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The season wound down and with less than a few weeks to go, Eddie made a visit. He summoned Allie to his office. She took her usual seat across from him. He leaned back in his chair and put his feet up.
“I’m cleaning house, Allie,” he proclaimed. “I’ve instructed Tyler to get rid of anyone he wants. I’ve given him a few more bucks to go after a half-decent GM and told him to sign a couple of free agents this summer. Anyone else who needs to go?”
Allie opened the folder she’d brought along and handed it to Eddie. “This is a list of our current roster. The names highlighted in yellow are a problem.”
Eddie scanned over the list. “There are seven names on this list. That’s an awful lot, don’t you think?”
“Two are alcoholics, one has personal problems with his wife, another has a possible drug problem and the other three are just your general, run-of-the-mill troublemakers.”
“Fortunately, two are going to be unrestricted free agents. I don’t have to ask where you got this information, do I?”
“I’d prefer you didn’t ask. The second list is my personal observation of management who have either grown stale or are here to pick up a paycheck. You might want to confirm my findings with Tyler.”
Eddie got up and poured himself a drink. He held the bottle up to Allie but she shook her head. “It’s going well with Cavallo?”
“Yes. He means a lot to me.”
“Do you love him?”
“It’s too soon for talk of love.”
Eddie took a gulp of his scotch. “I know your heart is with him, but remember that women throw themselves at these guys each and every day. You sure he’s going to resist the women?”
“I hope so.”
“I’m not going to tell you how to run your life, but don’t make the same mistake your mother did. She fell in love with a pretty face who thought she’d be his meal ticket. Once he figured out I wasn’t going to fund their lifestyle, he took off on the both of you.”
“Eddie, he knows I’m not a rich woman. He also knows that my wonderful uncle is not going to fund my lifestyle.”
“You may have told him that, but does he believe it?”
“He makes a lot of money playing for the Falcons. I don’t think he needs me.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“But I have a question for you because you’ve always been a great judge of character. How would you compare Blake and Will?”
“Why would you bring up that piece of garbage?”
“I’m curious.”
“I hated Blake, but I didn’t want to interfere with your life. You had to make your own mistakes and learn from them.”
“But what if we had gotten engaged. Or worse, married?”
“That wasn’t going to happen.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know.”
“There has to be more to that. What aren’t you telling me?”
Eddie sipped more of his scotch. “The pissant came to me looking for a job. You know, top management. I told him he had to rise through the ranks, just like everyone else. Well, he didn’t like that much. Then I had a few questions for him, and I didn’t like any of his answers. It was then I told him that you weren’t my daughter and if he thought you were going to come into a huge inheritance, well, he was sadly mistaken. He broke things off with you weeks later.
“Now, I’m not proud that I had a hand in what he did, but it goes to show he wasn’t sincere and I knew it. I just hope you aren’t angry with me.”
“No. I’m glad you did it. Blake was so phony.”
“And so you know, I’ll always take care of you, he just didn’t need to know that.”
“I don’t expect anything from you.”
“You’re like a daughter to me. And I take care of family.”
She picked at a piece of lint on her dress pants. Did she tell Eddie everything? She hated keeping things from him. “Don’t get mad at me, but I’m moving in with Will. I put my condo up for sale.”
Eddie’s expression darkened. “Allie, I don’t like this. If anyone finds out, you put me in a difficult position. I can’t protect you from the fallout.”
“We are being extremely careful. In fact, Will bought the place a few floors down from him and put it in my name.”
Eddie cringed. “Not only do you owe him something, you’ve put yourself in the same building as him.”
“If people see us it will make sense since I own a place in it.”
“I’m not going to argue with you, but I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do.”
“I’m guessing then that you’ll be staying on in St. Paul? I was worried this would be your first and last year here.”
“Despite how some people treat me, I love this team. I am determined to make my mark here and move up the ranks. I know people will always wonder if I’m here because of you, but it makes me want to prove myself even more. I have a vision for this team and with me here able to give you the information you need, I know this team can turn it around. I know they can be winners.”
Eddie smiled. “You’ve been the only one who has ever cared about the Falcons. Even years ago, I knew you loved the team and that’s why I offered you a job here again. If anyone can help turn this around, it’s you. I know you believe in it and so do I.”
“I feel inspired, Eddie.”
“Me too. When this team hits the ice next season, a lot will have changed around here. And if I don’t see wins on the board, heads will roll.”