Page 21 of Defending Madison

I laugh. “I appreciate you taking his place.”

She smiles as the Dauntless General Manager strolls into the room. Elise Wilcox, a former star player and coach, motions for everyone to take a seat. She leans across the table to shake my hand. “I’m very happy to meet you, Benny. May I call you Benny?”

“Sure.”

She turns to Lily. “Good morning, Lily. I’m sure everyone is a bit caught off guard with the urgency of this meeting, but we need to replace a player, and Ms. Bennett needs a team.”

She’s not wrong. I had expected I’d be going back to Phoenix next week. Circumstances changed there and now it appears I’m without a team and this looks like a good fit.

Lily pipes up. “This is a preliminary get-to-know-each-other meeting.”

Ms. Wilcox beams. “I spoke with Phoenix. They said they’re planning to go a different way with player personnel and schemes. I’m unsure exactly what happened, but I suspect I know.”

I gasp and stare at the stunning older woman with salt and pepper hair dressed like she just stepped off the runway for Vogue. Her head dips as she leans. “I’m familiar with your former coach pretty well. Scuttlebutt suggests she was the reason you left Boulder.”

Lily raises her hand. “Let’s not get into the past. I think we can all agree that Madison brings a lot to the table. She’s won the Defense MVP twice; once as a rookie, and made the difference in both Phoenix Championship wins. They’re foolish to let hergo. I’ve fielded calls from four other American teams and three international teams.”

Georgia, who took a seat at the end of the table, smiles as she gets my attention. “It’s no secret. We want you. You’re perfect for our current and upcoming plans for the Dauntless. This is your home, and I can’t imagine it will be a hardship to be close to family and friends. Your contract with Phoenix lasts through this season. We’ve picked it up, but want to sweeten the deal. You’ll be the highest paid defensive player in the league if we all decide this is the place you want to be next season.”

Elise tosses a document to Lily. “I don’t know what Madison has for endorsements, but there are four Dallas businesses that want to work with her. She’s well known and liked in Dallas. We all understand that won’t hurt her opportunities for more.”

Lily flips through the pages. “These will go well with her current endorsements. She has two through the Bobcats, so likely they will end.” She hands the folder to me, and I scan through it.

The endorsements will give me enough income that I won’t have to work at all outside of women’s soccer. I catch a knowing look from Lily and a soft shrug. She’s the kind of person that wants me to advocate for myself. I take a breath and get the focus of the GM. “You bought my contract, so I’m here. There are things I love about Dallas, but frankly I enjoyed being in a new place. How do you see me fitting in with this team?”

Georgia clicks her tongue. “You’re a born leader. You ran the Bobcats with a steel fist in a velvet glove. We didn’t make this decision lightly. You’re young, but even the older players respect you. The Bobcat coach’s illness didn’t become known until after it was affecting her coaching. You made the difference with the playoffs last year. I honestly believe that if you hadn’t been injured, they’d be making a run for the Championship this year.”Her mouth bows to a grin. “I’m looking forward to having that chance for us.”

I’m surprised with her response. The doctor cleared me to play, and I should be practicing right now. I’m kicking myself for not realizing Phoenix was biding their time to get rid of me.

Georgia reads my mind. “We’d like for you to start Monday.”

Lily laughs. “We’d like the room.”

Heads bob in agreement as the other two women stand and leave, pulling close the glass door. I chuckle, not knowing how else to respond. “I didn’t expect this.”

She shakes her head. “It started earlier in the week. Your history with ‘she who should not be named’, is legendary. Everyone saw the writing on the wall when she took over at Phoenix. She had to bide her time to cause you problems and then you got injured so quickly into the season. Anyone knowledgeable in women’s soccer knows you would never work out your differences. This is a great fit.”

I nod. “Yeah.” My face drops as Lily sets her hand on mine.

“What?”

“Dixon is here.”

Lily nods. “Well.”

My eyes bug out as I stare. “You knew?”

“Of course I knew. But it shouldn’t come into play with your decision. He’s in the past, right?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“Great.” Lily flicks her head at the file. “We can fight this move, but do you really want to?”

I shake my head. “No. I want to be here.”

“Excellent.” Lily raises her head at the two sets of eyes trying not to study us in the window. The two women walk in. “We’re good.”

Georgia walks over and thrusts her hand out. I shake it. “Want to meet the team?”

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