Page 17 of Racing Heat (The Forbidden Heat #2)

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?”

“Just having some hard conversations,” I tell him.

“Are you coming dancing tonight?”

“Yeah. I’m not much of a dancer, but I’ll be there.”

“I think the dancing is more for the girls. And August, because you know he needs a loud party,” Danny says with a laugh. “Plus, it’ll make some great foreplay for Mac and I.”

I laugh along with him. “Something definitely good will come out of our celebration tonight. And Mac sure has earned it. She looked great out there today.”

He beams at the mention of Mac’s performance.

I love how proud and supportive he is of her.

It’s nice to see. Especially with as busy as he’s been with coaching his college swim team.

It’s not swimming season yet, but he’s still working on things and scouting the girls for next year’s team already.

Still, Danny has never missed one of Mac’s games.

“You bet your ass she did. I can’t believe two more goals to add to the tally!”

“She rocked it,” I say, bumping fists with him.

“Cassie looked good tonight too, man.” Danny winks at me.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I furrow my brow.

“Just calling out the players who did well. I could also call out Amelia and Hendrix, but I doubt that would get the same reaction.” He watches me carefully.

It’s times like this that remind me Danny used to be a reporter, which means the man doesn’t miss much.

His photographer friend, Nick comes up and slaps him on the back, effectively ending our conversation. I’m glad for that because I’m not sure what I would have said next.

“Good to see you, Nick,” I say. “I love the pictures you’re getting of the team.”

August hired him around the same time Danny started doing the article on Mac, to take professional shots of the girls. Now he wears a press pass and puts out some great media shots that August and the rest of the team use for marketing.

“Thanks, man,” Nick replies. “Nice win.”

“Let’s get crazy tonight,” Danny says, whooping along with Nick.

I shake my head. “I’m sure we will. See you all in a bit.”

I head into the locker room and hear the tail end of the speech Mac’s giving. I make it just in time for her to say, “Family on three.”

“One, two, three, family!” the room cheers.

I cheer along even though I missed most of it. Hendrix still has her head down. I feel guilty for putting her in a shitty mood, so I go over to her and say, “Come on, Hen, shake it off. You had a good game. Don’t let that play get the best of you. It’s good to be mindful of where we can improve.”

She nods. “Yes, Coach.”

Mac comes over and pats Hendrix on the back. “Come on, girl, shake it off. It happens and we won. All good. You coming out with us tonight?”

“Next time we might not. And now I have an extra practice tomorrow.” She’s pouting, but she’s pouted before in hope that it would make me change her practice. It’s not going to work this time.

“Yep, you sure do,” I add. “And I think it’ll be a good thing for you. It’ll be fine. Just a light practice of Amelia and Cassie shooting on you. Mac can come if she would like.”

Mac sighs. “Wow, you’re trying to take all the fun out of a night out. I’m not even sure I’ll be ready to practice in the morning.”

“It’s at eleven,” I tell her.

“Oh, yeah. Well, I can do that. Sorry, Hen. Looks like we’re practicing in the morning,” Mac says in a singsong voice.

“Oh, you’re coming to that too?” Cassie comes over to us and puts her arm around Hendrix.

“Yeah, I was just invited,” Mac tells her.

“Why are you so evil?” Cassie says, then sticks her tongue out at me. “Our girl had an awesome game, and she doesn’t need to be punished.”

“You’re being a brat,” I tell her. “And for your information, it’s how we learn.”

“I am not. I just think you’re putting too much pressure on her. I mean, Amelia and I calmed her down. All is well in the world of Hendrix.”

“She’s not getting out of it.”

“Whatever,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“Brat,” I repeat and this time I’m rewarded with a middle finger.

“Don’t you have that pickup game tomorrow?” Hendrix asks me. “Isn’t our practice going to affect that?”

Cassie’s head snaps in my direction. The information Hendrix had about me that she didn’t must have bothered her. I’m not the only one who caught it. Mac is watching her carefully and then looking over at me.

The woman is just like her boyfriend—too damn perceptive for her own good.

I shake my head. “It’s Sunday, so the game will be after one sometime.”

“I didn’t know you played pickup,” says Amelia, who appears to have morphed out of nowhere.

“Where do you manifest from?” I ask her with a laugh.

“Oh, she’s like a freaking cat, so quiet and graceful. You don’t see her one minute, and boom there she is,” Hendrix says, clapping on the boom for emphasis.

“Yeah, I’ve always been a quiet girl.” She giggles and Cassie puts her arm around Amelia, pulling her in.

She’s the one who’s most quiet out of all the girls who hang out together on the team. I wonder if she’ll ever come out of her shell or if this is just the way she is.

“You coming out with us tonight?” I ask her, changing the subject so as to not really answer her question.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Amelia replies.

“Coach dismissed us. Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Hendrix says, looking around at how empty the locker room is getting.

“Yeah, I wanna kiss Danny and then get ready for dancing,” Mac hollers. “And remember, we’re wearing our short skirts and sequins.”