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I talk to my dad for a while, then I perform a set of arm and leg exercises to keep his atrophied muscles from tightening. I’m a pro at emptying a catheter bag and I have no problem cleaning my father, but a young aide comes in to introduce himself and cares for my dad’s needs while we chat.
Once I’m settled back in a chair by his bed, this is normally when I would just sit quietly. After all, there are only so many things you can say to a man who can’t understand or reply.
And yet I find myself talking again. “I don’t know how to feel about Callum.” My dad stares at the ceiling and blinks once, not in response to my words but because his body is programmed to do so. “I mean… I’m so grateful for what he’s done for me. I would have never escaped Joshua without his help because I couldn’t afford to care for you. Callum helping us out temporarily was the escape route I needed. And my attorney says I’m entitled to half of everything under Nevada law, which will be enough money to keep you living in high style for the rest of your life. I can pay Callum back and then… well, we’ll decide where we’ll go later, but I can take care of you on my own then.”
There’s no reply, but I try to imagine what my dad would say to me. We were thick as thieves before his accident and it’s been terribly lonely these last several years without my parents.
I know he’d tell me to be forgiving of Callum because he told me those exact words when Callum broke things off. Well, not exactly those words, but my dad was a bit more circumspect about the ultimatum I’d given Callum and his refusal to meet my demands. Dad felt we were both too young to be drawing such deep lines in the sand and he predicted there’d be a day when we’d both regret it.
“Juni,” he’d said, “when you love someone the way you and Callum love each other, that will always endure no matter what. Maybe it’s just not your season, but when and if it comes back around, you need to be prepared to put aside the hurt so you don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.”
Of course, my dad thought Callum would come to his senses pretty quickly after we broke up, but he never did.
It’s been fifteen years and I’m still holding on to some anger. But honestly, given everything Callum’s done for me this past week… he deserves my absolute forgiveness. I don’t know why I was destined to have such a horrible marriage but I’m out now.
My life is starting over and I have Callum to thank for it.
CHAPTER 13
Callum
The executive suite at the Titans’ arena has a handful of conference rooms of varying sizes, but I’m currently meeting in the largest one that overlooks the Allegheny River with the Pittsburgh skyline just beyond. The conference room is halfway between my office and Brienne’s and while we don’t need the twenty-two seats the table accommodates, I do need the electronic SMART Board recessed into the wall.
We’ve got a lot to discuss and my ability to put up digital graphics and then mark on them as we talk is invaluable.
Currently, I’ve got a picture of Coen Highsmith on the screen with his stats from this past year, along with his salary. I pull up another screen with a running spreadsheet of all player salaries and the total so we can steer clear of the cap.
Around the conference table are the people whose advice I will rely on when making my decisions. As the GM, managing the roster is one of my primary responsibilities, which includes evaluating talent, negotiating contracts and extensions, negotiating trades and drafting players, all while staying within the salary cap.
“The Free Agency Frenzy starts in nine days and this right here is going to be a problem for us.” I tap my knuckles on the board, just below Coen’s photo.
I’ve had two conversations with Coen since my call with his agent a week ago, and he’s very interested in going to New York. Tillie hasn’t committed to taking the residency in Manhattan, but he’s pushing her to do it. He wants her to have this chance and he doesn’t want to be away from her.
“He’s going to go,” Brienne says, drumming her fingers on the tabletop. “No matter what New York offers.”
That’s my feeling too and I’m sure everyone at the table agrees. Joining me and Brienne are head coach Cannon West, the three assistant coaches, Gage Heyward, Sam Thatcher and Maurice Dupont, and our goalie coach, Baden Oulett. Normally, our assistant GM, Lane Bakerton, would be here as well but he’s meeting with agents representing draft prospects and will report to me on that later today.
“If we lose Coen, we’ll need someone of equal or higher caliber to replace him,” Cannon says.
“Yes, we will.” I nod and tuck my hands in my pockets. “I’d like to shoot for Penn Navarro.”
Gage whistles low and Maurice’s mouth drops open.
“You’re not afraid to aim for the stars, are you?” Cannon muses.
Penn Navarro is undoubtedly the best player in the league. Like Coen, he plays center and he just entered free agency after his Florida Spartans lost the championship last week. He’s going to be on every team’s radar.
“We have little room in the cap, even after losing Coen’s salary. I’ve got a few ideas to free up some space, but we’re going to have to get creative if we want to make a play for Navarro.” I tap on an icon on the SMART Board and the screen changes to two players on our team, complete with pictures and statistics. “Mason Lavoie and Anders Blom. Two we can cut loose and free up some serious money.”
“You’ll need more than those two,” Maurice says.
“Agreed. I’m looking at offloading Kirill Zucker and Darius Cermak. I’ll need to burn some draft picks, and depending on what Lane reports back with the new prospects, it could happen. The question is… what do we want to do with this team? Do we want to take a solid shot at the championship next year? If so, then getting Navarro would be a huge move. If we want to use this as an opportunity to build, then we take the money that Coen will free up and spend it on younger guys who can hopefully grow into what we need.”
Conversation erupts around the table as we hash out the pros and cons of every single player who has the potential to come to this team or exit. The duration of free agency will run through the first week of August this year, which means I’m going to be neck-deep in negotiations. That’s why I don’t take much time off in the summer.
And while the free agency period doesn’t start officially until July 1 when contracts expire, there will still be discussions and negotiations with players and their agents beforehand. The work starts now in what’s known as the free agency interview period.
My focus should be on the issues being discussed around this table, and yet I find myself continually checking my phone to see if Juniper has texted for any reason. She’s been in Pittsburgh for less than twenty-four hours and I’m worried about her settling in.
