Page 86 of An Irresistible Force (Vancouver Vice)

Jeannie turned to her daughter. “Would you be willing to stay in Vancouver and do this?”

Amanda didn’t even hesitate one second. “Yes. Definitely.”

I did a mental fist-pump, but I couldn’t help a big smile from breaking out over my face.

Greg piped up. “If it’s just one more season, I’m good with that too.”

I decided to go for the close. “We’ve been a good team together. If we can get one full season under our belts, including training camp, well, I think the Vice will do well. And the success of the team will honour Vince Richardson and his vision.”

“Beautifully said, Christopher.” Jeannie smiled at me. “I see no reason for further discussion. If you can convince your bosses this effectively, we have a deal.”

37

New Religion

Amanda

It seemed only fittingthat now that I wanted to see Chris, he was too busy to get together. He had taken his proposal to the Millionaires and they agreed so quickly, that I knew he was right about how worried they’d been. But now the tough part had begun, as we negotiated terms and conditions. After working with Thomas for the past few seasons, the Millionaires management had zero trust and wanted everything in writing. And Chris was right in the middle of the action. They needed him as much there as we missed him here. Nothing was as much fun when he was gone.

Then one morning, Chris asked me to meet him for lunch. We went to a Japanese place halfway between both our offices.

“You okay?” I asked him. He looked kind of unhappy and stressed. “They’re working you too hard.”

“Naw, it’s not that bad. Working on this deal is a team thing, so I really like it. Anyway, we should be done by tomorrow. Then it’s back in your court. Your uncle’s been bugging us to hurry up though. Any idea why?”

“Oh, yes. That’s the only bit of good news I’ve had this week. Uncle Thomas is starting a new business as a freelance human resources consultant.” I had to admit that while he had hired a lot of well-endowed women, they were all hard workers too. So he definitely had some intuitive skills when it came to evaluating prospective employees.

“Why is that good news?”

“Well, however I may feel about him now, he was always nice to me when I was young. Maybe losing the mediation will help him realize that he needs to change his ways.” Chris looked a little puzzled, and I realized that he didn’t know any of the details of Stella’s lawsuit. I continued, “Besides, he doesn’t have much power anymore, except over Brenda Wilson. She quit so she can join him in his new business.”

“That’s good news. Good to see the back of that bitch.”

“Chris! That’s the first time I’ve heard you say something that harsh. Was this because she was always hitting on you?”

He snorted. “No. I can handle that stuff. I just don’t like her. Women like that are poison, and the Vice will be a better place without her.”

“It is already.”

Our lunch came, and we started to eat. I could tell that Chris was still preoccupied. I didn’t want to stress him more, so I told the story of the disastrousparkourclass that I took with Cynthia where she sprained her wrist. Finally, once lunch was done, he sat back and took a deep breath.

“I want to ask your opinion on something.”

“Sure. What is it?”

He raised his chin. “Coralee asked me to do the eulogy at Noah’s service. I don’t know if I can do it—but I don’t want to say no.”

“It’s an honour to be asked. You’re comfortable speaking in public, aren’t you?”

“I’m comfortable with hockey speeches. Everyone wants to hear the same thing and I just deliver it. But this is a whole new deal.”

“I spoke at my father’s service,” I confessed. “I kept it simple and spoke from my heart.” It had been a relief to me. I felt like I was getting to speak those last few words that had been denied me, and let him know how much I loved and respected him.

He reached across and caressed my hand. “I bet you did a great job.”

I blushed. “Well, our neighbour told me it was exactly what he wanted to hear at his own funeral: something down to earth and true.”

We smiled at each other. Chris squeezed my hand.

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