Page 21 of Goal Line
Iturn the corner and head down the hallway in the Rebels’ practice facility that will lead me to AJ’s office. It’s late morning and most people’s office doors are open, but everyone appears to be too busy working to notice me pass by.
When I get to the alcove off the hallway where AJ’s assistant, Colleen, normally sits, her desk is empty. The door to AJ’s office is cracked open, and I glance at my watch to see that I’m still a few minutes early. I’m about to take a seat in one of the chairs in the waiting area, when my father’s voice carries through the crack in the door.
“...and after that loss?Thisis why I didn’t want you to bring Luke onto this team. You’ve put me in a really tough position.”
My jaw drops open.What the hell?
Like it generally happens, I didn’t know I was going to be traded to the Rebels until after the deal was done. I came topractice one day and my general manager in Calgary let me know that I was expected to join the Rebels in Dallas, where they were playing the next night. I wasn’t even two years into a four-year contract and thought I had been playing well, so the news of the trade was like a sucker punch to the gut.
I’d never expected to play for the Rebels. When I was first drafted, Dad and I talked, and we agreed that it could be seen as a conflict of interest or nepotism, given that our family owns the team. So I was shocked by the news of the trade, but also, kind of happy?
Dad wouldn’t have risked possible negative media attention if he hadn’t believed that I was truly a valuable addition to the team, would he? That negative attention never came, though. A few sports pundits commented on it, but nothing stuck. I settled into the team so easily, and it felt like such a good fit, that it never occurred to me to ask Dad why he’d had the change of heart.
Apparently...he hadn’t. In fact, it sounds like he didn’t want AJ to bring me to the Rebels at all.
I turn, realizing that I need to get out of this alcove before Colleen comes back and finds me eavesdropping, or worse—my dad walks out of that office and knows I overheard him.
Retreating quickly down the hallway, I walk all the way back to the elevators where I stand and give myself a moment. Could I have misunderstood his meaning? Is there any other interpretation?
I knew that my terrible performance in Game 7 would disappoint him. I just didn’t realize he would take it as proof that I shouldn’t have been brought onto the team in the first place.Fuck. How can I play for the Rebels when the team’sowner, my own father, doesn’t want me here? Is this why AJ wanted to meet with me today?
I’m pacing in front of the elevators, trying not to overreact to my dad’s words, and contemplating my next move, when Colleen walks by. “Oh, Luke, are you here for your meeting with AJ?”
“Yep,” I say, giving her the smile I know she’ll expect from me. “I was just...checking my messages first.” I pat my front pocket where my phone is, hoping she’ll think I just put it away.
“All right, c’mon.” She nods toward the hall for me to walk with her.
“So, that new husband of yours treating you right?” I ask as we walk along. “Because if he’s not...”
She laughs and elbows me. “All right, you little flirt.”
“I’m just saying, he better be treating you well.” Do Ineedto flirt with my GM’s assistant? Hell no. But did all the Hartmann brothers inherit some sort of compulsive need to flirt? Seems we did.
Word has it that Dad used to be like that too, until he met Mom. He’s been devoted to her ever since. They’re actually kind of sickeningly in love. I think that’s why none of my brothers want to settle down. When the bar’s that high, it’s hard to find “the one.”
“He is,” Colleen assures me.
“Okay, well, next time I see him, I’m going to make sure.” I narrow my eyes menacingly, and she bursts out laughing.
Her husband is a 6’4” former boxer, so I’m sure she knows I’m just joking around. “You do that,” she says as we take the turn toward AJ’s office and see my father walking out.
Then Tucker follows on his heels, and I feel like I was sucker punched—again. I must let out a heavy breath, because Colleen turns and looks at me. I give her what’s probably a tight smile, then nod at my dad and brother. We always aim to keep things professional at work, so they treat me the same way they’d treat any other player.
“Hey, Hartmann, thanks for coming in,” AJ says as she steps back, holding the door to her office open and motioning me in. After shutting the door, she tells me to take a seat on the couch.
Like I’m sure most people are, I was pretty surprised when I first walked into AJ’s office. It’s feminine in a way you wouldn’t expect to find in the office of an NHL general manager with a reputation for being a complete ballbuster. But that’s the thing about AJ—she defies convention. If she wants an office where the couch and side chairs sport frilly pillows and the coffee table looks like it came out of a Restoration Hardware photoshoot, she's going to have it. And she’s not going to give a shit about whether you like it or not.
I like that about her, as does most of the team, it seems. Even our surly captain, McCabe, who used to hate her, is now absolutely devoted to her. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already ring shopping after only a few weeks of them being together.
“How are you doing?” she asks, once she’s seated in one of the side chairs, her body turned toward where I sit to her right on the couch.
“I’ve been better.”
“I figured. Listen, I’m sorry that I waited a week to talk toyou. I just wanted to know where we stood with Colt first,” she says.
Immediately, my mind goes to the worst-case scenario, because if Colt’s going to be fine for next season, she’s probably going to trade me. If he’s not, she’ll probably keep me around so she doesn’t have to bring on two new goalies in the same season.
I don’t know which option is worse: getting to stay because Colt’s career is cut short, or having to go when I’ve found a team that feels like such a good fit?
