Page 59 of He Has Game (Boston Brawlers Hockey)
Chapter 16
Finn
It’s been a week since the first playoff game and I haven’t seen Vivvie. After her first text, which I don’t answer, she doesn’t bother again.
Fuck.
It’s better this way, isn’t it? I didn’t come this far to be distracted by a woman, especially not the one who was supposed to be so boring and not my type that I’d have nothing to do but focus on hockey.
To hell with her. I’m sticking with the plan. I’m going to fucking concentrate on hockey and nothing else. But damn if I don’t look for her at the end of the game as I skate to center ice, my eyes automatically go to her seats to the right of the bench along the boards and sure enough, she’s there, standing and clapping and smiling. But I look away before I catch her reaction to me, before I get her hopes up.
She’s sitting with Grace and my mother and Neil. Even if Vivvie knows better than to call me, I wish to hell my mother had as much self-control. Not that I bother taking her calls. Guilt pinches me even while my teammates surround me, celebrating our win.
I come off the ice in the middle of the pack but Mary finds me and rushes up to me seeming strangely small next to me while I’m on my skates.
“Finn, we need to talk. The shit’s hit the fan.”
As if to make her point, a crowd of media rush us with cameras flashing and men and women shouting bizarre questions.
“What the hell is going on?” My heart which has just normalized after the game, now spikes again.They would dare trade me now.
“Come with me” she yanks me in the direction away from the dressing room and to the press room and closes the door to the empty room behind us. Empty except for Joe Moroni. And Edwin Boylston.
Mary explains in hushed tones what happened.
Sherry was caught in the act with a young man by her husband and a group of other men. It seems that there was a mix up at the hotel or something where the men thought they were going to a meeting room and the … couple… thought they were in a private room.
It also turns out that photos were taken and the young man wasn’t shy. He made quite the scene claiming that they were supposed to run away together and that she didn’t love her old coot of a husband anyway, etcetera, etcetera.”
“I don’t get it. I mean, I get it that Sherry finally got caught playing fun and games and in spectacular fashion—”
“There’s the rub. Sherry, being devious minded and when faced with humiliation and ruin, wasn’t about to accept her bad fortune or just punishment. She thought the spectacularness of her compromising position was a little too spectacular for bad luck or karma coming due. So she looked into it.”
“And?” I’m not liking the sound of this, because I know only one other woman who’s maybe even more devious than Sherry Boylston.
“It’s—”
“No. Don’t tell me.” I close my eyes. “My mother had something to do with it.”
‘Fucking bingo. Gotta love that woman. No wonder where you got your moxie.”
“Don’t give me that. What’s the bottom line—what’s he doing here?” I nod in the direction of Edwin who’s in deep conversation with Moroni.
Mary gives an evil smile.
“He received a note and photos and that the conditions of not publishing any of the photos is that he either divorces Sherry or signs an agreement that he’ll never interfere with Finn’s career again or Finn will sue for interference in advantageous contractual relations. Either way, Sherry has to confess that you never propositioned her, that it was the other way around.”
WTF?
“Looks like Ed is ready to settle, but he wanted to talk to you first to see what you had to do with this. He saw his wife with that young man with his own two eyes and it wasn’t you, so he’s mystified why the young man would want to protect you.”
She narrows her eyes, “You’re notbiare you? Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
“JFC, no. Stop with this shit. You now I had nothing to do with this. I’m mystified by it even knowing my mother is somehow behind it all.”
“Maybe this’ll help you. Sherry met the young man at the Veteran’s shelter visit recently with you and—”
“Him?” I laugh. “Fuck. After the visit, I knew I’d seen that guy before and then he popped up again in an ad for fishing lure on the Outdoorsman channel. He’s a fucking actor. My mother hired him to play bait—” mean
