Chapter Fifteen
Sean
“Like I said, this has nothing to do with your performance; it’s the opposite, actually.
You’re a household name with proven stats, you’re well-liked amongst your teammates, have huge brand sponsorships, multiple individual awards, the works.
..” Someone asks him something in the background, and he quietly responds.
It’s probably his assistant, he has a few, as he’s busy twenty-four-seven most days, it seems. “The change is coming from the team itself. The Pines are in serious financial trouble. I don’t have the exact details at the moment, but they’re having to put up their biggest, most expensive players for trade, in hopes they can recoup funds in contract buy-outs and not go bankrupt. ”
“Wow.” My eyes spring open in surprise at the news, and I glance out at the trees surrounding the place.
Being secluded like this makes it feel like I’m not on the farm at all anymore, but somewhere peaceful and untouched.
The team going bankrupt and needing to sell off contracts is literally the last thing I was expecting him to say.
Maybe being out here for a night is what I need to help cut out some of the noise that this scandal will surely bring.
If I were in New York right now, I wouldn’t be able to leave my apartment because the media and paparazzi would be camped out front, waiting to bombard me.
They’d try to force a comment out of me, no matter how ruthlessly they had to pursue it, and that’s something I don’t want to have to deal with.
“I know. The announcement is all over the media at the moment, but I’m guessing if you’re snowed in at a cabin somewhere, then you wouldn’t be watching what I am right now.”
“No, I haven’t seen anything. So, they’re trading me.” I say the words out loud, the news sitting like a lead weight in my gut.
I’ve been under contract with the Pines pretty much since I was just a reckless kid, taking more hits than was good for me.
They’d signed me off the junior league that I was playing for at the time, from a few towns over.
I’d started in that league when I was fifteen, and played for a couple of years while making some career-long connections and learning a lot, then came the Pines contract.
At the time, I had already been planning on playing college ice hockey as soon as I graduated, and had three years of Juniors under my belt.
Several universities had reached out at that point, offering me full-ride scholarships from a young age, when the Pines call came through.
They wanted me badly enough to agree to sign me on a conditional contract.
The owner of the Pines had two main conditions: the first being that after two years of my playing for the college team, I would officially leave it behind for the NHL.
He believed I could gain some valuable skills in my playing time, while also having a little more time to mature before being hit with the responsibilities of the pros.
The second condition was that my contract was only valid if I didn’t sustain any career-altering injuries that would ultimately affect how I performed for the team.
It was a gamble, but I was young and went all in.
I attended my two years in person at the university before moving to New York, as agreed.
After that, in order for me to get my actual degree, I had to finish my classes online.
It was tough, but I followed it through, knowing it was my mother’s wish for me to have more education under my belt.
My entire professional career has been with one team only, and it hasn’t escaped me how lucky I’ve been to have a franchise believe in my athletic ability so strongly from a young age to keep me with their team for so long. With a sigh, I ask, “What’s the next move? Where do we go from here?”
“I’m going to keep working things on my end. My phone has been ringing off the hook all day with teams wanting to take over your contract, so you’ll fall on your feet. I have no doubts.”
Relief instantly hits me, and it’s in this moment, I know I’m not ready to retire. At least not until I work through my full contract length. I’ve been fortunate to stay as healthy as I have, so that I can still think ahead to playing professional hockey in general.
On the other side of the coin, my being traded could put an end to any chance I may possibly have with Winter.
I could be traded to Canada or Florida, or anywhere else across the country, and not be able to fly home so often.
Depending on how well that team does, I could go months without really seeing her.
The Cup is the ultimate goal in hockey, always, but will she still be waiting for me when the season is finally over?
Winter isn’t like me; she isn’t meant to be away from her family for long periods of time, and she’d be miserable if she were.
“Which teams?”
“I have nine interests for you to review, and it hasn’t been a full day yet.
The Pines agreed they are willing to work with the players being traded, so you all can go to whatever team you want.
Of course, that condition is only valid if the other teams expressing interest have high enough offers on the board for you all.
The GM is a complete wreck over this. He finally has his dream team, and now he’s having to watch you all be traded off. ”
“I can imagine, Jim’s a good guy. Okay, how much time do I have before everything happens?”
“Forty-eight hours from the teams submitted offers, but I’ll get a hold of everyone who has contacted me so far. I’ll let them know you’re in the middle of a snowstorm, to see if they will extend their offer times.”
My shoulders relax a touch at hearing he already has a plan, but I should expect nothing less.
He’s paid well to keep my career together, and so far, he’s done a great job at it.
“Good. I want to review the terms and teams closest to home first. If I can no longer train at the Blizzards’ arena during the season, I want to at least be able to squeeze in a few flights home whenever possible. ”
“I got it. I’ll contact everyone and let them know what’s going on in case they try to reach out to you directly. I’ll have my assistant put the list together, and we’ll add to it if anyone else submits an offer. Are you open to negotiating a new contract at all?”
I release a heavy sigh. I thought I wasn’t going to have to worry about this again for a couple of years.
Contract negotiations can be very stressful, especially when you want to go somewhere specific and are aware of your worth as a player in the league.
“I’d prefer to keep the terms we already negotiated for. ”
“I understand that, but if they want to offer an extension and more money, are you willing to hear the teams out?”
“Yes, of course. Email me the info and I’ll read through it as soon as I can.”
“This is important, Spruce. As soon as the snow lets up enough, get home to check your inbox so you don’t end up on a team you’re not happy with.
The Pines need cheaper players to fill slots and cash to pay bills, so they’ll be making moves as soon as possible.
I don’t think they’ll be as patient as the interested teams will be. ”
“I understand. Thanks for taking care of it.”
“You bet, buddy. Stay safe, and let me know if I need to send in a helicopter to pick you up. In the meantime, try to take advantage of the snowstorm and get some rest in since you’re not playing your next game.
Ice your knees and ankles. Oh, and those ribs where you took that hard hit.
I’m sure the new team you end up on will want you there immediately, and will be expecting you to be game day ready. ”
“Alright. I’ll talk to you soon,” I answer and hang up once he says his goodbye.
I tuck my phone away and leave from my spot under the tree where I seem to get the best signal strength.
I should go back inside, but instead I sit on the small porch, staring off into nothing.
The cold sinks through my pants underneath me, but I’m thinking too hard at the moment to truly feel it.
All in a day, I went from worrying about a storm and kissing Winter, to stressing over my career and wondering if I’ll even be around here enough to have the future I was starting to dream of.
I rake my hands through my hair, tugging on the ends as I try to come up with some sort of an answer.
The unknown is nerve-wracking when you thought you finally had things figured out and a plan in motion.
Life can change at the drop of a hat, and knowing I may miss my chance with Winter all over again because of this has me feeling a bit defeated inside.
I should tell her what’s happening, be upfront with everything, and the changes that I could be facing.
However, if I say something, and she puts her walls up all over again, I’ll be heartbroken.
Asking her to come with me wherever I may end up is out of the question right now.
I won’t put that sort of pressure on her when she already has enough to deal with at the farm.
My back-and-forth thoughts are interrupted by the cabin’s front door being opened behind me.
The creak from the rusty hinges being frozen while Winter gives it a decent tug is hard to miss.
I should see if there’s some WD-40 or grease around here to fix that before I leave.
“Hey,” her soft voice calls. “You okay out here? It’s freezing.
” I’m quiet for a moment before she says, “Sean, you’re shaking. Please come in and warm up.”
I nod and stand, then brush the snow off my clothes. Turning to her, I meet her concerned stare. “Yeah, you’re right. I was just getting too cold.”
“You were outside for a while, and I started to get a little worried. You’re not in trouble for missing practice or something, right?” She asks as I follow her back into the cabin, closing the door behind us.
The warmth hits me, and I’m glad to find it’s no longer cold, so she can relax.
She has her boots off now, her thick wool socks on display.
They remind me of a knitted Christmas sweater, and I don’t know why I find them so cute.
Maybe because they’re on Winter’s feet, and I seem to think everything about her is either adorable or beautiful.
I take the dark green, speckled mug she offers, the heat from it instantly warming my hands. The steamy scent drifts up to my nose, and I remember she said she’d found some hot chocolate earlier to make us. “This smells delicious.”
“It’s so good,” she agrees with a small smile and refills her mug. She adds a candy cane to her cup and then hands me one for mine.
I can’t remember the last time I had an actual candy cane.
I suck on the red and white stick for a beat, the intensely sweet peppermint flavor exploding over my tongue.
It’s the best way to drink hot cocoa, and one thing Winter and I have always agreed on.
I follow her to the couch and sit beside her.
She plops down in the corner, shifting her body so she’s facing me, and I automatically pull her feet onto my lap. Her brows go up at my move, but she doesn’t mention anything about it. “So your agent called?” She asks, no doubt noticing how quiet I’m being.
I’m not a huge talker anyhow, but when I’m thinking hard over something, I’ve been known to be the silent type.
I nod, not wanting to come off as rude, but I’m also not ready to tell her what Spencer said and possibly ruin the moment.
I go for a subject change. “I hope you weren’t too upset with me having your car delivered.
You haven’t brought it up, which I figured you would’ve. ”
“Thanks for reminding me. Imagine my surprise when a tow truck came down the driveway, and Doug, who we went to school with, had my car attached to the back.”
“A good surprise?”
“I mean, I didn’t have to venture out in a tractor with no heat, having absolutely no idea how to get my car back. Aside from the bright idea of attaching a chain to some random part of the vehicle and then praying that when I pulled the car, it didn’t completely fall apart. So, yeah, it was good.”
I’m mentally patting myself on the back while sipping my hot chocolate.
With my free hand, I lightly massage her feet, pulling her little toes until the knuckle pops, and it makes her giggle.
She’s ticklish on her feet, that much I remember from before.
“I was wondering if Doug would fess up about who hired him.” And, it looks like I was right about him not being able to keep it a secret.
“Yeah. The secret Santa was a bold move on your part,” she comments dryly.
I quietly chuckle at the look she sends me. The one with her brows raised and her lips pursed into a smirk. I’m about to apologize, trying to think of the best thing to say when she shoots me a mock glare, making me keep my mouth shut for the moment.
“I especially liked how you pocketed my keys without asking, and distracted me with a cappuccino. Speaking of, were you up to something earlier when you brought drinks? Maybe I should be keeping my eye on you.”
I groan, dropping my head back to glance at the ceiling. It makes her laugh, which I kinda adore. It’s the sweetest sound, and I’d love nothing more than to hear it all the time. “Uh-oh, should I have kept quiet?”
She shakes her head as she shifts her foot to push against my leg.
I begin to rub her foot again, taking the hint.
I got distracted and quit moving my hand, but obviously, she’s paying closer attention than I am since she noticed right away.
“No, I’m glad you did. Dad was impressed, I’ll say that much. ”
“Yeah, but…were you?”
The playful sparkle in her gaze tells me she wants to give me some more grief over it, and so help me, my lips tip into a smirk. She’s spicy, and boy, do I enjoy every minute of it.