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I pulled the Range Rover into my private spot in the underground parking lot and met Miles in the gym. I took a deep breath before I walked in, hoping that Gunnar wouldn’t be there, while secretly wishing that he were. Not seeing him was harder than I thought.
But cold turkey was the only way I was going to get over him.
And it sucked.
Not one player was in the gym that morning, and Miles went easy on me and didn’t ask about Gunnar. I think that he knew better.
Back in my office, the minutes ticked away as I waited for my meeting with Coach. Even though I was expecting him at seven, I still jumped when he knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Coach stepped into my office and gave me a curt nod. “Good morning, Miss King.”
His job was on the line too, and his complexion looked pale. “Good morning, Coach.” I was wearing my cherry-red suit, the one that made me feel the most powerful. But that day it wasn’t working its magic.
“We’ve got a real problem on our hands.” Coach’s workout suit made a swishing sound as he crossed his legs at the same time as his arms.
Coach and I were on the same team, but I was still technically his boss and I didn’t like the way he was speaking to me. He wouldn’t approach my father that way, and my cheeks burned, probably matching my suit.
I got out of my chair, rounded my desk and perched on the corner, towering over Coach. “We sure do. Can you tell me what happened out there last night?”
The man in front of me seemed to deflate. “I wish I knew. I think it’s the pressure. It got to them, and got to their heads. They forgot that they were on a team, and each of them tried to save the day.”
“It reminded me of the beginning of last year. And we overcame that.”
“True.” Coach rubbed his chin. “The new blood helped.” He snapped his gaze to mine. “Have you gotten the approval from Mr. King for the new player? That might be what we need.”
I slipped off the desk and returned to my chair. “Not yet. Are you sure you want a new player? Won’t introducing a hotshot like Bradshaw make things worse?”
Coach gave a sad chuckle. “I don’t see how that’s possible.” Then he straightened in his chair and fixed his jacket. “I think that introducing a new player will bring a cohesiveness to the existing players. It will be good. You’ll have to trust me on this one.”
“That makes sense. I’m going to bring it up with my father at our meeting this afternoon. Do you have a list of the top three players that you’d like?”
“Nope.” Coach steeled his gaze at me. “It’s gotta be Bradshaw. Full stop.”
I sighed. “I don’t know if my father will go for it, but I’ll do my best.”
Coach stood. “If you want to save your job, and mine, get Bradshaw. With him, I’m going to turn this team around and you’re going to have another cup under your belt.”
Smiling, I stood and reached out my hand. “I’ve always admired your positivity.”
Coach tapped his temple. “It’s not positivity, it’s an unwavering belief. You’ve gotta believe in your players, Everleigh. I believe in them. And I believe in Bradshaw.”
He shook my hand. “Oh, there’s one other thing I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?” I raised my eyebrows.
“I’m not waiting a month. We need to shake things up now.”
My stomach clenched. I knew what he was going to say.
“I’m going to replace Lockwood with Bradshaw when we get him, and I’m going to bench Smitty for a few games.”
No, I wanted to scream. It wasn’t Gunnar’s fault. The entire team had played like shit and now he was getting blamed. “Let’s get Bradshaw, but don’t demote Gunnar just yet. We’re already rocking the boat. We don’t want it to tip right over.”
“At this point, Miss King, I’m ready to throw them all overboard and start fresh. And I’ve already spoken to your father, and he agrees.”
I reared back, the wheels on my chair skirting off the hard plastic and onto the concrete floor. “You went over my head and talked to my father?”
