Page 100 of The No Try Zone
He jogs off, but doesn’t get too far before a little boy is tugging at his dad’s coat and intercepting Ollie’s path to gawk up at him. I catch Ollie kneeling to the kid’s height before losing sight of him, then turn my focus back to the task at hand.
I have got to get my head in the game.
“You good?” Kari asks under her breath.
I jerk my head toward her. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
She gives me a flat expression.
“I’m fine.”
I’m not fine.The match is a complete shit show, and I don’t use that term lightly. I stay up in the booth like normal, so every mistake we make is on crystal-clear display. Ten-year-olds can control the ball better than we do, and our passes are intercepted by the Music time and again. Our scrums are loose, our kicks are damn near nonexistent, and the tries wedomanage to score are utterly pitiful.
We get our asses handed to us.
Ansel’s gaze locks with mine as I enter the locker room. The guys are in various states of dress, and all pause as I walk into the center. I’ve never been the kind of coach to lay into my team after a beat-down, because all it does is pour salt on a very open wound. Instead, I hold my clipboard in the air until there’s silence. When all eyes are on me, I speak. “I don’t need to tell you how bad that was. You played it and I watched it. So go home, enjoy your day off tomorrow. Because on Monday, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Ollie makes a dismissive noise and shoots me a dark look before shaking his head and returning his attention to his shoelaces. Lennox turns his attention to me and raises an eyebrow. Ansel catches it, his own expression morphing into one of confusion.
This is getting out of control. I spin on my heel and leave, knowing that I’m risking all my players wondering what the hell I’m doing. But I need out of here.
What the fuck is wrong with me? How did I get here? All I wanted was to focus on the team. But the second I laid eyes on Sam, all bets were off. The way she’d grinned at me, all mischievous and willing to see where the night went once I flipped that coin…
To this.
I climb the stairwell once more, needing to grab the laptop with the ass-beating on it so that I can study it tomorrow. But since today is clearly not my day, who should I find in the booth but Scott.
It’s obvious he’s been waiting on me. He nods at the chair beside him, swiveling it to face me. “Have a seat.”
I sit.
“Wanna tell me what that was down there?” he asks.
“I don’t have an answer for you, Scott.”
“Unacceptable,” he says. “I hired you –”
“To win,” I interrupt. “Yes, I’m aware. You didn’t hire me for us to have our asses handed to us by our rivals. I’m aware of that, too. This is the only loss we’ve suffered. It was abhorrent, sure, but it’s the only one.”
He studies me, making sure I’m very aware of who between us has the power. It reminds me of my football coach in high school. The guy was a dick, using intimidation and punishment to get us to do his bidding. And, sure, it worked, but the team suffered. I won’t be like that. So even though it chaps my ass to sit here and say nothing, letting him think he’s winning, I do it.
I want Sam.
The thought spears through me unbidden as Scott continues to glare at me. I want Sam, and I fucked up so badly that I’m pretty certain there’s no way back.
Finally, Scott stands. “See that we win next week.”
I raise a brow. “That’s the goal.”
“No. It’s not a goal. It’s an ultimatum.”
Chapter36
Sam
ASOFT KNOCK on the door has me lifting my gaze, and it snags on khaki pants before finally rising to Colin’s hesitant expression.
“Got a minute?” he asks.
