Play Me

1

Kendall

I stared at the screen, not believing what I was seeing. First thing on a Monday, and it was all over the morning news. The footage caught on the security cameras appeared to be on an endless loop. My semipro football players were running through the town square of Bowling Green, Kentucky, in nothing but their underwear.

My team is a joke.

No one was ever going to take me seriously if I couldn’t manage the team. Worse yet, no one respected me. That had been apparent from day one when I’d arrived almost two weeks earlier, right after Wales Enterprises purchased the Mustangs.

I ground my teeth as I thought back to some of my first moments there. I’d tried to hold a meeting, but the coach had adjourned it halfway through. Since then, I’d been poring over all the information I could get my hands on as I prepared to make my move. And I was ready. One thing my father had taught me was to not act in haste.

The news reel kept rolling to the glorious moment when the team put some sort of soap in the fountain, which caused it to overflow with bubbles. I took a deep breath. The best part was yet to come. That was when our quarterback stood on the edge of the fountain and peed into the water. I shut off the television; I couldn’t stomach watching it again.

My phone vibrated with a text from my father.

Dad: I finished my phone call. Are you ready?

Me: I’m on my way.

This was the moment to prove I was capable. And I wasn’t going to let my father down.

I pressed the intercom on my phone. “Amber, please send Coach Bailey to the conference room. Do not advise him that Mr. Wales is here. And have Jethro come to the conference room door.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I had brought Amber with me from North Carolina. She was an excellent assistant and due to her organizational skills and drive, Amber would go far in her career. Part of her relocation and compensation package included a full scholarship to the local college. I knew that had been her dream. And I’d been able to convince human resources that Amber was the perfect candidate for the Work for a Degree program Wales Enterprises had started. It was something my mother, Alli, was passionate about.

I grabbed my leather folder and headed to the conference room down the hall. At such an early hour, the place was quiet. I should have handled this sooner. I knew I’d made a mistake when Dad arrived in the middle of the night. He’d called first thing this morning, wanting to discuss the story on the news. This type of media would reflect poorly on Wales Enterprises. I hated that fact and was disappointed in myself for allowing the situation to get out of hand.

I had a knot in my stomach thinking he might ask me to step down and put someone with more experience in my place to run the team. It was hard to be taken seriously as an executive at twenty-nine. Especially considering I was a woman in a very male-centric field, and people thought everything was handed to me because Damien Wales was my father. It was the opposite of what people thought. I had sacrificed any type of personal life to show my dedication.

Since I was a little girl, I’d been determined to prove them wrong. I would be successful and run my father’s company one day.

I opened the door to see my dad sitting at the conference table. He gave me the loving smile he’d been greeting me with my entire life. Before he had a chance to say anything, I stated my case. “Hey, Dad. I know this is a mess, but give me a chance to fix things. There’s a reason I haven’t acted yet.”

His smile didn’t dim, but he nodded. “Fair enough.”

Some of my tension eased. Not that I’d expected that he wouldn’t hear me out, but I had been prepared for the worst.

As I stepped into the room, I heard Coach Bailey’s thunderous voice coming from down the hallway.

“This better be good. I was in the middle of something. You can’t just call me on a whim when you feel like talking about something. I’ve got a team to run.”

My dad’s eyes widened, and I winced.

Yeah, I’ve let things spin out of control.

I squared my shoulders as we waited for him to reach the conference room. It was past time our head coach met Kendall Wales, the general manager.

He stormed into the room and stopped short, his face filled with shock. “Mr. Wales, I had no idea you were here. How was your trip?”

Well, that was a change in tone. My dad’s response was clipped, his voice cold as ice. “Unexpected.”

The one word spoke volumes. I gestured toward the table. “If you’d take a seat, we’d like to have a word with you.”

Coach Bailey adjusted his pants in a way that drove me crazy. He yanked them up an inch or two, but moments later, they settled right back down to their original location. Sometimes I thought that was a thing all coaches learned to do in school. Belts were made to hold pants up, there was no need to move them.

I folded my hands on the table and crossed my ankles. This morning, I’d worn a black power suit and put my blond hair in a chignon. Businesslike and classy. “Coach Bailey, I assume you’ve seen the morning news?”

His eyes darted to Dad, who remained silent. I was sure Dad was staring at the coach with that unwavering glare that made most people quake in their boots. Coach Bailey turned back to me, cleared his throat, and scratched his graying beard. “I have. The guys were i

nitiating the new players, letting off steam before the fall season starts. A rite of passage, if you will.”

Over the last two weeks, that had been his answer to every unacceptable thing the players did. I took a deep breath and stared at him. It was my moment to put my foot down. Initially, I had planned to go over everything with Dad, but ultimately, it was my team to run.

I cocked my head to the side. “I don’t see how running through the streets almost naked, pouring soap in the town fountain, and relieving oneself in said fountain constitutes ‘letting off steam.’ Can you explain that to me?”

He chuckled at my description before catching himself, apparently remembering who was in the room with us. “I’ll talk with the boys.”

That was the other response I’d received whenever I’d tried to address something. I shook my head. “For the last two weeks, I’ve heard ‘I’ll talk with the team’ or ‘a right of passage’ multiple times. Those are no longer acceptable answers.”

His chubby cheeks turned bright red. “Well, that’s the only answer I’ve got.”

I opened the leather folder and pulled out a piece of paper. “Coach Bailey, your services are no longer required. We’re buying out the rest of your contract as per the agreement you made when Wales Enterprises purchased this team. Your termination is effective immediately.”

He stood and slapped his palms on the table. “Wales, are you going to let this happen? I’ve been part of this team for ten years. I was part of the negotiation. I’m the best damn thing you’ve got going for this team. She knows nothing about sports or how this team should run.”

How the hell would he know? I stood, placed my hands on the table, and leaned forward. He wasn’t the first asshole I’d had to deal with during a business negotiation. “If you had read your contract thoroughly, which I arranged, you would have seen the buyout clause. Jethro will take your badge and will supervise as you pack your belongings. You have thirty minutes.”

It was petty, but watching his face turn redder made me feel better. I swore his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets any second.

“This is bullshit, and you know it. Wales, get control of your daughter.”

My father stood. His once jet-black hair had bits of silver in it now, and his blue eyes flared with anger. Even in his late fifties, my father was a formidable figure. “What I consider bullshit is getting a call from the local authorities in the middle of the night because my minor league team is trespassing, damaging public property, and acting inappropriately. What I consider bullshit is that my company is now linked to this PR nightmare.” Dad’s voice rose. “What I consider absolute bullshit is the lack of fucking respect you have shown my daughter—your general manager—in front of me! Get your shit and get out. And if Kendall hadn’t fired you, I would have.”

“You’ll be talking to my lawyer.”

Dad slid a card across the table. “Here’s the number to mine. But before you call, read your contract carefully.”

“I made this team what it is.”

That wasn’t saying much.

I took control of the conversation. “Coach Bailey, I hope we won’t have to have you forcibly removed from the premises. You can either go with Jethro, or we can arrange to have your belongings shipped to your house.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. Before he could say another word I pointed to the door. “Jethro is waiting in the hall. Good day, Coach Bailey.”

Fuming, he stomped out the door. Jethro’s deep voice greeted him as they walked away.

“Well done, Kendall. That was overdue.”

Dad deserved an explanation. “I know it was, but I’d like to explain why I waited.”

With a nod, he allowed me to continue.

I sat in a black leather chair, and Dad followed. “When I first came, I knew Coach Bailey was a problem and needed to be fired. However, I also had to get my hands around the finances here. Hiring a new coach to handle this mess is going to be a massive undertaking.”

“You could have come to me.”

Dad and Mom had always been supportive in every way. “I know, Dad. But I needed to do this on my own. I put this deal together and presented it to you. I had to show you I can handle it.”

Dad’s smile conveyed his approval. “So, what’s your plan?”

“To build this team up. Right now, it’s a mockery—the joke of the league. We need to start from the ground floor. I have a coach in mind; I want to make him an offer.”

“Which one?”

“Hunter Owens.”

Dad’s eyebrows pinched together. “The Tennessee coach who disappeared?”

I heard the doubt in his voice, and I understood what I was up against. “Yes. He lives just ninety minutes from here. I’m going to go see him tomorrow.”

“You realize this would be a step down for him? A major step down, considering the shitstorm surrounding this team’s behavior.”

That wasn’t a no, so I pressed on. “I understand that, but I think this guy thrives on a challenge. I’ve studied his videos. He was passionate about the game and his players. Coach Owens was all in, and he cared. There’s no way he doesn’t miss the game. We need someone like that to turn this organization around. And having a coach like him would definitely bring some much-needed positive PR to this team.”

Dad leaned back in his chair. “And the finances?”

“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.

2

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.