“Both.”
Before I have a chance to register Isaac’s last word, he’s out the door. I rush to the hallway to call a goodbye to him and wish him a good game, but he’s gone. Damn, he’s fast. Closing the door behind me, I walk to the bathroom and splash some water on my face. What I need is an ice-cold shower, but this will have to do. Once I calm the hell down, I clean up the wrapping paper and turn off the lights before locking the door behind me.
The game starts in fifteen minutes, so I make my way to the box, grabbing a plate of food from the buffet and a drink from the bar before finding a seat near the window with a clear view of the entire field. This is amazing. I can see everything from up here. Many of the seats in the stadium are shaded, but the hot Florida sun beats down on the field. Even in October, temperatures can rise into the nineties mid-day. The Dolphins’ players are used to playing in this heat, but the Bills players have to be miserable. I guess it’s no different than our guys playing in the dead of winter upnorth. In this heat, I’m eternally grateful for the air-conditioned box.
It makes me wonder if I will love the cold as much when I visit home this winter as I did growing up. How long does it take to acclimate to a different climate? Will I ever be truly warm in the north again? These questions along with a bunch of very intimate thoughts of what Isaac meant by his last statement run through my head as I enjoy my plate of food.
“Hi!” a bubbly voice interrupts my thoughts. “Is this seat taken?’
“Uh, no,” I respond, motioning for her to sit down.
“I’m Amelia. I work in marketing.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Evan. I’m the Food and Beverage Coordinator.”
“Do you work with Hope?”
“Yeah, she’s my assistant.”
“She’s wonderful. Hope’s like the stadium Mom.”
“I can see that. She keeps me grounded for sure.”
“I’m her daughter.” She pauses and waves another girl over. “This is my sister, Bethany.”
“Great to meet you. So, you’re Hope’s daughters. I’ve been hoping to meet you both. I met Carter on my first day but haven’t met Derron yet.”
“You’ll see a lot of Carter. He’s the baby and such a momma’s boy. Derron is the oldest and keeps himself busy. Sometimes, I think he forgets his entire family lives here and would like to see him once in a while.”
“Hush your mouth, Beth,” Amelia scolds. “Don’t tell our family secrets.”
“That’s not a secret. Derron is too busy finding his latest hookup to be bothered with any of us.”
“Bethany!” Amelia turns several shades of red and I can’t help but smile at their banter. I never had siblings, but this isalways how I imagined it would be if I had a couple of brothers or sisters.
“Is Hope coming today?” I ask in an effort to ease the tension.
“Yeah, she always stops by the locker room to see the boys before coming up here,” Amelia informs me.
“She’ll be glad to see you. We’ve gotten several earfuls about how much you work and how you need to take some time to relax.”
“She’s not wrong. I’ve always thrown myself into my job, but it’s been worse since moving here. There’s so much to learn and do. I would have run back to New Jersey weeks ago if it wasn’t for Hope. She’s the hardest worker I’ve ever known. I’m thankful for her.”
“Stop that nonsense,” Hope’s sweet voice reaches me before I know she’s behind me. “You are brilliant at your job. A hundred times better than Sandy. You’re personable and your employees love you. The same cannot be said for Sandy. She was kind of a witch.”
“What? Really?” I ask in shock.
“What surprises you? That you’re an amazing boss or Sandy was the worst?” Hope asks with a gleam of humor in her eyes.
I think about her question for a second. “Um, both, I guess.”
“Well, trust me when I tell you that you are a wonderful boss, and your reviews are spectacular. Sandy’s employee rating on her best day was a 2.5 out 5 stars. All of your reviews are 4s and 5s.”
“What are you talking about? What reviews?”
Hope pales and stumbles over a few words before she’s able to form a complete sentence. “Sandy didn’t tell you? That figures. She thought the rating system was a bunch ofbullshit, but I think that’s because no one had anything positive to say about her.”
“That doesn’t actually explain anything,” I tell Hope as a pit forms in my stomach. I’m not good with criticism and if there’s a chance my employees are being mean to me, I might lose it.