Page 33 of Game On

Right?

“Sure,” he said. “Lay it on me.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Weekly Tuesday dinner with his cousins was one of Dorian’s favourite things. The location changed each week. Sometimes they were at Matt’s house, sometimes at Charlie’s apartment, and sometimes at Dorian’s. They used to eat out as well, choosing a restaurant they all enjoyed, but that ended when Charlie had admitted to his financial troubles a few months ago. There was no reason for Charlie to eat out if he didn’t have to.

Charlie was no longer in financial trouble, so they could eat out again if they wanted to, but no one had brought it up. There was something cozy about dinner at one of their places instead of at an impersonal restaurant.

Tonight they were at Matt’s in Kits Point. Often, dinner at Matt’s also involved his boyfriend, Pierce, but Pierce wasn’t in attendance tonight, so it was just Dorian and his cousins.

“How was your trip to Nanaimo?” Matt asked. He stacked their empty plates and rounded the counter that separated the table from the kitchen, depositing the plates in the sink.

“When did you go to Nanaimo?” Charlie asked.

“Yesterday.” Dorian brought the one-pan broccoli, chicken, and rice dish to the stove to put away the leftovers. “I was meeting with... someone.”

Charlie sat on a barstool at the counter. “Is this someone related to your super-secret new business idea?”

“Maybe.”

Dorian didn’t miss the look that passed between Charlie and Matt. Charlie batted his eyelashes at him. “Is today the day you tell us what that idea is?”

“Nope.”

Charlie’s face fell.

“I still have... things... to sort out.”

“Maybe Charlie and I could help you sort out those things,” Matt offered in that non-intrusive way he had.

But non-intrusive or not, well-meaning or not, what Dorian heard was You should let us help, because let’s face it—you won’t get anywhere without us.

They didn’t mean it that way, and logically, Dorian knew that. It was old wounds resurfacing to tell him that nothing he did was good enough, and he hated that his family’s voices were still in his head, making him feel less than.

“I’m good,” he said, finding a smile for them. “I’ve got it handled. Hey, I heard a rumour that if the Orcas win against Bakersfield on Friday, you’ll be the first AHL team to clinch a playoff spot this season.”

Matt’s smile turned self-satisfied. “Damn right.”

“What if you don’t win?” Charlie asked.

“Then we don’t clinch the first playoff spot of the season.”

“But Calgary could, right?” Dorian said. “If the Orcas lose on Friday but Calgary wins against Coachella Valley on Saturday?”

Matt’s expression darkened. “They could. Which is why we’ll win on Friday. Because if we do, it’ll also make us the fastest team in AHL history to clinch a playoff spot.”

“What are the odds of that?” Charlie asked.

And it occurred to Dorian as he divided the leftovers into three containers and Matt began talking stats, that the true reason Dorian had wanted the social media gig for the city’s hockey teams was...

For this.

To keep up with Matt and Charlie when they went on a tangent. To feel included, but also like he could contribute and sound smart about it.

Matt and Charlie had never made Dorian feel bad about his lack of hockey knowledge or lack of interest. Not once. And it was rare that they went on tangents, probably because they knew hockey wasn’t Dorian’s thing.

But Matt and Charlie had the sport to connect them. Dorian could make every excuse in the book, tell everyone until he was blue in the face that he’d wanted the job for the experience it would give him to successfully launch his subscription box.

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