Page 40 of Cross-Checked

“I’ll talk to him. But you saw what happened last time. I don’t know what his deal is,” I admit. “His agent is making outrageous demands?—”

“Which we’re not agreeing to.”

“I know. And McCabe knows what our salary cap is. I don’t know why he’s getting greedy all of a sudden, but I wonder if his refusal to speak out about this at the press conference is because he’s pissed about the negotiations breaking down?” It’s incredibly frustrating that I can’t just talk to him about this directly, but management can only discuss contracts with the player’s agent, not the players themselves. “He’s acting like he has one foot out the door already.”

“Well, as long as he plays for us, he needs to act like a Rebel. I wish he’d said something before his daughter took a tumble and you got hurt, because now his statement will look reactive, like he only caresnowbecause his daughter was involved.”

Frank’s right, but maybe emphasizing that bystanders were hurt will be even more effective?

“I’ll talk to him t—” There’s a split second where I realize I’m about to saytonight, and I consider being honest with Frank about the fact that I’m staying with McCabe. But as much as he’s like a father to me, there’s only one outcome that couldresult from telling him—he’d remind me how inappropriate the situation is, and that given my position and this award nomination, I’m already under a microscope. Both of which I already fully understand. Besides, tonight’s the last night I’m staying with him, because tomorrow we’re on the road. So there’s no reason to say anything. “—tomorrow before the flight.”

“Let me know what he says. And if you need to drop my name in there to get him to cooperate, you can.”

“I won’t. He’s going to do this because it’s the right thing to do, not because I had to bring in the big guns to get him to comply.”

“Youare the big guns, AJ,” Frank says with a laugh.

“Yeah, butyouwrite their paychecks.”

He gives me a quick chuckle before he returns to that concerned look he had a few minutes ago. “And you’re sure you’re okay to travel with the team tomorrow? No one is going to question it if you stay home.”

I stand, hoping that I can relieve some of the pressure on my right hip and stop my back from knotting up. I wasn’t bruised when I looked this morning, but I’m afraid of what my body might look like now. Plus, I need this meeting to end because McCabe texted to tell me he was picking me up at six, and not to be late. The painkillers and my injury mean I can’t drive myself, but when I tried to tell him I’d just book myself a ride home, he was having none of it. Now, I’ve got less than five minutes to get down to the parking garage. Hopefully, everyone else has left for the day and no one sees me leaving in his car.

“I’ll be on the plane,” I tell him with a nod. “I’m fine.”

“You keep saying that,” Frank says, “and somehow, I still don’t believe you.”

“Ididn’t really picture you as such a good cook,” I tell McCabe as I blot some of the pasta sauce I can feel coating my lips with my napkin. I don’t normally eat this late, but McCabe whipped this up after Abby went to bed, and it smelled so good, I agreed to have some. The sandwich I’d had in the late afternoon before my meeting with Frank didn’t exactly feel like it was going to tide me over for the night.

His eyes flick up from his plate, and his lips quirk at one corner in that goddamn smirk that does things to me I wish it didn’t. “Oh yeah, so howdidyou picture me, then?”

“I guess I just assumed you probably ordered out more than you cooked.”

“You sound like you’ve given this some thought?” One eyebrow lifts, like he’s trying to get me to admit that I spend a lot of my time thinking about him. Which is not the case, at all.

Or at least, it wasn’t until the other day in my office. Now I feel like I keep reliving that moment over and over, and it’s doing funny things to my body, my mind, and my moral compass.

Unethical.That word bounces around in my head, even though I know there’s nothing in my contract about being involved with a player. It’s probably not something anyone would have thought necessary with a male GM. Though, let’s face it, that shouldn’t be off the table either.

Regardless of what my contract says, I’m still his boss. The power dynamic is still there, even more so due to the new contract we’re trying to work out.No onewould look at what happened in that office and think it was okay. Not even me.

“The only time I spend thinking about you is when I’m trying to figure out why you’re so obstinate.”

“Ohhh, pulling out the big words now, aren’t we, Sunshine?”

My laugh escapes like a snort. “Sunshine? What the fuck, McCabe? I may not be as grumpy as you are, but no one has ever accused me of having a sunny disposition.” I’m far too much of a realist for that.

“Nah, I think it fits. You don’t know what this organization was like before you became GM.” He tears off a piece of his bread and uses it to mop up some of the pasta sauce on his mostly empty plate. “It’s like you brought the light with you.”

“That’s...” I lick my lips as I think about what he means, my chest warm and tingly. “...oddly sweet.”

He shrugs and reaches for his water glass. “Just telling it like it is.”

Releasing a breath, I try to change the subject. “In any event, back to you being obstinate?—”

He rolls his eyes. “Of course. You can’t just let me distract you with a compliment?”

“Not gonna happen, McCabe. You had the opportunity to say something at that press conference about the fans leaving the fighting to the professionals on the ice, and you didn’t. In fact, you said it was not your place to have an opinion on that. So now that I was injured and your daughter was almost hurt as well, what’s your plan?”

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