Page 41 of The Goalie in Room 1

“Good morning, Cash.”

I turned. Phoenix glided across the patio toward where I sat. He carried a tray laden with breakfast and coffee, if my nose could be believed. Jumping up, I took the tray from him and set it down on the patio table where I sat. Sure enough, the tray held a carafe of coffee, a couple of mugs, two plates with matching flatware, bacon, eggs, toast, some muffins, and a condensation-coated glass holding what looked like my morning protein shake.

He settled on the seat next to mine while I stood staring at the food he’d carried out. If it weren’t for the shake and the second set of dishes, I could force myself to believe this was all for him. Hell, maybe he anticipated someone else⁠—

“Cash, will you have breakfast with me?” Phoenix asked, his words interrupting the spiral his sudden presence and the items on the tray had triggered.

I nodded and retook my seat. He poured coffee into the mugs with a grace I’d never witnessed outside of television and movies. Everything about Phoenix screamed elegance and a quiet steadfastness. Not that I’d had more than passing interactions with the man since I walked into Halo House, locked myself behind the door to my room, and stayed there, only ghosting the halls and rooms when I thought everyone else would be asleep. That one sole instance when I approached him about tending bar accounted for about ninety-eight percent of my interactions with the people I shared space with.

“How are you settling in?” Phoenix asked, passing me a mug, then loading a plate with food. He motioned toward the food and added, “Please, help yourself. I made a protein shake for you, since I don’t know if you’re one of those people who eats breakfast foods.”

I smiled, still unsure of the hospitality, but over the month I’d been here, the other Halo House residents had stood back and let me be. Phoenix had fed and housed me, and made sure I had space to come to terms with the shitty situation I’d found myself in. Clearing my throat, I said, “Thank you, Phoenix. I don’t know where I’d be…”

“You are very welcome, Cash. Your situation and the ones that have brought all the residents past and present to our front steps are why I founded Halo House. Although I normally have a conversation with new residents sooner than this.”

My face heated with a blush. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

“No apologies. You needed time to process. Aaron…Officer Vale gave me a rundown of your situation. I know nothing about hockey, or sports at all, really, but your situation makes me want to scream.”

“Yeah…I’ve done that a few times. More than a few, actually.”

“I’m sure. So…this conversation might be happening later than usual, but that’s a non-issue. So, Cash Benjamin…Halo House is here to help you find your way. To get you back on your feet, and in your case, that means literally back on your feet, in the best way we can. So…tell me…what do you need from Halo House?”

I stared at him for several moments before picking up my shake and chugging it. I wasn’t a fan, but I needed the protein, and it was the fastest way to get it. I preferred chewing my food, not drinking it. When the glass met the table, I wiped my mouth and said, “I need to get back on the ice, but having met Dr. Vale, he’s not sure that will happen.”

“Thaddeus has been wrong in the past. He can be again. And something tells me you are the determined sort.”

“I am. If only determination made money appear in my bank account.”

He laughed. “I think we all share that wish.”

“Yeah, well, the lack of commas on my bank statement is the biggest stumbling block to proving the good doctor wrong,” I grumbled into my coffee.

Phoenix’s head swiveled, his body following. His gaze became a physical weight I couldn’t ignore. “Halo House covers all medical services. There’s no stumbling block if the price of treatment is the concern.”

I scoffed. “So I’ve heard.” Before he could respond, I added, “But who’s paying for the next twelve to eighteen months? And that’s if everything goes the way it should. It could be upward of double that. So, Phoenix”— I paused, leaning toward him, my elbows braced on the table, hands clasped— “is Halo House going to feed, clothe, and house me for the next three years while I’m unable to do more than hobble around on crutches on top of the quarter of a million dollars it could cost to get me back in the net?”

“Yes.”

Just yes. Nothing more. No negotiation. No hesitation. Just a single affirmative that blew my mind. “What’s the catch?” I asked.

“No catch. Halo House is my way of giving back the same help my husband provided to me when I needed it most. He took me in. He housed, clothed, and fed me all while helping me find myself and heal from a traumatic past.” Phoenix stopped to sip his coffee.

“And the patron angel bullshit?”

Phoenix laughed again. “Halo House provides. Sometimes residents have needs that we cannot meet. That’s where patrons come in. My knowledge is not limitless. I’m not a doctor, a lawyer, or a therapist. I’m not an actor or a hockey player. So Halo House and I rely on the benevolence of donors and patrons to meet the needs of the people who walk through our doors to seek refuge from the cruelty of the world.”

I chewed on his words, tumbling them through my mind. “So you figure out what we need and go out and find the person we need.”

“We make introductions, but there’s never any pressure or demand made of either the patron or the angel. It’s probably no different from introductions made in the sports world when you’re coming up. Coaches introduce skilled players to agents and scouts, I assume? I mean, I could be completely off base, but it seems plausible.”

I nodded. He was right. My juniors coach introduced me to people who introduced me to other people, and I ended up in Headland Cove. Even the coach and general manager of the Breakers had made introductions.

“Halo House isn’t pimping anyone out here, Cash. We make introductions, and it allows people who have resources to help those who don’t. There’s never an expectation of quid pro quo. Whatever relationship develops between the angel and their patron is something they both control. Same with any pairing you’d find outside of Halo House.”

Hope flared. I hated it. It sucked. Most people thought hope was this beautiful thing because they’d never had it given and yanked away over and over and over again. And if they had, and they still found hope to be beautiful…? Well, they were fucking stupid.

I should know. I was one of them. I continually let hope knock me on my fucking ass. And I was ready to risk the lesson again because a few virtual strangers had given me the same answer using different words.