Fast Break (Brooklyn Monarchs 1)

“Even when you were suspicious of the decisions Gerry and Bert made, you didn’t follow your instincts.”

Jaclyn breathed deeply to ease the constriction in her chest. “I should have.”

She served the shelter’s diners in silence for several heavy heartbeats. Violet’s words rang true. She had to accept responsibility for at least part of the mess the Monarchs were in.

“You OK?” Violet’s tentative question broke her concentration.

Jaclyn spooned vegetables onto a diner’s plate before smiling at her former teammate. “You’re a good friend.”

Violet gave her a curious look. “Oh, yeah?”

“Only a good friend would risk ticking someone off by forcing them to face the truth.”

Violet giggled. “You’ve done it for me often enough. You’re the one who told me to figure out what I needed to do to get out of my bad mood.”

“What are friends for?” Jaclyn grinned. “Speaking of which, how’s your search for a coaching position going?”

Violet sighed. “Not well. School boards are cutting their budgets, so a lot of schools are getting rid of their extracurricular programs, including sports.”

“I hate to hear that.”

“So do I.”

Jaclyn smiled at the middle-aged woman who’d come to the church for a meal. Her hands were wind-chapped. Jaclyn put a full serving spoon of mixed vegetables on the woman’s plate and reminded herself to start the clothing drive tonight.

Violet added rice to the woman’s plate. “I’m meeting with some community organizations. But I’m beginning to wonder if I should do something that uses my business degree.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. It’s not as though I need the money. Aidan has a good salary and we’ve always had safe investments that are still doing well. But I wonder if I need a different challenge.”

“Maybe you need to try a couple of things.” They were finally coming to the end of the long line of diners. Jaclyn took heart. In a moment, she’d need a break. Her shoulder was beginning to hurt from the repetitive motion.

“You left basketball for the corporate world. It gave you an entirely different experience. Maybe I should try something different, too.”

“You should decide what you want to do and not worry about what I did. Thanks to your husband, my investments are doing well, too. I’ll need that money if I lose the Monarchs.”

Violet shook her head. “We won’t let that happen. We’ll figure out a way to keep the team in Brooklyn.”

“I’m all ears.”

DeMarcus sensed Jaclyn’s presence seconds before she joined him in her family room. It was after midnight Monday, but he was still studying game film on her sixty-eight-inch plasma screen, high-definition television. The audio was off.

“Serge is playing with a lot more conviction these days. What did you say to him?” Jaclyn curled up beside him on the black polyest

er sofa.

DeMarcus spoke without looking up from his notepad. “I told him if he wanted to be traded, he’d have to improve his stats, otherwise no other team would take over his contract.”

“Brilliant. I wish I’d thought of that.” Her sleepy voice was warm with amusement. “Sounds like you’re getting to know our players.”

A thick, ankle-length emerald cotton robe protected Jaclyn from the chill of the early February morning. It covered her at her neck, but he enjoyed the way it exposed her left leg when she walked.

Scouting reports detailing facts, figures and statistics for each Washington Wizards player sat in a pile on DeMarcus’s lap. He stacked the reports on the coffee table in front of them and paused the game film. “It’s late. Why aren’t you in bed?”

“I woke up and missed you.”

He reached for her ankles, settling her feet in his lap. Her toenails were polished a rich purple, matching her fingernails. “I miss you, too. But I want to beat the Wizards Wednesday for my boss.”