Recalibration: Boundaries, Control, and Coffee in Motion

When I got back to the hotel, Vic finally texted me.

Vic: My plane just landed, amore.

I read it twice before replying.

Me: Glad you made it home safe. Thanks for letting me know.

He sent back a single thumbs-up emoji. That was it. I stared at my phone for a long moment, then blocked his number. I wasn’t angry at him but I was just done. There wouldn’t be anyone like him. I knew that he loved me as much as I loved him but it was finally time for me to cut ties with him. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a temporary thing or a permanent thing but I knew that I had to heal from him

The last thing I wanted to do was pack again, but I didn’t have a choice. This was the third or fourth move in the three weeks since I’d arrived. I’d left Scott’s to go to a hotel with Vic, left that hotel for another one, and then ended up back at the first hotel.

While I was packing, an email from Kay came through. She wrote that the homeowner’s insurance had been updated with the police reports and the statements she and Mike had given. I exhaled, feeling a wave of relief. Kay was handling things for me. I was thankful for her help, even though I didn’t fully trust her—not since she had hidden that Randy started seeing his ex-wife, Sarah, again while he and I were together. I’d asked Vince to keep an eye on things as well as he already had access to my accounts already. I didn’t completely trust him either, but it was good to have him watching too. Kay and Vince knew that they both had access to everything. For me, it was checks and balances.

By 3 a.m., I had everything packed—six suitcases, a duffel bag, my purse, my laptop bag, and my tote. The only things left out were what I needed for work in a few hours plus a spare set of clothes to change into after my shower at the arena.

I went to bed, but I couldn’t sleep. I stared up at the ceiling, the city lights bleeding faintly through the curtains. After twenty minutes of fighting my own thoughts, I gave in and called Matteo.

He answered after three rings.
“Hey,” he said quietly. “Everything okay?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” I admitted. “Just wanted to check on you.”

“I’m feeling better,” he said. “I am back at home and I am teaching.  Vince is still hovering, making sure I take it easy.”

“That’s good,” I said softly. “I’m glad you’re back on track.”

He paused. “Feels like this chapter’s closing for both of us, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” I said, after a beat. “I think it is.”

“Take care of yourself, okay?”

“I will. You too.”

“Goodnight, Deppgrl.”

“Goodnight.”

We hung up. I felt lighter somehow, and when I finally closed my eyes, sleep came easily.

I woke a few minutes before the alarm. After showering, brushing my teeth, and dressing, I called down to the front desk.

“Cosmos, it’s Deppgrl. Can you send someone up to help with my bags?”

“Morning, Deppgrl,” he said, chipper as always. “I’ll send Cathal up.”

A few minutes later, there was a knock.

“Morning,” Cathal said, grinning as I opened the door.

“Morning. Sorry for the early start.”

He stepped inside and stared at the wall of luggage. “That’s… impressive.”

“Six suitcases, a duffel, my purse, laptop, laptop bag and tote,” I said as I laughed. “Don’t judge me.”

He laughed. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Want me to check the room before we go?”

“Please.”

He looked under the bed, checked the drawers, the closet and everywhere else he could think of, then nodded. “You’re good. Just a receipt and an empty water bottle.”

We hauled everything down to his car. Loading it took effort, but after some maneuvering, everything fit.

“Feels like we’re moving the whole team,” he joked.

“Feels like it,” I said with a tired smile.

The drive to the arena was quiet. Once there, we unloaded everything and carried it up to the coaches’ offices. By the time we finished, both of us were catching our breath.

“Where to?” Cathal asked.

“Scott’s private office for now,” I said. “I’ll secure it there.”

After we finished, he asked, “You good?”

“I’m good. Thanks for the help.”

“Anytime,” he said, and left.

The office felt wrong. Too warm. The chair cushion behind the desk held the faint imprint of someone who had just been sitting there.

I called security immediately. “This is Deppgrl. I need to report unauthorized access to Coach Scott’s office. Please loop Charlie in.”

Seconds later, Charlie joined the call.

“What’s going on?”

“Security let Scott in,” I said flatly.

The guard’s voice came over the line, nervous. “He said he had your permission, Coach.”

“He did not,” I said sharply. “From now on, deny him access. If he shows up, call both Charlie and me. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you.” I hung up and immediately called Scott, adding Charlie to the call.

Scott answered. “Hey, you’re in early.”

“Scott,” Charlie said, his tone hard. “Why were you in the office while suspended?”

“I just came to grab a few things. It’s not a big deal.”

“It is,” I said. “You signed a contract that became notarized. It states you cannot enter the arena or any part of the arena nor the grounds unless escorted by Charlie or myself.”

“That’s not in there.”

“It is,” I said firmly. “Page three, paragraph six, line 22. Look.”

There was rustling, then silence. Finally: “You’re right.”

“Scott,” I said evenly, “as soon as we hang up, IT will revoke all your access—email, shared drives, everything. Charlie and I will also notify your mental-health team. You went behind the owners’ backs and mine. Because of that, your return will be delayed.”

He exhaled. “Understood.”

“Good. The locks to your private office will be changed,” I hung up.

I called IT, added Charlie, and asked them to lock his access. They confirmed it would be done within minutes.

Then I called security again. “Change the lock on Scott’s office,” I said. “Only Charlie and I get keys. No exceptions.”

“Even if he asks?” the guard asked.

“Especially if he asks,” I said. “He doesn’t get a key unless Charlie or myself come in person to your office and approve it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Perfect. Thank you.”

When I hung up, the room was still. I took one last look, locked the door, and headed down toward the turf.

Charlie met me halfway.

“Got a few minutes?” he asked.

“For you, I do.”

He smiled. “Do you have any preference where you stay next?”

“As long as it’s close to both the arena and the hospital, I’m fine,” I said. “Preferably a condo.”

“I have a place in mind,” he said. “It’s near Dr. Hayes’ neighborhood.”

“I’d rather not be near anyone I know personally.”

He sighed. “Okay. I’ll talk to the realtor again.”

“Thanks, Charlie.”

“You had coffee yet?” he asked.

“Not yet. If you’re buying, then I’m for some.”

He laughed. “Let’s go to that café from the other day.”

As we walked, I texted The Jasons to let them know where I was heading:

Me: Getting coffee with Charlie. Be back soon.

Holland: Ok.

Ryan: Don’t have too much fun with the big boss man LOL

I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

Me: Just because you two are the only ones who know Charlie and I were a thing last time I was here….

At the café, we ordered coffees and hazelnut and walnut biscotti. When the barista confirmed our order, we both said at the same time, “Son of a biscotti!” and burst out laughing.

Once we sat down, I asked, “Why do we even say that?”

“You don’t remember?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No. Between what I do for different governments, building portfolios and everything else, I forget a lot—even the inside jokes.”

He leaned across the table and kissed me gently. When he pulled away, I whispered, “Son of a bitch… you taste like biscotti. Just like the first time we kissed.”

The barista arrived with our coffees and biscotti grinning. “That was some kiss, Coach,” he said then walked off.

Charlie chuckled. I smiled but asked quietly, “Does your wife know you were going to do that?”

He shook his head. “No, but she wouldn’t care. She would know it wouldn’t mean anything nor consider it cheating. And yes, she knew you and I were screwing all the time just before se and I got together”

“You kiss all the other coaches too, or am I special?”

He laughed heartily. “You’re the only one, Deppgrl.”

“Glad to hear it,” I said with a grin.

We finished our coffee and biscotti, and as we were leaving, the barista stopped us. He handed us both coffees to go.

“Same drinks as your previous orders,” he said with a smile.

We both reached for our wallets. “Let us pay,” I said, but he shook his head.

“I haven’t used many of my shift drinks. This is the least I can do for you two.”

We thanked him. I told him, “I’ll be calling your boss later to let them know what a great employee they have.”

He blushed. “Thank you, Coach.”

Charlie and I left.

As we headed back toward the arena, I called Ronan—Dr. Hayes.
“Hey,” I said when he answered. “Your employee, Fergal, was incredibly kind and generous.”

He chuckled. “I’ve been meaning to promote him, actually. Maybe this will push me to do it.”

“It better,” I said. “If you don’t, I’m giving you a hard time at dinner tonight.”

He laughed. “All right, all right. Where are we eating?”

“At your place,” I said. “You can cook or order takeout, depending on your day.”

“Deal,” he said.

“See you around seven, seven-fifteen.”

“Looking forward to it.”

We hung up, and Charlie glanced at me. “Hot date with Dr. Hayes?”

I rolled my eyes as I chuckled. “It’s just dinner between friends.”

“That’s how we started, Deppgrl,” Charlie said lightly. “He’s got feelings for you,”

I laughed. “Ronan knows where my heart is right now. And if I ever wanted to date him, I’d have to heal first.”

Charlie nodded as we walked through security. “Fair enough.”

He headed to his office while I went down to the turf.

The coaches had board games and card games spread out. I raised an eyebrow.

Tamati Ellison grinned. “The Jasons thought it’d help build camaraderie—give the guys a break from the physical grind.”

“I can’t argue with that,” I said.

Jason Ryan added, “We told them if you approved, the only rule was that they had to pair up with players they don’t usually talk to.”

“Good rule,” I said. “Who’s telling them?”

“I will,” Holland said. He turned to the players. “Coach approved!”

The players cheered and broke into groups—board games on one side, card games on the other. They mixed easily, laughing and trash-talking good-naturedly. The coaches and I stayed nearby, watching, listening.

A few hours later, Charlie came down.
“Hey,” he said, “the owner of the Global Grub food truck is here with a ton of food.”

“Oh, Aqeel’s here?”

Charlie nodded.

I face-palmed. “I completely forgot I arranged for him to cater lunch for everyone.”

Charlie chuckled. “Happens.”

I called security. “Hey, this is Deppgrl. Aqeel and his team are here with catering. Please escort them in and bring modified golf carts for the food.”

“On it,” Margeaux, the head of security, said.

When they arrived, Margeaux apologized for the delay. “Sorry, Coach.”

“Don’t be,” I said. “I forgot—it’s on me. But please radio your staff and tell them to come down and eat too.”

She smiled. “Will do.”

Within minutes, more than thirty of her team came down carrying tables on golf carts. The coaches and I helped Aqeel and his staff set up, arrange food, utensils, plates and the drinks.

When everything was ready, I asked Aqeel, “How much do I owe you?”

“$5,000 NZD,” he said.

As I scrolled through my contacts to send payment, I decided to add $2,000 NZD more to cover his supplies, staff time, and fuel. A minute later, he got the notification.

He looked up, surprised. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” I said simply. “Thank you for helping us out.”

He smiled. “You’re good people, Coach.”

After Aqeel and his team packed up and left, the players and coaches dove into the food. The smell of smoked meat, fish and chips, mac & cheese, falafel and fresh bread filled the space. Everyone was laughing, eating, relaxing.

Charlie came back down. “I talked to the realtor. There’s a condo between the hospital and the arena, but it’s on the same block as Dr. Hayes.”

I sighed. “That’s the farthest from anyone I know?”

“Yeah, I’m afraid so.”

“What’s the monthly cost?”

“Nothing,” he said. “The team will own it. It’ll be used for temporary staff or consultants helping us. It’ll be primarily yours. When you leave, other people we bring will use it, but if you ever come back, they’ll relocate whoever’s in it at the time, clean it thoroughly, and it’ll be ready for you.”

I raised a brow. “That’s… impressive.”

He smiled. “You’ve earned it.” He handed me a key. “New lock for Scott’s office. I’ll take the old one to security—they’ll have it melted.”

I sighed quietly and took the new key. “When can I drop my stuff off to the condo?”

“I’ll handle it,” he said. “Once I sign the condo paperwork, I’ll have a professional cleaning crew go through it. With your permission, I’ll move your bags myself.”

“You know you have my permission. I appreciate you double checking,” I said. “Thank you for making sure it’s cleaned before I move in.”

“Everything should be done by 5:30/5:45 pm. I’ll text you the address.”

“Perfect. Thank you, Charlie.”

He nodded and left.

When I returned to the turf, most of the food was gone, but the coaches had saved several trays for me—pulled pork, rolls, smoked meats, mac and cheese.

“Thank you,” I said.

“The least we could do,” Jason Holland said as he and Jason Ryan helped me carry and store the trays of food in the fridge upstairs in the coaches office.

On the way back down, we joked that I must be rich.

“I’m far from it,” I said with a smirk. “But I won’t deny I’m well-paid to be here.”

We laughed as we stepped onto the turf again. Everything was getting cleaned up by the players. The cleaning services team had brought garbage cans and cleaning supplies down. As the cleaning services team were trying to clean up, the players stopped them then offered them food. The cleaning services team was appreciative, ate and let the players to clean up.

Thank fuck, I thought. The guys were finally beginning to become a team.