Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Lexi comes back without Jagger and walks to us. “This meeting looks like it’s secretive.” She sticks her head in. “What are we talking about?”
“I was offering Victoria the social media job we talked about having someone take over,” Kylie fills her in and Lexi nods her head. “Why don’t you come by the office this week when you are free and we can talk it over?”
I smile at both of them, and I don’t know why I say it, but I do, “I’m pretty much free as a bird.” I shock even myself. “Why don’t we exchange numbers so we can schedule it?”
They share a look that screams excitement. “I can’t wait,” Lexi says. “I think you’ll be perfect for the job.”
I smile at them while my head screams, What the hell are you doing? “I look forward to hearing about it.”
two
Zane
I lace up my skates before I get up and snatch my helmet then walk out to the ice, grabbing my stick along the way. I slide onto the ice, going over to the coaches who are in a huddle at the side.
“Okay, we’re going to get this going,” Martin, the head coach of the LA Warriors, declares. “We will work on the same plays we talked about yesterday.” He looks at the five of us. “You two,” he points to Cam and me, “work with the defense.”
I nod at him, turning and skating toward the other side of the ice. “Defense.” My voice booms out and the defensemen come my way. Jaxon, who is the team captain, is the first one to me.
“What’s up, Coach?” He gives me a chin lift.
I look over at Cam. “You want to lead this?” I ask him because he’s been here longer than I have. He’s also older than me. I mean, at forty years old, I’m the youngest on the coaching staff and everyone likes to remind me of this constantly. They call me the rookie and even though it’s annoying, it just makes me want to do better.
“Nah.” He shakes his head and puts his arms on his stick as he watches me. “You can do it; you’re the young one.” I roll my eyes, waiting for the rest of the defensemen to join us.
“Are we missing anyone?” I ask the group and then look over to see two more guys coming onto the ice and heading toward us. “We don’t have all fucking day,” I snap at them. “When it says practice at ten,” I tell the guys who just showed up, “it means be on the fucking ice at ten.” I see them look down. “Not five after ten.” I shake my head. “Next time, you’ll make the whole squad do suicides for fifteen minutes.”
“Sorry, Coach,” they both say, and I accept it.
We work hard and do the drills that Martin set up. I’m the only coach skating side by side with the defensemen. Pushing them when I think they can do better, playing the puck with them, and frustrating them when they think it’s going to be easy. Jaxon is heaving by the time practice ends and he looks over at me. “Next time, go work with the forward line,” he wheezes between pants. “Knox needs someone to push him.” He motions with his chin toward the forward players, who are all huddled around Martin, and not one of them looks like they are going to vomit.
“But then what fun will you have?” I ask him as we skate off the ice. He shakes his head, and I take off my gloves and put my stick on the other wall, away from the players’ sticks. I then make it into the coaches’ dressing room. Taking off my gloves and handing them to the equipment managers so they can put them on the drying rack.
I grab a bottle of water and sit down on the bench, drinking it as Martin comes in. “I need to see a couple of you guys in my office when you finish taking off your skates.” He looks at me and my eyebrows pinch together at his tone. “Zane.” He looks at me. “When you are done here,” he says, “meet me in my office.”
“Sure thing, Coach,” I reply to him as he turns and walks out of the room.
I untie my skates as Cam sits down beside me. “I wonder what the fuck that is all about,” he says as he unties his own skates. I look over at him. “He sounded serious.”
“Maybe I’m getting fired,” I quip, trying to make a joke about it, but my stomach rolls. “Might as well happen now, right before the season ends, and not during the summer. That would suck, me being away and then boom I have to come back to pack up my shit.”