AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m so sorry he called you so late,” I say. I can’t wait to tell Rachel about this. The anticipation of her appalled expression is the only thing that’s keeping me going right now. I’m thirty-six years old, why is my dad calling my boss?
Except deep inside I know. And that makes me even more embarrassed.
“Oh don’t be sorry. It’s not every evening that you get a phone call from the amazing Greg Gauthier.” Mr. Power is beaming. It’s scary. “He promised to send me a signed photograph from your grandfather, too.” His voice lowers. “By the way, I’m so very sorry to hear about your grandfather’s health. I grew up watching him play. Every boy in my school wanted to be Wayne Gauthier when we were playing hockey.”
I’m smiling but it hurts.
“Anyway, enough fan boying.” His cheeks are bright red. “Your father told me about your predicament.”
“My what?” I ask, my voice strangled.
He doesn’t seem to notice. “He explained all about your family problems. That your grandfather desperately needs you.”
I open my mouth to reply but no words come out.
“And that you said you couldn’t because you were worried about your job.”
A sense of doom is pushing down on me. Of course my dad called my boss. Nobody says no to Greg Gauthier.
Or rather he just chooses not to hear when they do.
“So we came to an arrangement that I think will make you happy.” Mr. Power smiles.
That’s when the fight goes out of me. They’ve made a deal. Dad’s probably offered him an executive box at his favorite team, or something like that. He’s the best at giving out favors when he needs something from somebody.
When I graduated college he kept wanting to find me a job with one of his ‘friends’. And no, that’s not a backhanded way of saying he’s pimping me out. He genuinely loves being the one that connects people. Add that to the fact that he’s a man who always gets what he wants and my fate is sealed.
“You’ll still be a Warner Power employee, of course,” Mr. Power is saying. I can barely hear him over the rushing of blood through my ears. “And when you’ve finished the project, we’ll definitely be looking at a promotion. It’s great publicity for the company. We’re lending one of our top consultants to help save Wayne Gauthier’s team. Pro bono. I’ll talk to the PR department to see what we can do to leverage this.”
“Oh God. Please, no publicity,” I say.
His smile finally wavers. “What?”
“I don’t want people knowing who I am,” I tell him. This is my hard limit. “I worked hard to get to where I am today. I don’t want anybody knowing that I’m part of the Gauthier family.”
He looks like a wounded puppy. “But it would be so good for the firm.” He runs his fingers along his jaw then looks up at me. “How about we don’t tell them who you are but still get the publicity? We’re still lending our best consultant to a team in need. I’m sure the PR team can make that work.”
But that’s not how publicity works. I know that all too well. Journalists don’t stop sniffing around, not when they sense a story.
And I don’t want to be anybody’s cheap enjoyment over a coffee. Not again.
“I don’t think that would be possible.”
“We’ll see,” he says, and I know that this is already a done deal. I’m going to West Virginia whether I like it or not.
And I don’t. I hate it. I’m furious at my father, and at my mom for not stopping him. Hell, I’m also angry with Isabella, Brad, and Johnny because they have jobs that mean they can’t easily be moved to help Gramps.
I’m the odd one out. The anomaly. And this is really, really bad.
Note to self. Get horribly drunk tonight. Because next week everything changes.
CHAPTERFOUR
MACKENZIE
My cheek throbs as I stare into the eyes of the only fully dressed man in the locker room. And yes, I’m going to have to work very,veryhard to block out the memories of those naked balls swinging dangerously close to my face.
This wasnothow I was planning to introduce myself to the team.
