Page 32 of Gross Misconduct

“I have sources. But it’s odd. Why would Jeremy or the Kodiaks have anything to do with his gambling problem?”

“The fans need someone to blame, and right now, it’s Jeremy and Lex’s wife.”

Since I’d already had the last twelve or so hours to think about this, I’d formulated a plan. “We ignore it. It has nothing to do with us, and that’s how we should position ourselves.”

Dave didn’t look thrilled and started slowly pacing my office, so I argued my position further.

“If we give this legs, the story continues. If we ignore it, maybe—and it’s a big maybe—say that it’s ridiculous to blame Jeremy and the Kodiaks, the whole thing should go away. Zane and Whitney have some contacts with the media and some sports pundits who are going to say it’s irresponsible to blame any of the Kodiaks. But if we go guns blazing, people will think there is something there, and as far as I know, Jeremy hasn’t spoken to Orla since the video came out. If Lex has problems betting on games, then he needs to sort himself out. He is not going to bring the Kodiaks down with him.”

“All right. At least you have this covered.”

“It’s part of my job. We’re not letting Lex’s problems become Kodiak’s problems.”

Dave tapped his fingers against his thigh. “One more thing. The Kodiaks are in Vegas on the weekend. The game just happens to be broadcast nationwide.”

I knew where he was going with this. “I’m on it too. We have contacts with the intermission roundtable commentators. We’ll make sure at least two of them are on Jeremy’s side. In fact, they all should be. The focus should be on helping Lex, not on assessing theoretical blame.”

Dave nodded as he thought about this. “You know, when Clay hired you, I was skeptical. You’re young. A lot younger than your predecessor, but Clay had confidence in you. I can admit when I’m wrong. Okay, keep me updated on this.”

My cheeks warmed at the compliment. He’d always beenpleasant and professional, so I was a bit surprised to learn that he’d had doubts about me. I guess being a GM, he had to keep on his poker face.

He left, and I called Zane and Whitney in. We had a lot of work to do. By the end of the day, and after hours of calls and emails, including some Thai takeout, we had contacted three of the four commentators to discuss the situation. Three agreed that Jeremy had nothing to do with it, but one was still on the fence and seemed to want to cast a little blame Jeremy’s way. Well, two out of three wasn’t bad.

The three of us tackled the in-town sports reporters to gauge where they stood. All of them thought it had nothing to do with Jeremy or the Kodiaks, but a few dug a little deeper and wanted to know if anyone knew about Lex’s gambling problems. Of course we told them not to our knowledge. How could we possibly say that everyone knew?

By mid-afternoon, sports reporters from all over were weighing in. Easily three-quarters blamed Lex for his own actions, but the last quarter wanted to be sensational. No surprise there that they questioned if Orla and Jeremy had something to do with it. That somehow their fling had driven Lex to gamble. As preposterous as it was, that meant it was time to up our game. When Jeremy got back from his week-long road trip, we’d have to do something that would prove we were a couple. It couldn’t be massively over the top, but it had to be convincing. I had less than a week to figure that out.

Tangi’s parents were in town for two weeks, so she had a break. We decided to hang out on my balcony after work and enjoy a mild evening. The Kodiaks had left that afternoon for their road trip while I’d been doing damage control. I recruitedTangi to help me come up with some ideas to convince everyone that Jeremy was over Orla. That there was no continued relationship—since that had been the speculation—when the story broke just after lunch.

“It galls me that Lex is the victim. His Jezebel wife and evil ex-teammate are the reason he can’t stop gambling on hockey games. Does that even make sense?” I said as I cranked up the heating lamp I’d bought for the balcony. It meant being able to spend more time outside.

“I think it’s gross. When did he suddenly become unaccountable for his actions?” Tangi said, sipping some peppermint tea. Every once in a while, the scent wafted my way.

“And this story is just getting started,” I said, grabbing my steaming cup of coffee. “It’s like the worst possible soap opera starring Jeremy and the Kodiaks. I spent the entire day with my team pleading Jeremy’s case when I shouldn’t have had to.”

“It’s unfair. I get it,” Tangi said, blowing on her tea.

“That’s why I need you. I tried to get Wolseley in on this, but she’s at the restaurant until late for some kind of dinner party. Two heads are better than my exhausted one, so I need your help.”

“What’s the plan?”

I sat on my fluffy outdoor chair and pulled my legs underneath me. I tapped on the side of my mug as a million thoughts trailed through my head. The whole day had made my head mush. “I need to convince people once and for all that me and Jeremy are a couple.”

“If Wolseley were here, she’d tell you to get engaged.”

I shook my head. “Thought of that. Too sudden.” And I had thought of it. It would definitely be a drastic move, but would people believe it? We’d only been dating a month or so. Nope, I’d dismissed it pretty quickly. “I thought of moving intogether, but I’m not sure it’s strategic enough. How would people even know?”

“You could go away for a few days,” Tangi said. “Up to Whistler. Make sure people see you.”

“But is that enough?”

Tangi’s face lit up. “There is a charity fashion show next month. Tons of pictures will be taken. You have to be on Jeremy’s arm for that.”

“I love the idea, but it’s too far away. I need something to happen a little sooner.”

Silence hung between us for what felt like hours. I couldn’t think of a single thing I could do in the short term that would make a splash.

“What do people love a lot? Other than the Kodiaks? What are they passionate about? It has to be something like that.”

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