Empty Net
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Isaac gave him a sheepish grin and stepped to the side.
The program finished the recap of the on-going scandal and moved on to the future of the Ravens. Isaac had declined to press charges against Tyler Simon, as long as the former player was banned from the league like Laurent’s father. Simon had issued a mumbled apology to Isaac, though clearly at the recommendation of his lawyer, and not in person. It was broadcast on television, and Isaac just made fun of the shirt Simon was wearing and changed the channel.
The next bit on the program was an interview with the new Ravens’ head coach, Troy Callahan. Callahan was not a fan of Laurent’s dad, and if anything, might hate him as much as Laurent. Callahan had been incredibly vocal about the situation since it all came to light in the spring, talked bluntly about playing with St. Savoy for the New York Rangers, and how Denis had been a reprehensible player and a thoroughly odious human being. The man certainly didn’t mince words.
He also wasn’t shy about coming out as gay either.
“I still think the Ravens hired him to look all queer-friendly,” Isaac said as the program mentioned how much trouble the Ravens were having selling season tickets. “Still wish Xavier had been traded, though.”
Instead of asking for a trade since he was free of St. Savoy’s blackmail, Xavier Matthews had become the Captain of the Ravens. Laurent wouldn’t want anything to do with that sinking ship if he were Xavier, but apparently the Ravens organization had hired a bunch of new staff, including a PR guy to come in and fix their image. That’s probably why they ended up with Callahan as a coach.
The program moved on the power rankings and predictions for the season that hadn’t started yet, and Laurent flipped the channel to one of Mrs. Bowen’s old movies. When she came home from the hospital, Laurent spent a lot of time with her because she couldn’t move around a lot. He ended up telling her everything about his father and his eating disorder, and that was probably why she was always bringing him cookies.
“Hux said he’ll be over for pizza, if that’s cool,” Isaac said and headed toward the kitchen. “Want a beer?”
“Sure.” Laurent rifled through his bag and pulled the comic book out so he’d remember to give it to Hux. He took out his sketchbook and pointedly ignored his finance text, choosing instead to grab a graphite pencil and his kneaded eraser. Thinking about Isaac as a sentinel had given him the urge to mess around with his current original comic project. It featured a tough, five-foot-eight, blue-haired warrior angel who saved the soul of a cursed man from being tormented for eternity by the devil.
Not very subtle, but Isaac sure as hell looked hot with wings.
Afterword
IF YOU or someone you know are struggling with an eating disorder, please know that there are resources available to help you and that you do not have to go through this alone. The National Eating Disorder Association has a website full of resources, including a hotline and other emergency contact information, at http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/.
If you are in need of immediate assistance, you can call the Recovery Connection and receive confidential help 24/7 at 1- 800-993-3869.
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A Scoring Chances Novel
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Readers love the Scoring Chances series by Avon Gale
Breakaway
“…a humorous and insightful, character-driven, sports contemporary, bisexual M/M romance.”
—Unquietly Me
“I’d seriously give this a 7 of 5 stars if I could…
it was really, really amazing.”
—The Blogger Girls
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—Joyfully Jay
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“I highly recommend this excellent friends to lovers, hockey based romance! This gets all the stars in the universe!”
—GGR Reviews
“Great storyline, fantastic characters, brilliant witty and sharp writing, HOCKEY, and some pretty hot sex, too. This book is NOT to be missed.”
—Diverse Reader
AVON GALE wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it—even if it was a bit weirder than the other hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after—though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.
Avon grew up in the southern United States and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal Midwestern college town. By day, Avon is a hair stylist who loves her job, her clients, and the opportunity to spend her time being creative and making people feel happy and look fabulous.
When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music, or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert, and will never say no to candy.
At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.
Website: www.avongalewrites.com
Email: avongalewrites@gmail.com
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By Avon Gale
Conversation Hearts
Let the Wrong Light In
Old Acquaintance
SCORING CHANCES
Breakaway
Save of the Game
Power Play
Empty Net
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Empty Net
© 2016 Avon Gale.
Cover Art
© 2016 Aaron Anderson.
aaronbydesign55@gmail.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63477-584-7
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63477-585-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016909428
Published September 2016
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America