They exchanged another glance between them. “A, er, celebrity-type show.”
“And I’m guessing you’re wanting me to be the celebrity?”
They nodded.
His nose wrinkled. “You mean a reality show?” More nods. “What type of reality show?”
Coach Frantzen’s teeth glinted as he smiled. “Before you say no, just remember, that’s potentially fifty K that could go to a good cause. Plus, it would definitely help boost your profile and name recognition. Show that you’re a little more nuanced than just a skilled truck on skates.”
Nuanced? He wasn’t exactly sure he knew what that meant, but figured that didn’t matter so much as the more important thing that had crystallized in his brain. “What type of reality show?” Luc repeated.
“One your mom would probably approve of,” Coach Frantzen said.
Uh-oh. “We’re not talking cooking, are we? I’m not great at that. I mean, I love to eat, but I really only cook basic stuff.”
“Yeah, it’s not cooking.” The GM cleared his throat. “It’s called Dance Off Canada.”
Luc closed his eyes, fighting the temptation to swear. If he wasn’t trying to shine a light for Jesus he probably would’ve dropped a word others often used in the locker room after a loss. “Are you kidding?”
“Nope.”
“Come on, just think about it as a good cause, good promotion, and a great opportunity to learn a new skill,” Coach Frantzen said. “What do we like to say around here about great opportunities?”
“Great moments are born from great opportunities,” he mumbled. How many times had those words tumbled from his own mouth? “I just don’t think this’ll result in any great moments. It’ll only show everyone how bad I am.”
“I seem to remember a few quotes about that too. Something Eric Lindros once said about how ‘it’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts’…”
“‘It’s what you put into the practice’.” Man. They really weren’t letting him off easily. “But if I fail and I’m a laughingstock, then the other teams will treat me like a joke.”
“You don’t have to do it. But it is for a good cause. We got the phone call today, and they’re eager to put a new celeb into place as soon as possible.”
“I’m not even that much of a celebrity.”
“Something that can change after national TV exposure.”
Dear God, no. Lord? You’re not really feeling this, are You? Please say no…
But the peace from earlier seemed to have fled, which led him to suspect that maybe God had something up His heavenly sleeve.
“Aren’t you worried about my conditioning?” he asked Coach Frantzen.
“Look, can I be frank? If you’re as bad as you think you are, you won’t be there for long. Just long enough to get your name out there, and to get twenty-five grand for your charity.”
“I need to think about this, talk to my agent.” He sighed. “How long until you need an answer?”
“Tomorrow.”
Another word begged to tumble from his mouth. “You’re kidding.”
The GM shook his head. “They’ve already started filming promotional material. They’d need you later this week.”
“Where?”
“Toronto.”
“No way. I can’t drop everything.”
“Do you have plans?”
Well, no. Now he’d gotten his trip to his MPFG sponsor kids in the Philippines and Franklin’s wedding out of the way, summer had stretched before him, blissfully empty. He swallowed. “Are you saying I’d have to move there?”
The GM shook his head. “That’s the best part. Normally they’d be filming all of it in Toronto, but I checked, and they can actually film most of your rehearsals here in Winnipeg.”
“Why?”
The GM shrugged. “With the Royal Winnipeg Ballet based here apparently it’s known as a dance town.”
Huh. First time he’d heard the Peg called that.
“Which is why it could work well for you. You don’t need to fly to TO except for the weekend filming, and if you’re as bad as you think, it doesn’t sound like you’d have to do that for long.”
“Man.”
“Is it doable?” the GM asked.
Luc’s nose wrinkled. “It’s doable, but not wantable,” he admitted.
“What if I said the club is prepared to match the charity earnings as incentive?”
