The picture it paints is interesting for sure.
I never expected Santa to be the way he is—playful, funny, a shit-stirrer if I’m honest.
His reputation around the league is of a serious man who’s a beast on the ice. He doesn’t talk to reporters and barely pays any attention to the fans, so when I got to the Pirates’ practice in San Francisco and after a few minutes of introduction I got to see how he behaves around his teammates, I was dumbstruck.
Then a few days later when Charlie was cleared for practice after his injury the week before, and I saw how both of them act around the team, it was another big surprise.
I didn’t get in their faces, not wanting to act like a fanboy around them—even though I am. But I was getting up the courage to ask them on the flight back to Vegas if they’d train with me after practice, so I was disappointed when I found out they wouldn’t join us.
Now I don’t know if I’ll gather the courage to ask them when they come back, but I hope I do.
Charlie Heart was supposedly retired last season, and I don’t know how much longer Santa plans to play, so I might never get the chance to be mentored by them no matter how little they actually tell me or if they agree.
If I want to be the best, then I have to take this shot.
I’m starting a new life here in Vegas.
I have a friend on the team and I know I can make more with the rest of the guys. It feels like my life is really starting now, and I’m going to take advantage of it. I won’t let this opportunity pass me by.
2
Jake Collins—Daddy Jake
“How are you really?” I ask Chris as we sit on the couch on his patio.
My little brother has been having a very hard time lately with his boyfriend Benny being on the road late at night. It’s understandable, believe me, I know.
Our parents died in a car accident late at night fourteen years ago. A drunk driver took them from us and Chris didn’t deal with that trauma the way he should have. And I didn’t help him the way I should’ve.
At twenty years old, I became his guardian and did everything in my power to keep a roof over his head and him healthy and safe, but I didn’t help him deal with the loss.
I failed, simple as that.
So now I’m trying to make up for it, checking up on him like an older brother would’ve back then. And it doesn’t matter that Chris has told me a million times that he doesn’t resent me inthe least—actually the opposite, he knows I was focused solely on our survival—but I still know I failed.
“I’m better, Jake. I swear,” he mutters and takes a long pull from his beer. Is it wrong that I love how he rolls his eyes at me?
He never did that when he was an actual teenager, so I suppose we’re both making up for stuff now.
“I told you, my therapist and I are on top of it. Besides, Benny’s coming home in less than an hour. Are you staying for dinner tonight too?”
“I’d love to,” I tell him with a big-ass smile I can’t tone down. I’ve been coming to dinner every two nights or so all season when Benny has been out of the city on away games, and though I know Chris is well aware of why I’m coming over so often, I can tell he likes it.
I like it too.
Even when Chris is doing much better and he doesn’t need my presence to distract him from the danger he believes Benny is in, I think I’ll still be coming over more often.
It’s been five months now since the season started, even more since he started dating Benny, and both have brought us closer.
“Perfect, then stop stalling and just tell me what’s going on at Provoke that has you coming over every night?”
Chris moved to go to the kitchen before I could process the question. He thinks something is wrong at Provoke?
“Nothing’s wrong.” I call out the reassurance as I follow a few steps behind him. “Everything’s fine at Provoke, Chris. You know this. You get bi-monthly reports, don’t you?” I demand.
“I know, but it’s weird seeing you during the night,” he mumbles as he peers into the oven where he has something cooking.
“Well, I don’t have to be there every night, but I have been going after seeing you,” I grumble. I hope that doesn’t set off his anxiety, since the club is forty minutes away from his house.