start this season, youâll have to earn it. And weâre going to the finals, Monarchs. Weâre going to play for the championship. If you arenât willing to put in the work, you can ride the bench.â
They all thought heâd lost his mind. DeMarcus could tell by the looks on their faces. Maybe he had. Heâd do whatever it took to bring his father the trophy. This was about more than his competitive drive. It was about more than his ego. It was about finally repaying his parents for everything theyâd sacrificed for him. Thanks to his parents, heâd proven himself a winner. He wasnât going to let this team make a loser out of him.
With his speech this morning, heâd set the course for them. But, to reach their destination, the coaches and players would have to row together. Right now, he couldnât see any of them picking up an oar.
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If she could just ingest this cup of coffee, sheâd make it through this Friday morning. She was sure of it. Jaclyn inhaled deeply as she filled her official Brooklyn Monarchs mug from the coffeepot in the franchiseâs kitchen.
The steam warmed her face. She took a long drink of the sweet, black beverage, then sighed. âSaved.â
âAnother late night?â
Jaclyn turned toward her assistantâs voice. Althea Gentry looked neat and efficient in her chocolate coat dress. A gold, flower-shaped brooch pinned the red and brown checked scarf to her shoulder.
Jaclyn rested her hips against the kitchen counter and cradled her Cup oâJoe protectively in her palms. âIâm prepared for a series of them while Iâm juggling my general manager responsibilities and wrapping up the client files for J and P.â
Altheaâs sharp, black eyes darkened with worry. Her dark brown hair swung around her jawline as she shook her head. âI wish youâd waited the two weeks before taking your position with the Monarchs. Itâs too hard on you, doing two demanding jobs at once.â
Truer words may never have been spoken. Jaclyn felt as though sheâd been beaten like a rug and thrown into the street.
She straightened from the counter and wrapped her free arm around the much shorter womanâs shoulders and led her from the kitchen. âStop nagging. You know we talked about this. Gerry has done enough damage to the team already. More than enough. I couldnât wait two more weeks before stopping him.â
âAnd how much good are you going to be either here or for Jonas and Prather with only two hours of sleep each night?â Altheaâs voice was heavy with concern.
âItâs three hours. And this schedule wonât last forever. All of my client files will be transferred by late next week. How are you managing the transition?â
âIâm fine. In fact, I can help you reassign your client files.â
Jaclyn stopped, smiling at the twenty-something administrative assistant walking their way. âHi, Nessa. How are you?â
Vanessa Klayer gave them a broad smile though her dark eyes remained wary. âGood morning, Ms. Jones.â
Jaclyn dropped her arm from Altheaâs shoulders. âWhen did I become Ms. Jones? Weâve known each other since you started working here four years ago.â
Vanessaâs shoulders dropped and her smile relaxed. âIâm sorry, Jackie, I wasnât sure how you wanted us to address you.â
Jaclyn swallowed more coffee. âThe only thing thatâs changed is that Iâm the general manager now, not my grandfather. And he asked everyone to call him Frank.â She nodded toward her assistant. âVanessa Klayer, Iâd like you to meet Althea Gentry. Althea and I worked together at Jonas and Prather, my old law firm.â
Vanessaâs demeanor cooled as she extended her right hand. âOh, youâre my replacement.â
âNo, she isnât.â Jaclyn kept her voice casual as she
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