Page 30 of One Good Puck
Wow. He handled that well. I’d burst into tears if people asked me rude questions like that every day at work.
A minute later, the footage cuts to Gavin. He’s shed his suit jacket and is wearing just a dress shirt and tie. He crosses his arms over his chest. I can’t help but stare, admiring the way the crisp, white fabric stretches over his broad shoulders.
Just like during the game, he wears that focused frown on his face while answering questions.
“Do you regret getting rid of McCoy, who’s a younger, better player, so you could make room on the roster for St. George?” a reporter asks.
“That’s not at all what happened. Don’t report things that aren’t true,” Gavin says, his tone hard.
“Can you explain what happened then?”
“It was in the press release we sent out.” His jaw bulges. He’s irritated.
“But not everyone saw that,” the reporter says. “I think it would be helpful if you addressed it now.”
“McCoy lost his spot on the team because he committed a crime. St. George joined the team because we had an open spot. Those are two completely separate instances, unrelated to each other. For you to try to connect the two is pointless. And irresponsible reporting.”
I lean back, surprised at his bluntness. I didn’t know heand the team were dealing with all that. It sounds pretty serious.
“Do you think you made the right call?” another reporter asks. “According to the latest sports news reports, it’s rumored that McCoy might get picked up by another team in the league.”
Gavin’s gaze sharpens. “I made the right call.”
“But what if?—”
“I want to make this very clear to you all,” he says, cutting off the reporter. “I don’t care how good you are at hockey. If you’re a disgusting human being, I don’t want you on my team.”
He walks off, ignoring the reporters hollering after him.
I stare at my phone screen, stunned at how Gavin told off that reporter.
I have no idea what he and that reporter were talking about, but it involves some guy named McCoy who used to play for the Bashers but doesn’t anymore because he did something awful. And it sounds like it was Gavin’s call to get rid of him.
And that makes me like him even more for taking a stand like that. These days, it seems like professional athletes can get away with some pretty horrible behavior, and the people around them refuse to hold them accountable. Not Gavin though.
I do a quick search on my phone to find out exactly what happened. When I find out, my jaw drops. Apparently, Zach McCoy released nude photos of his ex-girlfriend on a revenge porn site. My stomach churns. How could he do such a thing? How could he betray his ex’s trust and sense of security like that?
I skim a few articles and learn that Gavin cut him from the team the day he found out. That sick feeling fades athow quickly he made that decision. How he didn’t hesitate to do the right thing.
My heart thuds in my chest. Yet another example of how incredible Gavin is.
Just then, I hear the door to the garage through the kitchen open. I glance over and see Gavin walk in.
He offers a soft smile. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
I take in the easy look on his face when he drops his keys in the tray at the end of the counter. He doesn’t seem stressed out or upset after what went down at the press conference.
He slips off his shoes and walks over, smiling when he sees Emma snoozing in my lap.
“Wow. She’s out.”
“She crashes hard at the end of the day,” I say.
“I’m jealous. I have to take two melatonin chews to sleep half as good as that.”
I chuckle. He looks over at the coffee table and smiles when he sees a small plate with cut-up apple slices and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
