Ben pouted, which looked ridiculous on him.Also, kind of cute.“But how do I know what to give you when I don’t even have a hint?”
“You don’t have to get me anything.”
Ben glared.
“Seriously.I like giving people things.It makes me feel good.What’s the point of making money if I can’t shower the people I love with stuff to make them happy?”
Looking very much as though he was fighting a smile, Ben said, “Well, then, I’m going to have to get you something that will make you happy.”
“You make me happy.”
From the living room, Charlie yelled, “You guys are super gross.”
“You wanna come to the mall with me?”Ben called back.“Apparently, I need to go shopping.”
“You don’t need to—”
“Can we pick up Chloe at the shelter?She wants to use her Hot Topic coupons.”
At some point, Phil had to have a talk with Charlie about how he seemed to be a magnet for girls who dressed like extras on one of those vampire TV shows Phil didn’t watch.He wasn’t sure whether Charlie attracted them in a friend way or a more-than-friend way, and he didn’t disapprove in either case.However, if Charlie’s game continued to be this impressive as he aged into late teenagerhood, Phil wanted him to be responsible about it.
With the house to himself for a few hours, Phil had just started wondering if he should hang up some of the Christmas decorations again—the more neutral stuff like fairy lights, to provide a festive flair—when the doorbell rang.
And rang.
And rang again, all within the same three second period.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Phil called, not that it would make a difference.
He yanked open the door to find Breezy standing there, his shoulders slumped, his eyes downcast.Even his curly hair looked droopy.
“Breezy?What’s up?”
“Hey, man.Can I, uh, can I come in?”
Phil stood aside and let him pass.
“So what’s up?”Phil asked again as he got two preemptive beers out of the fridge.He figured it would be about All-Stars.Luca had gotten in on the fan vote.It had to sting that Breezy’s roommate, who’d been on the team for all of three months, had been invited when Breezy had been playing for them for two years.
Breezy took a fortifying sip, nixing half the bottle.“So, uh, Amélie dumped me.”
Oh boy.There went Phil’s hope he’d come to talk about a hockey problem.“She’s the third girl you’ve been out with this year, huh?”
“Fourth.”
“Mm-hm.”
“She said my heart wasn’t in it.”
“Was she right?”
Breezy looked down at his knees.“I don’t know.”
If Phil changed his mind and went into contract negotiations after all, he wondered if he could bargain for an extra million to make up for this experience.No one told him being an alternate meant giving dating advice to twenty-two-year-olds.“Why did you go out with her?”
“Luca introduced us.”
“Okay, but what did you like about her?”
