Phil did his best not to visibly react.Mormon.That was an interesting tidbit.Last night, when Charlie and Ben had talked about their family, he’d suspected something hyper-religious.Mormons tracked and explained why so much of Ben’s prior coaching experience had taken place in Utah.
Charlie’s eyes widened, his shoulders lowering marginally from his ears.
“One you can talk to about…you know.Everything.”
Not entirely dissuaded from his suspicion, Charlie asked, “And the house?Will I be—”
“No,” Ben said instantly.“One, it’s not our house.Two, Phil pays people to clean and cook for him.”
“While you’re living here, it is your house,” Phil threw in mildly.On an abstract level he knew Ben wouldn’t stay forever, and Charlie would leave with him, but he was in no hurry for them to be gone.He had plenty of money and plenty of space, and it all went to waste with only him there.Anyway, he enjoyed Ben’s company, his help around the house, and the occasional heated make-out session.He didn’t know Charlie yet, but he suspected he’d enjoy Charlie’s company as well.
He wanted them both to be comfortable and happy here, even if they weren’t staying.He might not be able to skate or block a shot, but he had the means to provide a safe place for two guys who would otherwise be in a tough spot right now.
Wait.
Would they?
Ben had said his apartment was being renovated when he moved in, but he hadn’t mentioned it a single time since then.He’d made noises about finding another place to live when Charlie arrived, but why not move back to his own home?Had he lied about that too?
Unease trickled down the back of Phil’s neck.He knew so little about Ben—only a loose amalgamation of information, such as his surprising handyman skills, and how gentle his hands could feel, but very little by way of data that Phil could enter into a search machine.
Phil took a breath and reminded himself he chose to be kind.
As far as Phil knew, Ben and Charlie needed a place to stay.Maybe because of renovations, maybe not.What mattered was that Phil had the space.Charitable goodwill or something.So what if he kept remembering how Ben’s lips had felt against his, slightly rough with stubble?So what if he liked how Ben’s eyes lingered on his bare legs?So what if the thought of Ben lying to him about who he was and why he was here made ice form around Phil’s chest?It didn’t mean anything.
Phil just wanted to be useful.
And useful meant making sure Charlie knew he was safe here.
Taking a stab based on everything Ben had told him and everything he had guessed, Phil said, “I told the cleaning service to stay out of Ben’s room.I can keep them out of yours as well if you want.”
Charlie eyed them both.“No one in my room?”
“Not if you don’t want.”Phil remembered being a teenager and desperate for privacy all the time.Sharing hotel rooms and sometimes his room at his billet family’s house had been rough.He got the feeling Charlie and Ben were remembering something much more intense.
Turning to Ben again, Charlie asked, “What’s in it for you?”
“Nothing,” Ben said.“Honestly, it’s going to be a pretty big hassle for me.But if you end up on your own, or have to go back…”
The thought alone was enough to make Charlie look away again, grabbing another carrot stick.
“I can’t have that on my conscience.I’m not going to be the parent you should have had or anything, but you deserve a safe place to live and a chance at a decent education.”
Fiddling with the cap of the ranch dressing, Charlie considered and then finally said, “I’d like you to be my guardian, I think.Yeah.”
Ben nodded solemnly.He reached across the table to pat Charlie on the shoulder, and even watching the interaction from the other corner, Phil could tell how awkward it was.When the moment lingered too long, he did the only thing he could think of.He struck up a conversation about inspiring speeches in sports movies so Ben would have a model for the speech he’d need to make in the locker room later if he wanted the team to have a fighting chance in that night’s match against Washington.
Ben left for the game several hours before it was scheduled to begin.He had to go over the lines with the other coaches, had to do media and talk to the equipment guys and sort out all the game-day stuff coaches dealt with.A part of Phil itched to go with him, to make sure someone reminded staff to save a plate of unseasoned, sauce-less pasta for Dmitriyev.He’d complained about them forgetting last game.And Howie was experimenting with a shorter stick, so they would need to keep his usual length on standby in case it didn’t work out, and—
But no.Phil wasn’t the coach, so Phil stayed home and watched some godawful animated TV show with Charlie until it was time for them to leave.He’d worried it would be awkward, taking an Uber together, but the sights and sounds of the city around them provided ample topics of conversation.
The questions continued as they made their way through the arena.Charlie had never seen a professional sports stadium from the inside, so Phil ignored the effort it took to get around on crutches and showed him all the sights: the different VIP lounges, the management offices, the spaces for parties and galas, and, of course, the concession stands.Finally, he took Charlie to the press box to watch the game.
“This is kinda cool,” Charlie said, peering around the box.The usual journalists were already miked up and reporting on warm-ups.A few call-ups lined the remaining seats and greeted Phil with nods and waves.
The same people who made the food for the guys in the locker room catered the press box, except they used more dairy for the food up here.It was, in Phil’s opinion, a waste of their time and resources to prepare two separate meals, given that the most regular attendees were team members who had a diet plan or journalists too busy to eat much.However, Phil spotted Pulvermacher in the back corner on his phone, so it seemed upper management showed up sometimes too.
Phil wondered if he ought to go over and say hello.It wouldn’t hurt to ingratiate himself a bit, thinking again of his dreaded contract negotiations.But Phil didn’t want to explain Charlie’s presence.He had no clue if Pulvermacher had a hand in Ben’s secrets, but even if he did, Phil vaguely recalled the GM being some form of ultra-religious conservative, so he would probably—
