‘Sumners never had any intention of dropping me. He just enjoyed me and Bernie dancing to his tune, pretending he gave a crap about my public image, all the while using tonight’s so-called welcome back as the perfect vehicle to bring in Prince after firing Coach Lewis.’

‘No, Coach Lewis was truly concerned about your future – Bernie told me that. They certainly didn’t set you up, Ward, no one who cared about you would do something like that,’ she reassured him, although after what just happened, she knew that wasn’t true in Sumners’ case. The man was successful for a reason, primarily because he was a cut-throat vulture who, unlike Ward, knew how to play many different games. The way things had gone down in there certainly did feel like a public ambush, and she couldn’t blame Ward for being angry.

‘Come on, let’s take a walk,’ Hannah suggested, linking her arm in his and guiding him down the stone steps and into the park. Though it was late, the path closest to the streets was well-lit by the overhead lantern lighting, and the trail was illuminated even further by nearby buildings surrounding the space. The trees and glistening light reflections in the dark lake had a natural calming effect, which she hoped might work its magic on Ward.

‘I can’t do this, Hannah,’ he said after a beat, his body still shaking with anger. ‘I can’t work with JP again. He has this way of getting right under your skin, making you feel worthless …’

‘Maybe yes, when you were younger and still figuring out who you were. But you’re a different person now, a grown man. Not some kid that’s so easy to mould into whatever tough-guy messed-up idea he has, or thinks the world has. I heard him talk back there after you left. He’s a relic, Ward. From a bygone age.’

‘Nah, I know the guy. He won’t rest until he breaks me. That’s how he operates. You heard what Sumners said. The wildcat’s been neutered?’

His jaw clenched so tightly she thought it might explode and she winced inwardly, reminded of the fact that much of her recent efforts in helping him tone down his old ways was responsible. And that Ward himself had expressed concerns that his new and improved nice-guy image might be going too far.