“You’re stuck in a lose-lose situation,” Sarah commented, folding her arms. “You end up looking like a cruel boss keeping the star player off the field, or you become the insensitive dick who makes someone play when they’re not completely fit and makes things worse.”
“That’s pretty much it, Mom.”
“Can’t you release a press statement or something to tell everyone the truth? That would sort out the rumors, wouldn’t it?”
“Or it could just be seen as me covering my ass and they’ll be more upset.” Jason slumped back in his chair and closed his eyes. “I still don’t get why people behave like this. I feel like I’m being attacked by children.”
“They’ll come around eventually,” Sarah said gently.
“When?”
“You’ve got your first game in a couple of days, haven’t you? We’ll see what people think after that.”
Jason snorted. “I haven’t changed the coaches, but I’m sure I’ll be blamed if something goes wrong on the field.”
“You’re just going to have a target on your back regardless of what you do.”
“That’s pretty much it.”
Sarah sighed and turned away. “Screw a coffee. I think you need something stronger. You’re going to need it after the first game if things don’t go well.”
Jason didn’t answer, still staring at his computer screen. The euphoria of being a sports team owner was starting to fade away now they were getting closer to their first game.
He could only hope it wouldn’t be as bad as it could be.
CHAPTER12
ELENA
Liam let out a growl that made Elena jump. She looked up from her laptop to see him checking his phone, a dark scowl across his face.
“Liam, what are you doing?” Getting up from her desk, she walked over to him. “You’re supposed to be working out, not checking your phone.”
“I just got news from Kenneth about the game.” Liam’s expression was one mixed between anger and sadness. “We lost. Again.”
That shouldn’t have been a surprise, but it was. Elena hovered over him.
“What was the score?”
“Twenty-five twenty-four.”
“That’s so close. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“But we didn’t win, did we?” Liam snapped. “We’re at the bottom of the table after two games.”
Elena crouched in front of him as he slumped onto the weight bench. She could see the frustration, and she wished she could make it go away.
“Both games were really close. Even if you lost, the team can be really proud of themselves.”
“But it still means we’ve got to work harder to get anywhere on the league table.”
“You have a chance to climb it.”
“Well, they have. What about me?” He gestured at himself. “I’m feeling fitter than before, and you’re keeping me off the field. I want to get back to playing.”
This again. They had argued about it before. Elena sighed.
“Look, we’ve been over this. You either do as you’re told, or you’re going to end up needing surgery and staying out for even longer.”