Page 18 of On Her Team
Well, friend. It’s time for me to go to sleep.
I glance at the clock and notice it’s getting late.
Goodnight, Gage.
Goodnight, friend.
I chuck my phone on the nightstand and cuddle into my bed. I wish I had time to date. Gage probably excels at dating. And other things.
I sigh. What I wouldn’t give to get my hands on his body. To have his big hands on me.
But it’s not to be.
Chapter 6
Banter is part of the warm-up.
Gage
“What’s going on?” Tanner asks when I enter the conference room at the resort.
I nearly blurt out the secret Coach Knox just told me. But I bite my tongue. I promised not to gossip and I keep my promises.
“Is something wrong with Coach Cha-Cha?” Corbin asks.
Brock grunts. “He’s late.”
Nolan stands at the front of the conference room. “Coach Knox is meeting with the head honchos. He asked me to go ahead and play the footage from our playoff game.”
I cringe. The playoff game was a disaster. Everyone expected us to win. Including all the sports bookies. But we lost.
And it was partially my fault we did. I let Nolan get sacked at a crucial moment in the third quarter. There’s no way we’ll make it to the Super Bowl if I continue to make mistakes. And I won’t stop until I’m wearing a championship ring.
I’ve already watched the replay of the game several times to analyze what I did wrong. But I look forward to reviewing itwith the rest of the team and Coach. Coach can give me tips to prevent me from screwing up in the same way again.
“Why is Coach meeting with management?” Tanner asks. “Are they going to sack him?”
If I didn’t know Coach wasn’t meeting with management, my heart would be in my throat. I’d be lost without Coach Knox. When I was first drafted after college, everyone had high hopes for me. And I dashed them all. I was on the brink of being cut from the team when Coach took me under his wing. With his support, I saved my career and am now a first-string player.
Brock scowls. “They’re not going to fire him. They wouldn’t have brought him to training camp to fire him.”
Tanner waggles his eyebrows. “Maybe he got in trouble after the season ended and they didn’t find out about it until now.”
Corbin frowns at him. “I believe you’re the one who’s in trouble.”
Tanner gives him the finger. “We’re not discussing me.”
“Because you’re under a gag order?” I ask.
“There’s no gag order.”
I lift my eyebrows. “Your manager didn’t tell you to keep quiet or he’s dropping you as a client?”
“What’s going on with Coach?” he asks instead of answering. He doesn’t need to answer. Everyone knows he’s on the razor’s edge of losing everything.
He’s a fucking idiot. He has it all – a great career, good money, tons of endorsement deals – and yet he keeps risking it all. I would never risk my career the way he does.
“There’s nothing going on.” And it’s none of his business anyway. Tanner doesn’t gossip. He broadcasts secrets.
