Off Season (The Blake Boys Book 15) by Rhonda Laurel Read Free Book Online

watched footage of him last night. He had the build and the agility, but he hesitated. A lot. He lacked the instinct and the faith in his teammates to get the job done. And by looks on the faces in the room, there were major trust issues going on.
    Seth folded his arms over his chest. “I hear you’re going to break every record I have in two years’ time?”
    “It shouldn’t be that hard to do. I’m much younger than you.” Riley folded his arms over his chest too.
    “And while you’re basking in your greatness, do you have a plan to help this team win a championship? Or does that not factor into your plans? Because you won’t achieve even a fraction of what I did if you don’t believe you need every single person in this room.”
    The room quieted.
    “Hey man, it’s not all on me,” Riley protested.
    “First lesson, kid. Your team is your responsibility . They can only play as well as the person who’s giving them direction. You’re not looking out for number one; you’re looking out for ten other numbers on that field. How can they trust you when you don’t know your position?”
    Before the infuriated quarterback could answer, a group of Regency security specialists flanked the training room. He knew that meant T.K. was on his way. They cleared the area and one of them radioed that it was OK to enter the premises.
    Riley’s jaw clenched. “What are you doing here anyway, Blake? Feeling nostalgic? I heard you were on your ranch digging ditches and riding horses.”
    T.K. interrupted, “He’s here at my request. I thought maybe he could talk some sense into you.”
    The players disbanded and went back to their exercise machines.
    A pink sheen spread across Riley’s cheeks. “Mr. Holbrook, you can’t be serious.”
    “On the contrary. I’ve never been more serious in my life. Talk to Seth or I’ll be implementing some tough love.”
    Riley glared at Seth like he was waiting for him to protest too.
    “I don’t like this any more than you do,” Seth responded to the annoyed look on Riley’s face. “I’m here for T.K. and this team.”
    “I don’t need any advice from him,” Riley said, turning to T.K. and scowling.
    “You should consider yourself lucky to be in the presence of this man,” T.K. replied. “It would be a miracle if you can accomplish a fraction of what’s he done for this sport, despite your high opinion of yourself.”
    The look on Riley’s face said he’d rather eat glass, but defying the owner of your team was career suicide.
    Finally, Riley spoke to Seth. “You want to meet for dinner or something? I think I can fit you in sometime in the next two weeks. I have a lot of publicity gigs scheduled. I can get us a table at Jasmine, that new Asian fusion restaurant.”
    “My ranch. This weekend at noon. Don’t be late.”
    “Noon? Who’s up before noon on a Saturday when it’s not a game day?” Riley rolled his eyes.
    “Take it or leave it,” Seth shot back. He took back what he’d said earlier. His kids never pouted this badly.
    “He’ll take it,” T.K. replied.
    Riley shrugged, turned, and stormed off toward the locker room.
    “Not a minute later, kid,” Seth called after him. “Or I’ll tell my security team not to let you on the property.”
    The older players sported smiles, reveling in the scolding Seth had just given Riley. Seth knew Riley would have given them attitude somewhere down the line if any of them had gotten in his face. Team politics were at play, and he knew they were probably instructed to play nice with the star quarterback. First thing to do with an out-of-control teammate, get an inspirational talk from the head coach about the importance of unity. Seth waved good-bye to the guys and followed T.K. out into the hall. Ross made the gesture with his hand indicating he’d give him a call.
    “That went better than expected,” T.K. said with a grin.
    “And you thought me coaching soccer at the boys’ school was a waste of my time. I