Silas had really done a number on her, and it had taken her too long to trust her own abilities. Her best friend Allie’s voice was on repeat inside her head, reminding Miriam that she was a capable woman.
“Miriam. We’ve been doing these events for three years now, and every time you folks are here, we see a boost in sales. You know you’re welcome to bring your boys anytime.”
Your boys.
It was funny how those two little words could unnerve her as much as they did, especially since there was a time that Miriam had considered the players to be her boys. Back when she’d been spending every free moment with Silas, she was usually spending time with the other players as well.
They’d all become fast friends. That was, until he left. Then Miriam stopped showing up to movies or lunch. And eventually, dates with her boys were replaced by girl time with Allie. They still cared about her—they’d shown her that at the arena—but it wasn’t the same. Nothing was the same without Silas.
Now he was back, and Miriam wondered what things would look like.
“Miriam?” The voice on the other line shook her back to the present.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I was just asking when you’d like to come in.”
Her face burned at her lapse in professionalism. “Right. I’ve got my calendar right here in front of me.” She leaned forward in her seat and looked at the large desk calendar that had blue and black ink scribbles filling many of the dates. “It’s late notice, but can you do this Saturday? We’ve just signed some new players, and I know Greg will be anxious to get them out there for the fans to meet.”
“Let me see.” He made a clicking noise as he presumably looked at his own calendar.
As Miriam waited, she noticed Harris walking in her direction with a coffee cup and a small Styrofoam container. He lifted them both as he got closer, a hesitant smile on his face.
Miriam held up a finger and mouthed, “Just a sec.”
Harris nodded and sat down in a chair next to her.
The clicking through the speaker of the phone stopped. “You know what, it looks like we can do Saturday afternoon. Eleven to three sound good?”
“Yep.” Miriam wrote the time down on her calendar. “That sounds great. We’ll see you then.”
“Awesome. And Miriam?”
She set her pen down. “Yeah?”
“I hate to ask because maybe it’s privileged information, but is it true that Silas Jenkins is coming back?”
Miriam stifled a groan and reminded herself she couldn’t let her personal feelings dampen the fans’ excitement. “Where’d you hear that?”
There was a small chuckle. “My wife swore she saw him at the gas station last night. You know she was a big fan before he left for the Wolves.” The last word came out as a curse.
Miriam fought to keep her voice even, playful even, as to not give anything away about Silas or how she felt about his return. She knew better than to break the GM’s news before he was ready. “Well, like you said, it’s privileged information. But either way, you’ll know soon enough.”
Joe let out a sound of frustration. “I guess we’ll have to wait, but I know my wife would be really happy to see him back. As long as it’s for good this time.”
Miriam’s mouth was dry, but she managed to get out an, “uh-huh.”
“I’ll see you guys on Saturday.”
“See you then.”
Miriam hung up the phone and looked over to Harris who had been waiting patiently for her to finish her call. She jerked her chin at the cup and box. “What’s that?”
Harris’ cheeks darkened. “I just, ah...I’m not really sure what happened at the arena today, but I know you’re upset.”
She leveled him with a stare. “I told you I’m fine.”
“You’re also a terrible liar.” He set the drink on her desk and handed the container to Miriam. “Look, I’m not going to make you tell me what’s going on. But that doesn’t mean I have to sit here and let you be miserable either. So I got your favorite.”
Miriam opened the small box. Inside was an oversized piece of chocolate ganache cake from the bakery down the street. The tears she’d held at bay all afternoon returned—only this time they fell.
“Oh, crap.” Harris reached out and grabbed the box. He set it on the desk next to her drink before he reached out and took Miriam’s hands in his. “I’m sorry. I was trying to make you feel better, not worse.”
Miriam sniffed and shook her head. “No, this is very sweet. It’s just been…” She took a deep breath, still not wanting to go into her past with Silas. Harris would find out eventually, maybe he already pieced it together, but for now Miriam still wanted to pretend like this was just a nightmare that she’d wake up from any moment. She cleared her throat. “It’s been a long day.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and when she went to wipe them, she realized that Harris was still holding her hands. The touch was comforting. And unexpected. Had he ever held her hand before? Miriam didn’t think so. She gave him a watery smile. “Thank you, Harris, for the cake and coffee.”
A corner of his mouth lifted. “You’re welcome.”
“And thank you for not pushing me to talk about it.” She looked down and played with the hem of her shirt. “It means a lot.”
“I figure you’ll tell me when you’re ready.” He didn’t make a move to get up but stayed there in silence.
They continued like that for a moment, and Miriam’s mind raced over the events of the day, until they landed back where they were before Harris had come in bearing gifts. She still had a lot of planning to do for Saturday’s event.
She looked up at him. “I don’t
