Page 24 of Puck Me Harder

“I think it’s perfectly fair, boss. Really.”

I don’t look at Dakota, but I can feel her eyes on me.

“Alright. If you insist,” Mike shuffles some papers in front of him before leaning back in his Herman Miller chair. “Let’s start with something easy. I’m going to go down the roster, and you tell me— righty or lefty, passer or shooter.”

Oh, he’s so fucked. Dakota just nods, not letting her poker face drop an inch.

“Let’s start easy,” he sets the papers down. “Mita.”

Dakota raises an eyebrow.

“With all due respect,” she crosses her arms. “Bullshit question, Mr. Dominican.”

Mike rolls his eyes, sitting forward in his seat.

“Miss O’Connor, I’m trying here,” he blows out a breath. “But you’ve got to give me something to work with. I’m sorry, this isn’t going to work out.”

He starts to stand again, but I interrupt—

“Hear her out, Mike,” I lean up against the wall. “You owe her that much.”

Mike gives me a look that could melt ice.

“Really, Mita? Fine.” He sits back down with a huff. “Miss O’Connor, I asked you about Kai Mita’s stats. Why is that a bullshit question?”

Got ‘em.

“Because Kai can shoot left or right,” Dakota grins. “He’s ambidextrous.”

Mike twists in his chair to look between me and the paperwork in his hand. His eyebrows raise high in an unspoken question.

“She’s right, boss,” I hold up both hands, wiggling my fingers. “Go ahead— Keep going down the roster.”

This is going to be fun.

“Sawyer,” Mike says, leaning forward in his chair.

“Lefty, passer. I think he needs to throw some more shots into his game. Little bit too much of a team player.”

“Emerson,” Mike fires off, excitement tinging his voice.

“Righty, shooter. I don’t want to offer any critique while he’s injured,” Dakota says tactfully.

“It won’t leave this room, right Kai?” mark asks.

“My lips are sealed, boss,” I say, miming buttoning my lips.

“First time for everything,” Mike mutters.

“Emerson is the opposite of Sawyer. Shoots too much, when he should pass. Robinson is a lefty who needs to retire, but he’s stubbornly clinging on to glory. Parker is another lefty who needs experience, but Robinson is too focused on his pain to have time to train him. You’ve got a lot of problems with this team, Mike. The biggest is that they aren’t a team.”

Mike sit back in his chair, his eyes narrowing.

“I sure paid a lot for a team, and I hate wasting money.”

“You need a new coach, Mike. Drake Wallace is just driving a wedge in between players who should be working together. You’ve just got a bunch of guys, not a team.”

Mike whistles, his face transforming to shock as he sits back, a dumbfounded look on his face.

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