Page 38 of Broken Ice, Mended Hearts

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I snapped. “For God’s sake, don’t leave me in the dark about things like that.” Sven shot me a curious glance, and I added, “Alex, can I put this on speaker so Sven can hear?”

“As long as you don’t mind him knowing the details, it’s fine with me.”

“I don’t care. The numbers will be all over social media as soon as it’s a done deal.” I pushed the button to put the call on speaker. “Okay, Sven can hear now.”

“Hi, Sven,” Alex said. “You guys having fun?”

“Like hell we are,” he said. “Hanging out with Gagné’s taught me even rock bottom has a basement.”

“Fuck off, Holmer.” I couldn’t help laughing because that was a good chirp.

“Dear God.” Alex snickered. “When I first started working with hockey players, I used to think you were serious when you said things like that.”

“Who says I’m not?” Sven grinned at me.

“I already told you to fuck off, shithead.” To Alex, I said, “Why didn’t you tell me you talked with them yesterday?”

“Because I knew I’d be speaking with them again today, and I wanted something concrete to tell you before I called. Otherwise, you’d have worried all night.”

Sven reached across the console to put a hand on my jiggling knee, and I said, “Fine, but what did they say this morning?”

“I’m getting to that. I was upfront with them about your desire to play for three more years, followed by retirement.”

She left it there, and the slowing traffic didn’t soothe my impatience. “What did they say, Alex?”

“They offered to end your current contract this summer and start a new three-year deal at?—”

“What? Why the fuck would they end the one I have now a year early?”

“It’s a numbers game. They want to reward you for everything you’ve given the team while you’ve been there. The new contract will be for seven million a year, which is?—”

“Seven million?” I yelled. “That’s no fucking reward. I make nine now, and I won’t sign?—”

“Gags?”

“I won’t sign a new contract without a raise. A two-million cut? What kind of idiot do they think I am? That’s a penalty, not a reward. We shouldn’t even honor their so-called offer with a response.”

Sven squeezed my knee as Alex said, “Listen to me, Gags. They’re throwing in a big bonus.”

She’d raised her voice to be heard over my tantrum, and I shut up. After a deep breath, I asked, “How much?”

“Sixteen million, over three years. As I said, it’s in recognition of your skills, what you’ve brought to the team, and what they expect you to do over the term of the new contract.”

“Take it,” Sven whispered, “before they change their minds.”

I patted his hand. “Alex, to be sure I understand, they’re offering to pay me seven million a year in salary,in addition toa sixteen-million bonus divided over the three years?”

“That is correct.”

For someone who’d never been good at math, I did the calculation in record time. “That’s over twelve a year.”

She spoke again, sounding smug. “Yes. $12,333,333 a year, to be exact.”

“Holy shit.”

“Just to break it down further and prove I’m doing my job, that amounts to more than $237,000 a week over fifty-two weeks, for three years. A little shy of $6,000 an hour, based on a forty-hour week.”

“Holy fuck,” Sven and I said in unison.

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