Page 39 of The Goalie in Room 1

“Cash?”

“Hmm?”

“Can you look at me?”

He sucked in a deep breath and pulled his gaze from the file.

“Thank you,” I said. “You need to put your brace on. Your knee was swollen earlier.”

He pulled on the brace with a smile. “I think I’m losing count of how many Thads I’ve talked to today. There’s been the doctor, the silver fox, the patron, the benefactor, and now the Daddy.”

His joke felt like a deflection, but I refused to force him to react the way I thought he should. If he wanted to lighten the mood with a joke, so be it. I would do the same. “You make me sound like I have DID.”

“DID?” he asked.

“The new term for multiple personality disorder,” I explained. I had done a lot of explaining tonight. Hopefully he didn’t feel like I’d word-vomited information at him.

“Oh!” he exclaimed. Then said, “Yeah, there’s been a few Thads today, all of them sexy as fuck, a few of them extremely annoying know-it-alls.”

“Well, how about I take all the Thads and exit the building so you can process all the information the annoying know-it-alls dumped in your lap.”

I stood, my hand gripping his shoulder, wishing with everything I could kiss him goodbye.

“Goodnight, Thad.”

I made my way out of the kitchen, but instead of turning toward the front door, I headed through the house in search of Phoenix, finding him in the office. Rapping my knuckles on the door frame, I paused, waiting for him to wave me in.

“Hello, Thad.”

I shut the door behind me with a quick look to see if anyone was around. If Cash was around.

“Are we being secretive for a reason?”

Lowering myself into the chair I normally sat in, I said, “Cash Benjamin.”

“Yes?” Phoenix responded, without looking up from what he was working on.

“Phoenix…why has Halo House had an injured hockey goalie living here for however long without me knowing about it?”

He sat back, folded his arms over his chest, and said, “Excuse me.”

I scrubbed my hands over my face and through my hair. I really needed a haircut. “Sorry. Let’s start again.”

“I think that’s best, yes.”

“When did Cash Benjamin arrive?”

“A month ago.”

“And you know he’s a hockey goalie, correct?”

“Yes. I am aware of Cash’s former occupation and his injury, but before you, Dr. Vale, attempt to call me out, that kid came into this house so dejected and beat down that he locked himself in his room and only came out when everyone else was asleep. He spoke so few words the first month he was here that if it weren’t for Aaron telling me about the kid, I wouldn’t have known a single thing about Cash. Aaron assured me the kid wasn’t mute. I still haven’t performed the intake process with him yet.”

“Shit.”

“I’d hoped after Halloween he’d open up more. But other than speaking to Maxie, who he seems to have an affinity for, Cash has only spoken to me on one occasion, and that was to volunteer to work the bar during the charity event.”

The deep breath I took blew out my cheeks when I exhaled. Phoenix relaxed farther into his chair and said, “Now do you understand why I haven’t reached out to you?”