Jo handed over a wet pan. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah. But I don’t know for how long, so please hurry up and yell at me.”
Jo sighed. “I’m not going to yell at you. I’m just really disappointed. You knew I’d never take a dime from Chad. So the lie hurt.”
“I’d rather you yell at me than be disappointed.” Shelby put the pan away and then came back for more. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I apologize for that. But that aside, it’s just money. We paid the rent and the loan amount every month, just like we would if the money had come from the bank. And look what you’ve done with it, Jo.”
“Yeah, but would I have had the same opportunity if Chad hadn’t been the one to loan the money to us?” She scrubbed the frying pan harder than was necessary. “I just hate that I’ll never know for sure. It’s like when people break sports records, but then they have an asterisk by their name because there was some special circumstance.”
Shelby laughed. “That’s an analogy I’d expect Chad to throw out. Not you.”
“Well, it’s true. I feel like I had an advantage, so my success doesn’t feel as satisfying as it did before I knew.”
“You’re going rub a hole in that.” Shelby grabbed the pot Jo had been scrubbing to death and rinsed it off. “If it helps, Chad wasn’t going to charge us interest, but I made him. He was so happy to help us, Jo. His whole face lit up when I asked. It was cute but at the same time heartbreaking to see how much he still loved you.”
Tears burned Jo’s eyes when she thought of Chad again. She’d been trying to think of anything but him since she awoke at six a.m. “He offered to forgive the balloon payment and pay back your investment so I could move to San Diego with him.”
“I know. He stopped by my house before he left, desperate for advice to win you back. I told him he had to figure this one out on his own. He’s as miserable as you are, by the way.”
“That should be reassuring, I guess.” Jo pulled the plug on the water. “But I don’t hold out much hope for change.”
“Me either. He asked me to give you something.” Shelby walked over to her huge purse on the counter and pulled out a large envelope. “I was tempted to steam it open, but I restrained myself because you’re already mad at me.”
“Good thinking.” Curious, Jo dried her hands and then opened the sealed legal-size manila envelope. There was a note inside.
Hi, Jo.
I saw you transferred the money back to my account. (Technically it won’t go until Monday, so you still have time to change your mind.) But we had a deal. You fix my knee, and I give you the money you need for your expansion. You’ve held up your part of the bargain, but now I haven’t done the same. I always keep my word, but since you’re probably the most stubborn woman on this planet, and I hate arguing with you, you left me no choice but to tear up our loan agreement. Please find inside the pieces shredded too small for you to put back together. I know you’d try.
I still expect the rent to be paid on time as always. I’m a mean landlord and don’t forget it.
Jo smiled as she wiped away the tears gushing from her eyes so fast she was having a hard time seeing. Then she went back to reading.
Thank you for keeping my Heisman safe. I’ll be back to retrieve it one day. But as I thought things through after you left, I realized that even after football, when I become an architect, I fully intend to commit to that profession as I have sports. I’ll probably always be this way, and therefore never good enough to earn your love. You deserve better than that, Jo. And I hope you find someone who can give you what you need. But you will always be the only woman I have ever loved with all my heart. (You might find a few pieces of it at the bottom of this envelope along with the scraps of paper.)
Chad
Shelby, impatient as always, said, “What does it say?”
Jo couldn’t speak. She just handed it all over to Shelby and headed to her room for a good cry. He wasn’t even going to try to change.
She slowly navigated the steps to her bedroom and softly closed the door behind her. Then she walked to the closet and stared at his Heisman. She should probably just go put it back. She thought it’d prove a point, but he’d just given up on them.
How ironic that now it was her left with just a hunk of metal that couldn’t love her back.
16
“CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE” MAKES FOR GOOD SONG LYRICS, BUT IT’S EASIER SAID THAN DONE.
Chad rolled out of his Jeep Saturday afternoon and hobbled inside his house. Practice had been brutal all week, but the last one had been the worst yet. He had a screaming headache from the press conference, and then interview after interview after that. The PR team’s plan was to hype his return so hard and big that no one would even remember any leaked texts and video. They’d even gotten the fans involved in a new contest predicting how many reception yards he’d gain in the game the next day. The winner won a trip to Costa Rica.