Page 3 of Waiting for Her

“That’s right.” I blow out a breath and the corner of my mouth turns up, already feeling a rush of relief knowing Coach is going to be in the same room as the rest of the board.

When he first approached me about his desire to retire and that he had someone in mind to step into his place, I could list off twenty people who were more qualified than me. Easily. The last thing I expected was for him to sayIwas the one he wanted to coach his team.

His team.

What could bemyteam.

Fuck if that isn’t an overwhelming feeling.

Surreal.

I swallow and clear my throat again as a wave of nervousness washes over me. I shift my weight from one foot to the other.

“Grady,” the receptionist says in a calming voice. “Relax. Coach Bales wants this. So does the board. You’ll do great.”

I feel my chest deflate, relief washing over me. “Thanks. You sound like my mom.”

“Tess?”

“How’d you know that?”

She taps the side of her head and gives me a wink. “I’ve done my homework. And, you’ve been a part of our program for going on eight years now,” she reminds me.

“Oh. Right.”

Coach Bales and his staff recruited me when I was in high school. I worked my ass off and became a starter half-way through my sophomore season. Of course, Bri breaking up with me gave me fuel for the anger that drove my workouts. The summer before my senior year, everything came crashing down around me.

One night changed my future.

I never saw the car coming. Or, he never saw me coming.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I admit.

She tips her head. “Follow me.”

Around the corner, I see Coach Bales standing next to a closed door, hands in his pockets. As soon as he notices me, he smiles wide.

“My replacement,” he says, reaching out a hand.

“Awful confident, aren’t you?”

I grip his strong calloused hand and we shake before he tugs, pulling me in for a hug, giving me a loving pat on the back. “You got this in the bag, Grady. Everyone wants you staying on that field. We believe in you. When we asked you to intern after you graduated, it was because I saw something in you I wasn’t willing to let go to another team. You didn’t disappoint. You’ve proven yourself time and time again that you not only have a heart for this program, but also for coaching. We hired you for the freshman head coach position for a reason. You know how to mold boys into men because you can still relate to them.”

“You were testing me?” I ask, and the gleam in his eye confirms it.

My dad told me the same thing. Hell, even my former teammates said it to me. But I still find it hard to believe that a program with the number of bowl games under its belt like this one would want a twenty-six-year old to lead them. Drew, the assistant head coach, started with the team the first year I played for them. It was a little surprising that Coach Bales announced his retirement so close to the new season beginning, so I had a good feeling they would be hiring from within the program. When Drew called me to let me know he wanted me to be hired for Bales’s replacement, well, it was humbling, to say the least, to hear he thoughtIwas the right person for this job. Still makes me feel guilty, though. He’s more experienced than I am, as are so many others.

“Between you two and my parents, I have my very own motivational crew,” I tease, motioning toward his receptionist.

“Sara is pretty good at the encouragement,” he agrees. “And it doesn’t surprise me Barrett and Tess have been telling you the same thing.”

“Yeah, well, I suppose it’s kind of their job.”

“Let’s go prove them right, shall we?”

“Coach Bales?” I stop him with a hand on his arm.

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