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We take our seats next to each other, and she hands me the agenda with talking points. “Any questions?” she asks.
I shake my head. I’ve got one more item for the agenda, but I’ll find the right time for it.
She starts the recording and moves through her intro, and nerves flitter around my chest.
I know she’s going to say yes. There’s no doubt about that.
Except…I sort of already asked her, and she definitely avoided the question, so even though I don’t doubt this is what she wants, too, it still feels scary to pose the question.
I say my introductory stuff, too, and then she starts with the items on the agenda. We talk about what went wrong in Denver and what we’re going to do to course correct. I’m careful not to give too much away while still dropping enough hints to keep our audience interested.
“Will Fletcher be starting quarterback this week?” she asks.
“It’s day to day right now. We’re running some different drills in practice, and I’m confident we’ll be ready to take on the Chargers on Sunday,” I say.
“I have a surprise for you,” she says, and she reaches to the side of her and pulls out two containers. “It’s been a wild week personally for the two of us, so instead of slotting in a time to go out to eat, I brought a little snack here to the studio.” She hands a container to me and opens her own. She pulls out a cookie that looks like it’s stuffed full of delicious goodness, and she holds it up to the camera. “This is the kitchen sink cookie from Cravings, an off-Strip bakery in the heart of Vegas.”
“What’s in it?” I ask as I pull my cookie out, too.
“Everything but the kitchen sink.” She grins as she inspects the cookie. “Looks like chocolate chips, toffee, pretzels…”
“Is that a potato chip?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Maybe butterscotch chips, and oh, is that a peanut butter cup? And some malt balls.” She takes a giant bite and closes her eyes in pure ecstasy.
“Well?” I ask, shifting in my chair.
She chews thoughtfully, and then she nods. “Ten out of ten. Highly recommend.”
I take a bite of mine, too, and yep. That pretty much sums it up. “Wow,” I breathe.
She laughs, and she reads the information for the bakery where she got the cookies so our listeners will go check it out.
I try to transition from that into what I want to say, but I just can’t seem to find the right time that works.
We’re nearing the end of our agenda, and I still haven’t started my speech.
“Anything else you’d like to talk about?” she asks.
I draw in a deep breath. “Yes. There’s one more thing.”
Her brow quirks, and I stand and open the door. “Jonah? Can you come in here?”
“Oh, Linc, I don’t want him on the video,” she says, and she moves to shut off the recorder.
“We can edit this out or blur his face,” I promise. “Just leave it on.”
Her brows crinkle together in confusion, and Jonah appears in the doorway. “What’s up, Coach?” he asks.
“Hey, little dude,” I say, and I get a little choked up as I call him the name I’ve called him since I first met him. If all goes according to plan, I’ll be his stepdad. And there doesn’t seem to be a much higher honor than that. “I have a question for you.”
“What is it? If it’s how to play Minecraft, I’ll show you right now,” he says, and I laugh.
“I would love to learn, buddy, but first…” I motion for him to come over toward me, and I whisper into his ear.
His eyes grow wide and his face breaks out into a smile as he gives me an enthusiastic thumbs up. “Yes!”
I muss his hair, and I glance over at Jolene, who’s looking at us with suspicion.
