Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Shilpa turns her head and swallows thickly.
“Are you okay?” Vander Zee asks.
“I’m fine.” She takes a sip of water then turns her attention to Roman. “Do you understand the implications of your actions?”
“Absolutely,” Roman replies. “Donnie has been gunning for Lexi’s job from day one. He’s made a point of giving her his unsolicited advice about who she should be associating with more than once. Yourself included, Shilpa. Lexi and I have spent a lot of time together this season on the ice—because of her role, not some outlandish plan to seduce me. She’s an outstanding coach and member of our team. Our current position in the standings affirms that. Off the ice, she's a dedicated sister, parent, and friend. I fell in love with all of Lexi. I didn’t intend for it to happen. I tried to keep my distance, but she and I have history and a connection that is clearly impossible to deny, since we’re sitting here as husband and wife.”
“If the roles were reversed, this would be grounds for automatic dismissal,” Vander Zee says.
“You mean if I was the player and Roman was the coach?” I ask.
“I would have retired early to make this happen,” Roman jumps in.
“That’s why you came in and asked about the Hockey Academy and Ryker being ready,” Vander Zee muses.
Roman nods. “I floated the idea, but ultimately we decided, for the good of the team and Lexi’s well-being, that this was the better course of action.”
“You said you have history. What does that mean?” Shilpa asks.
I swallow my anxiety over this revelation, but I have to own it. “We met each other years ago, before I took the job. I didn’t believe it would interfere with my ability to handle my role with the team because it was so long ago, and brief.”
“Knew each other in what capacity?” Shilpa demands.
“We spent time together.” Roman remains evasive.
Shilpa looks to me. “Did you have an intimate relationship with Roman prior to accepting the position as assistant coach?”
“We did,” I admit.
“Why is this relevant?” Roman asks, trying to keep me from being interrogated most likely.
I squeeze his hand. “They’re trying to ascertain whether I joined the team with ulterior motives, as intimated by Donnie.”
“Couldn’t you have asked the same thing about Hemi or my daughter?” Roman snaps.
Shilpa leans back in her chair. “This is not the same, Roman. Aurora went through the proper channels prior to joining the Terror, and she proved that she was committed to the team, and the welfare of the team, when she brought her concerns and her relationship to management before she even applied for the position. Dallas and Hemi’s situation is vastly different. Hemi is not in a position of power over Dallas, and while the way that rolled out was not ideal, it doesn’t pose the same level of challenge as this.”
Shilpa's gaze shifts to me. “It’s my job, as the team lawyer, to assess the facts and determine what the next steps should be. But your relationship with Roman should have been disclosed prior to stepping into your role as assistant coach?”
“I understand, but I didn’t believe it to be relevant as it was one weekend, three years ago,” I explain. “I didn’t think Roman even remembered me.”
“Well, you were obviously wrong since you’re sitting here as a married couple.” Shilpa taps her pen on the conference table. “I’ll need legal documentation, including your marriage certificate. Alexandria, you’ll be on a leave of absence while we perform an internal review.”
“You will not fire her over this,” Roman says hotly.
“You are not in a position to make demands, Roman,” Fielding barks. “And an internal review is standard protocol under the circumstances.”
“This puts the team and the leadership under a microscope,” Shilpa adds. “The problem is the lack of forthrightness.”
“Dallas wasn’t very forthcoming about being in love with Hemi from jump,” Roman states.
“Again, Roman, this is not the same. Lexi is a coach. You are a player. The lines are very clear.”
“I retire in two months and would have handed the net to Ryker to save Lexi from this bureaucratic bullshit if I’d known this was how it would go down, regardless of how ready Ryker is.”
“But that’s not what happened, so here we are.” Shilpa replies evenly. “My job is to take care of the team, and that includes management and the players. It’s my duty to ensure that the people who work for this team also have the team’s best interests in mind.”
Before Roman can go off again, I hold up a hand. “I understand the need for an internal review. I expected this, and if I were in your shoes, I would do the same thing. I am very aware of the challenges I’m up against because of this. If I could have shut off my feelings for Roman, I would have. The easier route would have been to let him retire early, but I didn’t want that for Ryker, or for the team, and especially not for Roman. I hope the review gives you peace of mind, and you’ll see that my allegiance is to the players and the welfare of the Terror.”