Best Two Out of Three

Part 26

Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Jacksonville, Florida

Callie pulled her phone out of her purse to check the time again. 8:57 a.m. She put it back and glanced anxiously around the hotel lobby. She and Cash had agreed to meet there at nine to head to Orlando, and with each passing minute she worried that it would be Matt who stepped out of the elevator instead.

Their conversation had played on a nonstop loop in her head all night. This all happened way too fast. Yeah, I guess it did. Over and over again. Except, in her head, it didn't end the way it had last night. Instead of Matt walking off she called out to him to wait. She told him that the reason she'd been avoiding him was because she felt guilty about how much she enjoyed being with him. Her brain told her it was wrong, but her heart told her otherwise, and because she didn't know how to reconcile the two it was easier to just avoid the issue all together.

And that's exactly what she was doing now: avoiding the issue by going to Orlando with Cash. And she wasn't just going for the day—she was staying the night at his place.

It had been Cash's suggestion that she spend the night. It'll save me a round trip, he'd said via text. It made sense; they both had to be back in Jacksonville for Dynamite tomorrow, so there was no point in making Cash drive four extra hours tonight. So, Callie had agreed.

But, deep down, she knew she'd mostly agreed because it helped her avoid Matt that much more.

She pulled out her phone again, but rather than check the time she opened the camera and flipped it to face toward her. Her double black eyes had worsened from last night, turning an ugly bluish color, but thankfully some full-coverage concealer had made them barely noticeable. Even so, she pushed her oversized sunglasses onto her face. The last thing she needed was people thinking she was a battered woman.

The elevator dinged, and Callie's chest constricted as the doors slid open. Mercifully, it was Cash.

"You ready?" he asked as he moved toward her. "Sorry I'm a little late."

She nodded and jumped up from her seat. "Mhm," she said as she grabbed her suitcase. She couldn't leave the hotel fast enough.

* * * * * * * * * *

The drive to Orlando was mostly quiet. Cash had asked her if there was anything in particular she wanted to do or see, but she'd just told him she was up for whatever. She knew absolutely nothing about Orlando outside of the fact that Disney World and Universal Studios were there and the little bit she'd seen when she'd stayed with Britt. But Cash didn't seem bothered by her apparent lack of enthusiasm; he'd just grinned and said, "I got you." It made Callie's stomach flutter.

They dropped off their bags at his place and she met his English bulldog, Pawla, before they set off for their first stop of the day. Cash seemed excited as he steered his truck into a parking lot in front of a large complex. Callie, however, was more than just a little confused when she saw what it was.

"Go-karts?"

She hadn't meant to sound so disappointed, but Cash just let out a laugh. "What? You don't like go-karts?"

She didn't answer, looking skeptically out the window at the building. For whatever reason, it made her think of Alex. Go-karts seemed more her speed. She frowned. I wonder if he took her here, too.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Cash said. "I think you could use the adrenaline boost."

"I can think of better ways to get an adrenaline boost."