“Lucas Cooper?”
“Uh…yeah?”
“Hey. This is Davey McAllister. With Apex.”
Coop almost swallowed his tongue. Davey fucking McAllister? Everyone in the bike racing industry knew who he was. Knew who he worked for. Apex was elite, and Davey had been one of the best racers to grace the dirt until he retired. Now he managed the Apex team. Coop almost didn’t believe it was him. “Y-Yeah?” What would he be calling Coop for?
“A friend of mine has a dilemma, and I’m hoping you can help me out. I’ve seen you street race, and I’ve watched your films. I also know you practice on a moto track, and have raced there before, too.”
“Yeah?”
“Ultimately, you’re the person we want. You know your shit. You can get on any track and figure it out fast and…”
“Win?”
“Exactly.”
“Okay…I’m pretty happy on the Bandy Tires team. They’ve been a great sponsor. Supporting me. I mean, I’m on the track for the first time after an injury, I’m not going to switch—”
“Oh, no. That’s not it. We don’t want you to ride. We want you to coach.”
“Come again?”
“I have a great friend over on the Bike Max team, and they have a new 250 racer. They want to debut him at RedBud next weekend. He came up through Next. The problem is, he hasn’t done a ton of moto, and Bike Max is stretched too thin on coaches. They want someone with versatility to help him out this weekend.”
Bike Max. They wanted Coop to help coach a new racer. What the fuck? How did that even happen? “So this is for Bike Max. Not Apex? Well, I know they’re a very progressive team.”
“Oh yeah. The guys at Bike Max are willing to take chances that others, like me and Apex, aren’t. And if you’re interested, you fly out to Michigan tomorrow so you have plenty of time with Nate.”
“That’s the racer?”
“Yes. Nate Keller. If you want to do this, it’s only this weekend, but it could lead to more. Bike Max is known for trying people out and bringing on the best permanently. If you’re interested. It could work out.”
“I’ve never coached anyone.”
“No, but I know who’s coached you, and I know who your grandfather is. Surely, Dustin Cooper had a hand in developing your talent early.” Coop’s grandad had done just that. He’d been a lot of things, including Cooper’s biggest fan. Until he died. But that was a can of worms Coop didn’t want to open. “And it’s not like you’re going to yell at the kid or smack him upside the head.”
“What? No. I’d never.”
“Relax. It’s a joke. We think you’ll be great at this, so let me know so I can get your number over to Gavin.”
Coop looked at Dane. If he did this, it had implications for his schedule and training. “I have to talk to Dane. And Brett, but yeah, I think I’d like to give it a shot.” The one thing in the back of his mind during his recovery was that he wouldn’t be able to race forever. And he loved Rick, but staying home and doing nothing was out of the question. No matter where the military took them, there would be an airport nearby, so coaching might be a nice transition. He needed to talk to Rick about this, too. For once in his life, he had someone else to talk to. After his grandfather passed, it had been Vick. But now? He’d let his friend know what was up, but he didn’t want anyone else’s advice on this. “I’ll let you know in the next hour or two. Will that work?” Hopefully, Rick wasn’t out in the field and could get on the phone quickly.
“Sure. You have my number now. Feel free to text a yes or no.”
“Thank you. For thinking of me if nothing else.”
“I do my homework. If you weren’t one of the best, most talented, you wouldn’t be getting this call.”
“Thanks.” Coop felt the heat blush his cheeks from the compliment. Coming from Davey fucking McAllister meant the world.
He handed the phone back to Dane. “You knew about this?”
“He was looking for you. He said he had some kind of coaching thing. I didn’t get details. Brett probably knows more. What’s up?”
After Coop explained the situation, he sighed. “I think I want to try it. What do you think?”
Dane crossed his arms over his chest. “I think you’re hardheaded enough for the job.”
