I don't want to read too much between Rose's words, but I'm curious about what she means saying it might be easier than we think. I find her ready to leave at her café, bag on her arm and two to-go cups in her hands.
"Here, your usual," she says as she hands me a drink.
"Thank you," I say and her gesture warms me.
"Let's take my car, we can park nearby and walk towards Myrtle's. I could use some fresh air after being stuck here the whole day."
I follow Rose to her car and after buckling myself, I take a sip of my warm drink. The scent and the flavor comforts me and I relax.
"For the sake of this strange friendship we are starting, I want to be transparent. Yesterday, I found myself at the club."
Rose tells me about the encounter with Willow and Cooper, and I don't know what to make out of it.
"Hope you are not pissed at me," she gives me a quick glance before returning her eyes to the road.
"No, not at all. If anything, I'm glad you are back to being our captain, but I'm worried that this is developing faster than we thought. Do you think Cooper's thrown the towel in for good?"
"I don't know. I hope not. He's done some shitty things lately, but he isn't like that. At least, he wasn't like that."
I get an idea, and maybe I'm wrong but I think this could work. I get my phone and type a hasty message before returning the device to my purse.
We make it to Myrtle's and find Lachlan there.
"Any developments?" He asks as he kisses my cheek while eyeing Rose.
"Plenty, you could say."
I put him up to date as our team members trickle in the shop. Once everyone has settled with something to drink, I stand up and motion for Rose to join me.
"Thanks for coming on such short notice. We have gathered here, away from the club, to talk about our unfortunate situation. Our team has gone down several spots in the standing, people have stopped coming to the games and the club isn't making money. The board is making it clear that they are not happy with our performance, and we might lose the club, and therefore our team will cease to exist."
Shocked expressions fill the small room and I look to Rose to help me after delivering the bad news.
"I won't give up. We still have a few games left, and with or without spectators, we will deliver our best."
"But how?" Sage says. "I don't seem to be able to stop one ball! Cooper put Sanne on the bench, when she should be the one out there. He even made Willow captain!"
"I fucked up."
Everyone turns their heads to look at the back of the room where Cooper stands. Lachlan stands up and I shake my head to let him know that it's okay.
"I invited him," I whisper to Rose who nods.
"I have no excuses. My decisions have been crap and now I'm paying for it. I'm sorry that I got you all involved in this."
"Cooper, we aren't doing well, but other clubs are doing worse than us. I don't see them closing their doors."
"It's more than just performance. I'm not the right administrator for the club. I'm not even the right person to take charge of my life."
Cooper's words send alarm signals to my brain. I've gone through Lachlan's depressive episodes in the past, and this is too close to those memories.
"You are not alone. You've never been alone," Rose says. "What you've been is too stubborn to accept help from anyone."
We all look from Cooper to Rose, and back. Her words only seem to have a meaning for them while we are all left out.
"I believe your team deserves an explanation," Lachlan says.
Cooper rubs his face and let out a deep breath. "I was in deep financial trouble when I took the job managing the club and the team. Even had to lend money from the club for some personal expenses, which I have been paying little by little. But the truth is I have no fucking clue about what I'm doing. The board has given me warnings not only about the team's performance, but also about the state the club house is in. I thought I could do everything; the cleaning, the kitchen, the admin, but I'm mediocre at everything I do."
"And I offered you help, which you declined," Rose says.
Cooper smiles a sad smile and shakes his head. "You know I'm too proud to accept help."
"I think you are running out of options," I say. "I'm willing to look at the admin and set it straight."
"I can make that horrendous kitchen decent again, and don't get me started on that ancient freezer with God knows what petrified things are stored in there."
The room buzzes with new-found energy, some of the ladies offer help to clean up the club, others even plan an open house, someone even suggest a tutoring camp where Cooper can help sharpen the sport skills of children.
"You better say something," Myrtle says to Cooper while bringing a large tray of cookies from her kitchen. "Never seen a group so willing to make things work."
Lachlan gives her a loving smile. She's become a mother role in his life since he moved across the street, and always talks about her wisdom.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. I'm in your hands. Tell me what I need to do and I'll do it."
"What about we start with talking about the next game?" I suggest.
This isn't a team talk like any I've experienced. No coach telling us what to do, more like what we can do and are best at.
"I don't like to be at the goal post," Sage says. "I like to run and I'm better in midfield."
Her new-found confidence is great to see. Everyone makes a self-assessment of their skills and expresses their preferences. Cooper writes down on a paper and then sketches a field, trying as much as possible to make a new team set-up.
"I think this is it," he says and reads the teams names and positions from the paper, making notes when necessary. "If you are all happy, we start practicing in this new set-up tomorrow. I only hope we are not too late."
"It's never too late," Rose says to him, and again, her words seem to have a deeper meaning for them.
We spend the rest of the time together making plans for the club. The first thing that will happen during this week is that the whole place will get a massive scrub from floor to ceiling. The team leaves with high hopes until only Lachlan, Cooper, Rose and I are left.
"Thank you. None of this would have happened without you," Cooper says. "You seem to have put your differences aside for the club, and I'll be eternally grateful."
"She isn't so bad," Rose says in a joking tone. "Let's go Sanne."
"You go home. I'm staying a bit longer with Lachlan."
Rose lifts an eyebrow but says nothing further. We say goodbye to Myrtle after settling the bill, and head to Lachlan's little apartment.
"Part of his thanks are also for you," I say to him. "You alerted us on what was happening and we could take measures."
"I only hope it's on time. Those men seemed quite ready to pull the plug on the club. I didn't see one of your teammates, the dark girl."
"It's better to leave Willow out of this. She hasn't been exactly a good friend to anyone. I'll leave that to Cooper."
"Will you stay?" He asks as he opens the door. "Your stuff has made it here little by little anyway."
"Yeah, I can stay if you give me a ride to work tomorrow morning. I left my car at the mall."
Lachlan smiles as he lets me in. We lay in bed in each other's arms and cuddle for a long time without exchanging a word until sleep wins.
When I wake up the next morning, I feel more energized than I've been in a while. I'll head by the club after work to start making sense of the administration. Lachlan brings me to work and kisses my lips softly before I leave his car. The gesture leaves me smiling as I walk inside and keeps me energized through a day full with meetings and analysis.
"Sanne, something's been delivered for you," our receptionist says in sing-song just as I walk to the coffee machine for a well-deserved break.
I grab the yellow flowers bouquet and get in my office. The card inside is printed with the text:
Pretty flowers like you.
There's no signature on the card and no name on the delivery slip. I get my phone and call Rose.
"Rose, did Cooper send thank you flowers?" I ask.
"I know for a fact they are not from Cooper as he spent the night with me. I also received a bouquet here at the café."
"I spent the night with Lachlan so they are not from him. Who sent them then?"
"I have a suspicion. I think Willow is behind this."
Willow? Wait, Cooper spent the night with Rose?