“I can’t match what he was making as an NFL coach. But I’m going to offer him double Coach Bailey’s terms with housing. It’s a gamble, but I feel that it’s the right move. There’s been an enormous amount of waste in the budget. Each of the starting players has his own masseuse. Ridiculous. I get that physical therapy is important, but we can employ staff to work on the players for a fraction of the cost. The list goes on and on for expenditures like that. I found one player is charging his dry cleaning to the company as a work expense.”
“And was this reported incorrectly to the IRS?”
That was what I’d been initially worried about, as well. If the taxes had been filed incorrectly, the penalties could be enormous. It would mean the previous owners had provided false documentation, which meant a potential lawsuit. Once the accounting files were reviewed, I would know where we stood. Hopefully, everything had been done correctly.
I took a sip of water. “Joseph, the new controller, will be starting tomorrow. He is going to look at everything and let me know. He’ll submit all his findings to corporate for you to review. This afternoon, I’m releasing the employees in accounting who were involved in this, which is about half the staff. My conservative estimate is we’ll be operating above my projections in six months.”
“What do you need from me?”
I smiled. He was going to let me continue. If he wasn’t, Dad would have already taken control. He adjusted his cuff links while he waited for me to answer.
“Just let me continue the course. I want to prove myself. I know my brother Ryder is taking on the real estate side of Wales Enterprises. And you know I want the sports side. I want the board to have confidence. I want you to have confidence. I live and breathe this company. If I can make this successful and have a great minor league team to develop talent for our NFL team, the Lions, it’s a win-win. I know I can do this, Dad.”
My brother Ryder was taking over the real estate side of Wales Enterprises. I wanted the sports side, which included the NFL team and now the minor league team. The long-term goal was for me to learn with the minor league team in preparation to move up to the NFL team. Then I would transition into an executive over both when Dad officially retired.
He rose. “I know you can, Kendall. I’m proud of you.”
I gave him a hug. “Thanks for letting me handle this.”
“Of course. You’ve always been capable, Kendall. You must believe in yourself. There’s going to be backlash for your decision to fire Coach Bailey, which was the correct choice, by the way. But it’s also going to send a message that you’re serious. Whatever you need, your mother and I are here to support you.”
And they always had been.
He took me by the shoulders. “I want you to remember something before we go meet your mother for brunch.”
“What’s that?”
He waved his hand around the conference room. “There is more to all this. Your mom taught me that. Don’t forget to enjoy life, as well. You only get one. I get the need to work, but make sure you’re taking time for yourself.”
“I will, Dad.”
He raised an eyebrow in obvious disbelief.
“I’ll try. Promise.”
At some point there would be time, but now I had to focus on getting this team going in the right direction. My personal life could remain on the back burner, where it had been since I left for college.
Chapter Two
Kendall
I checked my GPS to make sure I was in the right place. It was leading me into the middle of nowhere. From all my research, this was where I would find Hunter Owens. And if I ended up on a stranger’s doorstep, well that would just be par for the course this week.
After firing Coach Bailey, the entire team had thrown a conniption fit. One of the running backs had mistaken my dad for the new coach and had released a string of obscenities at him. I’d fired him on the spot. So, on top of needing a new coach, I also needed a new running back. If this kept up, I would be without a team.
After that, word spread that I was on a “firing rampage,” and everyone avoided me. My mother had always said, “It takes change to make change,” which was true. But, man, change was painful.
I turned down a long dirt road lined with a pristine white fence. It was beautiful and peaceful—definitely a place to relax and recharge. I would have loved to get away for just a weekend, but with the season only two months away, it was critical I get things under control.