Page 102 of The New Guy
“Her son in this case,” I say quickly. “But yeah.”
His eyes widen only slightly. “Oh, sorry. Stupid assumption on my part.” He claps me on the arm. “Thanks for joining the organization, Gavin. The manager’s office is always open. Is there anything we can help you with during the postseason?”
Yeah. Please don’t trade Hudson Newgate. “No, sir. Things are going well in the training room.”
“Wonderful,” the big man booms. “You’ve met my assistant, Heidi Jo?”
“He sure has!” Heidi Jo pops around his square body to join our group. “Boss, you should know that Gavin has a wicked backhand at the ping-pong table. Be careful how you place your wagers. Now Hugh—you have a call in fifteen minutes. Henry—here’s the receipt for the supplies you ordered.” She passes a sheet of paper to my boss. “And Gavin, this arrived for you this morning, by courier.”
She hands me another sealed envelope, just like the one my tickets arrived in last night. This time I’ll withhold my panic. But two couriered envelopes in one week is a lot of high-level mail. So I make my excuses, grab a can of seltzer water for the road, and retreat downstairs to Henry’s office, where I tear it open.
The letter inside is from the Brooklyn Academy of Arts. And it’s very confusing.
Dear Mr. Gillis,
We are pleased to recognize your Gold Circle Membership to the Brooklyn Academy of Arts. Enclosed, please find our program of events for the current year. Your Gold Circle Membership entitles you to fifty percent off and priority registration for either one adult class or a children’s summer day camp.
Your assistant mentioned that the day camp was in your plans, so please let us know before May 30thwhich program that is, and your camper’s name and age. Priority registration ends on June 1st, and we wouldn’t want your family to miss out.
Warmly,
Judith McPhee, Director of Membership
Wait, what? My assistant?
I pull out my phone and dash off a text to Reggie.Did you do this?
My sister feels guilty about abandoning us this summer to go on tour. And she knows I’m worried about my summer plans.
Do what?she asks, and I send a scan of the letter.No way,is her quick response.I’m broker than you. Didn’t you tell me the membership costs more than two thousand dollars?
That’s all true.
Looks like Hudson’s work, she writes.That man is trying to make a statement.
Hudson? I try to remember if I ever mentioned this particular organization to him, and I realize I must have babbled about my summer childcare options at some point.
What the hell did he do?
I leave Henry’s office and head straight for the weight room, where some of the team is putting in an off-day workout. Hudson isn’t there. But then I spot him on the mats in the stretching alcove—just like on my first day at work.
“Newgate,” I snap. “Can I have a word?”
I don’t even give him a chance to argue, I just reverse my tracks back toward Henry’s office. But I hear his footsteps following me before I duck into the small space and fold my arms defiantly.
“Problem?” he asks as he steps inside. A smile is playing at the corners of his mouth.
“What is this?” I hiss, waving the paper in front of him.
He takes it. “Looks like you got Jordyn into that summer program after all. She’ll enjoy it.”
“Hudson! You can’t do this. It was, like, thousands of dollars to join the Gold Circle.”
He shrugs. “It’s a charity, Gavin. I get a tax deduction, yeah? And what’s done is done—I can’t call up the charity and ask for my money back. That wouldn’t be nice.”
“But…” I let out a hot sigh. “I would have figured something out. I could have handled it.”
He puts both hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eyes with that wide brown gaze. “Of course you would have. That was never the issue. But Jordyn’s fancy friends likethiscamp, yeah? Now she can go be with her friends. It wasn’t easy for her to make them.”
