Chapter 21 #2
I nodded, my heart in my throat. I’d played for the Chaos for almost a decade, and though we’d never progressed into the championship playoffs, I’d done my best. I’d worked hard to get to where I was, and I hated the thought that I might lose it because of a piece of shit pap who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“We do,” Gus agreed. “Thank you so much for agreeing to see us. Austin has expressed his deepest regret for what happened and we’re eager to make things right.
I know that your media relations staff have no doubt been hard at work, but I’ve also been working on possible approaches to head off the worst of the backlash the photograph might cause. ”
“Thank you.” Trent clasped his hands together and leaned slightly toward us. “We’ll get to that in a moment. First, I want to let you know that I’m sorry this happened.”
Wait, what?
I stared at him, uncomprehending.
“We’re committed to finding out who was behind that photograph so we can make sure they aren’t in a position to do it to someone else.” He sighed and ran a hand through the short ends of his hair. “I have a daughter Jane’s age, so I know how upsetting an experience like this could be.”
I exchanged a glance with Gus, pleasantly surprised that he hadn’t chewed me out for besmirching his team’s reputation. Perhaps this wouldn’t be as bad as I’d feared. “I appreciate that.”
He nodded. “That said, we can’t simply pretend it didn’t happen. It did, and it threatens the hard work that dozens of people have put into creating a new narrative for the Chaos.”
My stomach sank. Here it came. The part where they fired me as captain and potentially even scratched me from a few games. I didn’t think they’d trade me, but it was impossible to know that for certain.
“I’m really sorry.” I made sure to meet their eyes even though shame burned in the pit of my gut. I’d failed everyone. Them, Jane, myself. “We got carried away, and it never should have happened. We didn’t realize anyone was there, but that doesn’t excuse us. We should have been more careful.”
“Yes,” Trent agreed. “You should have. You set the example for this team, and so far, we’ve been impressed with your influence on them, but this is a major setback.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” Gus said, cutting in smoothly.
“We can put an angle on this to emphasize the importance of respecting privacy and the fact that photographing someone like this without their consent—when it causes harm and when they were somewhere that had a reasonable expectation of privacy—is illegal.”
“They were at a camp,” Robertson said, looking unimpressed.
“On privately owned land, where everyone legally allowed to be present had signed a waiver promising not to do this exact type of thing,” Gus countered, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward.
“Obviously the situation isn’t ideal, but Austin and Jane believed they were alone, and legally, this should have been impossible.
The photographer obviously trespassed, and because of that, this can’t be considered as it might be if it had happened in, say, a public park. ”
Was this Gus’s third idea?
I glanced at Robertson and Trent, who were both listening intently. They hadn’t dismissed the prospect outright, so perhaps they were considering it. Maybe this would be okay.
Trent inclined his head. “We’re already investigating who tipped off the photographer because you’re right, they shouldn’t have been there.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable for us to expect our team captain to keep his pants on except when he’s in the privacy of a hotel room or his own home, though. ”
I winced because Trent wasn’t wrong. Having sex where anyone could stumble across us was risky, and I should have whisked Jane back to our room as soon as things began to move in that direction.
“We understand that.” Gus steepled his fingers and studied them coolly.
“And Austin gives his word that he will restrict any sexual activities to private indoor locations from now on. He’s willing to sign a binding legal agreement to that effect that will last as long as his contract with the Chaos does. ”
Robertson typed something into his phone and checked his watch. Did the man always behave as if he had somewhere more important to be?
“What else?” Trent asked, his expression considering. “If we’re to keep Austin on in his current capacity, we’d need a concrete plan of action to mitigate the P.R. damage.”
My heart sped up, and I sat even straighter. “Does that mean you aren’t removing me as captain?”
“That depends on you.” Trent motioned for Gus to keep talking.
“My team is already having the photo taken down,” Gus said, speaking calmly and clearly, as if my career didn’t rest in his hands.
“We’ll begin a counter campaign on social media, lashing back against those who think it’s okay to infringe on people’s privacy this way and emphasizing Austin’s new position as part of a deeply committed couple within the respectable and beloved Wright family. ”
My ribcage tightened, and I opened my mouth to protest, but Gus shot me a look and I clamped it shut.
“Keep talking,” Robertson prompted.
“Austin will participate in a fundraiser for a charity supporting online privacy,” Gus continued in a rush.
“We haven’t decided which one yet, but we’re open to suggestions.
Perhaps we could arrange for Jane’s parents—maybe even her brother—to attend too.
Think of what an impact it would make to have the entire Wright clan standing beside them and supporting the cause. ”
Trent placed his hands palms-down on the table.
“The Wright brothers were universally adored by fans. Being associated with them could only be beneficial for us. It isn’t enough to just do the fundraiser and a social media response without addressing the matter head-on, though.
We want Austin and Jane to participate in a controlled interview with a reporter of our choosing. ”
“Done,” Gus said. “If you give me access to the questions in advance, I’ll prepare responses for Austin that emphasize his impeccable reputation until now and the flawless legacy of the Wright brothers.”
“I’ll arrange the time and place and send you the list of questions,” Stephen said.
“Wait,” I said, but Gus spoke over me, thanking them both for their time and for being so reasonable.
“I—”
“We don’t want to see you in the stadium until the rest of the team returns from their trip,” Trent said, as if I hadn’t opened my mouth. “And we absolutely don’t want to see you making any more headlines, understand?”
“Yes, sir. But—”
Gus kicked me under the table, hard, then grabbed the back of my shirt and dragged me to the door. “Do you have any idea how lucky you just got?” he murmured as it clicked shut behind him.
“Why didn’t you let me talk?” I hissed. “Jane is incredibly upset about having her privacy violated. She won’t want to do an interview.”
Even under the best of circumstances, I couldn’t imagine she’d want to participate in an interview that would be aired all over the country.
Gus urged me along beside him, putting distance between us and Trent’s office. “If you hadn’t agreed, there’s no saying how they’d have reacted.”
“I didn’t agree! I couldn’t. Not without discussing the matter with Jane.”
He stopped and turned to me at the top of the stairs.
“You worked hard to get into the NHL and even harder to become captain. You’ve sacrificed a lot.
If you refuse the interview, you might as well throw it all away.
They may have phrased it as a request, but you can’t say no.
You have to do that interview, and you’ve got to convince Jane to do it too. ”
With him being so uncharacteristically serious, I knew he meant it.
But how was I supposed to ask that of her when I knew how much she’d struggle?
And how could I suggest using her family connections to make things easier for myself when I’d promised that my interest in her had nothing to do with them?