Page 54 of Dump and Chase

“Garson is a pain in the ass and Warde is a hothead. A bad combination. Look, I have a low tolerance for bullshit around here, so I want to make sure he didn’t harass you in any way. Warde can be intense.”

I startled. Warde? “No, Brandon wasn’t the problem. It was Garson and his sidekick.”

Allan’s brow furrowed. “So Warde wasn’t giving you trouble?”

“No. He’s been doing everything I’ve asked of him, totally professionally. Garson is the one with the attitude.”

Allan nodded. “Yes, I couldn’t agree more.”

After all the Ravens had gone home, Coach Fontaine called a meeting with me, Jim, and Allan. I had nothing but respect for the coach from the few times I’d chatted with him. He’d paid his dues coaching in the minors and deserved a shot in the big leagues, and so far that had evaded him. He kept a tight ship and didn’t take a lot of crap. Players respected him.

He massaged his temples and sighed. “I’m going to be honest with all of you. I’m sending Garson back to juniors tomorrow. The kid needs to grow up. As for Warde, I’m counting down the seconds until we can send him back to the Kodiaks.” He turned to Allan. “What’s the timetable?”

“Jim and Tangi have taken the lead on this.”

Coach Fontaine focused on us. Jim looked at me, so I spoke up. “He’s ahead of schedule by a few weeks. He’s been doing some light skating. I think he could participate in some non-contact practice in two to three weeks.”

“And he’s starting light drills next week with me,” Jim said.

“This is music to my ears. I need him out. I think if he dispenses one more piece of coaching advice to me, I’m going to beat him with a goalie stick.”

I assumed the meeting was over, but Coach Fontaine held me back. We waited until Jim and Allan were gone. He shut the door and I wondered if he was about to give me shit for what had happened. I was well aware that it was easy to blame the woman.

He cleared his throat and I braced myself for a fight.

“Look, I have three daughters. I know that guys can be real dickheads. I’m telling you that I have no tolerance for harassment around here. Not even a little. So if any of the guys are inappropriate with you, I want to know. It will be dealt with.”

“Okay,” I said, confused.

“Do I need to deal with Warde?” My stunned silence must have alarmed him because he said, “Tangi?”

I snapped out of my shock. “No, he’s fine. He’s never done anything inappropriate. As for Garson, I’m not sure where he’s headed, but he could use some help. But I imagine that won’t happen where he’s going.”

“Likely not. But when he gets back here, he and I will have a chat. In fact, I’ll have a chat with him tomorrow before we send him back to juniors.”

I left the meeting with Coach Fontaine impressed, and that was hard to do when it came to hockey life.

ChapterTwenty-Six

Ethan

Idecided to keep my distance from Tangi for a while, to let her cool off. I kept busy with the guys, hanging out after training camp, which for the first time in years was kicking my ass. I usually showed up in top form, but losing Dad and spending the summer dealing with his estate had set me back.

Added to that was Brandi and her statement about the end of our engagement. I couldn’t take any of it seriously, and when my agent called to tell me that he’d looked over the statement and didn’t think it was a big deal, I texted Brandi to let her know she could go ahead and post it.

I expect you to do the same.

I stared at her text and laughed. I didn’t post much on IG or anywhere else for that matter, and I certainly wasn’t telling the world my engagement was over.

Nope. Leaving it to you. Peace out.

I had better things to do, like going with my buddies for a much-needed night out. I looked forward to the end of training camp. Just a few more weeks to go. We were leaving for our first road trip the next day, not that any of the veterans were expected to play in any preseason games.

As usual, Jeremy was checking out the ladies as he took a seat next to me at our favorite hangout, Lou’s. We’d been eating there for years, and the lounge was hopping and just private enough that fans kept their distance. We could mingle, especially Jeremy, but we were also able to eat and drink in peace.

“I’m about to tell you something, but you can’t lose your shit,” Jeremy said.

That was a bad way to start a conversation. “Do I even want to know?”

---