I am okay with that.
Mr. Timberland: So am I. Please be safe. I need you to come home to me.
I will be. I’ll text after I get back to the plane. Thanks for making sure my favorite foods are on board.
Mr. Timberland: Anything to make you happy. xoxoxo
You make me happy. xoxoxo
I got off the plane with Charlie on my shoulder. A driver was waiting. When I got to their building, I straightened my tie, grabbed my laptop bag, told Charlie to behave in the car, and gave myself a little pep talk. I know they already agreed to sign, but I took every client seriously and gave them the respect they deserved. I was never going to rest on the company name alone.
I walked up the stairs and knocked. They invited me into their house while intimidating dogs looked at me warily. “Don’t worry about them,” Liam said. “They are big softies just wanting tummy rubs.” With that, one threw themselves down on the ground with legs in the air.
I couldn’t help but laugh at how they went from intimidating to adorable. I bent down and gave solid scratches. “Come on in.” Connor headed towards the kitchen. We don’t have a great place to sit and talk, so we thought this would be good enough. The agents we had before never met us.
I shook my head. “That’s a shame. I want you to know me and trust me. The only way to do that is for us to sit down face to face.”
“I can’t believe you are interested in representing us.” This time, Liam spoke up.
“Of course. I think you are a good fit for Hot Shots for several reasons. I want to be clear, though. You may work together as a couple, but I will also get you individual jobs. It just depends on what companies are looking for. I would be lying if I said your performance doesn’t matter. The better you do on the rink, the more brands will be interested in hiring you. I will also approach companies I think might be a good fit.” I looked at them both for acknowledgment.
“That sounds great. What about the other thing?” Liam looked at me, genuinely concerned.
“The other thing? You mean being gay?” I was incredibly sad for these guys. They felt that their love and their sexuality was a problem for them. I hated this.
“Yeah.” He hung his head.
“Liam. I don’t know what was said to you by your team, your coach, or your agent. I am here to tell you that loving whomever you want is never negative. I don’t deal with bigoted companies. I support your relationship, and we will not pretend that you two aren’t anything but out and proud.” I smiled at them both.
They grinned at each other, then Connor took Liam’s hand and nodded. “Thank you so much, Mr. Barallo. We appreciate that youaren’t asking us to hide. It was the first thing we were asked to do when the news broke. Honestly, it hurt to hear.”
“I’m sorry that happened. It won’t happen with Hot Shots, and I promise you that. I know this is a change of topic, but do you all drink wine?” I suddenly had an idea for Sun Harvest with these two walking through the vineyard and winery, sharing their love of wine and each other. It would be a fantastic way to get more interest from the LBGTQ+ community and an excellent place to start expanding the brand. It would also be a solid company in their persona endorsement portfolios.
“Yeah. We like wine.” Connor looked at me curiously.
“Excellent. I just had an idea for my boyfriend’s winery, and it might be your first sponsorship as a couple. It would be good for everyone involved.” I was pleased with the idea. I didn’t know much about making wine, but I knew how to market anything.
“I’m sorry if this is an insulting question.” Connor looked at me. “Did you just say, boyfriend? You’re gay?” Liam gave him an odd look.
“How did you not know that? He mentioned it when we talked for the first time.” Liam said.
I addressed Connor directly. “I am. Is that a problem?”
“Not at all. I didn’t realize it, I guess. I suppose in my head, you were just a super-rich guy with a blonde wife, two-point-five kids, a dog, and a mansion in some gated community. I am sorry this all comes across as insensitive. I’ve had a lot of hits to the head. You’ll have to excuse me.” He chuckled.
“I do okay financially. I don’t have a wife, but I have a super-hot construction worker boyfriend, no kids, tons of nieces and nephews, a dragon, not a dog, and I live in an apartment. You missed on most counts.” I laughed with them.
“Let’s sign these contracts, and I will let you two get back to your evening. I know you are heading to training camps in days. You probably want to enjoy your time together.” They both nodded and looked at each other. I understood how it must suck being apart for weeks at a time. I was unhappy being away from Aaron for two days. I signed two new clients, and I was going to get them some great sponsorships. They were going to be so much more than the gay hockey players.
I climbed the steps to the plane at 5:59 p.m. I sat down and felt the reminders of my night with Aaron. I raised my arms and twisted in my seat, stretching everything before settling for a two-hour flight.
Tyrell looked ready to go, and Shandra returned to me from the cockpit where she had been talking to her husband.
“Everything okay?” She smiled at me.
“Was great,” I told her who I met and how discouraged they had felt. It made me feel good that I took that from them and gave them hope for their futures.
She sat down for takeoff. “I’ll get your dinner ready as soon as we are airborne.” Charlie would probably want to be out of that box, too. I was sure he glared at me as she said it.
