Page 19 of Lucky Bounce: Game On: Part Two

"Sure." He grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. "Want one?"

"Yes, please."

He handed her a bottle and took a seat next to her.

"First off, I don't need to tail you twenty-four/seven for this feature, okay? Since this whole living situation gives me access to you at times when I normally wouldn't have it, I won't have to follow you around like a lost puppy." She hesitated. "I also don't need to be at every single practice or game."

"There's always going to be a ticket available for you if you'd like to come to the games. And as long as a practice isn't closed, you are welcome to come whenever you want."

"Thanks."

They sat in silence for a few moments before he nodded toward the bedroom. "What's wrong with your cat, exactly?"

Holly sighed. "She has IBD, which is short for inflammatory bowel disorder. Cats can have different symptoms, but for Miss, it means she struggles a lot with diarrhea and vomiting. Her food and supplements keep her stable, but sometimes she gets flare-ups, and that's when she has the issues."

"How long does that last?"

"A flare? Anywhere from a few days to a month. I never really know. That's the thing that's hard with IBD—it seems like every time I narrow down her triggers, something new crops up and I have to start all over again."

Eli frowned. "She doesn't seem like a very old cat to have such a severe problem."

"She's not. She's four. Which is kind of early for IBD since it usually affects middle-aged cats. But every cat is different. It's a shame because she's a little sweetheart. I hate when she gets sick. It totally guts me."

Holly met his eyes, and once again, he saw a shadow of vulnerability there. She obviously adored Miss. She might act tough, but when it came to her cat, she was a total softie.

He liked this sweet, vulnerable side of her, and he suspected people didn't see it often.

"I know it's a lot to have an animal stay in your house if you aren't used to having a pet, and I appreciate you being decent about it." She picked at the paper wrapping on her water bottle with her nail. "Just a heads up—I might not be able to go to your road games, because if the awesome pet sitter that Penn recommended isn't available, I can't leave Miss alone. I can't afford to have her get sick. Not that I ever want her to get ill, but money-wise, I'd be sunk."

"No, I get it. I can tell that little ball of fur means a lot to you." He grinned. "Though I'd have never taken you for a cat lady."

"I wasn't before I adopted Miss. Penn asked me to be a foster mom for a few weeks when Moo's former owner abandoned her outside of the clinic. They were trying to find her a home. She loved me on sight and became my little buddy. After that, I couldn't give her up. Now, we're in this together."

"You're lucky my building allows pets." He gave her a playful wink. "Otherwise, we would have had to sneak her in under the cover of darkness."

Holly laughed. "Oh please, like they were going to tell the best defenseman in Las Vegas that he can't have a pet? Doubtful."

"Best defenseman, huh?"

"You know you are. Just don't let it go to your head."

"Which one?" he quipped, waggling his eyebrows.

She pointed a finger at him. "Professional, Eli. Remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, waving a hand.

She hopped off the stool. "I have a meeting with Lyla tomorrow. Do you want to meet up for lunch when you're done with practice? We can talk about what kind of angle you want me to approach this feature from, or I can give you some ideas. We can also go over a few easy questions to get the ball rolling. I have more research to do, but it's a starting point.”

"How about an early dinner instead?" he asked. "I have an appointment in the afternoon after practice."

"Okay, sure. That works." She tossed the water bottle into the recycling bin. "I think I'll call it a night. I'm going to head to my room and put away my stuff. And I need to feed Miss."

"You know there are more bags in the SUV, right?"

"Oh, shit." She made a face. "I forgot."

"Don't worry about it. I'll get the stuff and leave it outside of your door. If you need anything—and I do meananything—you know where I am."

---