“Noah Boucher and Simon Lawrence.”
“Huh,” Thad said, wondering what the retired NHL goalie and his photographer husband were doing in Boston. “Okay? Are they doing anything special here?”
“Noah will be stopping by the locker room to read the starting lineup, then they’ll both come by after the game to chat with the guys. They’re in town for something else, I think, and are just dropping by. Gavin was the one who suggested Noah read the starting lineup and he agreed.”
“Oh fun,” Thad said. “Yeah, that’ll be great media content. I assume during the lineup read you want a visual focus on La Bouche and Jesse? The former Toronto players and goaltending connection angles?”
“Yes. But feel free to get creative. I trust your judgment.” Tyson patted his shoulder.
Thad felt a little glow of pleasure at the praise. “That means a lot to me,” he said. “I know you were a little … reluctant when Gavin hired me.”
Tyson gave him a wry smile. “I suppose I was. To be honest, I was afraid it was some nepotism hire.”
“Well, it kinda was,” Thad admitted.
This was the kinda shit he talked about all the time with Harlan. How if he’d been anyone but a well-educated upper middle class white kid going into prison, he’d have had a hell of a lot harder time turning his life around after.
Having connections like he’d had with his brother? That had been worth its weight in gold.
Tyson shrugged. “On paper, sure. You wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity otherwise. But you have the skills and you’ve more than proven yourself. We’re glad to have you with the organization. You’ve become a real asset. That isn’t going unnoticed around here.”
“Yeah?” Thad said, pleased.
“Yes. In fact, from what I understand, Finn is talking about allocating a little bit more of the budget to our department next season. For a small promotion and a raise foryou. Your work has far exceeded expectations and the scope of what you were hired for. You should be compensated for it.”
Thad’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?” He’d gotten a small bump at the beginning of this season already but another raise? That felt too good to be true.
“Seriously. You deserve it. Nothing is set in stone, so I wouldn’t go out and buy a fancy new car or anything until the paperwork is official, but Finn’s a man of his word and I have every reason to believe it’ll happen. You’d better head to the locker room to get set up. I believe Noah and Simon are on a short tour of the arena with your brother now.”
“On it!” Thad said, already picking up the pace. “Thanks, Tyson!”
Thad made it to the locker room in time to see the guys dressing for the game. Gavin strolled in a few minutes later, though he was alone, no future Hall of Fame goaltender in sight.
“Hey guys! Tonight, we have a surprise special guest who is going to read the starting lineup,” Gavin said, his tone almost theatrical. “So, without further ado, I’d like to welcome Noah Boucher!”
Thad had his camera trained on Jesse’s face and he had to stifle a chuckle as he watched the goaltender’s jaw drop. Jesse composed himself quickly, but it would still begreatfootage.
Thad slowly panned over to the man walking in the room, tall with red-gold hair pulled back in a bun and a short, neat beard.
The entire locker room sat up straighter.
Despite having played for Toronto his entire career, Noah Boucher wasreveredaround the league. Not only because he was the first active player to come out, but because he was that kind of guy. Someone who drew respect and admiration from everyone.
Noah shot the team a bright grin and, though he held a paper in his hand, didn’t look at it once as he called out, “Alright, let’s get this going, guys. First, in net tonight, goaltender Jesse Webber!”
Everyone clapped.
“On defense, number twelve Mickey Krause.” He paused to let guys clap again. “And his partner, Rafael Moon.”
More clapping.
“Left wing, number sixty-four, Anker Henriksen.”
Clap.
“Right wing, number seventeen, Graham Pennington.”
It took everything in Thad not to pump his fist and cheer, but he restrained himself, keeping the camera steady.
