Page 149 of Interference

“But you decided not to wait that long,” Clark said.

I nodded. “The stress—it’s been driving me insane. He and I can function on the team, but we need more space than we have. Different roommates on the road. That kind of thing. Honestly, the breakup hasn’t stressed me out or affected my game nearly as much as the pressure of pretending everything is fine.”

To my surprise, a few of the gathered people looked chagrined.

Through the speaker, my rep asked, “How long ago did you two break up?”

I exhaled. “A little before Thanksgiving. But Simon moved out a good six months before that. And things were rocky… I don’t know, for a while. Most of last season.”

Coach’s eyebrows climbed as I spoke. “So you two have been pretending everything was fine between you for… over a year.”

I tried not to choke on my own voice. “What choice did we have?”

Coach’s lips parted. GM stiffened. The others glanced at each other but didn’t say anything.

I cleared my throat. “We’ve tried not to let it interfere with the team. And… Coach, I’m sorry. I know I wasn’t playing well when this season started. I tried. I really, really did. But I just…”

“Jesus Christ, son,” Coach murmured, and I wasn’t ready for the gentle hand on my shoulder. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Because I couldn’t.” I fought hard to keep my composure. “You all made it absolutely clear from day one that the minute any cracks showed, one of us was gone.” I swallowed and looked at everyone in turn. “I can’t hide them anymore. And let’s not bullshit—we all know he’s more valuable to the team than I am. So I know I’m going to be the one who gets traded or whatever. I don’t want to leave this team or this city, but I just can’t do this anymore.”

There were nods all around. Expressions varied. Coach seemed somewhat sympathetic. Clark had his lips quirked like he was debating how to proceed. Allen didn’t seem to know what to think.

Megan was still irritated, and I supposed I couldn’t blame her. Locking eyes with me, she folded her hands and set her jaw. “Cole Tandy says he got his information from an inside source, and you’re confirming that information is true. So does that mean someone on the team knew what was going on?”

“Not that I know of. I mean, Nova knew Simon and I were having problems, but he’d rather lick every teammate’s mouthguard than give Cole Tandy the time of day.”

Coach gave a quiet, gruff laugh. “He’s, um… He’s probably not wrong. There aren’t many boys in that locker room who will talk to Tandy if they don’t have to, and Nova hates him.”

Megan pursed her lips. “So that leaves… who? Because I’m not thrilled about the idea of someone in this locker room leaking personal information to the press, especially not to that asshole.”

Coach and I exchanged looks. He gave me a subtle nod.

I met Megan’s eyes. “As far as I knew, the only two people in the locker room who knew the things Tandy wrote in his article are me and Simon.”

“And you didn’t say anything to him.”

I laughed bitterly. “I’d take Nova’s sloppy seconds on the mouthguards before I told Tandy anything. Especially about my own personal life.”

Coach smothered a chuckle.

Megan exhaled. “Okay, well. I think that’s all I have.” She looked to Clark and Allen. They both shook their heads, and suddenly all eyes were on Coach.

He held their gazes for a moment, as if they were all communicating something telepathically. Then he turned to me. “Thanks for the heads up, kid.”

And… that was that.

No warnings. No threats. No verdicts.

I suspected most of that would go down behind closed doors. Clark would have calls to make to find a team willing to trade for me. He probably wouldn’t get much—not unless there was a team so desperate for a defenseman they’d overlook my recent stats—but even a handful of late round draft picks would be something.

I left the meeting and walked down the hall a short way. Then I stopped and leaned against the wall as I tried not to throw up. This had not gone according to plan. In some ways, it had gone better. I hadn’t been shouted down or thrown out of the room and told I’d never play in Seattle again. I likely wouldn’t play in Seattle again—I wasn’t stupid—but the meeting itself had gone well enough.

The article, though. The fucking Cole Tandy article. That was the part I just couldn’t deal with. I should’ve been bracing for the incoming upheaval of my career and living situation, but nothing could get past the stunned hurt of knowing Simon had stabbed me in the back like that.

Betrayal burned hot behind my ribs. I knew he was pissed at me, but I hadn’t imagined he was so angry he’d stoop to that level. He told Cole Tandy? He leaked it like tabloid gossip so I looked like I’d tossed Simon out of his own house and moved in a new guy?

I rubbed my eyes. It wasn’t hard to believe there’d been a time when I’d been in love with Simon and we’d been blissfully happy together. The part that didn’t feel real was that we’d been in a shitty spot, and I’d bent over backwards trying to fix things. Why the fuck hadn’t I just cut my losses and moved on as soon as Simon made it clear he was done?

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