Page 24 of Old Fashioned
Jordan smiled, too. “Seriously, Sydney. I’m sorry. Not just for that night, but for my general attitude since you walked through those doors. You’ve done nothing but prove yourself, and still I have this urge to… protect you, or stick up for you.”
A completely new heat crept up my neck at that, and I felt it tinge my cheeks, rendering me speechless once again.
“Which is stupid, I realize,” he continued, holding up his hands. “But, I think it’s part of how I was raised, and just part of who I am, in general. Regardless, I’ve made an ass of myself, and I was hoping we could start over. Call a truce.”
I smirked. “I didn’t realize we were at war.”
“Well, this is me throwing the white flag, anyway.”
A silence fell between us, and I sat forward, finding his gaze. “Thank you for apologizing. I think it takes a great man to do so in situations like this. And, if I’m being honest and fair, you were right.”
His left eyebrow shot up at that. “I was?”
“Not about everything,” I clarified. “I did my job, and there was no way for me or you oranyoneto know that Parker was faking it, but… he was. And I couldn’t see past his façade. I still think I would have done everything the same, but now that I know what these boys are capable of?” I smiled sheepishly. “Let’s just say I won’t be so easily fooled next time.”
Jordan chuckled. “They are nothing if not a handful. Still,” he continued. “I wasn’t right.Youwere right. Yes, I know these boys, but regardless, you did exactly what you were supposed to do. We can’t take injuries lightly, and I needed you to remind me of that. Parker took responsibility for his part, and he paid for it today on the field, but in the end, you did the right thing. So, don’t consider yourself as easily fooled. Consider yourself as a professional trainer who I’m glad to have on my team, and thankful you put me in my place.”
We shared a smile, and with that white flag waving between us, the truce was signed.
I stood, taking that smile as my cue that our conversation was over and I needed to wrap up work, but before I could take a step, he spoke again.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, standing with me. “About Paige. And… if you’d be open to it… maybe I could work with her. Teach her a few things, so that when she walks into summer camp next year, she’ll be prepared.”
My heart swelled and then fell into the pit of my stomach so fast that I was confused as to whether I thought that was the sweetest thing I’d ever heard, or the most terrifying.
“I’m trying to turn herofffrom football,” I reminded him with a smile I hoped seemed casual and non-affected, crossing my arms. “Not provide her with a personal coach and source of encouragement.”
“It’s your call,” he said with a shrug, sliding his hands into the pockets of his shorts. “But, one thing I’ve figured out with kids like her? Once they decide something and set their mind to it, there’s no stopping them.”
My smile slipped, lips pressing together as worry flittered through me like the wings of a thousand birds.
“You can either fight her on it, or you can embrace her dream and support it. Whether it hurts her or not, I can tell you just from hearing her talk on Saturday that she’s not giving up on football — no matter how much you may wish she would.”
I bit my lip, and Jordan rounded the desk as soon as he saw the anxiety I could no longer hide. His strong hand reached out, touching my elbow and holding it as he offered me a smile.
“No pressure, okay? Just think about it.”
His thumb rubbed my forearm where he held me, and I looked down, marveling at the tenderness concealed in those calloused hands before he pulled away.
He swallowed when I looked up at him, and the energy shifted in the same way it had Friday night. But before I could latch onto it to dissect it, he stepped back, picking up his clipboard and effectively dismissing me.
“See you tomorrow,” he said.
And I walked in a daze back to my office with every warning bell in my system ringing in sync.
Sydney
The week flew by in a cyclone of work and practice and evenings spent with Paige. I didn’t even mind meeting up with Randy on Wednesday to swap, because all my energy and emotions were tied up in the team and the upcoming away game against the North Valley Hornets.
Monday’s practice and talk from coach had changed everything, throwing the team into a new orbit that I couldn’t help but marvel at. Every single player was fired up and ready to work when we met back in that locker room on Tuesday, and all week long, I watched with timid fascination as they somehow worked twice as hard as they had the first week and a half that I’d watched them before our first game.
Something had clicked, and no one was messing around anymore.
Of course, with harder work came more injuries.
I found myself busier and busier with each passing practice, and I had my eyes on almost every player for something or another. There were ice baths and compression boot treatments and soft tissue sessions and all the while, I was urging the players to rest as much as they could, knowing they wouldn’t for a single second. I’d given out so many ice packs that our ice machine couldn’t even keep up, and I had to run to the store to grab as many twenty-pound bags as our local grocery store had on hand.
So, when we loaded up on the bus to head to the game Friday night, I felt just as fired up and determined as the players and coaches did.
