More Than a Game (8 page)

“If you are here just because you still need a character reference at your preliminary hearing then you need not worry. I would never let your change of heart affect your life by being vengeful in my remarks. I have no intention of making you seem any less charming than I found you to be during our time together,” she said coldly.

Shane looked as if she had reached across the desk and slapped him. There was no doubt that he hadn’t even considered that she might think he was just covering his backside with a potential witness. More importantly, she could see the hurt reflected in his eyes and that stung.

“I can’t believe you would even consider that, Leslie. Do you really think that is why I am here?”

“I’m just trying to be honest, Shane. I don’t want to just end up more hurt than I’ve felt this week.”

His face softened as he looked into her eyes. No doubt he could see just how hurt she had been, as well. He looked down at his hands for a moment and then back up at her.

“I’m sorry for everything. If you don’t want me to bother you again, I won’t. As far as being a potential character witness, I will have my lawyer strike your name from our list so that you never have to be a part of this.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Shane. You need my help and we both know it. Don’t be stubborn.”

“Does that mean you’ll forgive me?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Don’t think too long. Not only am I stubborn. I am also impatient. I will send the car to pick you up at six. If it comes back empty, I’ll know your answer and will let you be,” he said quickly, not giving her time to answer before making a hasty exit.

Leslie watched him disappear out her door and stood looking at the opposite wall for a while before snapping herself out of it and looking back at her computer screen. She had been in the middle of working out the bugs in the hockey game when the receptionist had called. The player looking back at her was the digital representation of Shane. She pushed a button and watched him skate away on the ice. It seemed like a good place to stop working on things for today.

It was six p.m. on the dot when Leslie’s doorbell rang. She opened it to find Monte standing there with a smile on his face.

“Do I look okay?” she asked.

“You look beautiful. I’m glad to see that you are ready to go.”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she responded.

It had been a rocky at first, but slowly, Leslie had accepted that Shane did care about her. She had tried to put herself in his shoes and consider how everything crumbling around him must have felt. It must have seemed to him that it was only a matter of time before she left and he was just retreating into himself. In his situation, she might have done the same. The important part of it all was that he had realized he didn’t want to be without her and had tried to fix things.

The day of the preliminary hearing arrived and she could see how nervous he was. She had gone to the lawyer’s office with him the day before to review her testimony. Though it was unlikely that it would be needed at the initial hearing, he wanted to go ahead and flesh out what she would have to say if the time came that she would be called upon to speak on Shane’s behalf. He seemed content that she would be an asset to Shane if a trial took place.

“Okay, Shane. Are you ready? It’s a big day,” his attorney asked.

“As ready as I can be,” Shane said, his voice cracking a bit with nervousness. He reached for Leslie’s hand beside him and squeezed it gently as if to center himself.

“Keep your chin up. Don’t let them see you sweat. We want you to appear confident, but not cocky. We want them to know you haven’t done anything wrong. If you are looking down or your palms are sweating, you look guilty of something. Keep your head high and your pits dry!”

Shane laughed a little at this and nodded. The lawyer smiled and motioned for him to follow him. Outside the door to his office, reporters had already gathered to wait for them to emerge. It was a big day for Leslie too. Today was the first day she would be publicly seen with Shane. That was something that he had not been thrilled about, still wanting to keep her at a distance from the press, but his lawyer had insisted that they present a united front. Shane, the man that a woman could love, not some hellion hockey player.

“Shane, Shane, what’s going through your head right now?” a reporter demanded, shoving his microphone in their faces.

“I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but Shane has been instructed not to speak to the press before the hearing. We will have a statement for you once this is all over. That’s all,” his lawyer said, waving them away with his hand.

The men Shane had hired began to push back, putting some space between them and the journalists. They slipped around the edge of the building and into the backseat of Monte’s sedan. He was quickly rolling toward the courthouse, where Leslie could see even more reporters were gathered. She took a deep breath and exhaled as they pulled to a stop, the car behind them quickly emptying out men in black suits to flank them as they stepped out. Even the help had to dress up for court it seemed. They looked much less sinister than in the fatigues they usually wore.

Inside the courtroom, they waited for their case to be called. Per an agreement between the district attorney and Shane’s lawyer, the courtroom was cleared of everyone not required for this particular case before beginning to prevent any leaks that might create an even more prejudicial situation
than the constant news reports. Leslie looked at the judge and felt an instant pang of fear. There was something foreboding about him and she had a bad feeling from the start.

Things moved quickly once the hearing started, with the district attorney presenting his case and a list of witnesses that would support his statements, if needed. Shane’s lawyer sat making notes, objecting a few times on the validity of certain statements as subjective or hearsay
.
Once it was his turn, he presented the information he possessed that was contradictory to sway the judge’s opinion, but in the end, Leslie’s instincts had been right. He decided to let the case proceed to trial.

“It’s okay, Shane. We are prepared for this. I had hoped he would see reason, but he’s just as much a media groupie as the district attorney. They both hope to turn this into a three-ring circus of notoriety and we aren’t going to let them. We’re going to win this case,” his lawyer assured him and Leslie once they had stepped into a small meeting room outside the courtroom.

“I sure hope you are right. I was really hoping this would end today, but I guess that was just too easy,” Shane groaned.

“If nothing else, a trial will erase any doubt that you did anything wrong and put you back on the right path.”

“Perhaps, but in the meantime, I’m still off the team and any other team. I might manage to stay here long enough to go to trial before they force me to go back to Dublin. I have to be honest in saying that with the exception of Leslie being too far away from me, that doesn’t seem like a bad idea at this point.”

“If that’s the case then I suggest you either take her with you or marry her and apply to stay as a spouse. You shouldn’t let a good one get away just because you’re in a bit of hot water, my friend,” his attorney told him with a large smile.

Leslie pretended she didn’t even hear the conversation, avoiding as much of the awkwardness she felt as possible. Walking out of the courthouse, Shane stepped up to a small podium set up on the courthouse square. She stood to one side of him while his lawyer stood on the other. Everyone got quiet as they waited for him to speak.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has come out today to support me, as well as all of my fans who have sent me well wishes and heartfelt regret at the events that have unfolded in my life. It is an unfortunate situation. Both my life and the life of Harrison Clarke have been affected by this and I can only hope we can resolve it to the satisfaction of both of us,” Shane said, stepping away from the mic and letting his lawyer take over as reporters shouted over one another to be heard.

While he was busy answering questions, the men in black escorted Shane and Leslie back to the car, pushing back reporters that weren’t interested in Shane’s lawyer and his remarks. One was asking Shane who the lady with him was, a question that went unanswered, but she had no doubt that it would be before the evening news. They would dig until they found someone who knew her and then she would be a part of this circus. Life was about to get a lot more complicated.

Back at Shane’s house, they collapsed on the sofa and stared into space without speaking for a bit. Finally, he broke the silence, catching her completely off guard with his thoughts.

“What do you think about what my lawyer said?”

“Which part? He said quite a lot today,” she replied, trying to lighten the mood a bit with some levity.

“About going to Dublin with me. I can’t ask you to marry me just to keep me in the States, but I can ask you to come home with me,” he said.

“It’s a big step, Shane. You’re asking me to give up my job, give up my country, give up my home.”

“I’m asking you to take on a new home, a new country, perhaps a new job if you want one. I’m asking you to be with me wherever I am if it comes to that.”

“I think it is something I’ll have to give a bit of thought to,” she said, watching his face for his reaction. It was covered in disappointment.

“I understand. I know it is quite a jump from just dating. Honestly, I don’t want to return to Dublin. I love visiting home, but I have grown fond of America. I like it here. The truth is, though, that I can handle having to leave. I can handle losing my career. I don’t know if I can accept being without you though. I’ve never met anyone that I felt so at ease with. Everything about you is a perfect fit for me.”

“I know what you mean,” she said sadly, leaning her head over and laying it on his shoulder. She wanted to say more, but she wasn’t sure what she should say. Sometimes, it was best just to remain silent until you had the right words, wasn’t it?

The following day, Leslie sat at her desk working on the game. Though she could use any player to step through the components of the game, she always used Shane. It was sort of her good luck charm and it made her smile. As she sat watching his tiny hockey player image, which she knew might well have to be taken out of the game before its final push onto the market, she realized that she knew what she wanted. It might not be the perfect answer, but it was what she felt was best suited to both of them. She picked up her phone and called him.

“Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Have you seen the newspaper today?” he replied.

“No. Should I?”

“Perhaps it might be best that you read it and get whatever you feel out of the way before you see me.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“Just read the paper and I’ll see you at seven, my place, unless you tell me otherwise.”

“I believe I invited you over for dinner.”

“Read the paper and you’ll see why that can’t happen.”

“Good grief,” she replied as she hung up. Getting up from her desk, she made her way downstairs and across the lobby to the front reception desk. The receptionist gave her a strange look that she suspected might be the answer to her next question.

“Do you have today’s paper?”

“Yes,” the young woman told her, pulling a copy of the paper from the drawer of her desk and handing it to her. She watched as Leslie read the headlines, splashed above a picture of her standing beside Shane at the courthouse. A huge frown crossed her face. Shane was right. There would be no dinner at her house
.
She thanked the receptionist and handed the paper back to her, then walked back to her office with a scowl.

Sitting down at her desk, she sent Shane a text telling him she would see him at seven and to send Monte to pick her up. She grimaced as she looked at the reply on the screen. It read “
Welcome to my circus. I’m sorry.”

“Leslie?” came the voice of the receptionist. She sounded nervous. Leslie already had an inkling as to why even before she said the words.

“Yes?” she replied into the speaker on her phone.

“There are reporters getting out of cars outside. I suspect they are looking for you.”

“I suspect you are right.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Call security and have them removed.”

“Will do,” she said.

Leslie sighed loudly and went back to work as if nothing was going on. It was all she could do. Fortunately, it was a fairly secure building and none of them would get past the lobby. They’d give up soon enough, find her home and harass her during her off hours instead. What fun this was already. Still, it wasn’t worth giving up Shane over. She’d just have to deal with what he had been tolerating for weeks. Creeping out to her car after work, she made her way home to see what things looked like there. She could see the reporters lined up and down the street even from the distance as she approached. How was she going to manage this?

Luckily, her question was answered as she watched the dark sedan that she hadn’t noticed tailing her pull around and make its way down toward her house. It was followed closely by an SUV. She watched as they parked in the middle of the street, just past her driveway, and three or four men piled out of each one and approached the reporters that were standing around. Monte motioned for her to make her way into her driveway, watching as she opened her garage door and made her way in. He ducked in behind her as it closed and waited by her kitchen door while she got out of the car.

“I’m just going to check the house and make sure it is clear. Reporters can be sneaky,” he told her.

“Thanks, Monte,” she told him, walking over to open the door and letting him in. She dropped her purse on the kitchen counter and waited while he did a quick tour of the house and returned.

“Looks like you’re good. I’ll be outside until you are ready to go to Shane’s house. So will the guys. Hopefully, we will get rid of at least most of these jackals for you in the meantime.”

“I appreciate it, Monte. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through them. I wasn’t expecting you.”