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Damn it. I’d walked right into thewhygame again.
“Enough. We aren’t staying.” My clipped tone caused Penny’s lower lip to jut out even further. I felt like a jerk, but the truth of the matter was we did need to get back. I was already fielding calls about next season, summer break, and what I was going to do about the players who were on academic probation.
When I transitioned from successful quarterback to coaching, I thought it’d be as simple as mentoring college players, passing down my tips for mental strength and agility on the field.
Yeah fucking right.
The majority of it was politics, strategy meetings, and keeping the star players from getting themselves booted from the team.
My phone buzzed and the name of Gary Whitman, the university athletic director, flashed across the screen.
Case in point.
I raised a finger to Penny, who only rolled her eyes and flopped herself onto Tootie’s well-worn couch.
When I answered, the athletic director wasted no time on greetings but barreled ahead. “Sullivan. I have your list of ineligibles.”
“Ineligibles?” I glanced at my watch to check the date. “Already?”
“One for sure, but another on the brink.”
I let go of a deep sigh and felt a headache start to form. “All right. Let’s hear it.”
“Kevin Williams is on academic probation. Didn’t pass his finals.”
“Yeah.” My heart went out to Kevin. He was a good, smart kid. Hell of a ball player, but he lacked the discipline for college. Namely, showing up for goddamn class.
“Also, Michael Thompson.”
That one surprised me. Michael was a straightlaced hard worker. He could run like the wind, and I’d never heard of any issues with him so far.
“He’s got nowhere to go. We’re still waiting on campus housing to come through, but he says he doesn’t have a place back in Oklahoma.”
My gut turned. I didn’t know my players well enough yet to have much insight into their home situations, but I couldn’t just send a kid packing without knowing he had a home to go back to. “I’ll take care of it.”
“You better.” Whitman laughed, but it lacked any semblance of actual humor. “We were all excited to have you sign on, but when it comes down to it, you need a winning season just as bad as we do. Get these boys under control, and hopefully we can talk long term.”
I didn’t need to be reminded of the stipulations of my contract. For a Division I football coach, satisfying the university’s media and sponsorship contracts was only a small part of the gig. If at the end of it all I didn’t produce a winning season, my contract wouldn’t be extended. With the team I had agreed to coach, I was on shaky ground at best. My eyes flicked to Penny, who was still pouting on the couch and likely ruminating over theWorst Dad Ever.
“Got it.” I hung up the phone and tossed it aside. I sighed and felt the tension creep into my neck and shoulders. “How about we go visit Uncle Lee at the fire station, Pickle?”
Penny immediately perked up. “Really? Right now?”
I smiled, knowing making her happy was the easiest win of them all, and I needed a win today. “Right now. Let’s load up.”
* * *
After a full tourof the fire station, if Penny hadn’t already been over the moon for her uncle, she sure as hell was now. They were two peas in a pod, and she smiled up at him as her head wobbled under the weight of a firefighter’s helmet.
She ran a hand across the red fire engine.
“Hop up there.” Lee gave her a boost, and Penny enthusiastically disappeared into the darkness of the truck.
“Just don’t touch anything,” I warned.
Her head popped back into the doorway and she frowned.
Lee laughed and lifted a hand. “Hit all the buttons you want. Just don’t mess with the tools. Especially the ax. I don’t want you getting blood on my clean truck.”
