Page 32 of Stick Side
Ben smiled and shook his head. It didn’t quite work that way, which the boys well knew, but he appreciated the sentiment.
Once he reached the office, he knocked on the door.
“Come in!”
Ben opened the door to find Coach McGuire as alone as he’d hoped. His only company was a pile of paper, a slew of pens, and a smattering of clipboards.
“Logan,” Coach McGuire acknowledged as he stepped through the door. “What can I do for you, son?”
Ben closed the door behind him. He was pretty sure he didn’t want anyone to overhear this conversation.
“Killer game tonight,” Coach McGuire added.
“Thanks, Coach,” he acknowledged. “May I?” he asked as he gestured toward one of the available seats.
Coach McGuire flipped his hand over, palm up, in silent offer. “Please.”
Ben could feel as much as see curious eyes surveying him as he took his seat.
“Why do I have the feeling this is going to be a much more serious conversation than I originally thought?” Coach McGuire asked.
The assistant coach was one very astute man. But then, one didn’t get where he was without being good at reading his players.
Now that he was here, Ben wasn’t quite sure how best to introduce the topic that was on his mind.
Coach McGuire surveyed him for a moment before saying, “Just spit it out, son.”
“Well,” Ben began without preamble, “I was hoping to obtain your blessing to date your daughter.”
Coach McGuire’s eyebrows flew up toward his hairline. “Come again?”
“I’m hoping to gain your blessing to date Melody,” Ben repeated.
Coach McGuire’s eyebrows pinched together, causing his glasses to slip the tiniest bit down his nose. He shook his head, as though to clear it. “You want my blessing to go out with Melody? My Melody?” It was as though he needed to clarify that he hadn’t misheard.
“I do,” Ben stated simply.
It was obvious Ben had surprised Coach McGuire with his disclosure. Under the circumstances, it seemed the least he could do was allow the man some time to gather his thoughts.
Coach McGuire spoke after a few beats of silence. “I don’t quite know what to say here,” he said in a slow and measured tone. “Melody is a grown woman. She can date whoever she wants. That said, I’ve never been in the position of having a player actually come to me with this sort of request. It’s a unique situation.”
“I know it is, sir,” Ben acknowledged. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I know it’s Melody’s decision who she does and doesn’t want to date—” which is what he was the most concerned with “—but I wanted to make my intentions clear. I didn’t want to go out with her and then risk you finding out about it in an awkward or uncomfortable way.”
Coach McGuire sighed heavily. “You’re a good man, Logan. If I didn’t already know that, this conversation would make it plain.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “That said, involving yourself with Melody could create a lot of complications.”
Coach McGuire held up his index finger before continuing. “First and foremost, that girl is my world. Melody might be anadult, capable of making her own choices, but I can’t help but feel protective of her. No matter how old she gets, she’ll always be my little girl. Your dating her would create a dual relationship that could prove tricky to navigate. And ‘tricky’ is the best-case scenario.”
Ben nodded his acknowledgment. Dating one of his coaches’ relatives was complicated, which is why he was here, having this conversation, when his preference was to keep his romantic life private.
Coach McGuire lifted his middle finger so that it rested alongside his straight index finger. “Secondly, if you choose to date Melody, you’re going to have to work extra hard to prove you deserve every advantage you’re getting. You’re new to the team and these boys barely know you, so it would be all too easy for them to suspect nepotism. Which means Coach Dodds and I might have to be extra hard on you to allay fears of bias.”
Coach McGuire took a breath before continuing his monologue.
“I pride myself on trying to be a fair and upstanding man, but the optics of a player dating a coach’s daughter are terrible—even if there isn’t an official rule against it.”
Ben cringed. He might not like it, but he could see what Coach McGuire was saying. He canted his head as he waited for him to voice his next concern.
Coach McGuire lifted his ring finger to highlight his third concern.
