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I frown as I read it. This is very anti-Lila. She has no clue I went and did something special today and again, she’d call to check in. I have my suspicions as I text back. It was wonderful. Callum took me around Pittsburgh and showed me some sights. How was your day? How are you feeling?
I wait for her reply and it takes forever. I’m doing great. Feeling fine.
There’s no way this is Lila and the question is, is this Preston or Joshua? I blocked Joshua before I left Nevada, so chances are it’s him. I make the bold move and dial Lila’s number. I imagine whoever is on the other end is shocked I’m calling, and no surprise, there’s no answer. When I get her voicemail, I disconnect.
It had to be Joshua and I assume word traveled to him that his private investigator was busted. I imagine he had to be livid when he saw the candid selfie Callum took, and there’s a sinking feeling in my stomach that perhaps we shouldn’t have poked that bear. I was so impressed by how Callum handed the phone back to David and didn’t insist he delete the photos.
As he said, we’d done nothing wrong, but Callum wanted Joshua to know he was on to him.
And yet there’s no doubt, Joshua will see any type of relationship with Callum—even just friends—as a betrayal because I’m sure he very much still believes I’m his.
CHAPTER 17
Callum
The morning sun casts a soft glow across the interior of my office. It’s July 1, the opening day of free agency. Our technology team has spent the last few days outfitting many of the executive offices with shared digital screens, along with the large SMART Board in the conference room where the other coaches and scouts are congregated. Everyone has a landline phone, but cell phones are being used. Dozens of calls are ongoing at any given time and as information is received, it is entered into a shared database that some tech wizard built for the Titans so everyone can see it in real time.
My heart thunders as I prepare to make a bold move to secure the league’s best center, Penn Navarro, for the Pittsburgh Titans. I have a few moments before the crazy begins and I settle back in my plush leather chair, trying some deep breathing to calm myself. My office boasts a blend of modern functionality and subtle nods to my past. The room is bathed in natural light, courtesy of the expansive windows that frame the breathtaking river and city views beyond. My desk, a stately piece of polished walnut, anchors the space. In this modern tech age, my desk isn’t covered with piles of paper or binders of information. Instead, I have three screens, two tablets and my laptop, where I have all the scouting reports, player profiles and salary information I need displayed right at eye level.
A bookshelf sits against one wall, housing a collection of hockey memorabilia I’ve picked up over the years, most of it from my alma mater. A mahogany-framed mirror, adorned with a Titans logo, hangs opposite my desk, reflecting the room’s colors. Soft shades of gray and black dominate the décor, complemented by steel accents that pay homage to Pittsburgh’s industrial heritage. A painting of the Titans’ arena at sunset occupies a prominent spot on another wall, flanked by my framed sports management degree.
As I take it all in, the artifacts and mementos that fill my office serve as a testament to the passion, dedication and ambition that drive me. I hope that commitment pays off today because we’re getting ready to make a huge leap into the next generation of Titans hockey.
My office is large enough to accommodate a small conference room table. Around it sits my team, including our cap specialist, Sarah Wainright, who will monitor monies in and out as we start making our chess-like moves. Beside her is Mark Sinnett, our head scout, who will manage our draft pick potentials and lastly, assistant GM Lane Bakerton who’s ready to work trades with other teams. Brienne is in her office but only for moral support. She’s given me full autonomy to do my job and that’s both reassuring and terrifying.
Penn Navarro, currently with the Florida Spartans who just missed out on the Cup championship this year, is our prime target. This only became solidified last night when Coen Highsmith made the final decision to accept an offer from the Vipers so Tillie could have her shot in New York.
A dynamic playmaker, Penn Navarro will be the centerpiece we need to elevate our team’s offense, especially after losing Coen. However, signing him means we must shed some salary to stay cap-compliant and that’s why everything is so tense. We have a lot of maneuvers to make today.
I initiate the negotiations with Penn’s agent, a seasoned professional by the name of Mara Fenwick who represents a lot of sports talent at the top of their game. Because body language and expression are important in any negotiation, we connect via video call on my center screen. Lane, Sarah and Mark watch from their own tablets before them, and my call is also broadcast into the conference room as well as Brienne’s office. This won’t be done on every move we make today but this is the most important one.
After pleasantries are exchanged, Mara says, “Let’s cut to the chase… what’s your best offer, Callum? Because I’ve got others on the table now.”
This is the hard part. I have no clue what’s been offered already nor will I know what happens after I hang up. All we can do is offer our best and Brienne, Cannon and I decided to go for a championship this season. That means putting our money on Navarro.
“One hundred million for eight years,” I say.
Mara is as good as they come but the slight raise of her eyebrows tells me that our offer is the best by far. Sarah, who isn’t just a cap specialist tracking the Titans’ money, has analyzed the cap allocations of the other teams also vying for Navarro. She was instrumental in helping us guess what will beat out the competition.
Facial features smoothing, Mara’s tone is cool. “We’re interested but Penn wants to make sure you’re putting together a championship team. Florida’s offer isn’t on par with yours, but they’ll have essentially the same players. They almost had the Cup this year and it’s a priority for him. Going with the Titans would be a huge risk.”
“So would walking away from a guaranteed one-hundred million dollars for eight years of his life. But you can assure Penn that we would have never offered this type of money to get him if we weren’t going to take the shot this season rather than build upward from a younger pool.”
Mara nods in understanding. “Let me call Penn. I’ll get back to you.”
We disconnect the call and I stand from my desk. Nodding at Lane, I say, “Call Coen’s agent and work the trade to the Vipers.”
“Without getting Navarro’s commitment?” he asks.
“Make it contingent,” I instruct before turning to Mark. “Pull up the profiles on North Paquette, Rafferty Abrams and Atlas Kerolak. Let’s go over those one more time while we wait to hear back from Mara.”
“On it,” Mark replies, maneuvering data on his tablet, which will come up on the screens on my desk.
“Be right back,” I say, heading out of my office and to the conference room. I step just over the threshold, my eyes scanning my coaches and scouts. “Assuming we get Navarro, I want to start making our other moves. Last chance to voice any strong feelings about letting go of Darius Cermak, Mason Lavoie, Anders Blom or Kirill Zucker?”
This is a question I’ve asked probably half a dozen times in the last week and I don’t expect the answer to change. But if anyone is holding on to concerns, now is the time to voice them.
Everyone stares back at me with steady conviction. We’ve committed to a lot of money for Penn, but we’ve had just as much fortitude in cutting players to gain new ones that will better fit with our new model and at a slightly cheaper price.
