All the hands fall back down.
“We’re thrilled to have Kane joining us as head coach. He’s had a great relationship with the team while he’s been here, and we know many of our players look up to him as a veteran player now turned coach.” She glances at me as if she’s stalling and allowing me to gather myself after announcing my retirement. But Jana doesn’t have a sympathetic bone in her body, so I must be wrong. “And now I’ll open it up for questions.” She points at the woman in the front row. “Layna.”
She stands. “We’re sorry to see you go. Does this mean Matt McIntosh is your replacement? He’s a little green, no?”
Damn, I thought the questions would start on a lighter note. There are other goalies on the team, but I can’t lie and say that Matt isn’t a prospect for a starting position.
“Matt is a heck of a goalie. He’s excelled in his position, which is why he was drafted. But honestly, I’ve only been on the job for about twenty-four hours, so no decisions on lineups have been made.”
Everyone laughs and so does Jana next to me. It shouldn’t feel like she’s on my side right now when things between us have always been clear. We use each other for sex and nothing more. She’s certainly not head cheerleader in my cheering section.
“Okay, next,” Jana says. “Hugo.”
Shit. She has to pick a former player turned sports reporter, doesn’t she?
Hugo stands and grins at me. “Retirement is hard. Most players suffer through the first year and struggle to find their footing in the real world. Going directly to coaching, are you going to be able to separate yourself?”
“Meaning?” I arch an eyebrow.
“Decisionwise. Players have different ideas of what should happen on the ice than the coaches a lot of times. Sometimes the risky play isn’t always the best, and let’s be honest, hockey players are risky.”
He smiles at me, and I shake my head. Hugo was a teammate of mine when I’d just started out, but he retired shortly after. He once yelled at me for stepping outside the box to help him defend.
“I think all my years playing are going to help me be a great coach. I might have been risky when I came out of the draft, but I’ve learned lessons along the way too.”
Hugo nods. “I hope retirement is good to you.”
I nod my thanks as he sits back down.
Jana glances to me as if she can decipher what I’m thinking. Turning back to the microphone, she points with her manicured nail at the next person. “Ahmed.”
“I think I speak for us all when I say I would’ve liked to see you play one more year. Win the Cup one last time… as a player.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint.”
The room fills with fake laughter.
“My question is, what do you think your chances are of winning the Cup? The Fury has been on the brink before and always fallen short. Drake with his drought one year, Ford not passing last year. Could something this year keep a team with so much skill from winning?”
I clear my throat and sit up straight. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but if I had to put money on us, I would. We have two incredible centers. Our wings are unstoppable on all lines. Every player on this team would rather have a Cup than feed their ego. I’ve played in the league a long time, as you know, and there’s something magical about this group of guys. You feel the energy in the locker room and when they’re playing together, and that usually leads to success. I hope we see the Cup at the end of the season.”
“And I have a question for you, Miss Gerhardt,” Ahmed says, turning toward her.
“Yes?”
“Being a new owner, are you up to making the hard decisions that will inevitably have to be made?”
Jana’s back goes straight, and she slides to the edge of her chair. She’s like a cat slowly inching forward, ready to snatch up her prey. “Meaning?”
Tread carefully, Ahmed.
“Sometimes when trade opportunities come along, it’s hard to separate business from personal, hard to not see the family behind the player.”
I shut my eyes for a moment because any idiot knows he just misstepped.
“Are you suggesting that because I’m a woman, I can’t make a hard decision on what’s best for the team? That my heart and my emotions will be too invested and cloud my judgment?”
The tone in her voice is one that’s been directed at me many times and I want to chuckle at Ahmed’s paling face. He’s a newer reporter and I’m fairly sure he didn’t mean to offend her, but he’s really stepped in it.
He raises a hand. “No. Not at all. I only asked because you’re seen out and about with the players and their significant others. You have friendships with them, no?”
He’s right. And the way Jana slides back in the chair, she knows it too. “You are correct. Many of the players have become my friends. But as most players know, decisions about trades are made all the time. In the end, this is a business.”
Ahmed nods and sits without another word.
“And Ahmed?” she says. He rises back to his feet. “You’re new, but ask around—I’m not really known for my warm and fuzzy heart.”
The room erupts into laughter because, unfortunately, that is Jana’s reputation. She’s cold, calculated, and does what needs to be done. But I’ve seen glimpses of a different side of her, and I wish she’d let others see that as well.
We go around the room, and most of the questions revolve around my thoughts about specific players. Cory Freeman and Aiden Drake both being such dynamic centers, how will I choose who starts? Maksim needs help down in defense. Who might I have my eye on?
“Okay, last question, then we have to get back to work.” Jana scans the room. “Tami.”
I inwardly groan. Tami works for All About Town, a local magazine that comes out bimonthly and is always more interested in our personal lives than our performance on the ice. They just did a whole piece on Cory Freeman and his girl Ande’s new place.
“Hi, Kane.” Her flirtatious tone doesn’t do anything for me, but I kind of like the way Jana glances at me to see my reaction.
Fat chance ever making her jealous. If I thought that would do the trick, I would’ve done it ages ago.
“Hey, Tami.”
“Now that your playing days are over, will you be looking for that certain someone to fill the void?”
Jana licks her lips then sucks them into her mouth as though she’s afraid she’s going to laugh. She leans into the microphone. “Want me to tell you not to answer that question?”
The room laughs.
I shake my head and Jana slides back, crossing her arms.
“I’m not sure what void you mean. And not much has changed in my lifestyle except for the fact that I’m probably going to be busier than ever. I’ll still be traveling like I did when I was a player, but instead of being able to relax after games, I’ll be figuring out how we continue to win or how to fix what’s not working if we lose. I’m not sure I’ll have any more time than there ever was for a someone special.”
Jana leans forward. “Thank—”
She’s interrupted by Tami. “But why have you never settled down? You’re not going to be young forever. You’re already in your midthirties. Have you thought about going on The Bachelor or doing a dating auction for charity?”