Page 113 of Cold Feet
"That's between Lana and me," Cam answered, his eyes never leaving mine across the room. "Our relationship plans are our business. But what I will say is that Lana Decker is the most professional, ethical person in this organization. She deserves better than to be dragged through the mud for doing her job and helping a player who asked for it."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. Couldn't process that Cam was potentially setting fire to his own career to protect mine.
After a few more questions, Cam ended the call. The room fell silent.
"Well," Ryan Keller finally said, "that was either incredibly noble or incredibly stupid. Possibly both."
"It was the right thing to do," Cam replied simply.
"Thank you," I said gratefully, my eyes holding his a beat longer than I should have. "We'll schedule a formal press conference for Monday at 9 am," I said. "That gives us the weekend to track down the source and prepare our messaging."
"Monday?" Ryan protested. "The story will be completely out of control by then!"
"If we rush out half-cocked, we'll only make it worse," I countered. "Trust me on this. It's literally my job. We're playing Saturday in Boston, the team is traveling Friday and Sunday, so that gives us cover -- we're focusing on winning games, etc."
"Lana's right," Marcus affirmed, surprising me with his immediate support.
I nodded my thanks in his direction, "Going forward, no impromptu interviews. We are the Slashers and we do not employ a 'ready, fire, aim' approach to media communications. We make a plan and execute it."
"This looks good, Lana," Marcus said, pushing my tablet to Sully for review. "Coach, you want to take a look?"
Before he could respond, Marcus's phone rang. He answered, listened for a moment, then put it on speaker.
"You're on with the Slashers management team," he said.
"This is David Hughes, GM of the Montreal Canadiennes," came the response. "I'm calling about the trade discussions for Cam Murphy."
The room tensed. This was it. Montreal was pulling out. Everything was falling apart. Shit.
"In light ofrecent events," Hughes continued, "we wanted to express our continued interest in bringing Cam to Montreal. Any player with the integrity to stand up for a colleague the way he just did with Josh Winters is exactly the kind of leader we want in our organization."
My eyes widened. Well, that was... unexpected.
"We'd like to move forward with discussions as planned," Hughes finished. "Our offer stands."
After the call ended, Coach Sully stood up. "I'm scheduling a press conference for this afternoon," he announced. "Just a brief statement of support from the organization. Nothing detailed. We'll save that for Monday."
"Sully," I began, "maybe we should – "
"No," he cut me off, his expression determined. "We're not letting you swing in the wind, Lana. You're part of this team too." I nodded my head in thanks, speechless.
“Agreed,” said Marcus.
Two hours later, I stood off to the side as Coach Sully addressed a small group of local media. Cameras flashed as reporters shouted questions, the atmosphere electric with scandal.
"The St. Petersburg Slashers organization stands firmly behind both Cam Murphy and Lana Decker," Sully stated, his gravelly voice commanding respect. "Ms. Decker has served this organization with distinction for ten years. Her integrity is beyond question."
He continued, his measured tone belying the anger I knew he felt. "We are investigating the source of confidential information that was shared without authorization, and we're gearing up to play in Boston on Saturday night. That is all we will say at this time, pending a full press conference on Monday morning at 9 am."
As the short press conference ended, I remained in the shadows, overwhelmed by the unexpected defense. I'd spent so long feeling like I had to prove I belonged in hockey, in this organization. And here they were, standing up for me when I needed it most.
By late afternoon, the tide was beginning to turn – at least partially. Clips of Josh Winters' podcast with Cam's statement were all over social media. Winters had written a story centered around Cam’s statement, presenting a more balanced view than earlier reporting. Sports commentators were divided: some praising Cam's integrity, others continuing to question everyone involved in the "deception."
Redline Athletics issued a terse statement that they were "reevaluating the partnership in light of recent developments" but had made no final decisions.
In other words: stilla complete disaster, just a slightly more nuanced one.
I spent the rest of the day in my office, drafting statements, fielding calls from friendly media contacts, and trying to salvage what I could of the situation. By seven p.m., I was emotionally and physically exhausted, staring blankly at my computer screen.
