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“You do,” Gerry says with a nod. “We’re not trying to stop you; we just want to work together onwhenit comes out so we can get maximum advantage from it.”
“What about if the coach and doctor insist on the story being buried?”
Gerry’s grin widens. “I can assure you, that will not happen. The story is running whether they like it or not. What we want is to settle my client’s claims without going to court. That’s the only option they will be presented with.”
The line goes quiet again, as Lis now grabs my hand and squeezes hard. “Okay, I’d say, you’ve got a deal,” Gemma finally says and beside me, Lis exhales as I pull her closer and drop a kiss to the top of her head. “Can I ask who this athlete is?” Gemma now asks. “I mean I’m assuming it’s you, Nick, considering you are on the team, and it was your wife who asked me to look into this story in the first place. Plus, I know from my research that you were also recently injured.”
Lis laughs, her head falling onto my shoulder as I say, “Yeah, it’s me. Sorry for the cloak and dagger stuff, Lis was just trying to protect me from any of the fallout.”
“No, I get it, makes sense,” Gemma replies. “Okay, when do you want to do the interview? I can be in Badger Creek the day after tomorrow if that works for you.”
Gerry’s smile widens at this and I also grin, loving that this is all moving so quickly. “The day after tomorrow would be perfect,” he replies. “I’ll have something set up and send you through the details.”
“Awesome, sounds good.”
“Great, we’ll be in touch then,” Gerry says, as he jots down a few more notes.
“One more thing,” Gemma asks.
“Yes?”
“Any chance I could speak with someone from the company who sponsors Nick? Just so I can add that angle to the story too. It feels like this could be really huge.”
Gerry chuckles again and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was loving this. “I think we can probably make that happen, Ms. Williams.”
“Alright then, great. I guess I’ll see you all in a couple of days.”
Later that nightLis and I are lying in bed at her place, having spent the rest of the afternoon with Gerry and Jeff, coming up with a plan for the interview. Jeff had also agreed to take part, saying he was willing to go on record as well, especially given everything they’d done to me. And Gerry was going to be there too, just to make sure everything was by the book and neither Jeff or I got screwed over.
Even though I didn’t know this journalist, I feel like she’s on our side in all of this. The fact she had even asked about my NDA, when she could’ve easily ignored that I’d signed one, was proof of that.
While we’d been talking, my coach had called too. It had been a phone call I was expecting, given I hadn’t shown up for training this morning, but I hadn’t answered. Instead, Gerry took the call, telling the coach that I wasn’t coming back to Park City and anything he wanted to say to me would now have to go through him.
All four of us could hear the expletives that came through the phone at that.
Still, I was glad I didn’t have to talk to the guy. After everything that’s happened, I am so furious at him, that I don’t trust myself not to completely lose my shit and say something I might regret, or worse still, something that might ruin this.
So, when Gerry was adamant I have no contact with the coach, the team doctor or anyone else on or associated with the team, I was relieved. And even though that meant I had to ignore Brad’s texts, for now, I was more than prepared to do that.
If it means I get out of my contract and get to stay here with Lis, there isn’t a single thing I’m not prepared to do.
“How are you feeling about everything?” Lis eventually asks, propping herself up on my chest.
Smiling, I brush the hair back from her face, tucking a few strands behind her ear. “Really good,” I tell her. “It finally feels like maybe I’ve got a real chance at getting out of this and staying here with you. Without having to pay the money back.”
Gerry had said he thought my contracts were void now, so I wouldn’t have to pay back any of my bonuses and shit and spend god knows how long in debt because of it. He’d also mentioned compensation, but that still felt like a lot to hope for.
Lis gives me a small smile, her fingers tracing the lines of my tattoo. “This feels really big now,” she admits.
“It does.”
“I mean, bigger than I expected,” she says, looking up at me.
Gripping her hips, I hoist her higher, before cupping her jaw. “You don’t regret anything right?” I ask.
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “Do you?”
“Not a single thing,” I tell her. “I’m glad I left and came back here. I would’ve anyway when I found out what happened to you. But all this stuff with the journalist, with what Gerry says about my contracts…it’s just, I don’t know…huge.”
