Page 71 of Love Game

“I could snap her like a twig,” she retorted.

“And I am still standing here,” Mike chimed in.

“Why is that?” Danny asked without taking his eyes from hers. “Don’t you think you should be calling the chancellor and prepping him for my call?”

“I never said I’d run interference for you.” They both turned at that, and Mike gave them a meaningful glare.

“You will,” Danny said quietly.

“Maybe I should just fire you now and save everyone the trouble,” the AD said heatedly.

Kate scoffed. “You won’t.”

“How do you know?”

Mike’s expression was hard. Holding his gaze was a challenge, but Kate was a woman born to smash any obstacle that got in her way. That was what she’d lost sight of in the years since her playing career ended. She was the type made to climb mountains to reach her goal. The kind of woman who fought for the man she loved and the life she wanted.

“You won’t because firing him would be ridiculous, and you are not a ridiculous man.” She turned to face Mike as certainty bloomed inside her. “You’ll call the chancellor and anyone else you need to call because you don’t want to lose the best thing Wolcott football has had going for it in…forever.”

“That isn’t saying much,” Danny reminded her.

Shifting her attention to the man on the chopping block, she gave him a smile that felt more than a little shaky. “Just hold your horses and wait for Mike to grease the wheels. Don’t talk to anyone but the two of us. And I mean anyone.”

“Even my mother?” Danny shot back, hackles rising.

“Your mother is okay, but I’d appreciate it if you’d hold off calling your agent until we’ve had a chance to talk.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mike asked, instantly defensive.

“It means we all know Danny has other options.”

The AD whirled to face his friend. “You’re jumping?”

“Only if someone makes me.” The two men stood still for an endless moment, eyes locked on each other. Finally, Danny turned and looked directly at Kate. “I don’t want to go.”

“Then we have to see what we can do to keep you here.” Her voice was embarrassingly husky.

She reached over and grabbed a sticky note and pen from the cluttered desk. Biting her lip, she scrawled an amount with a staggering number of zeroes attached to it, folded the paper in half, and thrust it at the AD.

“This is the minimum it’ll take to keep me. It’s less than Geno Auriemma, but more than everyone else,” she said, referring to the winningest coach in women’s basketball. “And when I top Geno’s record, I’ll be coming back at you, so you might as well break it to the chancellor while you’re chewing the fat.”

Mike goggled at the number on the paper. “I can’t… No one—”

She held up a hand to stop his stammering. “Bullshit.”

“God, I love you.”

Danny’s quiet declaration snared her attention. When she turned, she found him staring at her, his face alight with admiration. She clamped her mouth shut. A lifetime of living in locker rooms charged with the hormones of two dozen women had taught her that silence was often the most effective weapon when trying to get one’s point across. The seconds crept past, each one ticking like a time bomb as the three of them sized one another up. Finally, she cracked the tension with a grim smile.

“So now we all know where we stand.” Shooting a glance at Mike, she yanked open the office door and gulped in some less-testosterone-saturated oxygen. “Danny’s not the only one with options, Mike. Make sure the chancellor and the board understand that when you show them that number. I think we can all agree I’ve earned it.”

Mike said nothing, only nodded and tucked the paper into his pocket.

“Get to it, ladies,” Kate ordered. “I have a camp to run, and I’m missing my morning session.”

Their heads jerked back in unison. Mike scowled, but Danny just guffawed. “Ladies?”

She smirked. “You’re right. I shouldn’t insult women like that.” Stepping into the hall, she started to pull the door closed behind her and paused. Meeting Danny’s eyes, she smiled. “Stop by if you get a chance. I love having pretty cheerleaders watch while I work.”

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