Page 9 of The Long Game

“So, are you ready for tomorrow?” Garrick asked once he’d made a considerable dent in his food.

“I think so,” Jack said with a flutter of nerves in his stomach. The first of the eight weekly summer hockey clinics for local kids would take place the following afternoon and a lot of moving parts needed to be managed.

“Have I thanked you for taking this over for me?” Garrick asked.

“At least ten times this week alone,” Jack assured him.

Barnaby practically bounced in his seat. He still had a week before the start of the summer semester at Moncton University and the resumption of his TA job, so he’d been a godsend on the administrative side of the clinics, making sure all permission slips were signed and medical records filed. “It’s going to be fantastic. Garrick, has Jack told you about the changes he’s made this year?”

Garrick looked at Jack curiously. “No, we’ve mostly talked about the insurance and arena and website stuff.” Garrick had been running the program for a decade, even in recent years when he was living in Boston during the hockey season. This summer, understandably, he needed to take a step back in anticipation of the arrival of his first child.

“It’s just an idea I had,” Jack said with a shrug.

Barnaby gave him the look that usually preceded Jack being called a twat, then turned to Garrick. “He’s included any of the kids in residence at the Pathways Center who want to play. He’s arranged for transportation, equipment, even security. All free of charge.”

Garrick’s eyes widened. “Jack. That’s amazing. You should have said something.”

“I wasn’t keeping it a secret or anything. I’ve just been trying not to bother you. I don’t want to distract you from home any more than I already have.”

Garrick’s smile was wry. “Savannah would literally pay you to take me and Rhian out of the house. She says we hover.”

Jack bit back a smile. “I can’t imagine.”

“And you wouldn’t have been botheringme,” Garrick added with a glare Jack didn’t take seriously. Garrick turned to Barnaby. “Tell me more since this guy is too humble.”

“It’s brilliant,” Barnaby enthused before launching into the details.

Jack nursed his beer and appreciated Barnaby’s flattering description of what they were attempting. The project had ended up being tougher than he’d thought it would be when he came up with the idea. Not that he regretted it for a minute, but it had proven to be a lot of work to ensure it was a great experience for everyone.

The Pathways Center was a youth and family shelter that did a lot of work with the LGBTQ+ community in particular. People, including kids, were residents there for all kinds of reasons, but the two most common were domestic violence and homelessness. This meant that the biggest concern, as far as the hockey program was concerned, was that many, if not all, of the kids had experienced some trauma and could be at risk. Keeping them safe was the top priority while still giving them a chance to get out of the Pathways Center and do something fun.

Jack knew what it was like to live in an institution, and while this was a totally different circumstance, it was still liberating to be paroled, even if just for an afternoon of hockey.

“I’m glad everyone can come back to help this summer,” Garrick said, referring to the collection of current and former Ice Cats players and staff who volunteered for the program, “but how are you handling the added security? That’s definitely new.”

“Oh, that was easy,” Barnaby said with a blithe wave of his hand.

“Really?” Garrick asked.

Barnaby smiled. “Of course. Jack’s crew will be manning the doors and Grady has volunteered to be on-site for every clinic.”

Garrick’s eyebrows shot up and he looked at Jack the exact same way Barnaby had when the waitress’s boobs had filled ninety percent of Jack’s field of vision.

While no one but Barnaby ever talked about the weird shit people did because of Jack’s stupid face, no one but Garrick ever dared call Jack out on his feelings for Grady. Or his supposed feelings. The feelings Garrick claimed Jack had.

Because Garrick was dumb.

Fortunately for Jack, Barnaby was too busy inhaling his french fries and, between bites, filling Garrick in on the details of the hockey clinic to notice Garrick’s long, speaking look.

Jack pointedly ignored him and focused on his dinner, only speaking up when he had something to add or reason to defend himself.

He wished Barnaby hadn’t brought up Grady because Jack had been doing a bang-up jobnotthinking about him until that moment. Not that it was a big deal or anything, but Grady hadn’t joined them for dinner because he was out on adate. Which was totally cool and fine, of course.

Really.

Jack pushed aside his plate, his dinner like a brick in his stomach.

To the surprise of absolutely no one who knew him, Barnaby had moved on to gushing about his boyfriend, Travis Campbell, former professional ice hockey player and full-time doting partner. Rolling his eyes fondly at his besotted friend, Jack glanced over his shoulder when the door from the street swung open. He’d lived and worked in Moncton most of his life, so it was habit. It wasn’t unusual to see a familiar face.

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