Page 74 of Love Game

“It will be a cold day in hell,” Chancellor Martin interrupted. “Which is why I’m holding you to yours, Mr. McMillan.”

The word mister hit Danny like a slap in the face.

Chancellor Martin sat back down on his throne and pivoted to look directly at Danny. “I can certainly understand the…attraction you might feel toward Coach Snyder,” he said.

“Sir, it’s more than attraction—”

The older man held up a hand to stop him. “I do not care to hear the details. It doesn’t matter to me if the ghost of Howard Cosell himself came to you in a dream and told you to pursue Coach Snyder.” He sniffed as if the notion itself were too much to bear contemplating. “Here at Wolcott, we hold our people to a higher standard, whether they are students, faculty, or staff. We expect our leaders to be beyond reproach, and unlike the leaders of many other institutions of higher education, I do not believe it is wrong for us to do so.” He fixed his gaze on a crystal paperweight engraved with the university’s motto. “I will not allow the integrity of Wolcott University to be compromised in any way. I will not allow these hallowed halls to be tainted by scandal and sensationalism.”

Once again, Chancellor Martin folded his hands and looked up over the rims of his glasses. “But I am a fair man. I will give you the opportunity to rectify this situation.”

“Rectify the situation?” Puzzled, Danny looked to Mike, but his friend’s expression remained unreadable. “Rectify it how? Kate Snyder and I are in a relationship. A wholly consensual relationship, at that,” he added with a meaningful glance at Mike.

As if he’d been waiting for his cue, Samlin stepped forward. “Coach Snyder has made it clear to me that her future happiness here at Wolcott may hinge on Coach McMillan’s continued employment as the university’s head football coach.”

Chancellor Martin’s white eyebrows shot up. “Are you implying that Coach Snyder intends to blackmail the university into keeping her…boyfriend on staff?”

“No,” Danny snarled.

“I’m simply reminding you that Coach Snyder’s contract is currently under negotiation,” Mike said implacably. “I’ve given you her salary expectations. I’m also letting you know that money alone may not be the deciding factor in bringing those negotiations to a mutually agreeable close.”

“She thinks she can blackmail us into keeping him on,” the chancellor repeated. Turning his full attention to Danny, he sat a little straighter in his high-backed chair. “She is wrong,” he stated flatly. “Mr. McMillan, you have until five o’clock this evening to decide whether you wish to continue your affiliation with Wolcott University.”

The statement was bold and blatant, but Danny wasn’t about to leave that room until he was clear on the terms and conditions attached to that decision. “So you’re saying that I either end my relationship with Coach Snyder or I’m fired?”

Chancellor Martin inclined his head. “Precisely.”

Though his insides were churning like a cement mixer, Danny felt the corner of his mouth kick up ever so slightly. Looking his boss’s boss directly in the eye, he returned the courtly nod. “And now who’s resorting to blackmail?”

He couldn’t get out of the wood-paneled office fast enough. Desperate for a gulp of fresh air, he pivoted on his heel and marched out of the office.

* * *

Mike caught up to him as he hooked a sharp right in the corridor, heading straight for the doors. “Wait,” his friend huffed. “Danny, wait!”

He didn’t stop or slow or even turn his head. “No need to wait, Mike.” He hit the crash bar on the door with both palms, sending it flying. “I told you which I’d choose, and I meant it.”

“Just don’t…” The athletic director’s polished wingtips skidded along concrete, but Mike hooked a hand around Danny’s arm, and his grip was as sure as ever. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

Danny turned on his friend. “The only thing I’d regret would be losing Kate.”

“You seem so sure about that. How can you be so sure?”

Danny searched his old friend’s expression but found only genuine concern and more than a little perplexity. A spear of warmth sliced through him. Smiling down at Mike, he shook his head, letting a little of his own wonderment show through the bravado that propelled him out of the chancellor’s office.

“We’re not twenty anymore, Mikey,” he said gently. “I’ve had enough of what I don’t want to know a good thing when I’ve got it.” A rueful smile twitched his mouth. “Jobs are easy to get. Women like Kate are one of a kind.”

“But jobs like this…” Mike had the good grace to grimace when Danny’s brows lifted in an unspoken challenge. “D-one jobs, I mean.” He paused for a second, then threw his hands up in frustration. “Where else are you going to have a chance to make an impact like you can here? You’re already having an impact,” he asserted. “And yeah, the program might not be a coach’s dream, but look what you’ve done in just a couple of months.”

“I choose Kate.” Damn, it felt good to say that. The truth. His truth, simple and easy. Feeling lighter than he had in weeks, Danny started toward the athletic center.

“But even if you choose her, you lose her.” Mike hustled to keep step. “No matter what she says, Kate won’t leave here. This is her home. Her house. She built this place.” He jogged a few steps, then turned to face Danny, doing a little hop-skip to stay a stride ahead. “I know what she said, but Danny, do you really think she’d leave it all for you?”

For the first time since he walked out of Martin’s office, Danny’s step faltered.

Of course, Mike was sharp enough to catch his hesitation. “I know you took this job just to get a toehold, but coaching football at Wolcott is pretty much like being handed a blank check. You’ve got guys like Dick Donner waving wads of money around, and all they want to see is some marginal improvement.” He stopped walking and planted his hands on Danny’s shoulders, bringing him to a halt as well. “You know the expectations that come with other D-one coaching jobs. You won’t get this opportunity anywhere else.”

Danny eyed his friend closely. “Do you really think I don’t know that?”

---