Page 116 of Goaltender Interference

“Ugh.” Connor rubbed a hand over his mouth. “Yeah. Honestly, I think that’s the most we’ve ever fought as a family.”

“Because he didn’t want to stay in Boston?”

“Yeah. Kelly flat-out told Boston’s GM he wouldn’t sign with them.”

“Ouch. That had to hurt the rest of you.”

Connor sighed. “It did. I get it now though, I guess. Kelly needed to go off and be his own person. And I think being gay was a big part of it, even if he wasn’t ready to come out yet.”

“Sure, that makes sense. Still …”

“Tore our dad up, that’s for sure,” Connor said. “I’m not sure Kelly even realizes how much. Dad’s not mad now. He gets it too, but he was really hurt at the time. And Finn and Pat took ithard.”

“And you?” Jesse rested a hand on Connor’s thigh.

Connor liked the warm weight of it. It made the sharp feeling at the back of his throat fade. “Yeah, hurt me too,” he admitted quietly. “It felt like he was rejecting us, not just the team.”

“Rejectingyou,” Jesse said.

Connor nodded because he wasn’t quite sure he could say it aloud without getting a little too emotional.

“So, the Racine brothers were heading to different teams but before Thad could step onto NHL—or even AHL—ice for LA, he was arrested for burglary. It sounds like there was a plea deal or something and he was convicted and put in jail for a couple of years.”

Connor whistled lowly. “Wow.”

“Yeah, wild, huh?”

“So what happened after?” Connor asked.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Jesse said slowly. “It looks like Gavin played for a couple of seasons—mostly at the AHL level for Montreal, but he got his cup of coffee in the NHL—yet never really never lived up to his potential.”

“Yeah, I kinda knew that part,” Connor admitted.

“Seems like after a couple of failed PTOs and a short stint at the ECHL level, Gavin stopped playing altogether. Sounds like he got hired as a scout, then worked his way up through the head offices in minor leagues but there really isn’t much on him until he was hired as assistant general manager for the Concord Night Hawks. And from there, eventually getting hired as GM for the Harriers.”

“Right, that all tracks with what I knew about him,” Connor said.

“Do you think maybe he kinda fizzled out because of the stuff with his brother? They don’t mention any major injuries or anything and the timing seems kinda … suspicious.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Connor said. “I guess a lot depends on how close they were.”

“True.” Jesse hummed quietly. “But like, they’re twins, right? They must’ve been close growing up.”

“True.”

“Anyway, after that, everything I find about Gavin is related to the Harriers, other than some gossipy articles about his marriage and divorce.”

“And Thad?” Connor asked.

“Honestly, there’s nothing,” Jesse said. “Not after he went to prison. A couple of articles on Gavin vaguely mention Thad but that’s about it.”

“Huh. I’m totally curious about how everything went down,” Connor admitted.

“Me too.” Jesse thwacked Connor’s chest. “Hey, you’re buddies with Gavin. You should ask him.”

“I’m not asking my GM about his brother’s robbery charges,” Connor sputtered. “No way.”

“Why not? You two seem tight.”

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