Page 84 of Courtside

He was exhausted.

All he wanted was sweatpants, a beer, and a tall blonde and his dog cuddled up on his couch.

He walked down the hallway, his brown Oxfords slapping against the stone. Tim walked beside him, and David consciously slowed down his steps to match the pace of his shorter assistant.

“Hell of a season, Coach.” Tim knew better than to smile and laugh and brush aside the loss as a thing of the past, but still, his words meant something. His acknowledgement meant more to David than he could ever express.

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” David answered honestly. At first, he’d seen Tim as a threat to his authority, as proof that the institution hadn’t believed in him. But they had slowly warmed to each other, and, by the end, Tim had become more than a mentor. He was someone David trusted. Someone he hoped to work with again.

They reached the locker room and pushed inside.

Jordan stood in the middle of the room, his green jersey soaked and his skin flushed pink. “Keep your heads up, boys,” he was saying, his voice louder and betraying more emotion than David had ever heard from him. “Think about the team we were at the beginning of the year. Think about how little we trusted each other. And look at who we were tonight. Out there, we were a family. We fought hard for each other, and we were so dang close.” He turned to the other seniors, who all sat beside each other at one end of the bench. None of them had dry eyes as they listened to their teammate, and David felt his own eyes burn as he watched them. He remembered being in their shoes like it was yesterday. “For some of us, this is our last chance to ever wear these jerseys. Me, Zephyr, Chris, and Jenks will never get another shot at this. We’re going to pack up at the end of the year and go off to do whatever comes next. Coach,” Jordan turned to David, obviously trying to keep his expression steady as he looked him in the eye. “We couldn’t have done this without you. You were exactly what we needed, and I’ll never forget the lessons you’ve taught me. Never.”

Well. David was definitely crying.

Jordan continued. “But for the rest of you, look around this room. These are your brothers, and if you want to end up back here next year, if you want to go further than we did, you all need to come together and decide to go after it. Stay in touch over the summer. Stay local and play and lift and challenge each other to continue to get better.” He paused, wiping awkwardly at his face as he sniffed. “Right. Well. Love you guys.” And with that, he sat back down on the bench.

David and the rest of the team immediately broke out in applause, and Jordan’s face got even redder.

“There’s not much to say after that,” David said above the noise, and the guys quickly quieted. “This loss hurt, and we all know that we could have won, but the reality is that we didn’t. That’s the way this sport works. You work and plan and spend hours of your life preparing, and then it comes down to one single game. And that’s why I agree with Jordan. Keep your heads up. You defied expectations this year. No one thought you’d be able to do what you all did to get here. And as I said before the game, I am so proud of every single one of you. Nothing about tonight’s game changes that.”

There was more to say. There wasalwaysmore to say.

But at that moment there were parents and relatives who’d flown across the country to see these guys play, and he wanted to give them as much time with their families as possible before they had to go back to the hotel. Because they lost, they’d fly out early the next morning.

“Alright. Let’s call it, and then go out and thank the family who came in to see you guys.” David motioned to Jenks, who got up and put his hand out in the empty space in the middle of the room. Immediately, the rest of the guys got up, piling their hands on top until they were all one smushed together group of sweaty, exhausted men.

And Sage. He couldn’t forget Sage, who still smelled like flowers. He beckoned her toward the huddle, and she didn’t hesitate to put her hand in alongside the rest of them.

“Eagles on three!” Zephyr’s voice filled the room. “One, two, three…”

“Eagles!”

Their voices combined, the volume almost uncomfortable as they had one last moment together in the wake of a game.

David watched them disperse, heading to the showers as they fell into comfortable teasing and banter. Most of them would be back the next year, and, if he was lucky, he would get the chance to coach them again.

He lost track of time a bit once he reached the lobby, pulled into conversations with each of the players and then exchanging greetings and introductions with the families that had made the trip to watch them play.

Sage stood off to one side with a woman he recognized as her older sister, Brinley, and an older woman dressed in overalls and a flowing floral blouse.

He wanted to go to Sage. This was her moment too; her steadfast reassurance had constantly reminded him that he’d earned his place on the bench. She’d helped him learn to let go enough to breathe. She’d made him a better coach, and, arguably, a better man.

There was also the fact that he could still taste the honey from the lozenge she’d pressed into his hand after the game.

It tasted like her.

But he didn’t want to interrupt her time with her family, knowing they’d traveled all the way from California to be there. He didn’t want to presume and go up to them.

David was only able to watch her unnoticed for a moment. She must have felt him, because she looked up and their gazes collided with a heat and warmth that had him inhaling a sharp breath. Her green eyes blinked, and she offered him a quick smile before she turned back to her family.

He pushed the heel of his hand into his sternum as he cleared his throat, shifting so that he was no longer staring so obviously.Get your shit together, David.

He felt a sharp elbow in his side and looked over to see Monty grinning at him.

David cocked a brow at him. “What,” he said cautiously.

Monty’s grin widened. “Just wondering when you’re gonna get your shit together and ask her out.”

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