Page 41 of Born Into Trouble (Occupy Yourself)
“Benny.” His name called from across the room, and he looked up to see both Slate and Mason bearing down on him, and was grateful for their empty hands in a way which nearly pissed him off.They shouldn’t have to worry about me. “Hey, shrimp.” Slate thumped his shoulder, and he acknowledged both men with a chin lift, standing in place, glancing at a TV screen over their shoulders. Trying to look anywhere except at the booze in the room. Avoiding their empty hands pointing out his failures.Fuck.
It looked like the game was already underway, and he wondered how much Jase would get to play. Benny listened to his brother and Mason for a few minutes, accepting their praise of the anthem as graciously as he could, still feeling as if his skin was crawling, that brief flash of success wiped away by his failure to cope.
DeeDee stood alone near the open front of the suite, arms wrapped around herself, hands cupping opposite elbows. Luce was busy chatting with one of the women and Mercedes had made herself scarce, but he knew she was likely lurking close by, waiting for him to ask for a beer, so she could jump out like a sober ninja, knocking the drink from his clutching hand. He snorted at his melodramatic flair, made what he hoped was a graceful exit, and moved to stand next to DeeDee, stretching his arms out to lean against the railing.
“Wanted to thank you.” He kept his eyes on the players skating up and down the rink, the swirl of colors and motion hypnotic, soothing until they crashed to an abrupt halt against the edges. “I get you put yourself out there for me tonight. So, thank you.” Surprised when a strong arm circled his waist, he looked down at DeeDee to find her face turned up to his. He didn’t move, not sure what she wanted, but not wanting to cause offense.
“Didn’t do it for you.” Her voice was hushed, like this was a secret and he stared at her, not sure how to take what she’d said. “Love my girl.” Ruby wasn’t her daughter by blood, but this was an example where family didn’t necessarily mean related because even if they weren’t mother-daughter, their bond was as tight as any he’d ever seen. “She likes you.” He knew Ruby did, but it felt good to hear her affection confirmed like this. That he hadn’t fucked everything up with her. “She loves your brother.” She did, too. So much, you could see it on her face every time she looked at Slate. “Wants him to have whatever he wants. She’ll put her ass on the line for that, anytime, any day. That was her ass on the line tonight. She pushed this with Jase.” Her arm gave him a squeeze. “And it all came out right, yeah? You did well, and Slate got something he needed.” There was a shout from the arena quickly buried by the blast of a horn, and she looked away quickly, then the warmth of her grip dropped away, and she lifted both hands to her mouth, shouting, “Way to go, Spencer! Go, Tridents!”
She looked supremely happy, and he had to ask, wondered too much not to. “What happened?”
Head back, she laughed so hard it drew the attention of several people nearby. “Jase scored a goal. This is his last game, and he scored a goal. That’s”—she leaned closer, speaking quietly, another secret—“a big deal for him.” Patting his chest with her palm, she told Benny, “Watch at the intermission. He’s going to announce the foundation.”
“Foundation?” Benny realized he’d been so soaked up in his own misery over the past months, he’d missed out on a lot with the people in his life. Looking around, he saw Ruby seated in an armchair, Allen in her lap holding onto her fingers and standing. Wobbling, sure, but still supporting his little baby ass with his own two legs. “What foundation?”
“My old man is retiring, you know about that. Last game and all. He needed to keep hockey. It’s been his life for so long, I can’t imagine he’d be good without it. He wouldn’t be. The game makes him happy, and I don’t mind sharing him with something that makes him so happy. So he cooked up an idea to do a charity, raising scholarship money to get kids into training camps and stuff. Started down that road, decided he didn’t like some of the camps available. They were all about gear and schools and who your daddy was. Charity cases were treated like…charity cases. Kids whose folks couldn’t afford the expensive training got left behind because even raw talent needs a chance. An opportunity to learn, to push, prove themselves.”Like musicians, he thought. She turned to look down at the ice as a buzzer sounded. Benny watched as the other team skated off the ice, but stayed in their bench area while all the Tridents lined up on the centerline.
“So he came up with the idea of creating a foundation which would do both. Raise money to cover costs, so every kid gets a chance to love hockey like Jase does. And find a facility where he could do classes, lessons, workshops, training camps…everything a player needed, right here in Fort Wayne. Make it a mecca for hockey. That’s been his saying for the past couple of months. Level the playing field. Smooth the ice.” She leaned against the railing. “It matters so much to him, and he’s done it. Got the paperwork filed, found a place and bought it. It’s being gutted now, renovated for the kids. Rink, changing rooms, media room, training equipment. He’s got it all lined up. Making the announcement now.” She pointed, and Benny watched as an unhelmeted Jase skated to the center of the rink with a wireless microphone in hand.
“So proud of him.” An arm circled his waist, and he looked down to see Luce standing there, eyes to the man on the ice. “Him and Bear, Bingo, they all work so hard to make things better for kids.”
Benny’s neck twisted and he looked around the room. Almost all eyes were aimed at the ice, these men and women here to support one of their own. A man they loved without hesitation because he deserved it.Not like me. Someone had rested their drink on the counter next to where he and Luce stood. Five inches from his hand, what looked like a bourbon waited. As the room erupted in shouts and clapping, boots stomping to add to the din, he caught Mercedes’ gaze trained steadily on him. Fingers curling into Luce’s waist, he anchored himself, giving Mercedes a sharp nod she slowly returned.
