He didn’t have to say what I already knew. “I failed my physical.”
With a nod, Jared confirmed my words. “I’m sorry.”
“Not as sorry as I am,” I muttered under my breath.
“No man is ever ready to leave the game they love behind, and it’s unfortunate that the choice of when that occurred was taken from you.”
I shrugged. There really wasn’t anything to say.
“However, I do feel you are an asset to the Speed organization and would like to offer you a job.”
My ears perked up, and I imagined myself in the broadcast booth. Cal Berg had made a similar move two years ago after his retirement, and it didn’t seem like a bad gig. I would still get to travel with the team and connect with the players regularly.
“As you know, we still have not named a head coach.” Jared’s words snapped me out of my daydream.
“Coach?” My voice came out strangled.
Giving me a warm smile, he nodded. “Yes, coach. This past year, you’ve remained involved, even without being able to play. I’ve seen the way you coach up the players, pointing out sections of film that might be useful. You know the game, but beyond that, you know these players. An inside hire of a former player might just be the spark we need to get back to where we were a year ago.”
I still couldn’t believe my ears. Pointing to my chest, I asked, “You wantmeto be the head coach of the Speed?”
Jared chuckled. “I think you have what it takes, Maddox. Our team is young and fresh, so it only makes sense that our choice of bench boss reflects that. Too many coaches around the league are stuck in the past, but you’ve seen firsthand how the game is changing. We can use your recent playing experience to our advantage. You’ve been out there against many of our opponents and know how best to beat them. We wouldn’t have been on the doorstep of a championship without your leadership.”
I rubbed my chest against the ache of that defeat; it was still a sore spot, even a year later.
“And I believe that’s what’s going to get us over the hump. Our time is coming. I can feel it in my bones. So, what do you say? Do you want to have a part in making all those men’s—and your—dreams come true?”
My playing days were over, even if that was hard to accept. This was a chance to make up for what I’d lost, to still be on the ice with my boys, guiding them as they went to battle. I would be in the thick of it every single day. You couldn’t get much closer to the game unless you were physically playing it.
I’d be an idiot to refuse.
Rising to my feet, I stretched my hand across his desk. “You’ve got yourself a coach.”
Jared stood, clasping my hand in his and shaking. “Glad to have you back,CoachSterling.”
For the first time since the injury, I was able to look forward to what lay ahead instead of lamenting the past and wishing I could change it.
And I knewexactlywhat my first order of business would be as the new head coach of the Speed.
“I thought we were here to work out,” Jenner said when I bypassed the gym and headed for the team locker room instead.
“We’ll get to that,” I promised. “But I have something I want to show you first.”
I could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke behind me. “I don’t know what to tell you, Maddox. You gotta keep using the ointment until the rash clears.” I rolled my eyes as he continued, “And honestly, in cases such as these, it’s best to be proactive. If you stop bringing strange women home, you’ll stop catching diseases on your dick.”
Snorting, I huffed out, “I’m getting about as much action as you are at the moment. Maybe save the safe sex speech for the rookies.”
Jenner pretended to sound affronted. “Well, excuuuuuuse me for trying to help.”
Turning into the locker room, I stood to the side so I could view Jenner’s reaction to my surprise. Eyeing me skeptically, he scanned the nearly emptystalls. It was still the off-season, and this room wouldn’t be filled with the players’ gear for a few months.
Finally, his gaze landed on the lone Speed jersey hanging from a stall in the center. The red fabric, featuring a black racecar emblem, popped against the light wood accents of the room.
Jenner’s breathing hitched before his head whipped to me. “What is this?”
Nodding toward the jersey, I prompted, “Why don’t you go see for yourself.”
Stepping forward cautiously, he crossed to where the jersey—his jersey—hung. Fingering the material, his touch traced a path over the black C stitched in the upper left corner of the chest, indicating that he was the captain of the Indianapolis Speed.
