Page 3 of Racing Heat (The Forbidden Heat #2)

Chapter Three

~JASE~

Early practices just plain suck.

For the most part, all I have to do is stand there while the team goes through their normal routine of stretches.

Soon, they’ll be running a “property,” which means they’ll run the edges of the Tampa Bay Blaze property—around the outside of the stadium and over toward the office buildings, circling both before heading back here to the practice fields.

We’ll have about twenty more minutes of standing around once the team goes off to run. Cassie will be back in less than that.

It’s like it’s in her DNA to run faster than the rest of them. Her friends are no slouches, either. Except Hendrix. She’ll be one of the last ones to come in, and that’s okay. She’s a goalkeeper—she doesn’t need to be quick when she runs, just quick on her feet when the ball is coming for her.

Some people think goalies are insane for standing in the box while someone fires a ball at us. The ball flies at an average of 70 mph. Maybe we’re not sane for what we do, but it’s a calling that you really can’t shake.

When I was a kid, my parents tried to convince me to play another position—any position other than the keeper.

But of course, I didn’t listen to them. Being on the field wasn’t as attractive to me as standing in that box with the best view of the field, guiding my defense to cut the passes and make sure that the ball didn’t get too close to me.

I had a good defense. Sometimes those guys were great at making sure no one took a shot on me; I wouldn’t need to dive on a live ball to make the save.

But sometimes I would come out of there so battered and bruised.

Maybe we had won, or maybe we hadn’t. But at least I knew I had done whatever it took to keep that ball from going into the net.

Usually, I won more than I lost, which is how I got to play soccer on the professional stage.

Playing for Manchester had been a dream of mine since I was a little boy.

Now I just coach. A tear to the labral caused my hip to come out of its socket.

That little piece of cartilage is supposed to keep everything in place, but mine isn’t as tight as it used to be.

Which means my range of motion isn’t what it used to be.

It hindered my ability to be quick on the ball and also causes my hip to roll out of the socket; enough movement can cause it to pop right out, but I can also put it back in place by continuing to move.

“Coach, can you get me out of this run?” Hendrix begs, as she always does when it’s time to run a property. “I don’t need to run fast in order to play my position.”

“A little run will do you some good, Hen.” I grin at her. “We’ll work on some dives when you get back.”

“My dives are flawless,” she reminds me.

“Yeah, but practice makes perfect,” I goad her. “If you feel like you don’t need to work on them, I can always ask if you could run two properties.”

“I’m good,” Hendrix quickly replies.

“You know,” Cassie chimes in, “you could always run with us.” She’s smiling big and bright this morning. Her brown hair is tied up, and she’s wearing yellow shorts and a blue practice shirt.

“Nah, goalies don’t run,” I tease her.

“I think some of them do,” she teases me right back.

“Come on, Coach, run with us,” Hendrix says, hopefully missing the flirting that I think I’m picking up on from Cassie.

“Nope, I’m not running, Hendrix. But you are.” I walk over to where the rest of the coaches are talking about what’s coming up for the girls during practice.

“Think we’ll be ready for the Angel FC?” Andie asks me. Andie Chapman is the “token female coach,” as August likes to say, who was brought in to help make our offense explosive.

Andie is joined on the coaching staff by head coach Nate Watts, the former men’s coach who can be hard as nails. Coach Kerry Morgan works mostly with the defense. His wife recently had a baby, so he’s been off on paternity leave.

“Yeah, I’m going to prepare Hendrix for the high balls,” I tell them. “I’d also like to borrow Cassie and Mac to help fire some big shots at the goal. I think they have the range from the eighteen that we’re looking for.”

Nate just nods in response, and I follow his gaze to where the girls are continuing their run. Everyone looks exhausted; I almost feel bad for them. Almost. I remember how much my lungs would burn during Manchester’s version of properties.

“Unless you can think of another girl who would be helpful to work her out,” I add.

“You can have them for the last fifteen minutes of practice, if that works.”

I feel more relief at having Cassie help in my drill than I should. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Fuck, I hate early practices just as much as they do,” Nate quips. “I like it better when I get more sleep and more time with my girls.”

“I get it,” I say. He has his hands full. “How are the girls? The twins are almost eighteen months now?”

Nate smiles like the proud father he is. “Yeah, they’ll be eighteen months next week. And Kristie is already planning their second birthday party.”

We all chuckle. I heard that their first birthday party was really something.

I’ve only seen pictures of it. Andie was there, so she knows what he’s talking about.

It was quite the show. Kristie threw the one-year-olds a circus-themed party, complete with live animals.

It was beautiful and chaotic, and apparently the girls, even though they were only one, had a blast.

“What is she thinking the theme will be this time?” Andie asks Nate.

He shrugs. “Hell, if I know. She’s talking about a different one each day. But she’s excited and the girls will have some wonderful pictures and memories of that day.”

“They sure will,” I agree.

“You’ll get to come to this one, Jase,” he tells me.

“Thanks, I’d really like that.”

“Do you want kids?” Nate asks. He knows I was married before. That piece came up during the interview as one of the reasons I wanted to leave Manchester. The divorce had been rough and long. I’d just wanted to get away.

“I’m not sure,” I reply. “We never got that far.”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up,” Nate replies.

“No problem, mate.”

The conversation goes back to soccer. Andie is showing Nate some clips she found of the San Diego team. She wants to review the information with the girls during film sessions.

“I have some film on the goalie, so I would like to add that into the session,” I tell them.

Nate smiles. “Great. If everyone can send over the film to the techies, they’ll splice it all together so that we have a complete package to review.”

It’s surreal to me that we have a tech department that splices film together.

When I played soccer in college, there wasn’t spliced film.

We watched pieces of video tapes. When I got older, it was streaming.

But the Cromwell’s have spared no expense in building this team.

They want to ensure that the girls have the best, and Cromwell sure has the money to allow it.

So, the girls get spliced film, and we have watch parties where they get fed while we watch.

It’s fine. I like where I work, and I like the job.

It’s just odd the amount of money that’s thrown toward this program.

It’s in its infancy, so who knows how long this team will last. I feel guilty thinking that way, because August is my friend.

But the city isn’t always kind. Florida is the only state that has two NWSL teams, and there are plenty of states without, which makes me question their decision to put one here.

Georgia might have been a better option.

The girls return from their run, and we coaches start to separate to our stations. Hendrix will have to run some footwork drills with the girls before heading over with me and the backup goalies, Miranda and Kate.

I feel bad for them. We’ve only used a backup goalie one time, and that was when Hendrix took a nasty hit.

But she was back up and moving the next game.

Neither one of them has gone in since, but they come to practice day in and day out and go through the drills in hope that for once they’ll get into the game.

I want that for them, but Hendrix is special, and she was a good find on Maxwell’s part.

Defensively, she’s our best shot at beating most teams, so the other girls sit bench and wait for their shot, which may never come.

Practice goes fast today and before I know it, Cassie and Mac are making their way over to me.

“Ready for us?” Mac asks.

“Yeah. I need some high shots. Some powerful ones. Get Hendrix ready.”

“Oh, she’ll be ready,” Mac says, winking confidently at Hendrix.

“Damn right I’ll be ready.” Hendrix rolls her shoulders and gets into stance, bending her knees so she’s ready to spring into action.

“Well, be that as it may, we need to work on it,” I tell them. “So, ladies, limber up and let’s get to firing.”

I step back to the sideline while Cassie and Mac pass long balls back and forth to warm up their legs. When they’re good and ready, they start sending shots Hendrix’s way. She’s not wrong; she does well at first. But the more they fire, the more tired she gets, and the shots start falling in.

I was afraid of this. I know what’s going to happen. The whole game, the shots are going to be coming. I know our backs are good. Hell, Amelia’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. I would have her working with me in a heartbeat if I were the goalie.

“Let’s give her a water break,” I call out to the girls.

Hendrix and Mac go over to the bench and grab some water. Cassie stays on the field. She lowers herself onto the turf and stretches her legs out in front of her.

“You good?” I ask her as I approach. “Do you want to get some water too?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Cassie watches me.

I sit down right beside her. Hendrix and Mac are directly in front of us, sitting on the bench and talking quietly. It looks a bit like they’re strategizing, because Hendrix is pointing at the goal, and Mac is nodding along with her and pointing at the eighteen.

“I think we need to get Amelia out here and work on cutting the angle,” Cassie tells me.

“See if we can give her some game-like situations instead of just blindly firing at her. Do you really think our defense is going to give them a clear shot right from the eighteen? There’s not a chance in hell that our girl will let them just walk right in and shoot. Even from that spot.”

“I should have thought of that,” I tell her, shaking my head.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to think of everything, Coach.”

“But I’m always prepared,” I tell her, my voice dropping low, hoping she hears the innuendo in what I’m saying.

“I’ll have to remember that.” Cassie shoots a wink my way. “I’ll go ask Coach Watts if we can borrow some defenders.”

This turns the drill into a team effort. The offense helps out with positioning and the defense covers them. Hendrix gets some good game practice. I think she’ll be ready. We just need to beat this team so the road to the playoffs isn’t a bumpy one.