Fallon #2
He mock gasps. “I’ll wrap my mind around you being a millennial later. And I was joking about the PB&J. I packed you a taco, tortilla chips, and I found one of those mini guacamole packs. I know you like Mexican food. Oh, and instead of a juice box, I put a mini bottle of tequila in there.”
I drop down to one knee and place my hands together in prayer. “Marry me,” I beg.
He chuckles. “I guess you like your lunch.”
I smile widely as I stand before throwing my arms around his neck and softly kissing his lips. “I love it. Thank you.”
He winks. “I like seeing you on your knees.”
I’m at the team stadium filling out all my paperwork when the head coach walks in.
Lakshmi Ganjam is around forty years old but looks much younger.
I remember when she played in college. She was known as the Indian Viper for her cold demeanor and ability to strike seemingly out of nowhere.
An injury prematurely ended her professional career, but she quickly rose through the coaching ranks and led the USA basketball team to a gold medal at the last Olympics.
It was a big deal for the Beavers to hire someone of her caliber as their head coach.
She smiles warmly and holds out her hand. “You must be Fallon. I’m Lakshmi. The kids call me Coach Lakshmi… at least to my face.”
I grin widely while slightly fangirling over her knowing my name. “Yes. I’m excited to be here.”
She nods. “We’re happy to have you. The team hated their previous trainer. The change is more than welcome, especially someone with your experience. I don’t know if you heard, but Coach Carroll is pregnant.” That’s her main assistant coach.
“I didn’t. That’s wonderful.”
She nods. “Yes, it is. She’s due later this summer, but I imagine being physical at practices will become increasingly difficult for her.”
I have no idea what she’s getting at.
“Anyway,” she continues, “I understand you were a decent player in high school.”
Mock blowing my nails dry, I happily state, “I started on varsity for all four years.” I motion toward my small body. “Obviously as a point guard.”
She lets out a laugh. “Yes, obviously. Anyway, if you’re up for it, I’d like you to help out at practices. As long as it doesn’t interfere with treating their various injuries and ailments, that is.”
I perk up at this bit of news. “Umm, hell yes. I would love that.”
She laughs. “I like the enthusiasm.” Nodding toward the papers, she says, “After all this nonsense, come into the gym and you can shoot around with the team until we get started. I’ll introduce you and let them know you’ll be a bit more present than anticipated.
I’m a very open-minded coach. If you have any thoughts on how we run things, don’t hesitate to chime in. A fresh set of eyes is always welcome.”
Best. Job. Ever.
“Thank you. I will.”
“And I understand you have a daughter who will be hanging around at times.” I try to read her to determine whether that bothers her, but it doesn’t seem to.
“Yes, I appreciate the accommodation. She loves watching the team play. She’ll be thrilled to meet them all, and I promise she’ll behave. She’s a good kid.”
“Is she a budding Beaver?”
I scrunch my face. “She prefers softball to basketball, but I’m working on that,” I promise with a little too much enthusiasm.
She giggles. “We’ll see if we can change her mind.”
An hour later, I’m shooting around with a few of the girls on the team.
Sulley is here. She’s such a pretty girl, with dark hair, porcelain skin, and blue eyes, standing at about six feet tall.
Also with us is Palmer Payne. She’s the tallest player on the team.
She’s probably six and a half feet tall and has a bigger build than the rest. She’s got brown hair, and I’m just noticing her eyes are a unique violet color.
It’s a pretty shade that has always been hidden behind the goggles she wears when she plays.
I see Layla Ladrón, a Latina guard, and Shay Walker, a mocha-skinned power forward, stretching in the corner. Jett has mentioned that Kennedy is tight with all four of them. She hasn’t arrived yet.
I don’t know why, but I’m a little nervous to meet Kennedy.
She plays this sport like it’s tackle basketball at times.
She’s easily the toughest player in the league.
Jett has indicated she’s personally a little rough around the edges too.
I obviously want her to like me, but I don’t want to be too obvious or force things too much.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m having the time of my life shooting hoops with these women. I think they’re a little surprised I still have an outside shot. They may all tower over me, but I can still sink them from the perimeter, which was my marquee shot in high school.
Finally, Kennedy walks in. Put simply, she’s stunning.
Imposingly so. Her dark hair is in a tight ponytail.
One of those ponytails that look professionally done.
I’ve never understood how women do that.
Mine are always uneven with wisps of hair sticking out all over the place.
Hers is flawless, as it has been every time I’ve seen her play.
She’s got a little mascara and lip gloss on her face.
Her green eyes are very familiar to me. She looks so much like her father, it’s almost scary.
It makes me feel like I already know her, even though I don’t.
There’s a young, curly-haired short boy, who can’t be more than eighteen, walking behind her carrying her bag and handing her coffee.
I nod toward him and ask Sulley, “Who’s that with Kennedy?”
She rolls her eyes. “That’s Booster. He’s Kennedy’s bitch. Technically, he’s her intern, but he does all her bitchwork…for free.”
I can’t help but giggle. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”
She nods. “Yep. Kennedy is a bit of an…acquired taste. There’s a heart of gold under that tough girl bravado though. It takes a minute to find it, but she’s been an amazing friend to me since I moved here. I’d be lost without her.”
I smile, happy to hear that.
I want to approach her immediately, but I’m trying to remain calm. I’ll wait. I do notice some bandaging on one of the fingers of her left hand. I wonder if she’s injured. That could be my way in to talk to her.
I’m about to do just that when Coach Lakshmi blows a whistle and asks everyone to join in on a huddle. Once she has everyone’s attention, she begins, “Ladies, we have a new Beaver staff member. This is Fallon Montgomery. As you know, Noah was fired after last season.”
The girls all make a look of disgust at the mention of his name. They must have really hated him. I wonder why.
She continues, “Fallon has an extensive background as a physical therapist. She’s worked at Pennsylvania Hospital for years, rehabilitating those with major injuries.
We’re fortunate to have her with us now.
As luck would have it, she was a highly decorated high school basketball player, so she’s going to help the coaching staff a bit when she’s not busy managing your training needs.
With Coach Carroll likely to be heavily pregnant during the summer, Fallon has kindly offered to handle some of the more physical tasks involved in coaching.
Fallon has a daughter, Harper, who’s nine years old.
Harper will occasionally be around, so keep it clean.
” She stares right at Kennedy when saying that last part.
Sulley compliments Harper and mentions how happy she is to have her around. Wow, everyone is so nice.
Kennedy narrows her eyes at me like she’s studying me. Fuck, she’s scary.
“Montgomery, as in Tanner Montgomery?” she asks as she stares at my unoccupied ring finger.
I nod and explain that Tanner is my ex-husband. Everyone in the sports world knows Tanner. He’s one of the biggest sports agents in the country, if not the biggest. Athletes line up to have him represent them. I’m proud of him for what he’s built.
Coach Lakshmi talks about her goals for this season. Last season was about learning to play with new teammates. This season, she’s hopeful that we can make a real run to win it all.
The girls are all listening to her, but I feel like Kennedy is sizing me up. Does she know about Jett and me? I’m suddenly extremely self-conscious.
I need to introduce myself to her. That bandage on her finger is definitely my opening.
Once Coach Lakshmi is done, I approach Kennedy. “Kennedy, right?”
“Yep,” she pops the P, “last I checked.”
I swallow. Why does she make me so nervous? I point to her hand. “What happened to your finger, sweetie?”
Her eyes widen. “Oh…I burned it on the stove. It’s fine. Nothing for you to worry about.”
She’s lying to me. I wonder what really happened to her finger. Maybe she was doing something against the terms of her contract. Something she’s afraid to divulge to the team.
What if she’s genuinely injured and in need of help but is afraid to ask?
I rub her arm to let her know I’m a friend. “Are you sure? Do you want me to take a quick look at it to make sure it’s not infected? Burns are no joking matter. If bacteria invades the wound, an infection could take on a life of its own.”
She shakes her head a little too vigorously. “It’s fine. Really. I swear. Nothing more than a flesh wound.”
I want to pry further, but I don’t. I can’t risk angering her. I smile and squeeze her hand. “Okay. I’m here if you need me.”
She nods in gratitude.
“You’re my daughter’s favorite player,” I offer, not wanting our conversation to end. “She wears your jersey to games all the time.”
For the first time, her hard face softens a bit. “Me? Not Sulley?” she asks. “I thought all the little girls loved Sulley.”