“Now, wait just a minute.”
“Not such a good feeling, having something like that thrown in your face.” He doesn’t say anything. “I’ve had people telling me from day one that I shouldn’t be in this position. That I shouldn’t have gotten the job. I started this fucking job with two strikes already on my back. One, that I was the youngest one out there and two, people didn’t think I could do the job.” The statement shocks him. “Yeah, so I’ve been dealing with trying to prove them all wrong, while trying to guide a group of men to play to their best ability. What have you done? These guys”—I put my elbows on my knees—“some of the best guys I’ve seen on the ice. Best rookies I’ve ever seen play. I can only help steer them, but you—” I point to him. “You need to lead them on that ice. You want to point the finger at me and blame me?” I shrug. “Maybe you’re right, maybe I’m not good for the job. Maybe there are other people out there more qualified. But I’m here and I’m going to fucking fight to stay here. What are you going to do? Tell me, what are you going to do?” I wait a second to see if he will answer me, but he doesn’t. “Or better yet, if you were me, what would you do? Would you just bow your head and walk away, or would you stay and fight?” He opens his mouth. “If you tell me you would bow your head and walk away, that’s a fucking lie.”
“I was going to say I would stay and fight,” he admits.
“But you want me to pack it up and move on.” I point to myself and shake my head. “Well, I’m not going to do it. I might not be the right man for the job,” my voice gets tight, “but it’s my job for however long they let me have it. I’m asking you to fucking work with me.” He doesn’t say anything. “Something is going on in that locker room, and I don’t know what it is.”
“You.” He points to me. “You are what’s going on.”
“No.” I shake my head. “It’s not me. It might be about me, but it’s not me. There is a divide and one side is working with me and one side is working against me. I don’t know who is on either side.” He raises his eyebrows. “What side are you on?”
“I’m on the team’s side,” he snaps.
“Then find out what the fuck is going on and lead the fucking team.” He gets up, his eyes in slits as he turns to walk out of the room. “And try not to fuck it up by taking penalties.” I try to hide the smirk. “I need you on the ice and not in the box.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Coach,” he says and I nod at him.
“Unless I get fired tonight,” I sigh and he walks out of the house, and the sound of the front door slamming has me exhaling in relief.
I wait a full two minutes before I get up and walk to the front door, locking it and then looking outside. “He’s gone,” I call loud enough that she can hear me and come out of her hiding spot.
I walk over to the kitchen and open the top cabinet, grabbing the whiskey out of it and then pouring myself a glass. I take the shot as she walks into the kitchen, putting the glass down on the island and then extending my hands to the sides, hanging my head. “Well, that was something,” she says, walking over to me and standing beside me. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I admit. I look over at her and see her eyes are red. “But I’m going to be, I guess.” I raise a hand to cup her cheek. “How much of that did you hear?”
“I wasn’t locked in a soundproof room.” She tries to make me smile. “Pretty much all of it. I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I ask her, turning and leaning my hip into the counter.
“For my part in it,” she says, looking down, and I put my finger under her chin and lift it up so she’s looking at me.
“What the fuck are you talking about, Victoria?” I ask her, my heart hammering in my chest for a whole different reason.
“This is one of the reasons why you didn’t want to get involved, and I sort of pushed you.” She grabs the glass of whiskey that I poured for myself and swallows down a gulp and then hisses. “That’s disgusting,” she says, coughing. “Why would you drink that?” She walks over to get a glass and then fills it with water. She takes two full sips before she turns to me. “You said you had to focus on work and your head had to be in the game.”
“I did.” I nod, waiting for her to get whatever it is she needs to get off her chest.
“And instead of just stepping back and letting you do what you needed to do, I was full of my awesomeness and I forced you into this.”
“Your awesomeness?” I try not to make a joke, but the grin comes out.
“Well, I pushed you too far and you snapped,” she says softly, “and maybe you were right.” My eyebrows pinch together.
“Are you breaking up with me?” I say, trying to remain calm.
“No, I’m just giving you an out,” she offers.
“You’re giving me an out.” I fold my arms over my chest. “What if I don’t want an out, Victoria?” I turn it around and ask her the question. “What if you are the best fucking thing that has happened to me in the clusterfuck that has been the last couple of months?” She just stares at me. “What if you’re the one I’ve been waiting on my whole life, and you just walk out the door and I let you?” Her eyes go big. “What would that say about me?”
“That you’re stupid,” she retorts. “I was trying to help.”
“By breaking up with me?” I shake my head and reach for the glass. “Wow.”
“Don’t you fucking wow me, Zane Lincoln Gilmore,” she barks, and I try to hide the smirk with the glass in front of me. “I’m trying not to put more pressure on you.”
“Then stop trying to break up with me. You are always walking away from me.”
“I’m going to walk away from you in less than a second if you don’t quit it,” she snaps at me.
