Page 124 of Conrad

No, if she listened to her manager and cared at all about social media, Penny would give him a public goodbye, sell his jersey on eBay, and start showing up at Timberwolves games.

Except he sort of thought she didn’t care. Hoped, really.

Now he stood in the hallway outside the courtroom with Jack and West and his father—that had been a nice surprise this morning—listening to West’s instructions.

He liked West in person as much as he’d liked him on Zoom. Smart. Had been Jack’s roomie in law school. Too bad he lived in Iowa. Conrad would have had to find another attorney if this thing had gone to trial.

Thank You, Lord.

“There’s a mob of press outside. You should probably be aware of the statement EmPowerPlay has issued.” West held up his phone. “‘EmPowerPlay is committed to promoting sportsmanship, integrity, and community values. We are aware of the incident involving Conrad Kingston and are deeply concerned by the actions reported. While we believe in the principle of innocent until proven guilty, we must also ensure that all of our coaches uphold our standards. At this time, we have suspended Conrad as a coach and do not condone any behavior that detracts from the respectful culture we strive to uphold.’”

“Nice support,” Jack said. “Sheesh.”

“At least it wasn’t from the Blue Ox,” West said. “Keep your statement simple, Conrad.” West wore a black wool coat, black pants, glasses, and a Gatsby cap, his hair longer around the ears. “Just say that you love your fans and that you hope this misunderstanding will be cleared up in the near future. And that you wish everyone well. Then thank them, wave, and walk away.”

Conrad sighed, glanced at his father, who wore a pinched expression, his eyes saying what Conrad felt—here they went again.

“Or you could say nothing,” Jack said. “Just wave and walk away.”

“The fans will want a statement,” said West.

“They’re going to trade me anyway. Especially if I don’t make it to practice.” Conrad had secured his watch and now glanced at it. “I have two hours.”

“Time enough for breakfast at the house,” his father said, clamping him on the shoulder.Sheesh,the man acted as if this might be akin to car trouble trapping him in town instead of the reliving of his worst nightmare.

At least this time no one had lost a leg.

He blew out a breath. “Okay, let’s go.”

West and Jack moved toward the door, but his father caught his arm. The man wore his canvas-and-flannel work coat, a wool hat. A working man, salt of the earth, the kind of man who earned respect.

“Don’t let Satan use this to lie to you. You’re not the reckless boy of the past, Conrad. You’re a man who got caught up in something.”

“I didn’t think. I just followed my impulses, and someone got hurt, again.”

His father nodded. “So you leave it with God. Humble yourself. The Lord is near to those who call on Him. He hears their cry and saves them. You don’t need to fight this battle.”

Conrad nodded, wanting the words to seep inside, nourish him, but a chill had found his bones, his cells.

He’d felt like he’d walked away from justice last time, really, had gone on to have a glorious career he didn’t deserve. Maybe justice had finally caught up.

The chilly air burned his nose, caught his breath as he stepped outside into the sunshine. A blue-skied day, the sun burning over the treetops, and on the sidewalk below the steps of the court building stood more press than Duck Lake had probably ever seen.

Even after the terrible tornado that had nearly swept them off the map. But it wasn’t every day that a storm like Conrad Kingston swept into town for a second time.

“Conrad, can you tell us what led to the altercation at the ice rink last night?”

He opened his mouth, but another reporter peppered him.

“Were you acting in self-defense, or was there provocation on your part?”

“Um—”

“How do you respond to EmPowerPlay’s statement that they do not condone such behavior? Are you still affiliated with the team?”

“The Blue Ox? Of course I am.”

“Do you believe this incident will impact your career in the long term? How do you plan to address your fans and sponsors?”

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