Always More Read online

  “Hello?” She answered her phone when she noticed the incoming call.

  “Dr. Holman?”

  “This is she,” Everly said, biting her bottom lip.

  She didn’t usually answer unknown phone numbers, but someone searching for a job had to pick up every call or miss the possibility of getting the interview.

  “This is Kara, from the Legends. We spoke yesterday about the position with the team,” the woman on the other side of the line explained, not really needing to.

  “Oh, yes.” Everly stuck a finger in her other ear in order to hear better.

  “I was calling to see if you could stop by the gym later today. We have practice around noon. Could you do it before then? Sorry for the late notice. I know it’s already after ten.”

  “It’s not a problem.” Everly glanced down at her jeans and a green V-neck. Then, she saw her flip-flops. Her apartment was only about fifteen minutes away, but in traffic; and there was always traffic in Los Angeles. She would be lucky if she could get there by noon if she dared to make a stop to change first. “I’m kind of out and about right now. I’m not exactly dressed for an interview. Would that–”

  “We’re a bunch of volleyball players.” Kara chuckled. “I’m sure you’re fine. The doors will be locked, since we’re in season now, but I’ve left your name up at the front.”

  “Okay. I guess I’ll see you soon,” Everly replied, trying to hide her smile from her tone.

  She hung up, hoping she had gotten the signals right. If she wasn’t being offered the job, maybe they were having her interview with someone else. Either way, they wouldn’t make her go all the way to the gym just to reject her, would they?

  Everly packed up her stuff, dropped her half-finished coffee in the trash can, and headed to her car.

  ◆◆◆

  “Dr. Everly Holman,” she told the man who opened the gym door for her. “I’m here to meet with–”

  “She’s in her office. Do you know where that is?”

  “Yes, I was just here yesterday,” Everly replied, making her way through the door.

  That was when she heard the sounds of tennis shoes on the gym floor, the smack of a hand to a volleyball, and the shouts of women calling the ball. Everly breathed in deep, missing the smell of it all. That was probably strange to some people, but to an athlete, the gym was home. She smiled as she walked through one of the four main tunnels that led to the gym floor. There, she saw about twenty women in knee pads, playing the sport she had always loved.

  “Dr. Holman, over here.” Kara waved at her from the other side of the backline.

  “You said practice didn’t start until noon,” Everly said.

  “They’re all excited. They showed up early. They’re just messing around right now. Come on. Let’s go in my office and talk,” Kara replied, waving her forward.

  Everly followed Kara through one of the other tunnels in the direction of her office. They passed a couple more excited players who were heading to the court. As they passed the door, which was labeled as the home locker room, she saw someone emerge.

  “Hey, Kara,” Wicked said.

  “Hey. Almost everyone is already out there.” Kara motioned to the court. “I’ve asked Brenden to just get everyone warmed up.”

  “Cool.” Wicked glanced at Everly. “It’s the strange woman.”

  “I’m sorry?” Kara said.

  “I’m not strange,” Everly replied, wishing more than anything that Kara, the woman she wanted to hire her, hadn’t heard that.

  “Sorry, that came out wrong,” Wicked apologized.

  “What’s going on?” Kara asked.

  “We met yesterday. She nearly took off my right shoulder.”

  “She what?”

  “No, that’s not–”

  “I’m kidding,” Wicked interrupted. “We bumped into each other in the parking lot. She’s stronger than she looks.” She smiled at Everly.

  “You almost took out my star’s hitting arm?”

  “No, it wasn’t like that. I–”

  “Wicked, let’s go!” The yell came from the court.

  “I guess I should get out there. It was… strange to see you again.” The woman smirked at Everly and took off into a jog to head to the court.

  “Come on,” Kara said through mild laughter. “She’s a character.”

  “Wicked?”

  “Yeah. She’s the best player I’ve ever seen. She might be the best of all time.”

  “Is she all ego?” Everly asked as they walked into Kara’s office.

  “What? Wicked? No. She’s half-ego. But she’s got a heart that’s bigger than that head of hers.” Kara sat behind her desk, motioning for Everly to sit in one of the three guest chairs. “So, you’ve probably guessed that I didn’t ask you here to turn you down for the job.”

  “I was kind of hoping that was the case,” Everly replied with a smile and a nod.

  “We’d like to offer you the job,” Kara said.

  “Really?”

  “Yes. I’ll have a contract for you. It’s mostly boilerplate stuff, but yours contains some clauses about confidentiality, given your role.”

  “Of course.”

  “We’d like you to start as soon as possible. Will that be a problem?”

  “A problem? No. I can start right now if you want.” Everly looked down at her clothing. “I don’t exactly look like I’m dressed for my first day at work, though.”

  “We’ll get you team gear, but you don’t have to start today. We need the signed contract back before you can work with the team.”

  “Right.” Everly nodded in understanding.

  “The league attorney will email you something later today. You can bring it back with you tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “No, it’s not.” She chuckled. “I just didn’t expect to get the job. I probably shouldn’t be telling you that, though, huh? At least not until that contract is signed.”

  Kara laughed and leaned forward, saying, “It’s true, you have less experience than some of the other people we’ve spoken with, but you’re also the only one that’s ever played this game competitively. That’s a big deal in my book. I think it’ll give you instant credibility with some of my players. Anything that can give us a leg up over the other teams is a win. It’s important to come out of the gate swinging here. If we’re not competitive, the league could terminate all of us. They could uproot the team and take it to another city or state. Or, they could just decide it’s not worth the money or the time commitment and close up shop altogether. There’s a lot riding on this first season, and since there’s a four-team playoff and a championship at the end, I intend to win it.”

  “Well, I’m here to help however I can,” Everly replied.

  “Awesome. I’ll have the contract sent over. We’ll see you here tomorrow at nine. We have a team meeting. Then, they’ll be in strength and conditioning for a couple of hours, while I’m meeting with the coaching staff; that includes you now. After that, we’ll have some lunch. Then, we’ll get them outside for a run, wrap with a few light drills, do a team dinner, and release them after that.”

  “Okay. Sounds good,” Everly said, and she meant it.

  She left Kara’s office the same way she had come, exiting one tunnel to the court. She planned to go through the other, but then she heard a loud smack. She turned to her right to see Wyatt Wicked finishing up her delivery on one hell of a jump serve. Then, the girl on the other side of the court attempted to pass it to her setter. She shanked it, and the ball flew into the stands.

  “Jesus, do all the pros hit this hard?” the girl of about twenty-two muttered to her teammate.

  Everly glanced back at Wicked, who was about to serve again. Her eyes caught Everly’s, and she gave her a quizzical look followed by a smirk. Then, Wicked jumped and delivered another ace. Everly shook her head. She knew she had her work cut out for her with that showboat. She smiled.
Her work. This was where she worked now. She would be coming to a gym every day, and she would be working with professional athletes to help them improve their game. The smile remained all the way home through LA traffic.

  CHAPTER 3

  “Wicked, you’re late,” Brenden said.

  “It’s 8:58,” Wicked replied, holding up her phone as evidence.

  “Meeting starts at nine. Your butt needs to be in that chair at nine. You’re in the parking lot.”

  “So are you,” she countered.

  “I’m out here to meet the new team shrink. She needs her key to get in.”

  “So, she’s late, too?” Wicked asked.

  “No, I’m not.”

  “The strange woman is back,” Wicked said as the woman she’d now seen three days in a row, ran up beside her.

  “I’m so sorry. Traffic was beyond terrible. There was a–”

  “Six-car pile-up on the 110?” Wicked finished for her.

  “Yeah.” The woman looked at her, confused.

  “I got caught in it, too.” Wicked looked at Brenden. “I better get going, or I’m going to be late.” Then, it dawned on her. “Wait a minute. Team shrink?”

  “Yup,” Brenden said, looking at the woman. He then handed her a key card. “This will get you into any door with a reader.” He handed her an actual key next. “This will get you into all the rooms that don’t have readers.”

  “Thank you,” the woman said.

  “You’re the team shrink?” Wicked asked.

  “I’m the psychologist,” the woman told her. “Everly Holman.” She held out her hand to Wicked.

  “Dr. Holman isn’t going to be your excuse for being late, Wicked. Get to the meeting room.”

  Wicked stared at the woman she now knew as Everly Holman, turned, and headed into the gym.

  “Wait. I’ll just come with you. We’re going to the same place,” Everly told her.

  Wicked slowed her pace, allowing the woman to catch up to her.

  “So, you’re a psychologist?”

  “I am, yeah. I take it you don’t like psychology much?”

  “What makes you think that?” Wicked asked.

  “You just called me a shrink,” the woman replied.

  Wicked waved her own key card over the reader, opened the door, and watched Brenden and the shrink walk past her. Either Brenden had started wearing women’s perfume, or Everly smelled really good. Wicked shook her head and followed them. She was technically late now, so she’d have to put her gym bag in her locker later. Everly followed Brenden. Wicked followed Everly. When they made it to the open door of the meeting room, Kara stood there, ready to close the door.

  “You’re late, Wicked.”

  “How come I get that message, but first-day-on-the-job here doesn’t?” She pointed at Everly.

  “Accident on the 405?” Kara asked Everly.

  “110.”

  “Come on in.” Kara let Everly and Brenden head into the room and then stopped Wicked with a hand on her shoulder. “Did I just catch you checking out Dr. Holman’s ass on the way into this room?”

  “What? No,” Wyatt argued.

  “I better not have. She’s on staff, Wicked. You can’t fool around with anyone on staff, okay?”

  “I guess I’ll have to try to push my feelings for Brenden and that white, scruffy beard away, then,” she said sarcastically. “Are you okay?”

  “What? Why?”

  “I don’t know. You seem nervous. You kind of have this look that–”

  “I’m about to host my first meeting as a head coach. I guess I’m a little nervous. Is it that obvious?”

  “To me, it is. But I know you better than most; that’s probably why.”

  “I’m not ready.”

  “Yes, you are. You are a mother to two toddlers. You can handle us.”

  Kara took a deep breath, turned, and walked into the small, auditorium-like room. Wicked followed her in and found a seat in the back row so as not to be too distracting. The room held at least forty people. There were eighteen players on the roster, five coaches and trainers, and the new psychologist; twenty-four people in total. That meant there were at least sixteen empty seats. Well, more, because Kara and Brenden weren’t sitting. Why then had she chosen the empty seat next to Everly Holman?

  “Time for some ground rules,” Kara began. “When a meeting starts at nine, you’re here fifteen minutes early. That means you’re in your seat. Not in the hall, not on the court, in the parking lot, or on the freeway; you’re in your seat. Clear?” Everyone nodded. “We have a busy schedule today. Team lunch and team dinner tonight. Now that we’re in season, the curfew is in effect. You’ll be home by ten on weekdays and eleven on Fridays and Saturdays. The night before game days, it’s nine; unless you’ve talked to me or one of the other coaches in advance.”

  Wicked had heard this speech before. Every team had rules. Some were more lenient than others, but they all had rules. When it came to her game, her job, she followed all of them. If Kara wanted her in bed by six, she’d buy blackout shades, pull up her blanket, and close her damn eyes. The way Wicked saw it, she only had so long to play this sport at this level before she would have to retire. Beyond that, there was always injury. She’d been lucky in her career; she had only sustained a few minor ones. That was probably because she followed all the rules, and she didn’t take any unnecessary risks with her body.

  “Excuse me,” Everly said, motioning past Wicked.

  “Oh, sorry. There you go.” Wicked stood up, allowing Everly to move past her and out of the row of chairs. Apparently, her mind had been elsewhere for the rest of the meeting. It should be fun, trying to figure out what Kara had said over the course of the day without letting on to her daydreaming. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Okay,” the woman replied, turning to her.

  “Do I call you Dr. Holman or Everly?”

  “Everly is fine,” she said with a very, very small smile. Wicked smiled back just a little larger. “What?” Everly asked with a light laugh.

  “Nothing.” Wicked shook her head.

  “No, what?” Everly placed her hand on Wicked’s elbow to move them out of the way of the other people attempting to leave the room.

  “It’s nothing. You just had this little smile.”

  “I did not.”

  “Yes, you did.”

  “I would know if I smiled, Wyatt Wicked.”

  “I’m glad you don’t know my middle name, or I think you would have just used it.”

  “Tell me, in case I need it later,” Everly said.

  “Admit you were smiling at me just then.”

  Everly shook her head and replied, “Nope.”

  “Wicked, go put your stuff away,” the athletic trainer said from just outside the room. “You’re on the bands first.”

  “Yes, coach.” She nodded at him. “Duty calls.”

  “Me too,” Everly added.

  Wicked moved past her and replied, “You did smile. I saw it.”

  “No one else did.” Everly followed her out.

  Wicked laughed silently as she entered the locker room. She changed into her workout gear and headed for the weight room. A couple of hours later, she was drenched with sweat and happy to be back at work. She was glad it was lunchtime because even though she had had her usual in-season healthy breakfast, she was starving. She opted for a quick shower before heading into the lunchroom, wanting to at least get the layer of sweat off her skin. She undressed, headed into the shower stall, and cleaned up. Then, she wrapped a towel around herself, turned, and went to go back to her locker, where she stopped.

  “Hello there,” she said.

  “Sorry,” Everly replied, looking down at the floor.

  “I am wearing a towel, you know?” Wicked said.

  “I didn’t think you’d… Sorry.” The woman turned.

  “Did you need something?” Wicked asked, stepping past her to get to her locker.

  “Just gett
ing a feel of the locker room when none of you are in here,” Everly replied.

  “You think the lockers talk to each other when we’re not in here?” Wicked asked, opening the locker and reaching for her hairbrush on the top shelf.

  “No, just because I’m a psychologist, doesn’t mean I believe inanimate objects have feelings.”

  “Sorry. That was a low blow.” Wicked grabbed her extra sports bra, t-shirt, underwear, and spandex shorts from the bag in her locker and tossed them onto the wooden bench behind her. “Why is that important?”

  “I don’t know that it is. I just wanted to check it out,” Everly replied.

  Wicked stared at her as she held her hand to the towel to keep it in place.

  “You’re lying,” Wicked told her.

  “No, I’m not,” she said.

  “Yes, you are,” Wicked said with a laugh. Then, she dropped the towel. “You keep denying this stuff, but I…” She faded out. “What?” she asked when the expression on Everly’s face changed.

  “You’re…” Everly pointed at her and looked away.

  “Oh.” Wicked reached for her sports bra. “It’s a locker room, doc. We get naked in here, sometimes.”

  “I know. I remember. I just wasn’t expecting–”

  “You remember?” Wicked slid her underwear on after putting on her bra.

  “I used to play.”

  “You did?” Wicked slid her shorts on and stopped. “Wait. Where?”

  “U-Dub,” Everly replied.

  “You played for Washington?” Wicked asked. “When?”

  “About the same time you were playing at Stanford.”

  “That would mean–”

  “We played each other three times, Wicked. I was a year ahead of you.”

  “Holy shit. Holman!” She pointed at Everly. “Everly Holman. I knew you looked familiar.”

  “I did not look familiar,” Everly replied.

  “Yes, you did. I mean, I thought you were tall, but not all tall women have played volleyball, obviously. I went home and thought there was something about you that was familiar.”