Chapter 21 Lukas #2
I glance up to find Coach’s gaze on me and nod.
So much for seeing Ben right away. I text him quickly since he’s likely already on his way to the rink, and I don’t want him to wait longer than he has to before driving us home.
“Everything okay?” Burnsy whispers, and I nod.
“Meeting with owners right off the bus. No messing around.”
Burnsy huffs a breath. “Best to get it over with, right?”
“Yeah,” I huff. “If I’m getting canned, just do it now and don’t draw it out.”
The bus pulls into the arena lot, and family members step out of their idling cars to greet their players. The weather has turned to full-on winter now, and it’s an early cold snap. Scanning the lot, I notice Ben’s car, but he’s not in it. I hope he got my text.
After exiting the bus, I grab my suitcase and head towards the rink with it. I drop it in my stall of the locker room, before taking the stairs up to the second-floor team meeting room as Coach directed.
He’s already standing outside the door and nods in greeting.
“Thank you for getting here so fast.”
“I don’t want to let it drag, Coach.”
“Understood.” He opens the door and motions for me to step inside.
It takes a moment for me to actually register the people before me. But the blue-green eyes, so unique they always make me think of the water in Lake Louise, look back at me, and I stop moving my feet.
Austin Maloney hasn’t aged a bit and is still the heartthrob he was when I realized I was bi. There’s a little grey to his hair now, but it’s him.
“Austin Maloney. Holy shit. I mean, crap. Even under the circumstances, it’s a pleasure to meet you.
You gave me the courage to be out while playing hockey.
This is an honour.” Austin was one of the first professional players to take a stance on sexuality and equality in sports.
He’s a fucking icon, and I’m in the same room as him.
He stands and shakes my hand before gesturing to my side. “Get your welcome home hug and then we’ll start.”
Ben rises from the side and in two steps, I’m closing my arms around him, burying my nose in his neck. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t know they would get you involved.”
Ben steps back and cups my cheek. “They didn’t. I did. But…let’s just listen, okay?”
Ben and I sit together in front of the panel of men. Coach settles at the end of the table and falls into a friendly discussion with Austin before they settle into the meeting at hand.
“Sorry, gentlemen. Coach Nix was my junior coach a very long time ago. We don’t get together nearly enough.
” He gestures to the men beside him. “Along with myself, Matts Anderson, and Blaze Porter, we’re the owners of the Bloomburg Aspens.
I split my time between here and New York for my husband’s job, but Matts and Blaze live here. ”
This feels like a surreal time machine. Matts Anderson was a rookie sensation in the NHL before tragedy struck, and he disappeared for years. He returned and played with Austin for a year in New York before he left again, and it all comes flowing back. Matts is married to Austin’s brother.
“I’m an owner, but I’m mostly an investor,” Blaze says. “But it’s not always about money. I believe strongly in havin’ the right people in place.” He taps the paper in front of him. “Havin’ said that. I failed at gettin’ the right people on board for the marketin’ team.”
“Let’s back up,” Austin says. “Ben came to us a few days ago because he didn’t want you to be in trouble, but he also brought a problem to light we weren’t aware of.”
“The woman who offered Ben his contract has already been terminated,” Blaze says.
Ben gasps. “What? Why?”
Blaze waves a hand in the air. “I’m a numbers guy. Let’s just say her numbers were out of line, and I have too many questions about where it all went. Understand?”
Both Ben and I nod. Although I’m not sure I really understand, but if he says we shouldn’t be concerned, then I’ll take it. Ben wipes his hands on his pants, and I reach over to grab one. He settles and Austin continues.
“Ben, we have a new contract for you to review. We want you to continue as the mascot. The numbers, like Blaze said, don’t lie.
You bring a lot of revenue to the team, and we want you to stay.
Regarding not revealing your identity going forward, a standard NDA is sufficient for the people you deem important enough to know. ”
“Thank you,” he whispers.
Matts has remained silent until now, and the other owners look his way. With a sigh, he sits forward.
“The issue with you, Lukas, isn’t so simple. The players’ union and charter specifically state that should any player be found in a situation deemed a conflict of interest, or behaviour that could be viewed as unsavoury, action is required.”
“What exactly does that mean?” I ask.
“As a team, we don’t specifically have a rule that says you can’t be involved with other members of the organization.
As someone who was in a situation, sort of,”—he glances at Austin with a smirk—“placing strict rules on players’ love lives is something we all agreed wasn’t necessary.
Especially for anyone not fitting the straight label.
It’s hard enough some days out there; we didn’t want to hinder someone’s personal growth.
” He inhales and takes on a more serious tone.
“However…we asked for such behaviour to be brought to management immediately so it could be investigated if needed.”
“Lukas,” Austin says. “Because you didn’t come forward when Ben told you who he was, we have to follow the rules we made.
Since you’re a player in violation of disclosing potential conflicts of interest, no matter how trivial, you’ll be suspended for a further three games, making it a five-day suspension in total.
Since you have never been in violation anywhere you’ve played, we waived the fine, but your pay will be adjusted for those five suspended days. ”
It could be worse. Much worse.
“Thank you.” I nod to them. “That’s more than fair.”
“I wish we didn’t need to do it, but we can’t let things slide when we have a specific blueprint to follow. The next question is for you to decide.” Austin nods towards Coach Nix, and Coach clears his throat.
“As captain of the team and someone respected in the locker room, I feel like this would be an excellent opportunity to admit the mistake and tell your teammates what’s going on and why you’re benched.
It could spark a conversation that’s useful to players who might struggle with something similar.
However, the choice is yours if you’d rather keep it to yourself. ”
“Do they get to know about Ben, or is that still something under wraps?”
“I think, because of the circumstances and with Christine no longer in a position with the team, we can forget about all that. The players are all bound by their contracts not to share inside information, and I think this would fall in there somewhere.” Austin looks to Blaze and Matts for confirmation, and they nod in agreement.
That’s all I need to know because I want to shout to everyone I can about Ben’s achievements. If it’s only my teammates I get to brag to about his game day acrobatics, then so be it.
“Okay. I’ll tell the team. Just tell me when, Coach.”