Page 25 of The Ex Puck Bunny
His lips ripple with a smile. “Right. We’re on a trial period. Building trust.”
I nod because even though being an NHL player was my lifelong dream, it’s not more important than the man I am. “I didn’t lie, so much as not reveal the entire truth. I accept it if you want to tough-love me into shape and I appreciate the second chance.”
“And I value your integrity.”
“Thank you, sir.”
His brow ripples as if realizing something. “You seem like a rare breed, Federer.”
I reluctantly say, “Cobbiton born and raised, so not that much different than yourself.”
“I hope so,” he mutters as if that remains to be seen.
“Thank you for the chance, sir.” I leave off the rest of the sentence, but it’s implied—to prove that he made the right choice in picking me up for the team.
He says, “Thanks for meeting with me. I’ll see you at practice. My assistant will get you situated with gear, a locker, and whatever else you need.”
“Again, thank you.”
I have my hand on the door and am about to leave. Relief sweeps through me.
Then Badaszek calls, “One more thing. The rumors about our organization being family-friendly are true. Despite what may or may not have happened concerning your suspension, I want you to clean up your reputation a bit. Arsenault will fill you in with those details, too.”
The sly smile he wears makes me think that I’m not going to like that part.
When I exit, I realize he means Cara Arsenault, his assistant.
She smiles and says, “Everything go well?”
I tip my head to the side. “I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
“I’d tell you that deep down he’s a big softie, but that’s not true. At least not while in this building.” She jiggles the mouse on her computer. “Helen, the previous assistant, had a system for everything but had not graduated to the digital age. I’ve been shifting everything over to the modern era.”
She passes me a piece of paper with some of my personal info.
“Scan the QR code at the top of that sheet, download the app, and everything else will be at your fingertips.”
Staying put, I try to download the app.
“Any questions?” she asks.
“IsI’m technologically challengeda question?”
She chuckles. “You and Hammer, huh? The anti-app guys. I think we’re going to have to do a class on this stuff. It’s really basic.” She takes my phone and swipes a few times then shows me an app that has the Knights logo on it.
“Cool. Thanks.”
“One more thing. Dadaszek said you’re our online activities chronicler pro temp.”
“I don’t know what you just said.”
“Our social media manager ad interim.”
I shake my head. “Still not computing. Translation, please.”
She clicks away on her computer and then looks up at me. “He wants you to have a Comeback Campaign. See, I planned on doing the team social media management, but Helen’s workload on top of the aforementioned digitization, resulted in me needing to delegate. Dad thought you’d be the perfect guy for the job, plus, it would give you an opportunity to show fans the newest face of the Knights.” She lowers her voice. “Also, he has this thing about players learning humility—kind of like a Knights rite of passage.”
My eyes must be as wide as saucers.
