Twenty-Five: Pierce

TWENTY-FIVE

PIERCE

Thirty Cold Showers & Fifteen Aprons Later

(Translation: Two & a half Weeks)

I t was official.

The world around me was no longer under my control.

I’d lost count of how many times I’d had to use the players’ locker room for cold showers because every time I came home and saw Harlow, it felt like she belonged there.

Worse, I wanted her to be.

“Pierce?” Brian shook my shoulder. “Pierce!”

“Huh? What?”

“What the hell are you doing?” He shook my shoulder again. “Get up before the camera pans this way again.”

I followed his instructions, letting reality dissolve over the last seconds of my daydream.

Black and silver confetti strands were falling from the rafters onto the floor, and the fans weren’t screaming, “sell the team.”

Yet.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked.

“We won!” he said. “We fucking won! No matter what happens the rest of this season, we’re starting off the first season in eight years with a W!”

Not believing it, I looked up at the scoreboard.

92-93.

The camera panned to me, and I waved via the Jumbotron.

“Booooo!” “Fuck youuuu!” “Boooo!”

I laughed. The jeers weren’t as loud as usual, so this was a promising start.

* * *

Later that night

I pulled my car in front of the condo and tossed my keys to the valet.

“Congratulations on a good start to the season, sir.” He smiled at me.

“Thank you, Ryan. Any updates for me?”

“Only one.” He pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to me. “The director from Gershwin Theater dropped by earlier to give you those tickets.”

“Just because?” I asked.

“No, sir.” He smiled. “She mentioned meeting Miss Hawthorne and the kids last night at the Harry Potter Broadway Show, and she wanted to invite them to see Wicked whenever they wanted.”

“How generous of her,” I said. “I’ll be sure to--Miss Hawthorne took my kids out of Manhattan at night ?”

He nodded, smiling. “They set up a special area for them once they realized who they were. They should be back from tonight’s Aladdin show at any moment.”

“I see.” I clenched my jaw. “Send me a text the moment the car pulls up, please.”

“Will do.”