The Game Changer The Final Score - By L.M. Trio Page 0,86
close,” He teases JJ and Luke.
“I don’t want you to see it till it’s done,” I say.
“Fine. I’m going to Boston next week to catch the Patriots’ game with a few of the guys, how about when I get back?”
Chapter 22
(Mikey)
I jump in the cab outside of the airport, looking forward to coming home after my trip to see the Patriots/Packers playoff game. De texts me telling me to make sure I don’t go to my new house without her. The only way I ever want to go to my new house is if she’s with me; so that’s not a problem.
I open the door of the condo to an amazing smell coming from the kitchen and drop my bags by the door. Deanna hears the commotion and peeks her head out of the kitchen.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask, pleasantly surprised to find her in my kitchen, looking as pretty as ever.
That confirms it for me. Coming home and seeing her face feels incredible. A feeling I can definitely get used to. My phone rings before she has a chance to answer me. I glance down and see it is Lora Rae. I ignore the call and switch the phone to vibrate, giving De my full attention.
“I wanted to surprise you and make you dinner. Remember our bet, I owe you dinner?”
“Oh, that’s right, you do. I didn’t forget, but I thought you did.” I smile. “Where is everyone?” I ask, looking around.
“Luke and JJ are at their house. I think they’re repainting the bedroom. JJ wasn’t crazy about the color they originally picked. They’ve been staying there the last few days. I think they’re pretty much set. Most of the furniture was delivered this week, except for the bedrooms.” She makes it clear that we have the condo to ourselves.
“Cool.” My phone vibrates. I glance down again, seeing Lora Rae’s name.
“You can answer that. I’ll go in the other room,” she says, offering me privacy.
“Nah, it can wait.” We stand there looking at each other for a long time. She knows me well enough to know when I have something on my mind. “It’s Lora Rae. She’s unexpectedly in town.” I roll my eyes. “I told her I’d stop by her hotel tonight.”
“Oh my God, go, go… I’m sorry, I should have checked with you first. It’s not a big deal, really. We can do this some other time. I’ll wrap it up for you. You can have it later.” I know she feels embarrassed.
“No. It’s a very big deal. I want to stay. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.” I look into her big, brown, disappointed eyes. “Besides, you never pay up on your bets,” I tease, softening the mood between us. I place the phone on the counter.
She smiles at me. “Really? Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” There is nothing more that I want than to spend the night hanging out with Deanna, just the two of us. I had no idea that Lora Rae was flying in until I received a text that she was here. It’s been awhile since I’ve last seen her.
I help carry the dinner to the table, open a bottle of wine and pour us each a glass. I’m impressed by the amount of time she spent preparing dinner, not to mention the fact that she picked one of my favorite dishes. We have a relaxing dinner with no interruptions, and the conversation flows easily between us, just like always. She fills me in on school and I tell her about the Patriots killing the Packers as well as hanging out at McGreevy’s while in Boston. I promise to bring her with me when I play at Fenway Park this season. She tells me my house is almost complete and we make plans to see it tomorrow; she’s excited about it. I think it was pretty slick of me having her decorate the house that I hope to someday share with her. We sit at the table long after eating; drinking wine and talking. It’s been too long since we’ve hung out together and it makes me realize how much I need her in my life. She finally rises from the table to clear the plates.
“You sit. I’ll clean up, you cooked,” I say, jumping up and forcing her to sit back down.
“But, we made a bet… I lost. I can’t let you clean up. It’s part of the deal.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I say dryly, sitting back down.