The blog post headline read:
WOLVES COACH SUTHERLAND AND STAR PLAYER HARTLEY: CABIN RETREAT RAISES EYEBROWS
Below it, the article speculated about the “unusual closeness” between a head coach and his player. About the “questionable optics” of a week-long private retreat. About whether this explained Hartley's “preferential treatment” in practice.
My blood went cold.
“This went live three hours ago,” June said, voice perfectly calm. “It's on a mid-level sports blog with decent traffic. Not major media yet, but it's getting picked up. I've had five different outlets reach out asking for comment. Two of them are legitimate sports journalists who won't let this go easily.”
I couldn't look away from the photos. Couldn't stop seeing us through someone else's eyes—how close we were standing, how casual the touches looked, how it very clearly wasn't just coach and player.
“Who took these?” My voice came out flat.
“I don't know. Could be a local who recognized you. Could be someone who was staying nearby and saw an opportunity. Could be someone who was tipped off that you'd be there.” June paused. “Does it matter?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I'm working on finding out. But in the meantime, we have a problem.” She pulled the tablet back. “Right now, this is speculation. Gossip. No hard evidence beyond proximity. But that changes the second either of you confirms anything or someone gets actual proof of a relationship.”
Hartley spoke for the first time, voice tight. “What do we say?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing beyond the official statement.” June pulled up something else on her tablet. “I've already drafted a response that went out an hour ago. This is not uncommon in professional sports and reflects the organization's commitment to player health and wellbeing. We have no further comment.'”
“Will that be enough?”
“For now. But only if you both stick to it. Consistently. No off-the-record comments. No 'setting the record straight.' Nothing.” She looked between us. “I need to know right now—is there anything else out there? Any other photos? Text messages? Emails? Witnesses who might come forward?”
I thought about Rook. About Owen. About every moment we'd been careful and every moment we hadn't.
“No,” I said. “We've been careful.”
June's eyes narrowed slightly, like she was trying to decide if I was lying. “No one saw you together at the cabin besides whoever took those photos?”
“We didn't see anyone else. It was remote.”
She turned to Hartley. “What about you? Anyone you might have told? Friends? Teammates? Family?”
Hartley's expression stayed neutral. “No. There's nothing.”
June studied us both for a long moment.
“I hope you're telling me the truth,” she said finally. “Because if something else surfaces and I wasn't prepared for it, I can't protect you.”
“There's nothing else,” I said.
“Good.” She pulled up another tab on her tablet and turned it around. This time it showed the league's Code of Conduct, highlighted section about relationships between coaching staff and players.
“The league has explicit rules about this. A head coach entering into a romantic or sexual relationship with a player under his direct supervision is grounds for immediate termination. No appeals. No second chances. It's designed to prevent favoritism, coercion, and abuse of power dynamics.” She paused. “If the league investigates and finds evidence that you two are in a relationship, Grant loses his job. Permanently. And Jace, you'll be traded immediately to remove you from the situation.”
My chest felt like it was being crushed. “June?—”
“I'm not done.” Her voice was harder now. “Beyond the league rules, there's the court of public opinion. If this story gets bigger—if actual proof surfaces—you become a cautionary tale. The coach who couldn't keep it in his pants. The player who slept his way into preferential treatment. Neither of you will ever fully shake that reputation.”
Hartley's face had gone pale. “We understand.”
“Do you? Because those photos suggest otherwise.” She closed the tablet. “Here's what happens now. No private meetings unless they're documented with witnesses. No closed-door sessions in your office. No car rides together. No being seen in public together outside of required team functions. And absolutely no more cabin trips or anything that could be photographed.”
“For how long?” I asked.
