Blindsided: A Sports Romance by Ava Kendrick Page A

“It’s okay, Mom,” he says solemnly. “It’s only a movie. It’s not real.”
    “Thanks, baby,” I whisper, patting him on the back. When did he get so grown up?
    “And if bad guys come? Mom, I’ll protect you. So you don’t need to worry.”
    My own mother is over to us quick as a flash, spinning Sam around and pushing him in the direction of his bedroom just as my face crumples. “Go wash up, honey. Your mom is being silly.”
    When the door slams shut, the cheery smile vanishes from her face. “What’s going on? Why are you home this early?”
    “They fired me.”
    “Oh.” She exhales loudly a couple of times. “Oh.”
    “Yeah.” I try to force a smile. “It’s not good.”
    “What happened, honey? It must be bad. You’ve been working there for years. Did they let a lot of people go?”
    I sniff. There’s no easy way to put this except to just say it. “Mom, Marcus accused me of being a hooker.”
    “What?” she barks.
    “Yeah. A couple of days ago I had this guest call and ask if I could come to his room to… look at something.” Now that I play it back in my head, it all seems so foolish. I should have told him I’d call maintenance. Instead, I’d carried on flirting with him like I didn’t have a care in the world. “Luca told Marcus.”
    “I don’t understand, Rose. You’re saying that’s why you were fired? Why would they think you were a hooker for going to a guest’s room? That’s absurd. You’re the receptionist.”
    I shake my head. “Well, I did something dumb. Instead of just going up there, I snuck up through the basement. It looks suspicious.”
    Her forehead crumples. I hear the shower stop and know we don’t have much time. She knows it too. “They can’t just do that.”
    “They can. I had a casual contract. I’ve already tried to find an attorney but the ones I’ve spoken to aren’t interested. It’s not a money-maker for them.”
    “What are you going to do?”
    I shrug. Sam slams out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. “Look for a new job, I guess? I’ll speak to Van and see if she knows of anything.”
    “I told you—you should have got your GED.”
    I nod miserably. “I know. You were right too, Mom. I just… I was taking each day at a time. I thought I had a future at the hotel.” I smile weakly. “Maybe this is the career shake up I need, right?”
    Neither of us believes that. I’m not some bright spark with the time or the money to retrain. I need any job right now.
    “Tell the landlord you’re moving. Come and stay with me.”
    “Mom, no.”
    “Yes,” she says, grabbing my hand. “You need to save every cent you can now that you’re looking for work. You’ll have breathing room at my place.”
    “But you’ve got a one-bed apartment. Sam is eight. He’s a whirlwind. I appreciate you helping out, but having him around full time would drive you crazy.”
    She shrugs. “He’s my grandchild, sweetie. I like having him around.”
    I shake my head. It’s too much to put on her shoulders; not just me, but an eight-year-old. He’s a great kid, but he’s still a kid—complete with anti-Christ-like mood swings when he’s had too much sugar or not enough sleep.
    “No, Mom. You’ve already done so much for us.”
    She reaches over and strokes my hair. “Come on, Rose. What else are you going to do? I’m not going to watch you fall behind on rent and get evicted. We’ll work through this thing.”
    Tears prick at my eyes again. “Thanks, Mom. I’m sorry for being such a screw-up. I’ll pay you back for this one day.”
    She pulls me to her and kisses the top of my head. “Don’t be silly, honey.”
    “Grandma, why are you kissing my mom?” Sam yells, bounding from his room.
    She turns to him and holds out her arms. He cringes as if she’s just mortally offended him. “Because she’s my daughter. Do you want a kiss?”
    “Eugh, no thank you .”
    We all laugh.
    “Honey, how do you feel about coming to stay at your