“Okay. How were the rest of your meetings?”
I fed her another spoonful before answering.
“They were fine, but it would’ve been nice had they been spread out through the week.”
“At least they’re done. You know, I never eat in bed.”
I smiled because my mind went straight to the gutter.
“The bed is my favorite place to eat. It’s like having your pussy on a platter every night.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re nasty.”
“You like it.”
“Yeah. I liked it a little too much and let you knock me up. I really should know better at this age.”
“We tried to be responsible, but what fun would that have been?”
She shook her head. “Give me this bowl and let me feed myself.”
I allowed her to take the bowl from my hands.
“I know I’ve told you this, but you did a great job raising Nyeem. It may not have been an ideal situation, and I’m sure not knowing his father affected him in ways we may never know, but after working with Ward for this short time, his absence was probably for the best.”
“Thank you. I didn’t keep up with Ambrose after he was drafted, so I have no idea what he’s like.”
“Simply put, . . . he’s an obnoxious asshole. I only played with him for a year, and we were cool, but that was a long time ago. Once we were in the league, we kept in contact sporadically, saw each other at different events, and hung out in groups on occasion. I don’t know how I missed this side of him.”
“Maybe he’s good at hiding it in certain spaces.”
“I need him gone, but I don’t want the school to have to pay out his contract.”
“There’s no loophole?”
I shook my head. “Not that I’ve seen.”
“Is he really that bad?”
I shared with her some of the issues that had been brought to my attention by the other coaches, but I kept the things he’d said about Nyeem to myself. I didn’t want her to worry about Nyeem while he was under my care.
“That sounds pretty bad. I hate you have to deal with that kind of attitude and behavior from a grown ass man on your coaching staff.”
“Knox thinks Ward will dig his own grave before the season starts. He told me to start thinking of who I wanted to replace him.”
“Knox may be right. Do you have anyone in mind?”
“You think Robby would be interested?”
“My brother?”
“Yeah. He played college ball and has several years of coaching experience. He’s also partially responsible for Nyeem becoming the player he is today.”
“He’s never mentioned the desire to coach at the collegiate level, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
I nodded and pushed work to the back of my mind. Nyomi had finished her soup and hadn’t had to rush off to the bathroom, so that was a good sign.
“How do you feel after eating the soup?”
