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Daddy looks at his watch. Management asked for a Zoom call at seven sharp.
“We got five minutes,” he announces.
No one ate their dinner except me, and that’s just because I’m hungry all the time.
“We should set up,” Evan urges. He takes his laptop and sets it up on the dining room table.
“Whatever is meant to happen will happen. We will figure it out and stick together,” Mom states. “No way am I allowing any grandchild of mine to grow up in a separate city. I want full involvement.”
“Me too,” Daddy confirms.
“Okay, let’s do this,” Evan says, blowing out a breath. It feels like we have so much riding on the line.
“I love you,” I say to Evan. I kiss him. “Whatever happens, we got this.”
“That feels really good of you to say, Patty. I’ve been on my own a long time,” he confesses. Here and there he’s dropped hints about what his childhood was like, and it mostly sounds like he was lonely, with an absent father and a mother who was too busy with her own life.
Mom gives me a look that tells me she’s swooning over Evan’s words too.
Mom and I move out of the way and Daddy takes the seat beside Evan, so he’s in camera view of the screen.
Evan logs on and he nods. “Good evening,” he greets.
“Good evening,” we hear a man say. “We’ve given careful review of your situation. Evan, you broke the non-fraternization policy, which puts you in a position to be fired from the team. Your contract was up next year but because of this breach, we are eligible to trade you come June.”
Those words cause my stomach to sink, and Mom and I sit with our hands gripped together on the couch, giving each other worried looks.
“And, Coach Sanders,” the man continues. “As the leader of the team, we expect you to not only abide by the rules but to also enforce them. We were wary about bringing your daughter on as assistant physical therapist for this very reason, but her credentials were above and beyond our other candidates and that’s why she was hired. That said, we need to have a leader who follows the rules.”
From my perch on the couch, I see how nervous Dad looks. I’ve actually never seen him like this before.
“That being said,” another man’s voice comes through. “Evan, you are an exemplary player. You’re coming off a tremendous season and you’re a top scorer in the league this year. We understand that sometimes feelings can get in the way, but you also have a duty to your team. Right now, we are close to clinching the second round. I’m expecting a win tomorrow night and I see us making it far this post season. I think you’ve been a major key in that success,” the GM says, and suddenly I’m filled with hope. Mom is too as she mouths, “That sounds promising.”
“Coach Sanders.” It must be the GM who continues, “The men on this team respect you. You are making champions out of them. That is why we feel it is best if you both continue in your respective roles until the end of the season. We ask that you keep the details of your relationship with Patty a secret so that it does not interfere with team dynamics. In order for Coach Sanders to be effective, he has to be respected. And for Evan to play at his best he needs to have his head in the game. We would also appreciate keeping Patty’s leave quiet. For now, the team knows she wasn’t feeling well and has requested a leave. Let’s leave it at that. The less drama we attract the better.”
“What does this mean for next year?” Daddy asks. I appreciate the guts Daddy has to speak up. Maybe that’s what makes him such a strong leader.
I’m holding my breath.
“We don’t know right now, Myles. Let’s see how the season plays out,” the man hedges.
“And Evan?” Daddy asks.
“Since Patty is no longer employed with the team, we don’t see a problem for him to stay,” the man states. But I already know none of us like that response. It’s an asshole move to leave my father waiting on the sidelines to produce results while Evan’s spot is secure.
“Okay,” Daddy says. “Let’s try to win the Cup, men.”
I respect how Daddy keeps his cool and doesn’t get flustered, but I already know if Daddy isn’t staying with the Rangers, Evan won’t extend his contract past the year he owes them.
They disconnect the meeting and Evan is fuming. “What the hell was that? With all due respect, sir, they are a bunch of assholes. I’m not staying with the Rangers if they don’t keep you.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Management is just playing their own game. They are all about the win. I hope we make it to the end. I’ve been keeping tabs on the western teams playing now. I think we have a good shot at taking the Cup. Management wants a Stanley Cup and they want to fill the stadiums. That’s the bottom line.”
“The team needs a new GM,” I add.
“It would help things along. Tray Lubowski is a real asshole,” Daddy agrees.
We all give Daddy a shocked look.
