Brayden continues to stare at her, shaking his head after a few moments and turning back to me. “It’s nothing. Just wanted to make sure she was doing okay is all.”
“Okay.” I let it go, not fully understanding what just happened.
Brandon walks back from the bathroom, and joins us. I grab some cash from my wallet, leaving a fifty on the table to cover our drinks and a tip for Violet, before we start back downstairs.
While today has been all over the place, and definitely didn’t go in the direction I thought it would, I can’t be mad about how it ended. If anything, this just proves that Kailyn is fighting for me just as hard as I’m fighting for her.
And now that I know her family is one hundred percent behind us and that we’re both committed to working on growing, I’m ready to see what’s next in store for us, because one way or another, we were always meant to be.
Chapter 18
Kailyn
It’s officially been a month since I’ve stepped in for Dr. Sanders, and so far, it’s definitely been a huge learning experience.
When I sat down with Coach Davenport and our GM Tom Preston to work out the logistics and get the full details for my new role, I thought I had an idea of what I was signing up for.
News flash, I only had part of the picture.
While the job of an athletic trainer still remains the same, my responsibilities have completely shifted. I now have less hands-on time with the players and instead I’m the person the entire medical staff comes to when they have questions or need a decision made.
One of the best perks of this new experience is getting to know everyone that I work with on a whole other level. The majority of them are super nice and wonderful, helping me out when I don’t know where things are, helping with staffing and procedures, and explaining how they are used to things so I can find my own rhythm.
One of the girls, Hannah, has become myfavorite person. I’ve worked with her since my first day here, and she’s always been super sweet to me. She’s the same age as me, so we definitely have a lot in common, and it’s easy to get along with her.
We bonded during game nights while working together. The night that I temporarily took over, she jumped right in and helped me navigate the team, showing me where everything was and joking around with me when she felt like I was spiraling.
This is her second year with the team, and she’s really made a name for herself. The team loves her, and I definitely see why. I want to invite her to a girls night, because I can see us being friends for a long time after this.
I was scared that the other doctors and medical staff would hate me or feel like I was getting by because of my last name, but everyone has been really open and welcoming.
Well, all except one person.
Eric hasn’t outright said anything negative to me, but I can tell that he’s pissed he got passed over for this opportunity. After my talk with Coach and his attitude towards me this past week, I know that I need to steer clear of Eric for the time being.
The old me would have cowered and let his intimidating stares and subtle backhanded comments get to me, would’ve let it push me away and had me running for the hills. But the new me, the me who’s learned so much about herself and is still growing, isn’t afraid of guys like him anymore. I’ve dealt with hundreds of guys like him who can’t stand to see a woman in charge, who put me down before they know my worth. I have my insecurities and hang ups about things I’m still working on, but I won’t lethim push me aside and make me feel less than because his ego is hurt.
Speaking of the devil, I’m making my way from the benches after checking everything's okay when I run right into him, causing him to drop the box of tape and bandages he was holding.
“I’m so sorry. Here, let me help.”
“I don’t need your help. I’m perfectly capable of doing my job on my own.” He sneers, causing me to take a step back.
“I was only trying to help since it was my fault. There’s no need for you to be so rude.”
“Of course you would read into my tone, because there’s no way I could’ve meant it any other way,” he snaps sarcastically.
Okay, this man has officially got on my last nerves.
“Listen, I was just trying to be polite and apologize, so your condescending attitude isn’t needed. I get that you’re pissed about me being put in charge, but I didn’t exactly ask to be put in this position. I figured you might be more civil and professional, but I see that I’ve clearly gotten you all wrong.”
“You women are all the same. You’ve been doing this for what, five minutes? I’ve been doing this job for five years, two of them here. I was Josh’s right hand man and all of a sudden you walk in and because of your last name, you act like you own the place. I actually worked my ass off to get here, and thanks to Josh and the GM, I was able to get here based on that hard work, unlike you.” His face gets closer to mine with each word he says, his tone growing more and more aggressive. He definitely looks pissed, his eyes turning a shade darker, almost black and his eyebrows drawn close together.
My heart feels like it’s jumping out of my chest the closer he gets to me. As he keeps talking, I can’t help the shiver that climbs up my spine at his accusing and harsh tone. “My last name has nothing to do with it. I’ve worked my ass off every day of my career, and I have never once asked for any special treatment.”
“Then give me an alternative answer,sweetheart, because from where I’m standing, the only other way you could’ve gotten this job is if you traded the right favors.” The way he spits that nickname is laced with so much venom, it has me taking a step back from him.
“You think I slept around to get to where I am?” His accusation has me pausing, my body going cold and fear racing up my spine.
