“It’s Friday night, and I can do the homework tomorrow or Sunday. You should have been out of here an hour ago too. It will all wait until Monday morning.” Sydney reached out to shove Kendall’s office door closed. “Have you heard from him?”
They both knew who “him” was.
“No. Maybe it’s better that way.”
“Your meetings on Monday don’t start until noon.”
“I thought there was some kind of breakfast thing.”
“No,” Sydney said. She handed Kendall her tablet; flight times between San Francisco and Seattle were already on it. “Throw a few things in a bag and I’ll tell everyone you have an appointment.”
“Why are you doing this for me?”
Sydney grinned at her. “You and this job are getting me through undergrad. It’s the least I can do.”
Chapter Eleven
* * *
THERE WAS A reason for that old cliché about houseguests and fish starting to stink after three days. Neil McCoy wasn’t exactly a houseguest, but he’d been slowly driving Drew insane for the past several days while camping out at his house. Drew would be staying overnight at the team hotel this evening in preparation for tomorrow’s game. He could pack his garment bag in his sleep, but he was worried about what mischief his dad could get into while he was gone. He’d already asked Owen, to make something meat-and-potatoey for his dad’s dinner tonight. If Drew was lucky (and Neil wasn’t bored) he would stay home and order an action-adventure movie on pay-per-view or something.
Drew wanted to send his dad to his room without his dinner. Neil had been sullen and irritable since he arrived in Seattle.
“Dad, this is not a competition. You love her. She loves you. Go home and work it out,” Drew pleaded for the hundredth time since he found his dad napping on his family room couch. His older brother and both of his sisters had tried to convince their father to return to Wisconsin via long distance phone calls and Skyping. “What’s going on with you? You’re acting like a child, Dad. What would you say to me?”
“No, I am not acting like a child, and I am not calling your mother. She can apologize to me. I’m not the one who’s ignoring my household duties, and I’m not crawling back to her, either,” Neil said. “You . . . you wouldn’t be happy if your wife wasn’t cooking dinner for you and making sure things were nice at home, either.”
Neil put his hands on his hips and tried to look angry, but Drew could see the sadness in his dad’s expression. Instead of talking with Drew’s mom and telling her he felt worried he was losing her, he blew his stack and stomped around. Drew’s mom didn’t take that from her kids, and she sure wasn’t taking it from her husband, either.
“Crawling back to her, Dad? Really? That’s not the point. You’re being stubborn. Mom’s not doing this to hurt you. It’s a part-time job. She’s happy. Why can’t you accept the fact she wanted something else to occupy her time besides all of us, something she enjoys doing?” Drew heaved a huge sigh and grabbed the suit and tie he’d need tomorrow out of his closet. He’d already grabbed a freshly laundered dress shirt, appropriate underwear, dress socks, and shoes. “You remember how to set the security system when you leave for my game tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
Drew reached into the closet again. “You’ll need something to wear,” he told his dad and handed him one of his game-worn jerseys. “I think I might have a brand-new Sharks hat in here. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be overcast and chilly. Do you need a turtleneck or something to wear under that?”
“I brought my heavy jacket. I’ll be fine.” Neil told him. “Thanks for the jersey. Your mom wears hers every Sunday when we’re watching your game at home.”
Thank God for pay-per-view. He’d fly his parents in each week, but they preferred being at home surrounded by Drew’s siblings and the grandkids. He made a point of finding a TV camera during the third quarter each game, giving his mom a little wave, and mouthing, “Hi Mom. I love you.” Needless to say, the Sharks fans (and the team’s PR department) ate it up, but he wasn’t doing it for them. He knew his mom got a kick out of waiting and watching for it.
“Okay, then. Let me get the hat, and I’m almost ready to go.” Drew grabbed his shaving kit out of the bathroom and made sure he had a couple more of the black covered elastic bands he pulled his hair back with. His fingers closed over the brim of a brand-new Sharks logo hat, which he handed to his dad. “Dad, Owen will be here in about an hour. He’s making you some steak and potatoes for dinner, and he’s bringing you a few snacks and maybe a Bud or two. If you want to stand on the sidelines for the game, you’ll need to be there a couple of hours early. The guy at Will Call gets a team employee to make sure you get where you’re going.”