shit out of me. Got it?”
Cutter nodded.
“Go inside. I need to speak to your coach and let my emotions settle. We’ll talk about you leaving like this in the morning. You should probably call everyone on your contact list because I’ve spoken to all of them, been to their houses, and they probably think I’m weird.”
“You are,” he said, smiling. “Sort of.”
“Go,” she said, pushing him toward the door. She watched him walk toward the house and didn’t turn to face me until he was inside and the door was shut.
“I don’t get it.”
“Get what?” she asked.
“You seem to care so much for him, and yet you’re sending him to boarding school? Did you even think to ask him?”
Antonia sighed and muttered something unintelligible under her breath. She pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. “Cutter isn’t going to boarding school.”
“But he is next year?”
“Not at all, and if he had stayed, he would’ve heard the rest of the conversation.”
“Well . . .” I was at a loss for words. The last handful of hours could’ve been avoided if I had picked up the phone, but I was bitter over losing something I’d never had.
I pointed toward the house. “That boy is losing his mind, thinking you and your boyfriend are shipping him off to boarding school. He’s hurt, angry, and—”
“I get it,” she said, interrupting me. “I don’t need a lecture. What Brendan said isn’t how I feel. I’m already losing my best friend; I’m not voluntarily sending her kids away. Regardless of what you might think of me, I’m not cruel. I love Cutter and Nova as if they were my own children. I would never do that to them.”
Her words sank in. I’d never thought of her as cruel, and I wasn’t sure where she would’ve come up with such a notion.
I stepped forward, intent on wiping a tear from her cheek, but Antonia beat me to it, reminding me that she, in fact, was not single, and I needed to keep my distance.
“Tomorrow,” I said, clearing my throat. “I’ll stop by after practice, and we can talk about the travel teams.”
“Maybe it’s just easier if we do it at school since I have to pick Cutter up?”
“I’ll bring him home. If that’s okay?”
Antonia nodded. “Thanks. I’ll make sure he knows.” She turned to walk into the house. At her porch, she glanced toward me. “Thank you for being there when he needed someone to talk to.”