Page 11 of Press Your Luck

Naomi

Fury rose inside me as Pierce strutted away. He’d stolen the spotlight by dangling reformed bad boy Bo Tyler in front of the media. My initial impression of Pierce being like all the other men who didn’t like a woman invading their sport had been the right one. I’d been wrong in thinking that his comments supporting my gender had been a show of support. It had been a show, but only to garner points.

I clenched my fists, indignation coursing through me. Win or lose, I'd worked hard to get here and deserved a chance. It was time to make a stand. I needed to show everyone that I was just as worthy of attention as Pierce and Bo.

The sudden sound of footsteps broke me out of my resentful trance. I turned to see Todd making his way toward me.

"Naomi," Todd said.

I steeled myself for his anger at the loss. He said he'd support my benching Big Ed, but theory and reality were two different things. Todd was all about profits, and losing a game, a game we could have won had I left Big Ed in, could hurt the bottom line.

But instead of berating me, Todd surprised me. "I saw what happened out there and I want you to know that I’m proud of you."

I blinked in disbelief. "Proud of me?"

"Yes. You stood up for yourself, and that's not always easy to do, especially to someone like Big Ed, and with an arena filled with fans."

A wave of guilt washed over me at the thought of all the fans I had let down. No doubt, they'd be calling for my resignation at seeing me bench Big Ed. But Todd was on my side. I was so grateful that he understood the choice I'd made.

He looked toward the Buckaroos’ locker room. "Coach Jackson may be getting the attention now, but you're the one who deserves it. You're a damn good coach, Naomi, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

“Thank you, but you do know we lost, right?"

He gave me a small smile. "That doesn't matter right now. What matters is the fact that the game sold out and the arena was packed. That's why I hired you. I thought that putting a female coach in charge of the team might help us sell tickets. And it worked."

I sighed. His words reminded me that while he supported me, it was only for as long as the stands were full and money was coming in.

"Yes, but that's only going to last for so long. If the team doesn't start to win, the crowd will turn against me, and I'll be the shortest-lived coach in the league. No one wants to keep hiring a loser. Not to mention that bet you have with the Buckaroos’ owner."

Todd smiled reassuringly. "Now, now, don't worry about that. I have faith in you, and I have faith in my business plan. But more importantly, I have faith in this team."

Guilt stabbed my gut again. This wasn’t just about me. I had what it took to be successful but only because my team did too. They were all skilled and smart. They could win. Possibly even without Big Ed. But if Big Ed could get his head out of his ass, the team could be unstoppable.

“Thank you.”

He nodded. “It was just one game. Brush it off. I’ll see you on Monday.” I watched as Todd turned and made his way to the exit.

He was right. I needed to brush the loss off. I needed to focus on getting Big Ed’s head off me and into the game.

I returned to my office to gather my things, my mind already racing with ideas and strategies for the next game. I closed up my office and trudged down the stadium corridor, eager to put my first league game behind me.

Just as I was almost at the door, Pierce stepped into my path, blocking my exit. He stood there with his arms folded, a smug smile playing on his lips. Had he been waiting for me? For a moment, warmth flared deep in my gut at the idea that he’d been waiting. Despite my resentment toward him and his team, I couldn't deny that there was something alluring about Pierce. Dammit.

He held out his hand for shaking and said, “Good game, Coach Withers.” It was nice of him to call me Coach instead of Naomi like the media had last night, but it still felt condescending coming from him, effectively dousing the momentary insanity of being attracted to him.

I forced a smile and shook his hand. “Gloating won't get you anywhere." I wanted to make sure he knew that we weren't going to go down without a fight next time we met.

Pierce laughed, and it made me want to grind my teeth in frustration. "I like friendly competition. It makes the guys play harder." Obviously, he wasn't worried about our beating him the next time around, not after Big Ed hadn't been playing his best.

Disappointment that I couldn’t understand filled me. I realized that I wished Pierce were different. Oh, sure, he was saying the right words to make me feel like an equal, but I knew he didn’t mean them. He had to think I was an idiot to bench Big Ed, and in doing so, I’d be fired before long, so of course he was acting nice.

“We are not friends.” Having nothing more to say, I turned and left.

I was filled with a roller coaster of emotions. I’d been lifted by Todd’s confidence, but now I felt the loss like a lead weight holding me down. I was second-guessing my decision to bench Big Ed. But I wouldn’t win his respect if I let him bully and manipulate me. He needed to know who was boss and just how far I was willing to go to make sure he understood that. I’d made the right choice. I felt certain any other coach would have done the same had Big Ed refused to play as directed and spoken to them the way he talked to me. Of course, Big Ed probably wouldn’t misbehave toward them.

As I reached my car, I realized that second-guessing my decisions and trying to anticipate the thoughts and reactions of others weren’t doing me any favors. I was letting that weigh me down when I didn’t have to. I could use this defeat as a motivator to push myself and the team to do better. It was time to refine our strategies and focus on the little things that could make all the difference, with or without Big Ed. In fact, perhaps the team was relying too much on Ed and not enough on their own skills.

Driving home, I mentally mapped out a plan for the next game. My mind raced with ideas and tactics. I would need to talk to each player, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and figure out how to use them to our advantage. Their individual personalities and quirks would be crucial in shaping our gameplay.

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