CHAPTER 6 #2
These fans were not pleased, and they weren’t holding back, calling for Ross’s resignation and demanding every player be fired.
She glimpsed Chard, who seemed completely oblivious to not only the game but the boos and jeers echoing throughout the stadium.
He was talking with a round man in an expensive suit, back toward the field. Did he even care that they were losing?
“This Ross character isn’t proving very good, is he, Chard?” the round man said. “Same as last year.”
Scarlett stopped responding to social media posts when she heard Theo’s name brought up. She tried not to make it too obvious that she was listening to them, even though she was leaning in their direction.
“He’s stuck with us for another year, but if it doesn’t get any better, he’ll be on his own.” Chard paused. “I doubt he’d find better prospects elsewhere, what with two failed seasons hanging over him.”
Scarlett wasn’t particularly sure last year could be blamed on Theo, but if the current season continued this way, he wouldn’t be able to get out from underneath his reputation.
For the rest of the game, Scarlett played damage control, pointing out good plays, trying to give off a hopeful projection, even while the Bees were down by two at the half. Ultimately, the game ended four to zero.
It was a humiliating loss, but only Scarlett and Marrero gave off the appearance of being dejected by it. Everyone else in the owner’s box was carrying on like nothing important had happened.
“Good game, wasn’t it?” Chard asked, yet it was evident he wasn’t seeking any answers. “We’ll get them next time!”
“Yes, we will,” Scarlett said as she followed an annoyed-looking Marrero out of the box.
Once the door shut and they were several yards away, the manager spoke up.
“He’s a bleeding idiot,” she whispered, leaning toward Scarlett. “This club is going to be sold for parts by the end of the season if Ross doesn’t straighten up, I guarantee it.”
“The loss wasn’t his fault.”
“Wasn’t it? Ross needs to get rid of some players, otherwise we’re all screwed.” She paused. “I’m going to have to start searching for a new job.”
“No, you won’t. The women’s team is showing a hell of a lot of promise. I know it’s not as popular as the men’s games, but if you give these fans something to be proud of, they’ll come.”
Marrero made a face as they hiked down the stairs, mingling with dejected fans as they went. “Maybe.”
“I know it. And as for Ross, well, he only needs a gentle push in the right direction.”
The manager’s eyes widened. “Are you planning on doing that?”
“I don’t see why not.”
She let out a laugh. “You’re a madwoman if you think approaching him after that humiliation is a good idea.”
“He’s a grown man, Marrero. Not a child. I’m a firm believer that getting right to work, particularly after a loss, is the best thing possible. It’s still fresh, and if you want to see a real change, why not start immediately?”
The manager let out a huff of air. “You’re a braver woman than me. Do me a favor: wait until the players come out of the locker room.”
“Why?”
“As a friend, trust me.”
Scarlett nodded as Marrero peeled away from her, and she continued to the bottom of the stadium.
She was curious as to why Marrero had warned her about going to the locker room, but she reckoned it was the right thing to do.
Theo and Gary deserved to say their piece about that game, and she would simply find a wall and lean against it, waiting for them to finish while she continued to answer the few pleasant questions regarding the game on social media.
Well, pleasant was a stretch, but still, she needed to keep busy.
She wanted to check her texts, as there were a number of missed messages, but she wouldn’t.
In case she somehow managed to post a private message across social media, she’d kept her texts unopened.
Besides, they were likely messages from her parents and sister, who had been viewing the game in the States via a streaming service over breakfast. Or they might be Maxie, who was probably trying to convince her to come out for drinks tonight.
Or maybe they were from Mr. Wrong Number.
She wondered what he was up to and if he had watched the game. She didn’t even know if he liked sports. Maybe she should ask him.
Scarlett spent the next half-hour wondering if Mr. Wrong Number was the sort of person to go to a Bees game on opening day, and if he would take the loss as badly as the other fans.
For a season-opening game where only half the stands were filled, she doubted he much cared about the team, but that was secondary on her mind.
Right now, she wanted to talk to Theo about what she had seen.
The fatigue in Jones and Chassagne was visible from the box, and Miles was too ambitious a player to be relegated to full-back.
When the team finally began to file out, long-faced and one by one, Scarlett tried to be optimistic.
“Good job, guys. We’ll get them next time,” she tried. It didn’t seem as if any of them heard her. When Gary appeared, his face was crestfallen, and Scarlett thought he looked downright depressed. “Sorry about the loss,” she said, but he only shook his head.
“I don’t know what you’re planning, but he’s not in the mood.”
She took a step forward. “Just a couple of suggestions. Things I saw on the field that might be helpful—”
The door Gary had exited hadn’t completely shut before Theo appeared, looking as disgruntled as a badger. The disappointment, coupled with anger, showed in spades on his face beneath his slightly skewed glasses, and Scarlett was abruptly apprehensive. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
“What was that?” he all but growled at her.
“Ah, perhaps now isn’t the time,” Gary said gently.
“No. I’d like to hear it,” Theo said, almost daring her to speak.
Scarlett sensed that his disposition wasn’t great, yet a familiar desire rose in her, one that would have her stand her ground and challenge him. Poor attitudes, particularly after losses, were to be expected, but surely he wasn’t one of those who let his emotions get out of hand after a loss.
“Your midfielder, Chassagne? He’s getting winded too early.”
“Chassagne is one of the only players we have who’s had a proper career in the Premier League.”
“That may be, but he’s nearly ten years older than the rest of the team. All that running is leaving him tired, and he’s giving up simple blocks. I saw the exhaustion on his face from up in the box.”
“What would you have me do, then?”
“Switch him with a center back or bench him.”
“Center back? He’s never been a defensive player.”
“Then he may need to be cut.”
Theo took a menacing step forward, and Scarlett almost cowered.
Almost.
“I’m not benching one of the best midfielders ever to play the game. He played in the Euros, for God’s sake.” His hand came up, his fingertips tapping his chest. “I played with him for years.”
“I understand that he’s a legendary player, but I don’t see how it’s relevant to winning games this season,” she said. “He’s not getting the job done.”
“And what do you know about it?”
“More than most, actually, and while I wasn’t here last year, it sounds like you had a similar situation with Deago.”
Theo stared. “Excuse me?”
“Er, Ross,” Gary said, but Theo’s hand went up to silence him, his furious stare locked on Scarlett.
“Listen,” she said, not backing down, “it’s one thing to be a part of a team, to believe in your teammates and players with every ounce of faith that you can muster; it’s a different thing entirely to be on the outside and see with a clear vision what works and what doesn’t.
I’m sorry your friendship with Chassagne is distracting you—”
“It’s you who’s distracting me,” he bit out, and Scarlett blinked. But before she could even consider his words, he continued. “I don’t need help coaching my team, and I certainly don’t need the advice of a second-rate American player, got it?”
He stormed passed her, leaving Scarlett a little shocked by his cruelty. She hadn’t expected that, and while she probably shouldn’t have approached him with a list of potential improvements immediately after a loss, she still was surprised that he had been so quick to snap.
“Don’t mind him,” Gary said, shaking her from the frozen state she had been in since watching Theo stalk off. “He’s always right prickly after a loss.”
“So, he’s like this often?” she countered sharply, only to instantly regret it. “I’m sorry, Gary. I didn’t mean that.”
“You probably did, but it’s no matter. If it helps, I agree with you.
Chassagne has been too slow for a while now, but he and Ross played together for years, and I think the same thing that happened last year with Chard and Deago Strauss is happening now with Ross and Chassagne,” Gary said despondently.
“But to bring it up is impossible.” He sighed.
“Well, we can always try again on Monday.”
“Is there no practice this weekend?”
“No practice the day after a game, and then the team comes in on Sunday for cardio, but Ross and I usually go over field strategies at his place or the Admiral Nelson.”
Scarlett’s brow shot up. “The what?”
“Admiral Nelson. It’s a pub in the city.”
“Oh, right.” Scarlett frowned, sighing to herself. “I guess I shouldn’t have cornered him right after a game.”
“To be fair, he’s difficult to talk to most of the time,” Gary said as they made their way down the hallway and up a flight of stairs. “But hopefully he’ll be in better spirits Sunday.”
“Do you think so?”
“Oh yeah. Every time he comes in after a flight, he’s right as rain.”
Scarlett cocked her head. “What do you mean, a flight? Is he going somewhere?”
“You don’t know? Ross is an amateur pilot. He tries to fly at least once a week during the season.”
“He flies planes?” she asked, incredulous at the idea that anyone would do something like that for fun. “Like, as a hobby?”
“Sure does. And if he does tomorrow, which I believe he will, then he’ll be in better spirits Sunday.”
Scarlett’s fingers went to her throat and she began to fiddle with her number 9 charm.
Maybe if she could speak with Theo alone, outside of work in an environment that made him happy, he’d be more willing to hear her suggestions about the team.
Sure, she’d probably come off as pushy, but if it meant helping the team win, she could suffer a few more minutes of the man’s company—before he went up in the air, that was.
That was the whole reason she had been hired, after all, wasn’t it?
To help the Bees work on their branding?
Well, what was better for a team than winning?
Yes, this was exactly what she needed to do. And if it meant being barked at by Theo a little more, well, that was something she’d have to deal with.
“Gary, do you know what airport Theo flies out of?”