Page 47 of Racing Heat

One of the girls stops me. “Nice shot, eight,” she says, patting me on the back.

“Thank you.” I glance at her number. It’s not one I remembering going up against, but I take the compliment all the same.

With this win, it’ll be a dancing night for sure. And I can’t wait to see what that means for Jase and me.

Chapter Seventeen

~JASE~

The offense fucking did it. They bailed Hendrix out of a situation she shouldn’t have put herself in. As much as I hate to do it and spoil her mood, a conversation has to be had. My coach would have torn me a new asshole had I came out like she did.

It was a risky move and sometimes risks work. This time it didn’t. Come playoff time, moves like this could be the difference between winning the game and losing it. She needs to understand that. These aren’t a favorite kind of conversation for coaches. At least, it’s not something I enjoy having to do.

“Hendrix,” I call to her once the teams have separated, and it looks like Nate is going to bring them into the locker for a conversation. “Hendrix, come here I’d like to talk to you.”

Nate turns toward me. “You good or you need me too?”

“I’m good,” I tell him. He doesn’t need to be involved in this type of conversation, but I like that Nate likes to be as involved as we need him to be in the coaching of the team. Because while I may be the goalie coach, she’s as much his player as she is mine.

“Alright, thanks,” he says before turning to Hendrix. “Once he’s done talking to you, come on in here and join your teammates in the celebration, will ya?”

“Sure thing, Coach,” she says.

Nate pats her on the back, and Hendrix strolls on over to me with her head down.

“What’s up, Coach?” Her eyes don’t meet mine.

“I want to talk to you about the goal you cost us.” The words are shitty, and I know it. But that’s how my coach would have handled it with me, and that’s how I want to do things with her. My coach held me accountable for my actions both on and off the field. That’s a lesson I’ve never wanted to forget and something I want to make sure I instill in those who I coach.

“Yeah, I know. I made a shitty call.”

“It was. Why would you do that? What were you trained to do?”

“I was trained to remain farther back in the goal. I came out way too far, and it wasn’t enough to cut the angle. She was able to get a good shot in on me.” Her eyes are studying the ground. It’s a shot to her pride to have to go over this with me, but she’s going to do it. She’ll be a better player for it.

“And you knew better, right?” I ask her.

“Yes, I did know better, Coach.”

“I would think that a mistake like that, in the playoffs, would be costly. I know I don’t need to tell you that if it keeps happening, we’ll start warming other goalies.”

Her eyes snap up to me. “It was one mistake.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. I know what she’s feeling. “Yeah, I know it was. But mistakes are costly, and we can’t afford any more. So tomorrow, we’re going to be working hard on the saves. I’m going to get some of the girls to come take shots on you. Put you in some game day situations and work through the scenarios so that you don’t make that same mistake again, okay?”

She nods. “Even though tomorrow is an off day?”

“Nate will okay the extra training. The lesson needs to be learned, Hendrix. Now go on into the locker room and celebrate with your teammates. You had a solid game, but we should talk about the bad along with celebrating the good. It’s how you become a great player instead of a good one. And Hendrix, I know you’re a great one.”

“Thanks.” The smile she flashes me doesn’t quite meet her eyes. Her shoulders sag as she turns around and heads into the locker room.

I sit on the bench and hang my head. Yeah, she’s pissed at me, and I took some of the wind out of her sails. It had the same impact on me too. The win doesn’t quite feel as good as it did twenty minutes ago. I hate that I had to have that conversation, but it couldn’t wait. She needs to learn and understand. It was all necessary.

“Hey,” Danny calls to me from the rail. “Get in that locker room and listen to Coach Watts celebrate our girls.”

I stand up and walk over to him. “Yeah, I’m on my way.”

“You know you won, right?” he asks me. “Why the glum face?”