AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I had completely bailedon Jessa during our first date.
Not only would I need to make it up to her, but I definitely needed to explain why the hell I had run off like that. I hadn’t been thinking straight; the urge to help had overwhelmed the need to clarify, apparently. But I’d explain later.
I had an idea. A way to help Power Play. And I didn’t want Jessa knowing that the thought of kids losing out on an opportunity as great as I’d had…kind of upset me. Really, it had crushed me. I didn’t need her thinking that she was the reason I had been upset. It was nothing she had said or done.
I would make it up to her, apologize for my need to flee in that moment, for the tangled emotions that I couldn’t figure out myself.
I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my thighs, trying to still my knees that were bouncing up and down anxiously. That didn’t work, so I sat up straight with a sigh. Smoothing my book of ideas out on my lap, I stared down at it.
I needed to present this in a way that not only got my point across, but was also convincing enough to get the general manager’s approval.
“You’re early,” Coach mumbled, chewing on a piece of gum. “What’s up?”
“Any chance you’d be down to meet with me and the GM about something? Want to chat about events and fundraising for a charity.”
“Charity?” Coach’s eyebrows hiked, wrinkling his forehead. “Doing some extracurriculars, Renshaw?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. A charity that is close to my heart is struggling, and I want to help out.”
“That’s all? No other motives?”
“No, sir.”
Coach raised his head, jutting his chin out as he chewed his gum, mulling over my words. “Let me warm him up first, and I’m sure he’d meet with us.”
“Thank you,” I said as he began to walk away.
Coach spun back around. “What’s the charity?”
“Power Play.”
“Power Play? No shit. They’re still around?”
“Not for long if we can’t help them.”
* * *
Carl Weathers, the Hartford Hammerheads’ GM, was a broad man with a permanent scowl. He wore suits that were either too big or too small, and today it was too small. The threads were struggling at the seams along his wide shoulders.
During his hockey career, he had been a brute on skates. A defenseman who rarely let a player past the blue line, and he’d been known to start a fight or two.
“You want to do a charity event?” Carl mused, flipped through my messy notes about Power Play and the idea that I had. “During…pre-season?”
“This is the busiest time of the year for Power Play. Without fundsnow, they can’t place any kids in minor hockey leagues. If we wait until season starts, it will be too late.”
Carl nodded slowly; his brows knit together. “Meet the players?”
“Yeah.” I shifted forward in my seat a little. “I thought we could have a pre-season game. It doesn’t matter who we go up against. But then we could raise money for Power Play, test out the new team…I don’t know, anything.”
My words felt jumbled together; my mind was working faster than my tongue. I stared at Carl, hoping that was enough information to sway him into going ahead with the game. He leaned back in his seat and tapped his pointer finger against his chin.
“Hammerhead pre-season game…” he mused, and his gaze flicked to me. “Got to be honest, Renshaw…” Carl paused. “I’m surprised, but I like it. Good image for the team, great way to get fans in seats. See the new crew in action and bring in money for your charity.”
“Oh, that’s great.” I released the breath I had been painfully holding in. “What do you need me to do?”
Carl lifted my notebook. “Seems like you’ve got a good head start here. Leave it with me, and I’ll see what I can do. Who is the best person at Power Play to get in contact with about this if we have any questions?”
“Jessa,” I blurted, then realized that I didn’t know her last name. “She’s the program operator.”
