Page 93 of ClickBack

“How was the train?” I ask.

“Trina slept. Rae took pictures of her sleeping. I have been asked to choose a side.”

“Which one?”

“Rae has evidence. It’s a strong case.”

I smile. Giselle sets plates on the counter and opens the containers. She gives me a fork before taking her own stool. We eat a few bites. I’m hungry enough to keep going and too aware of what she hasn’t asked to enjoy it.

“You want to start?” I ask.

“Tell me about the meeting.”

“Cam arranged it after the draft deal fell apart. Philly knows we’re talking. The other team wants to understand what I’d be willing to do if they can make a deal.”

“Stay longer?”

“Possibly. That’s one of the questions.”

“Do you want to?”

I set down my fork. Most people ask whether I think it will happen. She has gone straight to the part I’ve been turning over since we left the hotel.

“I want to play somewhere they know what they’re asking me to do. I want to stop having the same conversation halfway through every season.”

“Did this sound different?”

“Some of it. Enough to keep talking.”

She considers that, then asks whether San Antonio is still possible. I tell her yes, though I’m tired of measuring possible against everything that has already failed.

“I don’t need their numbers,” she says. “I want to know what you’re hoping for.”

“I can tell you that.”

“Then start there next time.”

I take her hand where it rests beside the plate. “I will.”

She turns her palm into mine. We sit like that until she looks down at our hands and says there is something else.

“The video call?” I ask.

Her eyes come back to mine. “You knew?”

“You got quiet afterward. I didn’t know if you wanted to talk about it.”

“I didn’t know what to say.” She pulls a loose thread from the napkin. “I wanted to take the shirt off. Then I could see myself on the screen, and I started watching me instead of looking at you.”

I remember her laughing, reaching for the hem, stopping. I changed the subject because she looked embarrassed. At the time, I thought I was helping.

“We didn’t have to do it,” I tell her.

“I know. You were fine about it.”

“But?”

She looks toward the doorway. “Then I saw that woman. How comfortable she looked with you.”