Zarek rolls his eyes and doesn’t bother to hide it.
“You are,” the third presence in the room says. Someone who I believe must be new since I don’t recognize her. “As is reflected in your pay—which we haven’t touched—as well as your budget still being quite a bit larger than any other departments. As Dean Devaroe said, we’re looking to grow our other teams, which means bringing in more talents and giving them the resources they need to be great.”
“You don’t need resources to be great,” I argue.
“Then why is your budget cut such a big deal?” Zarek counters.
Fuck, I hate him.
“Four months ago, we introduced our new hockey coach—retired NHL player Hansley Bardot. He’s promising us great things,” Dean says, clearly excited about this.
Hockey! Who gives a shit about hockey?! It’s a barbaric sport.
“But I already have talent on my team,” I insist.
“Yet, it’s been more than a decade since you’ve made it to the championship,” Zarek says.
Dean nods. He fucking nods in agreement!!
“I’ll tell you what,” the new lady interjects. “You get your team to the championship this year and we’ll take a look at your budget for next year. What do you think, Dean?”
Dean Devaroe grins excitedly. “Yes. That’s a great idea. Some incentive for you, Coach!”
I’m fuming. Like, I seriously have steam coming out of my ears.
“In the meantime,” Zarek says, “feel free to get creative to supplement your budget.”
“What does that mean?” I grit out.
He shrugs. “That’s up to you to determine.”
We’re silent for a minute before I get to my feet. “Thank you for seeing me, Dean.”
“I always enjoy our visits, Coach,” he says, and while I know he’s genuine, I can’t help but feel that there’s a heavy dose of sarcasm in it.
“Coach, you’re late placing your order. I suggest submitting your essentials by the end of day, to make sure we have what you need by the start of the season. You’re going to need to factorin rush delivery now too.” I don’t have to infer that smugness in Zarek’s voice as he says this.
If I could set him on fire with my eyes, I would. Instead, I give him a clipped nod because we’re still in front of the dean and then walk out. Somehow, I manage to close the door without slamming it, but I can’t contain the way I stomp down the hall.
This is stupidly unacceptable.
CHAPTER 2
HANSLEY BARDOT
I’ve never seen a place quite like Rainbow Dorset University. Every time I step on campus, I’m kind of blown away. It’s… wild.
I’m not going to lie—the LGBTQ+ community has never really hit on my radar. There was a gay man on my team before I retired, but we weren’t friends. Not for any other reason than we just didn’t click. He was a good guy and a great player. We just had little in common outside of hockey.
I suppose that I’ve had blinders on most of my life because their plight just didn’t affect me. When Rainbow Dorset approached me about coaching their hockey team, I hadn’t really had a plan for retirement. The only thing I had on the horizon was a summer off, knowing I wasn’t going to head back to the ice next season. That thought wasn’t as relaxing as maybe it should have been.
After a two-hour discussion with the executive team at Rainbow Dorset and listening to them talk about what they’re building and working toward, I realized two things—one, I needed to do some research because I was clearly woefully uneducated about all things LGBTQ+, and two, this is definitely something I wanted to be a part of.
In the weeks that followed, I did a lot of research, and talked to a lot of colleagues who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. I know I made the right decision. I had no idea about the kinds of things they’re up against. The laws and prejudices. The bigotry.
It’s sad that the world is such a disgusting place and sadder still that there are so many people like me who just have no idea because it doesn’t affect them.
This is the first time I’m walking on campus since officially accepting the job and having definitely expanded my knowledge. I recognize a lot of the flags that greet me on my way in. The vibrant colors looked almost garish on their website, but now that I know what they stand for and what I’m seeing, I love the vitality they bring to campus.
