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Lily calls into Jack’s office when we approach her desk. “Mr. Dalton, I have Coach Nash and his brother Asher here to see you.”
“Send them in,” he says back, and I open the door to let myself in. He’s tapping away at his computer, and he glances up at us once we’re seated in front of him. “What can I do for you?”
I glance at Asher, who’s gone pale, and then I say, “Asher has something to share with you.”
Jack shifts his expectant gaze to my brother. “Asher?”
He clears his throat, his eyes trained on the ground, and then he finally looks up at Jack. He clears his throat. “I bet on our first two preseason games.”
“You what?” Jack roars.
“We won, so I doubled down, and then we lost. I got myself into some trouble and owed these guys a lot of money. I went to Lincoln for help, and he convinced me the right thing to do was to come clean. I’m ashamed of what I’ve done.” His voice is low as he says words that protect me in all of this, and I’m transported back to when I was a teenager who had to break up with the girl I loved and he was just a young kid in second or third grade.
I spent a lot of time in my room back then, and at the particular time I’m recalling, it was because I was devastated over what my father had done to me, to Jolene, to Joseph. I remember crying over it—one of the few times I’ve allowed myself to shed tears in my life—and I heard a quiet knock at the door.
It was Asher, and he was checking to see if I was okay. He was just a kid, but he knew something big was going down.
I remember telling him he could come into my room, and I remember telling him that our father had done something bad.
I’m not sure why that memory pops up now of all times, but I remember the look on Asher’s face like he’d just lost his hero.
I felt the divide between us after that. He didn’t trust me. He thought I was the one who’d done something bad, and I ended up letting him think that as a way to protect him. He had another decade under my father’s roof while I was about to bust out.
He couldn’t see our father for who he was, and I couldn’t tell my brother what he’d done to prove my words true…so I let him believe what he needed to believe.
I always figured the divide came because I left after that. I went to college, and I separated myself from my family. The biggest age gap in the family is between Asher and me at nine years, so I always thought that was why we never grew close.
But I don’t think it was the age difference at all. I think it had far more to do with how my father poisoned him against me.
And as he sits in the chair now, looking small and vulnerable, he reminds me of that little boy. He’s scared, and he knows things are about to change for him, and not in a positive way. But I wasn’t there for him before. I will be this time. I won’t let him go through this alone. I’m more than just his older brother now, after all.
Jack sighs as he rubs his forehead with his fingertips. “You know I have to report this.”
“I understand that, and I’m prepared to face the consequences.”
“The league takes gambling incredibly seriously to protect the integrity of the game. You’re likely facing a yearlong suspension if not a complete ban from the league. I’m so disappointed in you, Asher.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I’m disappointed in myself, too, and I’m committed to making this right. Lincoln suggested gambling addiction counseling, and I think it’s a good idea.”
“As do I.” Jack grabs a pen off his desk and pulls a pad of paper close. “I need to know what games you bet on and how much money you bet.”
“I bet two fifty on the first preseason game, won, and doubled down.”
Jack raises a brow. “Five hundred grand?” He lets out a low whistle. “Jesus, that’s a lot of confidence in your team on a game that doesn’t affect the regular season.”
Asher looks remorseful as he sits there. “I bet on us to win. It’s not like I threw anything.”
“I need a word with the coach,” Jack says, effectively dismissing my brother.
Asher stands. “Am I still…” he trails off. “Should I still attend practice?”
“Until we submit the violation to the VP of operations and a punishment is issued, you are a member of this team. I’d thank you in advance not to discuss any of this with anyone until we have more information,” Jack says.
Asher nods. “Of course. Thank you.”
He walks out of the office, closing the door behind him, and Jack raises an eyebrow at me.
I shrug. “I knew the kid was spontaneous, but this is stupid even for him.”
