Page 14 of Love Game

Mack looked confused for a moment, then his face lit with a smile. “Star Trek.”

“Wars. Star Wars.”

“Whatever.” Mack continued to smile, but it softened a little as he gave an easy shrug. “The love of the game. You forget, these guys are playing because they love it. There’s not one of them with a snowball’s chance in hell at playing pro ball. They play because they’ve always played. Talent or no talent, a player is a player as long as he suits up.”

Danny’s arms fell to his sides as the truth of Mack’s wisdom burrowed in and started to take root. Still, he had to find some way to get through to his players. “But at this level—”

Mack cut Danny off with a pitying look, turned his back, and headed for the door.

“Football is football, no matter what level,” Mack said, practically spitting out the last word. “Whether it’s peewee or the NFC, you still have to find a way to get the ball over the line. That’s why they call it a goal.”

Danny felt like he’d just taken a hit at the knees. One delivered by a crusty old man in blindingly white sneakers.

“Your job is to show them how to do that. If they can’t run it straight up the middle or airmail it in, you need to think smarter. Play smarter. Find a way for a bunch of brainiacs who simply love football to play the game to win.”

Humbled. Hobbled. Helpless. Danny wanted to grab Mack and beg him to hand over the key, tell him how a guy who’d never played on a team that was less than a contender for a title was supposed to connect with kids who had nothing but participation trophies.

“They love it just as much as you do, hotshot. Start with that, and see what you can do.” Then the mouthy old man ambled from the room as if he hadn’t just told off his boss.

Danny watched him go, a mixture of awe and ire swirling in his gut. One thing was certain: he needed to talk to Millie Jensen about getting Mack his own Sunday morning show. He’d kick ass at it.

Casting one last glance at the hieroglyphics left on the whiteboard, Danny chuckled to himself as he pulled the door to the meeting room closed behind him. The corridor off the main hall was dim and deserted. A couple of aging display cases featured the few moments of glory the men’s basketball team had known. Another paid homage to a mishmash of baseball, softball, and golf.

Rounding the corner, Danny trailed his fingers over the ancient plywood sign mounted to the wall. It was a relic from the old basketball arena and now served as a touchstone for all Wolcott athletes. Every student and staffer ever to wear the green and gold touched the peeling paint and plywood every time they passed. Being an athlete and as superstitious as any, Danny did the same.

Then he came to a complete stop in the center of the hallway. Sleek, frameless trophy cases stretched from the main entrance to the athletic department administrative offices and beyond. Discreet recessed lighting made the most of each shining silver tray and gleaming gold cup. Hunks of cut crystal shot rainbows on the walls.

He’d been scrupulously avoiding the proof of Kate Snyder’s legacy since his first and only press conference. The urge to follow that multicolored trail proved to be too much to resist. Danny checked over his shoulder before tucking his hands in his pockets and giving in to temptation.

Jerseys from her playing days vied with more than a dozen framed team photos. As a player, she wore her game face for every photo. There were a few of those stern shots from her early coaching days too. It took a minute for him to spot her standing slightly behind her former coach and mentor, Buzzy Bryant. But as her career progressed, Kate seemed to learn how to smile. A photograph of her surrounded by her team after she’d helped them secure their first championship as a coach captured a wide smile of undiluted joy.

Mack’s words came at him like a five-man rush. Love of the game. That’s what he saw when he looked at Kate Snyder. She’d never lost her love of the game, and that was what made her a champion.

“I have a key. Let me know if you want to pet something.”

Danny jumped and whirled. Busted. By the woman herself. Gritting his teeth, he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets as if that would make it look like he was just casually walking past. “What? I was just…”

His train of thought jumped the tracks when she tilted her head, those amazing amber eyes fixed on him with what appeared to be bottomless patience. She wore a thin, clingy sweater that was exactly the same shade of pale pink as her lips. The ends of her hair slipped over her shoulder and brushed her cheek. She tucked the hair behind her ear in a move he was beginning to memorize. The glossy, brown strands looked silky and soft. Danny damn near shoved his fists through the seams of his pockets to keep from reaching for her.

Those pink lips twitched at the corners, but she didn’t quite smile. “Personally, I think some of the less prestigious awards give better trophies. My personal favorite is the crystal phallus I scored when I was named collegiate coach of the year by Sports Nation magazine.” Her brow furrowed. “Women’s division, of course.” Pursing her lips, she tipped her head to the other side and widened her eyes. “I wonder if the guys get dildos to take home too.”

Her feigned innocence, the husky timbre of her voice, and the crudeness of her observation startled a laugh from him. “I wouldn’t know.”

Kate chuckled, shaking her head ruefully. “I can’t believe I just said that. You’re a bad influence on me.”

Danny shrugged and pulled his hands from his pockets. “I seem to be bringing out the best in people today.”

She laughed again, but this time, her smile looked almost sincere. “Having a hard time with your troops?”

Giving in to impulse, he gestured in the direction of their offices. Not that his was anywhere near hers. She had a corner office with a quad view. His was little more than a janitor’s closet at the very end of the hall, but he wasn’t about to complain about office space.

He cast a sidelong glance as she fell into step beside him. “Let’s just say I’m having a little trouble finding the handle.”

She nodded as they approached her door. “Well, give yourself a chance to take a breath. You have a couple of months, and you have Mack.” Her keys jingled as she turned the lock. “If anyone has a bead on what’s going on around here, it’s him.”

Danny ran a tired hand over his face. His teeth and jaw ached from clenching. He pressed two fingers to the joint and rubbed at the tension, reminding himself that this was part of his penance. He should be used to receiving unsolicited advice and lectures from people who hardly knew him. They were the price he paid for fucking up in a spectacularly public way. But that didn’t mean he had to like them. “Oh yeah, Mack has opinions.”

Another one of Kate’s fire-starter laughs drew him out of his pity party. He looked up just as she switched on the office light.

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