Page 60 of Offside

27

Karis

In the end, I did do a slight quick cleanup, as well as retouch my lipstick and brush through my hair before I left for the office. I still made it in plenty of time before my scheduled meeting with Nate.

I did, however, leave a trace of Ballas on my upper thigh. It felt naughty and dangerous and I need all of that as I now peruse Nate’s file, reading through the notes left in the margins in Marv’s messy handwritten script.

A wave of homesick despair hits me hard, but I swallow it back.

I will not let myself succumb to sadness and stress. Not right now, not when I need to keep my chin up and head held high and maintain a level of composure to get through this meeting.

Thank God Ballas did what he promised. The quickie this morning alleviated my stress and calmed my nerves, leaving me ready to have a rational, fact-based discussion with Nate. Had I gone into this meeting without Ballas’s very helpful intervention, I may have been an emotional mess, which would have given Nate more reason to be a disrespectful dick to me.

Who am I kidding? Nate’s always like that with me and this conversation is gearing up to be an ugly mess. I can’t expect him to act like a professional when he’s never proven he is one.

On my way in this morning, I called Tarjinder and asked him to be here to consult on my plans and the points I want to cover before Nate arrives.

Tar now sits in one of my office guest chairs and reviews Nate’s contract.

“Obviously, Karis, you have the right to terminate his contract at any time for any reason, assuming you pay out the terms of the agreement.” He flips through the pages of the contract on his iPad, glasses perched on the tip of his nose as he reads through the fine print. When he lifts his gaze, I feel a sense of a relief in his dark and sure eyes. “I think it’s good that you’re doing this earlier rather than later in the season. It will allow you to find someone who can jump in before we get too far in the weeds. It’s also the last year in his contract, giving Nate his payout and time to find something else.”

His vote of confidence reassures me and fills me with some relief from my panic. Tar’s next question, however, gives me a case of heartburn, like I just ate a Taco Bell burrito at midnight.

“Have you run through a list of prospective replacements yet? We will need to get the word out immediately to those on your short list. Do you have someone in mind?”

I stand from my desk and begin pacing, counting my steps forward before spinning around and counting them back again.

Tar waits expectantly for my response, sitting with one leg crossed over his knee, hands in his lap in a dignified pose.

“I have been looking at a few. Obviously, we need to conduct a search and narrow it down quickly. There’s also a possibility of an internal candidate,” I hedge, dropping my chin and glancing at him through my eyelashes. It makes me nervous to even say the name out loud because of where things currently stand with Ballas. He didn’t express interest when I hinted at the possibility.

Besides, he’s still going to play this year, which means I’d still have to find someone else as a temporary fill-in.

“Oh?” he says. His brows pinch together. “Who is that?”

I swallow down my nerves and am about to say Ballas’s name when there’s a knock on the door and Christine pops her head through the crack.

“Nate’s here to see you, Karis. Would you all like something to drink?”

I smile at my assistant and nod. “Yes, please. Water is fine.”

She swings the door open, moving out of the way to allow Nate to come in. He barrels through, practically stepping on Christine’s shoes, and stops short with a deep scowl the moment he notices Tar.

“What’s this about? Why is he here?” Nate’s voice is hard as he nods toward Tarjinder, killing any potential empathy I’ve tried to retain for my soon-to-be-former GM. Tar keeps his unblinking gaze on Nate and nods.

I slide one trembling hand in my pants pocket and signal to the open chair with the other.

“Please, have a seat, Nate.”

He capitulates with an aggressive step to the chair, then sits down and crosses his arms defensively.

I swear, working with this man has been like dealing with an eight-year-old spoiled child. He’s never been accommodating or willing to bend. He’s rigid, inflexible, and unwilling to work with a woman.

And don’t get me started on how he treats people that he sees as beneath him. I’ve witnessed his interactions with our staff and the toxicity that exudes from his behavior. That’s not the type of environment I want in our head offices. Or for my team.

My team.

This is the first time since taking over for Marv that I’ve actually felt like it is my team.

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