62. Lucia
sixty-two
Lucia
If I thought I was nervous last night, I’m even more nervous now.
I’m not worried about keeping my job; I know that’s not at risk.
But I really want a shot at becoming Head Trainer, and there’s a very real possibility that it won’t happen now.
“Take a deep breath, Lucia,” Ari says from the other end of the phone. Players and staff don’t need to report until noon, so I left an hour earlier than him today.
“Why am I so nervous about this?” I groan.
“Because you’re good at your job. Because you want to keep helping us stubborn athletes. Because you want to be a role model to young women everywhere.”
“Right, yes.” I scrub a hand down my face. “No pressure here at all.”
“Whatever happens, everything is going to be okay, sweetheart. Just do what you can to make him see that you should still be considered.”
I let out a deep breath. “Yes, I’ll do that. I’ll see you before the game. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Good luck.”
I disconnect the call and walk toward Dr. Coltrain’s office with determined steps.
All I have to do is plead my case without seeming desperate.
I can do this.
I knock on the door.
“Come in,” Dr. Coltrain shouts.
One more deep breath, and I walk inside, taking a seat across from him.
“Good morning, Dr. Coltrain.”
“Good morning, Lucia.” He rests his hands on the desk in front of him. “What’s going on?”
“It has to do with something Logan saw last night. You know I’m close friends with multiple guys from the team, and Ari Morgan is one of them.”
“Yes,” he chuckles. “That caught me by surprise this season since you two struggled to get along before.”
“Yeah, that’s a long story,” I sigh. “Us getting along started during the offseason, and we’re really close now. Close enough that when Logan ran into us last night, we were… kissing.”
Dr. Coltrain raises his brow in amusement. “Were you?”
“Yes. Ari and I are actually… together. We’re not just friends.”
“I knew something was going on,” he chuckles.
I look at him in surprise. “What do you mean you knew?”
He smiles at me. “I’ve been wondering since April. Lucia, Ari showed up when we went to Brooklyn College with a bouquet of flowers. I’m aware of the reputation he had previously, so for him to show up and support you like that told me something was happening behind the scenes.”
I let out an uneasy laugh. “Believe it or not, we weren’t dating at that point. We really only got together officially last week.”
“So what’s bothering you about this? We don’t have a no-fraternization policy on the Stars, so you two have broken no rules.”
“It’s more about the Head Trainer position opening up.” I take a breath and exhale. “Logan pointed out last night that the girlfriend of one of the players getting the position would look a lot like favoritism.”
“Ah,” Dr. Coltrain says. “I see.”
“I wanted to make sure to give you the entire story. I understand it may prevent me from being considered, but I have to take that risk.”
“Lucia,” he says, voice even and not giving anything away. “This will have no bearing on your consideration for the position.”
“It… won’t?”
“Absolutely not. I’m selecting based on merit, not nepotism. If anyone were to make a complaint of that nature, I’d give them the facts. And to be perfectly transparent, the fact is that you’re my top choice.”
“What?” I say in disbelief, hardly able to absorb what he’s saying.
“I don’t want this to get around,” Dr. Coltrain states, “but I’ve certainly noticed the way you’re stepping up to help Nathan and Greg. I’ve also noticed the way Logan isn’t doing that. The Head Trainer needs to be a leader, and you’ve already been showing those qualities.”
“I—… I mean…” I stammer before gathering myself. “Thank you, Dr. Coltrain. That means a lot.”
“I hope that can ease your mind.”
“Yeah, it definitely helps,” I chuckle.
Dr. Coltrain smiles. “Was there anything else you needed to discuss?”
“That was honestly everything. Thank you for meeting with me. I’m much more relaxed now.”
“Happy to hear that. I’ll see you in a bit, then, when the players come in.”
I thank him again and walk out of the room in disbelief with the brightest smile on my face.
Ari was right—everything worked out.
“That looks like good news to me.”
I look down the hall and see my boyfriend leaning with his back against the wall. I practically skip over to him in excitement.
“Everything is great,” I exclaim, flinging my arms around him. “Even if I hadn’t come in to address it, everything would still be okay.”
“What does that mean?”
“Ari, I’m already the top choice for Head Trainer. We can’t let anyone know that, but Logan is going to have a tough time earning it over me at this point.”
“That’s fucking amazing!” Ari picks me up and spins me around.
“I’m so relieved,” I smile. “What are you doing here, by the way? You don’t need to report for another forty-five minutes.”
“My girl had a meeting she was nervous about,” he grins. “I snuck out right after you did and waited for you to finish.”
“Wait, when I was talking to you before the meeting…”
“I was in my car in the parking lot,” Ari laughs.
“You’re ridiculous,” I chuckle. “Dr. Coltrain wasn’t surprised when I told him we were together.”
“Really?”
“Really. I guess you turning up to Brooklyn College with a bouquet of flowers kinda gave it away.”
“Ah, back when I was still pretending I wasn’t in love with you.”
We wear matching grins as he rests my back against the wall, my legs wrapped around his waist.
“I’m so happy right now, Ari.”
“And I’m happy for you, Lucia. You deserve this.”
I kiss him hard, just so relieved that everything is okay.
“Am I always going to find you two with your tongues down each other’s throats now?”
Ari sets me down, and we both turn to face Logan.
“I’m sorry that you find love so repulsive,” I shrug.
He scoffs at me. “I have a girlfriend.”
“How much did you have to pay her?” Ari snickers, and Logan fumes.
“Why are you two so happy right now anyway? I have a meeting in ten minutes with Dr. Coltrain, and I can’t imagine you’ll be smiling after that.”
“Oh, I beat you to that, Logan,” I grin, smug satisfaction coursing through me. “I just had my own meeting with Dr. Coltrain. I told him about Ari and me, and I was assured that it wouldn’t hurt my consideration for the position. He’s selecting on merit.”
“Then you don’t have a fucking chance,” he sneers.
“Say what you want, Logan, but I’m damn good at my job, and I know that. I’ve also been mentoring Nathan and Greg.”
“And they don’t have a clue what they’re doing, do they?”
Ari subtly nudges me with his elbow to bring my attention to something. I quickly realize what he’s meaning, but we both keep quiet.
“I’m also, with Dr. Coltrain’s support, speaking to young women to help them gain interest in our field.”
Logan rolls his eyes. “The last thing we need is more women around here. I’m so fucking tired of women trying to take everything away from us.
Go cook or something and leave the work to the men.
” He rolls his shoulders and stands up straighter.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to make sure Dr. Coltrain realizes what a mistake it would be to let someone like you become Head Trainer. ”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Logan immediately pales as he turns around to face Dr. Coltrain, who used one of the back doors to get out of the training area. Logan never saw him leave his office and was completely unaware of his presence.
“Dr. Coltrain!” he says as happily as he can. “I was just coming to meet with you.”
Dr. Coltrain crosses his arms and stares at Logan with a hardened gaze. He’s always been warm and kind, so seeing him like this is jarring to say the least.
“As I said, that won’t be necessary.”
“I-I’m not sure what you mean,” he stammers, and I can see him shrinking in on himself.
“I mean that the only reason we would need to meet now would be to discuss your employment, Logan. The abuse you hurled at Lucia and the insults to her, Nathan, and Greg are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
“I’m only speaking the truth,” he claims, trying to steer the conversation in his favor.
Dr. Coltrain sighs. “To say I’m disappointed in this display would be an understatement, Logan. I’m appalled. How can you expect to remain part of this team when you have no respect for your coworkers?”
“Because I’m good at my job,” Logan asserts.
“So is Lucia. So is Nathan. So is Greg. And so are so many others who would be more than happy to take your place.”
“You’re not firing me,” he throws back. “I’ve been here for nine years.”
“Well, unfortunately for you, Logan, the call is not yours to make. It’s mine, and I don’t accept any abuse of my staff. You’re going to need to vacate the premises.”
“You’re joking.”
“I don’t joke. I need you to leave the stadium now. I’ll get security involved if necessary.”
Logan stares at him in absolute shock. “You’re going to regret this.”
“I don’t believe I will. I’ll never regret standing up to protect my employees. Now, please leave.”
He stares at him for a moment longer before tearing off down the hallway, yelling the entire way.
I don’t know how to comprehend what I just witnessed.
Logan’s… gone?
“I’m so sorry to do that in front of you two,” Dr. Coltrain sighs. “I’m even more sorry for the things he said. Rest assured, Lucia, that Dave and I see the work you do, and we both think you’re an instrumental part of this team.”
“I appreciate that,” I breathe. “Logan and I had far more conversations like that than you realize, but I assure you I wasn’t trying to see him fired.”
“I have no doubts about that. He did that himself by disparaging you, Nathan, and Greg the way he did.” He pinches his brow and lets out a deep breath. “I need to find Paul and let him know we’ll be down a trainer until we fill the position. Please excuse me.”
“Of course,” I say.
Dr. Coltrain takes a few steps down the hallway before turning back around. “One more thing,” he says, smiling widely. “The Head Trainer position will be yours, Lucia.”
I stand in shock as he exits the hallway now. Did all of this actually just happen?
“Lucia!” Ari says excitedly, picking me up and spinning me around again. “You did it!”
“Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.”
“Logan is gone, and the job is all yours. I’m so fucking proud of you, baby.”
Everything about this moment feels surreal, so I kiss Ari to ground myself in reality.
Well, that’s mostly why.
“I love you, Ari.”
“I love you, too, Lucia.” He kisses me again. “You’re getting everything you deserve.”
He’s right; I am.
I’ve gotten rid of a toxic coworker.
I’ve earned the promotion I was hoping for.
I have Ari, and he’s who I deserve most of all.