Chapter 2 – Zane #2
“Yeah,” I say to him as I follow Martin into the locker room.
I stand here and then Cam moves to the side so I’m standing next to Martin.
“Hey, guys,” Martin starts, and his voice is somber.
The whole room must sense something is up because the room suddenly goes silent and all eyes are on him.
“I have some news for you.” The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“This season will be my last with the Warriors.” I see Jaxon look over at Knox and then Kirby, the oldest ones on the team who lead the young ones.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but one I knew it was time for.
” He takes a deep inhale. “We aren’t going to be sharing this information with the media just yet, but I wanted you guys to be the first to hear it and to hear it from me.
” He looks over to me and nods his head.
“I’m happy to say that I’ll be passing the torch to Zane. ”
A gasp fills the room as I step up beside him, and he slaps my shoulder and then squeezes it, so I know it’s time for me to say a little something.
I start off right away. “I know I have big skates to fill.” I chuckle nervously as I try to look around the room, but I just look at Coach.
“But I’m going to try my fucking hardest.” I’m sure the whole room is thinking what everyone else is going to be thinking when it’s finally announced.
“I just hope you guys give me a chance.”
Jaxon is the first one to speak. “Martin handing you the torch,” he looks at the guys in the room, making sure everyone is looking at him while he says this, “means something.” He looks back at me. “Looking forward to seeing how you’re going to lead us.”
“Thank you,” I say to him and then he looks at Martin, who looks at Jaxon once more before he turns and leaves the room. I follow them and can hear the whispers that are going on behind me.
“We tell the press tomorrow afternoon,” Ken states. “I’ll let you know when we are going to schedule the press conference.” I nod at them and then look at Martin.
“Twenty-four hours to change your mind,” I tell him, and he shakes his head.
“Not a chance in hell,” he retorts. “I was more nervous about breaking it to the boys than I will be breaking it to the media.” He slaps my arm. “Dress nice.”
“I’ll take out my best suit.” I try not to sound as nervous as I feel.
“Go home, rest. Tomorrow is going to be one of the biggest days of your life.”
I nod, turning and heading to my truck. The whole ride home I feel like I’m outside of my body, in a daze.
I step into the house and I hear water dripping.
I walk over to the kitchen and see a leak coming from the ceiling.
Running up the steps to the upstairs bathroom, I see all faucets are off.
I pick up my phone and search for emergency plumbers.
It takes two hours for him to come by after telling me to turn off the main line.
They break open the ceiling in the kitchen, seeing one of the pipes from my bathroom has a leak and the whole ceiling is actually wet.
“It’s not safe for you to be on the top floor,” he states, looking at the destruction, “at least until we get a contractor in here.”
“Great.” I exhale and then make my way upstairs to just pack a suit and a couple of other things to tide me over. When I walk back downstairs, he’s waiting at the door.
“We have a contractor who can pass by tomorrow late morning, early afternoon,” he tells me. “We’ll get a clear picture then.”
“Sounds good,” I say, grabbing my bag and heading out with him.
I sit in my driveway and pull up the closest hotel to me and see if I can book a room.
The only available room I can find is right near the airport.
I book the room and check in online, bypassing the whole front desk.
When I get inside, I dump my bag on the bed and then turn back around and head down to the hotel bar.
The whole place is packed when I step in, and the hostess looks at me. “Welcome.”
“For one,” I say, putting my hands in my pockets and she looks around.
“I don’t have any tables available,” she states as she does something on the iPad. “But there is a place at the bar,” she says. “You can order food there too.”
“That’s fine,” I reply as I follow her through the restaurant and pull out the tall barstool. I sit down and the bartender comes over.
“What can I get you?” he asks me and puts his hand on the bar top.
“I’ll have a whiskey on the rocks,” I order and he turns to walk away. I look down at the menu when the empty stool beside me is pulled out.
“Is this seat taken?” I hear a sweet voice and I look over and see a woman’s side profile.
Her black hair is pinned back in a loose updo, a soft curl escaping the clip at the back of her head.
When she turns completely, facing me, I swear I stop breathing.
Her blue-gray eyes look into mine and I can say, without a doubt, she is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. “Is it taken?” she asks me again.
I shake my head. “No,” I tell her, “not by me anyway.” She looks at the girl on the other side of the stool.
“Is this seat taken?” The girl shakes her head and turns back to the conversation she’s having with the person next to her.
“Perfect,” she says, sitting on the stool and putting her purse down on her side.
She puts her hand on the bar and crosses her legs.
I turn to face the menu and try not to think of the woman who is beside me.
The bartender comes over and places my drink on a coaster then turns his smile toward the beauty beside me.
“Hi,” he greets her.
“Hi,” she says breathlessly as she puts her phone down. “Can I get something to eat at the bar?” she asks him.
“For you,” he says, “we’ll make it happen.” I about roll my eyes and watch him flirt with her.
“Aren’t you the sweetest?” She laughs. “Can I have a menu?”
“Coming right up,” he says to her and then instead of minding my own business like I should be, I hand her mine.
“You can have mine,” I tell her. “I already know what I’m having.”
“Thank you.” She takes the menu from me and then looks down at it while her phone buzzes on the bar. She ignores it as she reads the menu, and it goes off about fifteen more times.
The bartender comes back with a menu, and I see he even undid another button on his black shirt and rolled up his sleeves. “Here you go, gorgeous.” He hands her the menu, and she takes it and turns her smile toward me.
“It’s only right,” she tells me, “that you take this one.”
I grab it from her and then she turns her face back to the bartender. “Can I have a glass of wine, please? A pinot.” She puts the menu in her hand on her lap and leans in. “A big one.”
“Of course.” He nods and turns to walk away from her.
“That kind of day?” I ask her, instead of shutting the fuck up and minding my own fucking business.
“Considering I just spent the last four hours sitting on a plane on the runway, with no air-conditioning, and then being told the flight is cancelled until tomorrow.” She shrugs. “It’s the least I deserve.” I nod at her and take a sip of my own drink. “Was your flight cancelled also?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Came home to a busted pipe and a flooded house.”
“Okay, fine.” She rolls her eyes. “Your day is suckier than my day.” I can’t help but laugh when she says that.
“But if you think about it,” she turns to face me and her oversized sweater falls off her shoulder and to the middle of her arm, showing me her white tank top that swoops low in the front and molds to her chest, “I bet tomorrow will be better.”
“Yeah,” I agree, putting the glass on the coaster, thinking about how the news of me taking over as head coach will be everywhere tomorrow.
“I mean, it should be, but it could also suck even more.” The minute she says it, I can’t help but bark out a laugh. “I mean, think about it. A flood today, termites tomorrow.” She holds out her two hands, palms up, as she moves them up and down like she’s weighing the options.
“Can we not put that thought out there?” I turn to look at her. She takes in the way my shirt is tight against my chest, and I see her giving me a very approving once up and down. “Let’s think good thoughts.”
The bartender comes back and puts her drink on her coaster. “There you are, beautiful,” he flirts and I side-eye him. “Have you decided on what you are going to have?”
“I’ll take a cheeseburger with bacon, hold the tomatoes,” she orders. He gives her a grin and then starts to walk away as I hold up my finger. “And my friend here,” she adds and puts her hand on my arm, “will have,” she looks at me, “the same thing.”
“Sure,” I agree, “that works.” He nods at me and walks toward the system to put in the order.
“Thanks,” I mumble as she picks up her drink, holding it up in her hand.
“I aim to please.” She smiles at me and it’s not a fake smile. Not one that someone who is being polite gives you. No, this is a smile that fills her face and goes straight to her eyes.
“Well, to a better tomorrow.” She holds up her glass and I take an extra second looking at her, not sure what to do.
“This is where you pick up your glass and we toast to a better tomorrow,” she tells me, and I reach for my glass.
“For a smooth flight home for me and no termites for you.” The smile on her face is never-ending.
“And hopefully good fries; it would suck after the day we had if the French fries are meh.” I can’t help but chuckle as I clink my glass with hers.
“You have to say it,” she informs me. “You have to repeat what I just said or else it doesn’t work.
And then we’re cursing tomorrow. Do you want that? I don’t!”
“I’ve never heard that before in my life,” I tell her and the smile fades from her face.
“Do you want to be the one who tempts fate?” she questions dramatically. “Wow, I guess you don’t care about termites in your house, but I care about a safe flight. So can we maybe not throw bad juju into the universe?”
“I would hate for bad juju to go into the universe,” I reply when I know she isn’t going to take a sip of her wine until I repeat what she says. “To a safe flight and no termites.”
“I mean, it’s not the same since you didn’t say it with feeling, but I’ve already had a long day, and it sounds like it’s going to be longer if I don’t take this sip of wine.
” She clinks her glass with mine and takes a big sip before putting it down.
“If those fries are floppy,” she looks over at me, “that is going to be an indication as to how tomorrow goes.” She holds up her hands beside her and crosses her fingers. “Please be good.”
“That excited to get home?” I ask her and she looks back over at me.
“Yeah, it’s been a week, and my bed is probably wondering where I am.”
“You didn’t tell the bed where you were going when you left?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I should have. I did hug my pillows a little bit more than I usually would though.” She takes another sip. “That should have been my first clue this trip would turn out the way it did.”
“Well, like you said, it’ll be all better tomorrow,” I assure her as the bartender comes over and sets the plates in front of us.
“I can’t bear to look,” she tells me. “I’m going to need you to take one for the team and tell me how the fries are.
” I turn my head toward the plate and see the burger on the side and the fries beside it.
She watches me as I pick up the fry and hold it up. “Crisp,” I confirm. “No flop.” I then bite into it. “Hot,” I tell her and her whole face lights up.
“I see the tides turning for us.” She points to me.
“Zane,” I tell her my name and she smiles at me.
“I’m Victoria.” I smile at her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zane.”
I stare into her eyes that have changed five times since she sat down, going from a blue-gray to a gray and then to a blue, and now they’re like a crystal blue. Her hair is pushed to the side, away from her forehead, leaving her neck exposed. “The pleasure is all mine.”