by Jeff Adams
David waited by the door, checking his phone and waiting for the message that it was time for the interview.
“Great job tonight, guys,” Coach said as he came in. “Another all-important win toward locking in a playoff slot.” He came over to me. “KP, can I grab you for a minute?”
This was it.
The bottom dropped out of my stomach, and I fought to control any emotions from peeking out.
The locker room got quiet because we all knew what was coming.
I struggled to keep it together—the mix of sadness and anger tried to overwhelm me. The fiery angry surprised me because I thought I’d worked through that already.
“Coach,” David said, falling in step next to us, “he’s about to do a quick TV segment—”
“Sorry. We need to see him before he goes on air. You’ll have to delay or cancel if you need to.”
“Hang tight. We’ll do it as soon as I’m done. I’m not going to miss the chance to harass Garrett on TV.” Thankfully, I sounded more confident than I felt.
David nodded and broke away.
“It’s happened?” I asked.
“’Fraid so. Papers got signed during the game.”
We arrived at an office, probably one they got permission to use to deliver the news. Coach closed the door behind us and pulled his phone from his pocket. He tapped the screen and faced it toward him.
“I’ve got Kyle here.”
“Thanks.” I recognized the GM’s voice. Coach handed the phone over with the boss’s face filling the screen, and I held it in front of me. “Hello, Kyle. Great game tonight. It was fun watching you and Howell snipe at each other.”
“Thank you, sir.” I couldn’t suppress a grin, knowing we’d entertained at least one person besides ourselves.
“I imagine you know why we’re talking.”
I nodded.
“You, along with Helson and Feldman, are going to Phoenix where you’ll play tomorrow night. Billington will be on our lineup for our next game as well.”
Lucky him. He’d get an extra day to travel, unlike the three of us.
I nodded, managing to keep my sigh inside.
“I know this wasn’t what you wanted. Phoenix, however, really wanted you, and we couldn’t shake them off that. I imagine you know the impact Billington can have here.”
“Yes, sir. I do.”
“Your agent and the league will be in touch on all the logistics. The stuff in your locker here is getting packed up, and it’ll meet you in Phoenix. There’s a charter waiting for you at the airport, and someone from the team will meet you when you land. I’ll be honest, I hope we get you home someday, even more so because we all know Detroit is where you want to be. If there’s anything we can do during the transition, please let us know.”
“I’ll do that. Thank you.”
“I know you’ve got an interview waiting, so I’ll let you get to that. Thank you again, Kyle. It’s been a pleasure having you on the Arsenal.”
I nodded and handed the phone back to Coach. “I’ll get Helson and be back in a moment.” He tapped the screen and pocketed it. “It’s been great working with you all these years.”
“You too. I learned a lot.” We did a bro hug and a handshake before going back into the hall.
David hovered just outside the door, and we headed back to the ice.
I joined G, standing just on the edge of the ice. Burlington’s Coach was doing his postgame interview, and we waited to go next.
“You okay? I heard.” G wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
I sighed. “Eh. I suppose I’m glad the hammer’s finally dropped. I wish my last game was in Detroit. At least I got to play my last Arsenal game against you, so there’s something.”
“When do you go?”
I gave him all the details, and his expression clouded. I knew why. He expected me to freak all the more because I didn’t get to go home first. I wanted to have a tantrum but I couldn’t. I had to be an adult, a professional. The eight-year-old inside could do his thing later.
“I know Matty Berkshire pretty well. He used to play here. I’ll give him a call. He’s a good guy and grinds away on D. He’s been there three years now.”
“Thanks, man.”
A woman did a walking slide across the ice to us from where the camera crew was. G greeted the reporter warmly. Not surprising they knew each other.
“They’ve just gone to commercial, and you guys are next. Let’s get you over there.” We followed. “The segment’ll be two to three minutes. We’re going to focus mostly on the fun you two had tonight, but we’re gonna ask about the trade that just went down if that’s okay, Kyle.”
“Sure.”
“There’s always some friendly trash talk when we play against each other.” G started us off after the intro. “Something about tonight… I don’t know.”
“Right? We got goofy.” We looked at each other and couldn’t hold straight faces. “We’d even grabbed lunch today so we’d caught up. Something about seeing him in our first faceoff just made me throw him a smirk and…”
“And we were off from there.”
“Exactly.”
We went on to talk a little about having a friendship that lasted more than a decade with hockey as the background.
I got a couple softball questions about the trade. “I’d like to thank all of the Arsenal fans, coaching staff, and the front office for giving the first seven years of my career a great start.” I spoke from the heart, knowing this would end up rebroadcast in Detroit. “This trade is good for Detroit. As a longtime fan of the team, I know that. I hope to return one day. But for now, I’m off to Phoenix, where I’ll give them my best.”
“Phoenix is lucky to have this one,” G said before the reporter could ask anything else. “He works hard, and he’s an excellent competitor. It’s a lot more fun to play with him than against him. That’s something I know all too well. I look forward to making the cross-country trip in a few weeks to check him out in his new home.”
I bumped G in the shoulder for making this more emotional than I had intended.
The reporter wrapped it up and threw back to the studio. “Thank you both for the time. And for some fun times on the ice tonight.”
Headed back to the tunnel, we kept a slow pace. G asked, “You have time to grab a beer or something before you go?”
“I don’t think so. There’s a charter taking us tonight, but I don’t know timing.”
“No pressure. You know where to find me if you’ve got time to kill. And it goes without saying, you can call me anytime.”
We bumped fists, shot our hands backwards for the explosion, and then hugged.
Locker room chatter ran high. Helson and Feldman were surrounded. They’d been on the team a season and a half. As soon as I began stripping off my gear, guys drifted my way too. Lots of shaking hands, pats on the back, and all the stuff that happens when you don’t get time for a more proper goodbye. The team promised a proper farewell party the next time I was in town.
Once the guys dispersed, Kennedy sat next to me. “Adriana texted and wanted me to tell you that she’s going to miss you. She’ll make sure your picture gets packaged for shipping to get to Phoenix so you’ll have a little bit of home.”
I nodded. I hadn’t taken ownership yet since the show ran another couple of weeks. “I appreciate that.”
“If there’s anything we can do to help, let us know.”
We stood and embraced. “Thanks. It’s been great playing with you.”
“Thirty minutes until we leave!” Jerry, the equipment manager, bellowed from the doorway, kicking everybody into overdrive.
“Shit. I gotta get moving. See you in a few weeks across the dot.”
We had another back-slapping hug.
I hoped someone would show up with details on what we needed to do. Helson and Feldman were dressed and glued to their phones, so I stripped and headed for the shower.
Once the soothing, wa
rm water rained down on me, my facade crumbled a little. A wave of emotions started in the pit of my stomach and vibrated into my chest. I hated every bit of this—not just the move, but that it happened here. A couple of deep breaths helped center me… barely.
The world wouldn’t fall apart.
Mom would be fine.
Bobby would be fine.
Austin and I knew this was coming, and we’d be…
On the way to the airport, I’d call Mom. I probably had a message from her because she would’ve watched the game and heard the news. Even if she hadn’t seen my interview, the commentators surely mentioned it.
I’d message Austin too. We’d have to sort out the innovation summit I was supposed to speak at because I didn’t know if that’d be possible. Maybe I could get back for that and to get some of my stuff. Despite the water temperature, I shuddered.
“Hey, KP,” Jerry called from the shower room entrance, “a car’s here for you guys. It’s waiting by the buses, and they’ll go when you’re ready. I put an envelope of itinerary information in your locker too.”
“Thanks, Jerry. I don’t know what I’m gonna do without you to keep me on track.”
“You’re welcome. I packed your gear too. Make sure they get that to the rink to wash right away. No time to do it here. Take care, man.”
“Thanks again.”
No reply likely meant he’d moved on to the next task of getting the team out of here.
I scrubbed quickly, even though I’d be happy to stay right here and not deal with any of this. That kid I kept tucked away near my heart pushed hard to be let loose.
When I got to my locker, only my suit hung there, my gear in its bag and my luggage sitting next to it.
I grabbed my phone. Mom had messaged. She’d seen the news and said I could call tonight if I needed to or we could talk tomorrow. I texted back in case she was still awake and let her know I’d call tomorrow. Bobby had messaged too with a similar text.
Austin had messaged too. A simple open-mouthed emoji.
Wow was an appropriate reaction.
Hey. I don’t get to come home. I play in Phoenix tomorrow night. I’ll figure out what this means to my schedule and the summit. I miss you so bad and I’m pissed I don’t get to see you tomorrow. Gotta get dressed since the ride to the airport is here. I capped the message with my usual kissey face and heart.
Despite telling myself for days I was prepared for this, my heart was heavy because I wasn’t going home. It took all my strength to hold back tears as I followed Helson and Feldman out.
Twenty-Eight
Austin
I had barely touched my dinner, and now that I had to make remarks, I thought I might throw up even though I’d eaten so little. Normally, I enjoyed these summits. The afternoon had gone well—at least, I thought it had. Tamara had other thoughts based on the meetings she’d had, and the evening had gone from one problem to another.
As I talked in a group with the chief of technical innovation for General Motors, Jack gave me a thumbs up from across the room. Kyle’s plane had finally landed, but no way he’d get here in time to do our presentation.
As if on cue, Tamara appeared at my side. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow Austin for a moment.”
Tendrils of anxiety spread through my chest. Even though it didn’t directly relate to our business, Kyle not being here to speak would reflect on me. It didn’t matter that he’d been pulled away to Phoenix five days ago.
“At least Kyle got us a backup.” She flipped some pages on her tablet. “Terry and Adriana have been delightful, though a few people are disappointed they aren’t meeting your boyfriend.”
I nodded, and she fixed an understanding look on me. The past few days hadn’t gone well. Between Kyle leaving so quickly, the board asserting more oversight over this summit, and the intensity of the FBI/MC3 investigation, nothing was status quo. Kyle’d been great about listening to me, and it helped a bit in the moment. Thank God, he wasn’t someone who just advised calming down
It had seemed like he’d make it. But that wasn’t happening.
“You going to be okay? You look a little gray, and I don’t think it’s the lighting.” Her on-going look of concern only made me feel worse since we had a room full of people to dazzle.
Kyle had melted down when he found out he wouldn’t be able to leave when he’d planned because of last-minute press commitments. I knew it ate away at him. He’d been excited to talk about after-school programs helping him as a kid and now enjoying the work he did with them. Tamara hadn’t supported this aspect of the program, but our sales team had liked the idea of bringing in a sports person to break up some of the business talk. It all tied to how kids in after school programs would make up the leaders and innovators of the future.
We had a small silent auction running too that included items from the major Detroit sports teams. Kyle had sent a package of Phoenix items as well. The proceeds would all go towards the foundation.
“Let’s get the program started,” Tamara said. “We need to leave as much time for one-on-ones as possible.”
I nodded and shoved my confident businessman facade front and center. “Agreed. Wish me luck.”
She nodded and pasted on a smile just like I did. “You got this. Just like always.”
She returned to her table where she hosted a group from Chevy.
I headed for the stage and appreciated the bottles of water I spied next to the podium. My throat had gone dry talking to Tamara, so I needed some of that.
After a drink, I flipped on the mic, and I found my everything’s great voice to address the audience. “Welcome, everyone. We’re so glad you could join us tonight as part of our innovation summit. You’ve already heard a lot from us on what we’re working on, and now I’d like to introduce you to Terry Kennedy, captain of the Detroit Arsenal. He was kind enough to fill in for our planned guest…”
Terry’s presentation was great, of course.
But I missed Kyle so hard I ached. He’d texted that they’d hit traffic, and I’d replied with a picture of Terry at the podium and told him things were going fine. The evening needed to end though. My facade wouldn’t last much longer even as I worked to prop it up.
Thankfully, the event entered the winding down phase. A few clusters of people talked. I chatted with Chaz Starling, our very first client and someone who’d become a friend over the years. Thankfully, I could relax since I had a solid relationship with him and the company he worked for.
“I’m so sorry. I’ve missed the entire thing.” It took all I had to not dissolve as Kyle put his hand on my lower back. The simple touch meant everything. “Everything conspired against me. Hello, I’m Kyle Pressgrove.” Kyle extended his hand.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Chaz said as they shook. “I’d hoped I could meet the man who finally turned Austin’s head. Thank you for arranging some of the great auction items. I came away with Kennedy’s jersey. My daughter’s a fan, and she’s going to flip getting it for her birthday. She wants to be the first woman captain in the NHL. She’s gunning for Team USA in the meantime.”
“Good for her. Who does she play for now?”
“She’s leading the points this season at Northwestern.”
“Congratulations. That’s a great school and a great program.”
Chaz looked at his watch and shifted. “It’s been a great evening, Austin. You unveiled some good stuff here. I’ve got an early meeting so I should get going. I’ll see you at your office in the afternoon. You can be sure, though, that Kia is still with you.” He shook my hand and then did the same with Kyle. “Really excellent meeting you.”
“A pleasure,” Kyle said.
“Have a good evening.” I smiled and hoped it came off as genuine. Exhaustion rose up faster than I’d imagined possible. With Kyle next to me, I allowed the shields I had up all evening to fall away.
Four others remained who weren’t on staff and they talked with Tamara. The
ir conversation appeared to be going well as they shared a laugh.
“Austin, I’m so sorry.” He spoke softly, his earlier confidence cracked along with his voice. “It all went wrong.”
“It’s okay. I think everything turned out fine.” He flinched for some reason as I took his hand, but then he squeezed back. Why did he do that? “I should join that conversation to finish this up. You can join me if you want.”
I didn’t let his hand go, and I couldn’t miss the storm raging in his eyes. He was more upset than I’d imagined.
“Let’s do this.” Confident Kyle was back in place. He had the same ability to do that as I did, except I rarely saw his resolve slip.
As we got to the group, they’d finished saying good night to Tamara. Quick introductions and more farewells followed.
“Well, I think we’re done for the night.” Tamara sounded relieved, and I couldn’t blame her. “Kyle, you missed a good night. We raised just under ten thousand dollars for the foundation, and you helped make that happen. Thank you for helping get Terry here. The business conversations were mixed, but we’ll see how most of that sorts out in tomorrow’s individual meetings. Kyle, good to see you as always. Austin, I’ll see you in the morning for our triage on how we’ll handle the day.”
“Good night, Tamara,” we said at the same time. My heart fluttered—so much a couple thing, saying it together.
Alone with just the cleanup staff, Kyle slumped in a way I’d never seen. “I’m so sorry. This was important and I failed. I don’t—” His voice cracked and he stopped. Running his hand through his hair and over his eyes, I thought for a moment he might cry. “I promise I tried… I…”
“It’s okay. Terry did great, I promise.” What was happening? He had no reason to be this upset. “The rest of the night went as good as it could have given everything.”
“But that’s just it…” I took a half step back at his increased volume, which he immediately modulated. “I should’ve been here for you… and for the speech… but really for you.”