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It felt like a coded instruction, but I shook his hand firmly. “Understood. You’re my boss.”

He watched me for a few seconds, then gave a curt nod before turning to the receptionist. “Jasmine, you have that new hire packet ready? I’ll take it and make sure Ms. Contreras gets it to you by the end of the week. Right now, she’s got a workout to lead.”

Excitement snaked up my spine.

“You ready for that?” he asked, turning back to me.

I schooled my smile, wanting him to see I was all business. “Absolutely. I know what I’m doing.”

“Good. I wouldn’t have hired you if I thought otherwise. San Jose won three NCAA Championships while you worked for them,” he said, leading us down the hallway he’d come from.

“They did, but it wasn’t because of me.” I gave a modest shrug, not used to compliments. “I wasn’t coaching the game itself.”

Monroe glanced over, a hint of respect in his gaze. “Right, but the improvements were hard to miss. Under your training, the players’ explosiveness, speed, and agility saw a serious boost, and the team experienced fewer injuries overall. Your former employers all said the same thing—your priority was always the players’ health.”

I chuckled, remembering what I used to tell Randy. “Yeah, I’d tell them my job wasn’t to win games, that was theirs. Mine was making sure the players’ bodies were ready.”

“Which is exactly what we need,” he replied with a firm nod.

I followed behind, looking at the wall of player photos hanging on the wall as silence stretched between us. I should have left it that way. Instead, I had to open my big mouth.

Gracie was rubbing off on me.

“No offense, Coach, but you seem kind of young for a head coach.”

He glanced over his shoulder at me, slowing just enough so we were side by side. “And you seem kind of…female for a strength and conditioning coach.”

I winced at the quip. “Touché. I should have known better.”

The ghost of a smile appeared again, or maybe it was a grimace.

“Figured you’d understand,” he said, pushing open a large metal door, revealing the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.

“I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” I murmured, stepping past Josh.

I looked around in awe, unsure of where to focus first. I was so enthralled I didn’t even care that I’d made the grumpy head coach laugh—or laugh-ish.

“Heaven to you is a room that smells like sweat and is full of gym equipment?”

The space was massive. There was a literal wall of squat racks, Olympic lifting platforms, bumper plates, turf, weighted sleds, boxes, and kettlebells—it was a playground of equipment.

“It’s full of Rogue gym equipment,” I corrected. “There are like six full squat racks in here.” I turned to him and pointed to a machine I had only dreamed about owning. “You have a belt squat machine.”

Honestly, they didn’t even need to pay me. If they just let me live in this gym, I’d be happy. Hell, I’d pay them to use it.

Monroe smirked. “Looks like you don’t need me to walk you through any of this. The far wall rolls up for access to tires and other gear outside. And over there,” he pointed to a door tucked in the corner, “is your office. I’ll go get the guys.”

“Wait.” My nerves spiked as he mentioned bringing in the players. I’d gone over my plans and routines for hours, but this was my first day—my trial period. First impressions would matter, and if I didn’t prove myself, my ass was back on a plane headed to California and my pale pink childhood bedroom.

Monroe paused in the doorway, a foot already in the hallway. He raised a brow as if to say, “What else could you possibly need?”

“I’d like to meet and discuss specifics of what you’re looking for with the players,” I said, keeping my tone professional. “That way, I can tailor my programming to their needs. Sure, we’ll focus on power and explosiveness, but I like to incorporate a focus on core strength.” I fought the urge to bite my lip, instead standing tall. “Sometimes by using means players aren’t used to.”

“I knew you were the right choice. Do whatever you want, Ariella, you don’t need my permission for how you run your domain.” Then he disappeared down the hall.

I blinked. Okay, that went better than I’d thought.

ELEVEN