Dirty Player_A Football Romance Page 20

  After class, I decided to go and find the counselor's office. I was glad to see that her door was wide open when I arrived, and I quickly knocked and waited for her to tell me to come in. Mrs. Richardson beamed at me when I walked through the door. She had one of those friendly faces that made you want to tell your life story to. Lily was right; she really was perfect for her job.

  “Uh, hi,” I said shyly. “Would it be an okay time to talk?”

  “Of course. Come in,” she said. She stood up to shake my hand. “I’m Mrs. Richardson.”

  “I’m Candice.”

  “Of course. I know who you are. Let me close the door so we get some of privacy. Take a seat in the meantime.”

  I took a seat and wondered how she knew who I was. Was it because of Derek? Or Dominic? Or my father? I wondered what she thought of me.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard some terrible stories about me,” I said. “But I’m not a bad person.”

  She laughed. “Terrible stories? No. Not at all. I’ve heard great stories about you. You joined the school in the middle of term, and you’ve already worked harder than most of the other students. Professor Jackson has a particular soft spot for you. No, Candice, I haven’t heard anything bad about you. And even if I had, well, I don’t listen to stories until I’ve heard them directly from the person’s mouth. This college loves nothing more than rumors, but I’m not a big fan of them, to be honest.”

  I chuckled. I was warming to this woman. “Neither am I,” I said.

  “Good. Then you and I will get along just fine. Now, what is it that I can help you with today?”

  I took a deep breath and told her a little about my father and Dominic. I didn’t want to get into too much detail, so I tried to explain without revealing it all. It wasn’t easy though, and by the time I got through it, I had practically told her my whole life. But it felt good to talk it out with someone, and I had a feeling she wasn’t going to judge me for it.

  “So, I basically want to know if there are any options for me to stay at this school if my father stops paying. I’m very happy here, and I don’t want to give up on my education. But, at the same time, I don’t want to beg him for money if he’s not willing to give it to me. Is there anything that I can do to still make this work?”

  She smiled. “I’m glad to hear that you want to stay. It’s a good school to be in. And yes, there are always options if you’re willing to work for them.”

  The two of us sat for the next twenty minutes detailing different options for me. They were all reasonable and obtainable, and by the time we were finished, I was starting to feel better about everything. Now, at least if my father decided to stop paying, I was going to have something to fall back on. And, even better, I was going to do it all by myself. Mrs. Richardson made me promise to come and talk to her whenever I needed to and to keep me posted on the situation.

  “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, Candice. I have no doubt that you’re going to find a way to make this work. And, for what it’s worth, I happen to think very highly of Dominic Aarons.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, so do I, Mrs. Richardson. So do I.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Dominic

  I hadn’t seen Candice since yesterday morning, but we’d spent a lot of time texting one another so at least I knew that she was okay. She was spending a lot of time with Lily and trying to sort out a plan for her tuition. I was hoping that life would go back to normal soon and that stress wouldn’t be a part of our lives anymore. There’d been more than enough of that lately. I missed the motel and the chocolate chip muffins. I missed the time we had shut ourselves away from the world. But now it was time to face everyone, and to do it together. I also had to make sure that Derek and Lionel hadn’t done any permanent damage to my career. I was going to do everything in my power to give myself the chance I deserved, but I still had no idea where I stood.

  I was surprised to receive a message from Candice’s mother asking if I could meet her that day. I only had morning classes so promised I would meet her in town for lunch. She asked me not to say anything to Candice, which I thought was strange, but I respected her wishes and made my way as soon as my last class was over. I felt a little nervous, and I couldn’t possibly figure out what she was going to say. It was only when I got to the café that I realized it might not be Marian after all, but Lionel who had tricked me into meeting him. My heart pounded in my chest as I made my way inside, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Marian sitting alone in the corner.

  Again, I was taken aback at how much Candice looked like her now. I could easily see what Candice was going to look like when she was older. I’d always liked Marian. At least, I liked her when she wasn’t around Lionel. He’d always bought out a side to her that made me a little sad. He took away her spark. Candice used to tell me that her mother shone the brightest light in her life, but that her light was starting to dim. I remember being so surprised that someone her age could speak so poetically. I had teased her about it then, but I had been secretly impressed. I made a mental note to remind her of that time when I saw her again. I wondered if she would remember.

  Marian smiled when she saw me. I was just about to stick my hand out to greet her, but she stood up and enveloped me in a big hug.

  “Thanks for meeting me, Dominic. I know how busy you are since you are back at school now.”

  “I’m never too busy for you,” I said. I hoped she didn’t think I was just trying to charm her. The words came out a little too smooth, and I shook my head and laughed. “I mean, you’re Candice’s mom. I’d do anything for her,” I said.

  She smiled. “That’s always good to hear. Come on, let’s order some lunch and chat for a little bit.”

  I opened the menu and chose the first thing that I saw. I wasn’t really hungry, nor was I in the mood to spend too long on a decision. Then, when the waiter walked away, I turned back to Marian.

  “Thank you again for coming to my rescue that day at the jail. I’m sure the last thing you wanted was to visit your daughter’s boyfriend in jail. I can’t imagine how horrible that must’ve been for you.”

  She laughed. “Oh, trust me, Dominic, I have handled worse things in life,” she said. “And anyway, I might have been coming to get you out of jail, but at least I knew you weren’t in the wrong. I was visiting an innocent man.”

  “I appreciate it. I’ve had so many bad things said about me lately, that hearing you say this means the world. Also, you’re the one person that I’d like to impress. You mean everything to Candice.”

  “And she means everything to me. She’s a good girl. The best daughter I could ask for. I don’t think I’ve done nearly enough for her over the years.”

  I shook my head. “Are you kidding me? You’ve done a lot for her. You’ve done everything for her.”

  “I’ve been feeling so bad, Dominic. I’ve let her down big time.”

  “You haven’t. Honestly. She loves you, and she knows that you’ve done all that you can for her. Lionel . . . well, no disrespect to your husband, but he’s been a tough person to live with for her. If it wasn’t for you, I’m not sure what she would’ve done.”

  She sighed. “Thank you for saying that. And no disrespect taken. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you today. I have big news. I’ve decided to leave Lionel.”

  “Leave him?” I asked. The news took me completely by surprise. I didn’t know what to expect from this meeting, but the last thing I expected to was to hear that she would be leaving Lionel. I never thought she would dare do something like that. “Are you serious? Are you divorcing him?”

  She nodded. “I am.”

  “Oh wow. That is big news. What happened?”

  “Look, let’s be honest: it’s been a long time coming. I should’ve done this ages ago. I guess I have you and Candice to thank for me finally taking the plunge. The way he treated you and Candice was the last straw. I mean, he was willing to take her out of school just t
o prove a point. Who does that? To his own daughter. I was so shocked. And when I confronted him he said I had no say in the matter. I suppose I shouldn’t have been shocked. But still, I couldn’t believe he would go that far.”

  “So you left him?”

  “Yeah. I looked at the way you treated Candice. The way you would do anything for her, but the way you still let her be her own person. It really made me think about things that I have been ignoring for too long. I haven’t been myself for many years, you know. I thought it was too late for me. I thought I’d be too scared to start again. But I’m not. Quite the opposite, actually. I’m excited to finally do something for myself. I still have the rest of my life to live, and I’m going to make sure I finally do things right.”

  The waiter came back with our food and placed the plates in front of us. I waited for him to leave before speaking again. When I looked back at Marian, I saw some tears falling down her face.

  “Ah, Marian. I’m so proud of you. I think you’re doing the right thing,” I said. I told her what Candice had said when we were eleven about her losing her spark.

  She smiled. “She always had a way with words that girl. And I’ve only lost my spark more and more over the years. Speaking of Candice, I would prefer if you didn’t say anything to her.”

  I was surprised. I thought if she was telling me that she would’ve told Candice.

  “I’m going to tell her,” she said. “But I want it to come from me. Do you think she’s going to be okay? I know she and her father have problems, but he’s still her father, after all.”

  I smiled. “Oh, if there’s one thing I’m sure about, it’s that the only thing Candice wants is to see you happy. Whatever that means. If you’re happy, she’s happy. She’ll be proud of you. I know that for a fact. Thanks for telling me, Marian. It means a lot.”

  “Well, I just wanted to tell you so that you can be there for Candice once I tell her. And, I really wanted to say how sorry I am for everything. I’ve never quite forgiven myself for what happened all those years ago. And to watch it happen all over again has been just devastating. I felt awful.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t feel bad. But, isn’t it amazing that we found each other again after all this time. And without planning to either.”

  Marian smiled. “It’s amazing.”

  We sat for a while, eating sandwiches and talking about old times. It was nice to see this side of Marian, and to get to know her as an adult. There was so much I didn’t know about her, and so much of her personality that had been hidden from the world. I knew she was in for some difficult times, but she seemed stronger and more confident now that she had finally stood up for herself. When we stood up to leave, I gave her a big hug.

  “I can’t wait for us all to be family,” I said.

  She looked at me in surprise. I was basically saying that I would one day marry Candice, and even the words surprised me. I hadn’t even been with her for that long. And yet, as I said them, I knew that it was going to happen. I didn’t want to be with anyone else.

  “I hope so,” Marian said and hugged me again.

  I thanked her again for everything, wished her luck, and promised her that I wouldn’t say anything to Candice. Then I hopped onto my bike and made my way to see my father. The two of us had been strange around one another ever since I had told him that I had met up with Candice again. If Marian could find it in her heart to be strong and let us be together, then I didn’t see why my father couldn’t either.

  “Hey, Pop,” I said.

  He was outside his house, working on his bike. He looked up at me and smiled.

  “Dominic, good to see you. Keeping out of trouble I hope?”

  I laughed. “I’m out of trouble. No more jail time for me. Listen, do you mind if we talk quickly.”

  “Sure, what’s the matter?” he said. He stood up and wiped his hands on his overalls. “Want to go inside?”

  I shook my head. “Nah, we can talk here. I have to get back anyway. I just wanted to talk to you about Candice.”

  “What’s happened?”

  “Nothing has happened. I just need you to know that I didn’t do all of this for no reason. I love Candice. I love her so much. And if you don’t want to lose me, then you are going to need to accept her too. I need us to be a family. And, I know you don’t like her father, but I need you to forget about that. I need you to be strong for us. Please. We don’t want to lose you.”

  My father sighed. Then he nodded. “Of course, I’d rather you had nothing to do with that family. But I do realize that Candice is not her father. And, even though it might not seem like it sometimes, I do actually like her a lot. She’s a nice girl, and I can see why you feel so strongly for her. But it’s not going to be easy.”

  “I know,” I said. “All I’m asking is for you to try.”

  “I’ll try.”

  We shook hands, and then, just as I was about to leave, I leaned in and gave him a hug. We weren’t the hugging sort, my father and I, so it felt strange. But it also felt good. I waved him goodbye and rode off, and I could see him smiling as I left. I couldn’t ask much more from him but that. I knew how hard this was for him and I knew how deep the hate ran between him and Lionel.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Candice

  Something was going on with my mother, but I wasn’t sure what. She’d been acting strangely on the phone, and whenever I asked her what was happening she would change the subject. I woke up early that day and decided to go and see her before class. My mom was always an early bird and had a habit of sitting outside with her morning coffee. I figured she’d be there alone because my dad would be either asleep or already in his office working. Luckily I was right.

  My mom looked different. When she looked up at me, she smiled, and the smile looked genuine. It reached her eyes, and for the first time in a very long time she looked content.

  “Oh darling, this is such a nice surprise,” she said when she saw me. She got up and gave me a hug. “What’s happening with school? No classes?”

  “I have one soon. But I wanted to come and say hi before going in.”

  “That’s nice of you. Want some tea?”

  “No, I’m okay. Mom, I just wanted to find out what was going on with you. You’ve been acting different lately. I was worried. Although, I must say, you look really happy.”

  She smiled. Another beautiful, genuine smile. “I am happy. Well, I wasn’t going to tell you just yet, but now that you’re here I might as well let you know. I’m leaving your father.”

  I could feel my eyes widening in surprise. “What?” I wasn’t sure if I had even heard correctly.

  “I’m leaving your father. It’s all too much, darling. I can’t be with a man like that. Not after what he did to you. For the first time, I realized just how much he has changed since the day I met him. He wasn’t always like this. I wouldn’t have been with him in the first place if he was. He used to be a nice man. He was kind and sweet and had such a passion for life. But his work changed him, and I’m afraid there’s no going back now. He was willing to take his daughter out of college just to prove a point? That’s not the sort of man I want to be with. And he wanted you to be with Derek. I always hated Derek.”

  “I thought you didn’t like him, but I wasn’t sure.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t like him, and I should’ve said something. I had a bad feeling about that guy. There was just something about him that I didn’t trust. I knew he could be charming when he wanted to though, and that worried me. If he was like this now, at such a young age, I worried what he would one day become. And, Dominic, well he’s just wonderful. What a sweet boy. And he loves you so much. I knew there was no chance I could just sit by and watching this all happen without doing something about it. I want you to be happy, and Dominic makes you happy. But your father doesn’t make me happy anymore. And, for the first time, I realize that I want to be happy too. I know this comes as a shock to you.”

  “Oh, Mom,”
I said. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was the strongest I had heard my mother in a long time. I could feel the strength pouring out of her as she spoke. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “So, you don’t mind?”

  “Are you crazy? Of course I don’t mind. I know he’s my father, but that doesn’t mean I like the man. I’m sad, of course. Everyone wants this big happy family. But it’s not going to happen. Not with him the way he is. Like you said, it’s too late to change him now.”

  “Thank you, darling. I appreciate your support. It’s a scary move, but I know it’s right. Anyway, I will sit with you one of these days and tell you everything. For now, I just need a bit of time to sort things out.”

  “Do you need anything? Any help? I’m more than happy to stay here and help you through this time.”

  She smiled and took my hand. “Oh my angel, you’ve given me so much already. Trust me; I would never have had the guts to stand up for myself if it weren’t for you. You have shown me that it’s possible. I cannot thank you enough for that. I’m going to be fine on my own. But thank you. I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, Mom.”

  “Now, you better not be late for class.”

  “Are you going to be okay, though? You sure?”

  “I’ve never been better.”

  I stood up, gave her a hug and made my way back to class. I couldn’t believe what had happened. I knew that something was going on. I could hear it in her voice over the phone. But I had never suspected it would be something like this. I never thought my mother would ever do something like this, and I was so proud of her. I knew she had it in her. I just thought it was too far buried inside her.