“Uh, not that I can think of. No.” He pushed open the doors to one of the weight rooms, the room filled with around ten athletes. I recognized most of them from the sidelines. I almost knew all their names. “Do you do that?”
“It isn’t required for being an AT. However, it makes you significantly more useful to any program if you have experience doing it. I’m certified to create meal plans and do individual workouts. Want to learn?”
“Hell yeah.” I beamed so wide it hurt my face. “Of course, I do.”
“That a girl. I figured you would.” His grin matched mine as he led me to a wall of clipboards. “Let’s do it.”
* * *
The afternoon flew by,and the new information fascinated me because I had little experience with it. We went through chart after chart, numbers and measurements and reps. I worked with Andre, Conner, and Dylan. They all had massive gains in resistance and strength training. Brock yelled and pushed and bossed them around. But the best part was watching the athletes’ faces when they did it. It was pure elation at pushing yourself past the point you thought you could go.
It reminded me again why I wanted to do this career. Moments like this. The deep passion ingrained in our DNA that made us want to be better despite our odds. I wanted to find that passion and exploit it to push them. As Brock debriefed with the athletes, my brain raced. Could I ever be as good at this as he was? Probably not. But that was okay. I would try and try again.
I didn’t enjoy football as much as baseball. I needed to begin researching workout programs for those sports. Then, go through ones per position and how they differed by body type. I wanted to do it all at that moment.
“Grace?”
Brock’s voice woke me from my whirling day dream. “What did ya think?”
“So freaking cool. I want to do that. I wouldn’t even know where to start. How do you get trained? God, you were awesome. You knew how to push them and what to say,” I gushed, totally fangirling over his talents. “I must say, I’m glad you didn’t get hit too hard to lose that brain of yours. It’s impressive.”
“I don’t think anyone has ever complimented my brain before,” he said with a smug but pleased look coming over his face.
I waited until we went back into his office before replying. “Big brains are awesome. The bigger the better.”
His eyes darkened, and he sucked in one of his cheeks. “What else are you into?”
“Uh, are we still talking about big brains right now?” I looked at the door to ignore the lines between us blurring. Were we flirting still? Or did he mean career wise?
“We can be talking about anything you want.” He sat on his desk, his chest bulging out. “So far, I’ve calculated you like big brains, ice cream, coffee, and working. What else are you drawn to?”
“Challenges. I love someone who challenges themselves and those around them to be better.” I stood, a wave of passion and pride going through me. “You were amazing with those athletes, and when their faces contorted with pain right before they broke through. Man. I love passionate people. It could be about comic books, their family, dogs or knitting. Having a passion is one of the luckiest things in the world.”
“What’s your passion, Grace?” he asked in a soft voice.
“I’m figuring that out.” I smiled, crossing my arms and eyeing his large body. “But, I really like learning from you.”
“Yeah, I like teaching you.” He looked pleased as he glanced at his watch. I, too, saw it was already past three. Time flew when I was here. He sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. “You ready to head out? You have class now, yeah?”
I shouldered my backpack and pulled my headphones out of my front pocket. “Yes. It hardly seems fair I have to go to class after all that work.”
“Are you walking?” He eyed my appearance as he frowned. “I can drive you.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I can walk. It’s beautiful outside.” I gripped the backpack and fought the urge to click my heels. His offer was so cute.
“Come on. I want to drive you.” He grabbed his keys and gave me a sheepish smile. “Please?”
“Ugh.” I rolled my eyes. “Only because you asked nicely. Oh, and because of your brain.”
“A guys gotta do what a guy’s gotta do,” he said, cheerily opening the door for me and leading me down to the garage. “I forgot how exciting it was to do this stuff.”
“What do you mean?” I asked as I hopped into the front seat.
“I got forced into it, really. I thought I would be playing in the NFL right now, not working as an athletic trainer at my alma mater. It became a way to be around the sport I was unable to play. It wasn’t a passion or a dream. It just was. But, watching the joy on your face and answering your questions is reminding me I’m lucky. It’s a pretty cool job.”
I smiled at him, patting his arm and squeezing it. His face held no resentment or sadness; just acceptance. “I’m also super dorky.”
Instead of answering with a joke, he dropped a bomb on me. A major feels bomb. “Your joy and positivity are contagious.”
