Page 17 of Keeper
“I don’t even know how.”
“You’ll find it.” He grasped the gold cross he wore around his neck in his fist. “Just follow your heart. Trust that there’s a plan and things will work out.”
I didn’t know what to say, much less how to follow my heart, and who or what to trust.
“Thanks, Coops,” I said anyway.
“Anytime, kid.”
***
In the showers, the boys discussed the agenda for the night—because after an incredible five-goal comeback, theyhadto go out.
While they argued over which clubs they had to hit up, I slipped out of the shower and dried off. I didn’t want to be a buzzkill, but I didn’t feel like I deserved to celebrate since I wasn’t part of the victory.
Wrapping a towel around my waist, I sneaked out of the locker room to call my agent back.
He answered the phone in his trademark rapid-fire talk. “TV33, my man!”
(FYI: my initials are TV and I wear number thirty-three. ‘TV33’ is more of a shorthand used by fans and media types than it is a nickname.)
“Hey, Pete. What’s up?”
“I watched your game. Ouch. Tough luck out there.”
“Yeah. It’s that kinda year for me.” With shifty eyes, I made sure no one was in earshot of my conversation and lowered my voice. “Pete, I’ve been wondering—do you think we should maybe consider signing that contract extension after all? Before things get worse?”
You’d think I’d just kicked his dog based on his stunned gasp.
“What?And pass up free agency?! No way! The Devils are cap-strapped, Tanner, they can only afford to pay you four-and-a-half million. Finish out this season, and you’ll become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Then in the offseason, every team in the league will be embroiled in a bidding war for your services. Why sign at four and a half mil, when you could be making seven, eight, maybe evenninemillion a year?”
Silently, I nodded. Of course when you looked at the raw numbers, it made perfect sense to wait. Sensing that he was winning me over, Pete continued to chip away.
“Signing an extension now, in the middle of the worst slump of your career, is the very definition of selling low. Trust me—I’ve made my clients many millions of dollars, many of whom are now enjoying very lavish retirements. Trust me when I say youhaveto ride out these slumps with an eye on the long term. There’s still plenty of time to turn things around and drive your value back up. I understand you’re feeling vulnerable, but stick to the plan. Your play will improve.”
“Okay,” I said. “You’re right.”
“Damn straight I am!” he said. “Speaking of driving your value back up—there’s a reason I wanted to talk to you after the game.”
“What’s that?”
“As you know, I’m always trying to makeyouthe most money I possibly can,” Pete said, seamlessly slipping back into his car salesman voice. “Given your slump, I had to start thinking a little outside the box to come up with new ways of boosting your value.”
“Go on …”
“You ever hear the term influencer?”
“No. What’s that?”
“Content creators on the internet. They’re called influencers because they’ve got millions of followers, and they influence pop culture trends. In layman’s terms, they’re hot girls on Instagram who like to pose with their big asses sticking outta their tight yoga pants.”
“Oh, right,” I said. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
“Okay, good. You ever heard of this girl, Marta Mansour?”
“No.”
“Really?” he asked, sounding surprised. “She’s one of the most famous ones out there. She lives in Dallas, actually.”
