“Yes, sir. I know. I was out of line. I’m sorry.”
“Actually,” Manny said, “it was exactly what he needed to hear.”
She frowned and shifted her gaze to the coach. “Excuse me?”
“Garrett has been the perfect specimen of a pitcher for five seasons,” Manny said. “We plucked him out of college ball, he spent six months in AAA before we brought him up, and he’s been in our starting rotation ever since, with one of the lowest ERAs of any pitcher in the league. He’s won the Cy Young Award twice, pitched a near perfect game last year, and held the strikeout record the past two seasons. He’s the golden boy.”
She’d reviewed his file. She knew his record. But hearing it from Manny gave her an understanding. “He’s never failed.”
Manny nodded. “At anything. He doesn’t know how. So this injury threw him for a loop, ya know? The kid is one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with, so don’t take his black moods to heart. He’ll get that kindness back once he finds his footing.”
She looked from Manny to Phil to Max. “Wait. I’m not fired?”
Max didn’t smile at her. She could tell he was still angry about what went down in the treatment room. “No, Alicia. You’re not fired. Instead, we’re putting you in charge of Garrett Scott’s rehab.”
Again—oh, shit. That’s what she got for opening her mouth.
Phil and Max went over her new assignment.
“I want to try some unconventional treatment methods with him,” she said to Max.
Max balked, but she figured if she didn’t suggest it now, she might as well hand Garrett right back to him.
“Look. He’s resisting. And yes, a lot of it is in his head. But some of his problem is boredom. His treatment is rote. He’s used to the plan you’ve run him through, and so is his body. Let me try this. If it doesn’t work, we’ll alter the plan.”
Max looked to Phil, who shrugged. “I agree it’s not a standard plan, but alternative therapies do have a high success rate with some athletes. It could work.”
Max shrugged then turned to Alicia. “Give it a try. I want weekly reports.”
Excited, she nodded. “Yes, sir.”
When Garrett came in a few minutes after they left, she stood, suddenly nervous. She’d always been a fan. The Rivers were, after all, her hometown team. And Garrett was nothing short of the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on. Six feet four inches of dark-haired, dark-eyed intensity, with a leanly honed body that was a work of art.
She’d spent her adult life studying body mechanics. She loved sports and sports players, and Garrett was one of the best. She’d watched him in the workout room, day in and day out, sweating through his therapy. From day one of his injury, when he could barely move his shoulder, she’d ached for him, wished she could be in there helping him.
And now he was all hers. Talk about a huge responsibility.
“They told you?”
She swallowed. “Yes. My question is . . . why me?”
He shrugged. “Because you stood up to me. I need to work with someone who isn’t going to take shit from me. The rest of them tell me what they think I want to hear. They pacify me. I don’t think you’ll do that.”
She needed to relax. Think of him as a patient, not a hot man standing only inches away.
“No, I definitely won’t do that. I’m not going to take shit from you. But I am going to help you. You have to believe that. And believe in yourself. That’s the first step.”
He studied her then nodded. “Sure. I cleared your schedule, so you’re only going to work with me.”
She arched a brow. “You know, I can work with more than one player.”
“Probably. But I need you concentrating on my recovery.”
A little ego there. Understandable. She’d deal with it. “Okay.”
“Then let’s get started.”
“We will. On Monday. I’ll need a few days to develop your treatment plan. Since today’s Friday, the weekend will give me the time I need.”
“Fine.” He whipped out his phone. “What’s your number?”
She gave it to him.
“Okay, good. I’ll call you on Sunday, and we can get stuff set up. Does that work for you?”
“Sure.” He gave her his number, and she pulled her phone out of her pocket to add it in.
He punched the info into his phone then lifted his gaze to hers. “What’s your last name?”
“Riley.”
His lips lifted. “Any relation to Gavin?”
“Actually, he’s my cousin.”
He looked up. “No shit. Is that how you got this job?”
He wasn’t the first person to ask that question, and it always annoyed her. “No. I got this job because I’m good at sports medicine. I’m so good at sports medicine that you’ll be pitching come April, Garrett. Which has nothing to do with my cousin and everything to do with me.”
He laughed. “Man, have you got some attitude. I like you, Alicia.”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about him. Jury was still out. She headed to the door. “You won’t like me when I start kicking your ass, Garrett.”
TWO