Chapter 3
CHAPTER
THREE
While the rest of the team did their Friday pregame run-throughs, Garrett spent the morning with the assistant strength and conditioning coach. Then, after the other players had cleared out, he sat with his special teams coach, Coach Jaxson Ross, or Coach J as he preferred to be called.
Even though he’d seen the locker room yesterday and seen his name written over his stall, that didn’t make walking into a room full of his new team members for the first time any easier. These guys had been playing together for half the season already. They had done all the preseason training together and survived the cuts. And there he was, swanning in and filling a spot that should’ve been taken by someone else.
It took a moment for his brain to process the busy locker room, because the colors the team pulled on were all wrong.
Some players stopped and stared at him, as if he didn’t belong. A few gave him a nod and got on with whatever they were doing.
“Hey, you’re Stevens?” The guy finished taping his wrist and stood to offer his hand.
“Yeah.” He dropped his bag in front of his locker, making it rather obvious who he was. His locker contained all his gear: T-shirts and sweats and such in the team colors.
“When do they have you doing bathtub duty?” another guy called out.
Garrett blinked and turned as if someone had just told him they were all heading out to play ice hockey. “Say what?”
Another player pulled his shirt on, his voice half muffled as he said, “You know, when you sit naked in a bathtub for an interview. We’ve all done it.”
A few of the others laughed.
“Ignore them. There’s no nudity involved, and the bathtub is a restaurant.”
Garrett groaned. He’d seen the name on the email Caitlin had sent this morning confirming the day and time. “Bathtubs and Blossoms.” The meet and greet charity dinner, the team had all new players on the team do. “That’s on Monday.”
He was not looking forward to making polite conversation with donors for an entire meal.
“Hulme, long snapper. You’ll be spending a lot of time looking at my ass.” He turned and slapped his butt as he walked away. “So get used to it.”
Garrett shook his head. If they knew… how different would things be?
A man with a tablet walked in and scanned the room. His gaze landed on him. “Stevens, with me.”
“Do you want me to bring anything?”
“Are you dressed to work out?”
“Yes.” He’d arrived dressed to train and had a change of clothes for after in his bag.
“Let’s go. There’s a lot to get through.” He held out his hand and Garrett shook it. “Brian, one of the assistant strength and conditioning coaches.”
“Good luck,” someone shouted.
They were right to wish him luck. He wasn’t playing this weekend, so he got flogged as well as checked over. Even though he’d sent over his weights and training program, he expected a new one to be put together.
At least when he was running or lifting, that was all he needed to think about.
No one asked him questions. Brian was too busy making notes.
While he couldn’t walk in and mess up the team's game prep, that didn’t stop him from wanting to be a part of it. Next week. Then he’d be competing for a chance to start.
This was the weird “settling in” phase.
He grabbed lunch with the assistant coach who still had stuff to get through, and since most of the team had left, he didn’t have to worry about which table to sit at. With the Copperheads, he’d sat with the special teams guys. They’d been good friends. For a couple of heartbeats, he missed them. They’d be learning to work with someone else. Maybe the Copperheads' kicker was filling in this week for him and cursing his name.
He should return Rafe’s call and his messages.
He hadn’t returned anyone’s.
When he finished for the day, replying to people would be at the top of his list. Because he had to. Not because he wanted to.
Coach Ross walked into the cafeteria, grabbed some lunch, and then joined them at the table. He read whatever Brian had written and made a couple of notes himself. He was sitting right there, but they weren’t talking to him. Was that a good thing or a bad thing, or was he over-analyzing everything?
Halfway through his meal, Ross looked at Garrett. “You want to change your shoes and get out on the field?”
Of course he fucking did. That’s why he was there. “I’d love to.”
He was sure Ross had other things he needed to do to prepare for Sunday, but if the man was giving up some time for him, Garrett was taking it.
At first, Ross just tossed the ball so Garrett could drop it and tap it back to him.
“Getting traded mid-season is not the easiest thing,” Ross said. “How are you holding up? Have you got somewhere to stay?” He held the ball, waiting for Garrett to answer, instead of giving him a reason to be distracted.
Was he fishing, or was it an actual check-in to see how he was? Garrett took it as the latter. “I’m staying at a hotel, on the long-term rate for the moment. And since I drove, I’ve got a car, and all my stuff.”
Ross nodded and threw the ball.
Garrett caught, dropped it, and tapped it to him without thinking. The muscle memory was so strong he could do it in his sleep.
“You kind of dodged my question.”
Because if he answered, he might crumble and then everything would spill out, and he couldn’t do that. But he needed to say something. “Yeah, not gonna lie. It’s been like being caught in the spin cycle, and I’m waiting for the door to open so I can climb out and draw a breath.”
“This will be the first game you’ve missed since you were drafted.”
He glanced away, staring at the goalposts at the end of the field. “It’s pretty rough.”
“It’s going to take time to bond with the guys, and I won’t pretend that James is going to like it. Hell, I already know he doesn’t.”
“It’s… I feel like I’m poaching his job.”
“Because you are. In the same way, our second and third quarterbacks are always looking to take that next step. The players at the top know it, too. It keeps them sharp, or they quit.”
Toss. Catch. Drop. Punt.
“You also kicked in college and filled in for a couple of weeks last season. How was that?”
Toss. Catch. Drop. Punt.
“Unexpected, but I guess no one expects appendicitis. I think because I kicked in college, it wasn’t that unfamiliar.” And while there’d been extra practice, he’d fucked up one field goal but managed to redeem himself with the next one.
Ross tossed the ball.
This time, Garrett kept hold of it. “So I’ll join the squad on Monday?”
“Yes, and we’ll see what happens. You want to toss that back to me?”
He was already fighting for that spot. The game had already started, and they all knew that. Garrett drew in a breath. “Do you mind if I take a bit of time while no one’s here to walk some drills? It feels like it’s been more than a few days since I’ve done any training.”
“Not at all. Mind if I watch?”
Garrett smiled. “I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”
He suspected they were all busy assessing him and trying to figure out why the Copperheads had gotten rid of him. He was a riddle they were trying to unravel.
If they did, would they like what they found?