Page 46 of Game On

CHAPTER TEN

Jamie arrived at Dorian’s on Friday evening tired as hell but also feeling like he could play an entire hockey game as the only defenceman and still get his team the win. The Orcas had won four of their five away games in California, proving that they deserved to be in the playoffs. And the fanfare that had erupted when they’d become the fastest team in AHL history to clinch that playoff spot had been both startling and thrilling. There’d been interviews and media appearances and photo shoots, and the social media intern had had their hands full until they’d come down with the flu and been replaced with Stanley, some guy from the organization’s head office.

Jamie walked into Dorian’s with a yawn, duffel bag over one shoulder, takeout in hand. Dorian’s voice came from the direction of his office, soft and coaxing, so Jamie left his bag and shoes by the door and made his way there. Who was Dorian talking to?

The dog, it turned out.

Dorian lay on his stomach on the floor of his office, Poppy perpendicular to him.

“It’s sparkling water sweetened with organic maple sap,” Dorian was saying to the dog, waving a pale blue can, its tab open. “This comes from a small business in Prince George. It’s pretty good, right? Refreshing. Bet it’d be nice in a mocktail or cocktail.”

Next to Poppy was a cereal bowl from the kitchen, half-filled with what Jamie assumed was the sparkling sap water. Because apparently Dorian had offered some to the dog.

“This will be nice in the summer box, don’t you think?”

Christ. How was Jamie supposed to resist the man when he was being all sweet to the damn dog? One could tell a lot about a person by the way they treated animals.

Jamie had never been more sure that Dorian was a closet softie. He’d suspected when Dorian had bought Poppy all sorts of toys and supplies, but this cemented it.

He had a feeling Dorian would turn into a viper if Jamie accused him of it, though.

Testing a theory, Jamie leaned against the doorjamb and cleared his throat.

Dorian’s head snapped up. “Hey. You’re back. I didn’t hear you come in.” He scrambled to his feet as Poppy trotted over to Jamie. “I was looking for, uh... an earring.”

He didn’t wear earrings.

“My aunt lost one,” Dorian rambled on, as though he’d read Jamie’s mind. “On the weekend. I hosted Shore family brunch on Sunday, and she was in here... um...” He cast his gaze about, likely looking for an excuse. “Checking out my product samples! Yeah, she used to be a buyer for Hudson’s Bay, so she knows good products when she sees them.”

Jamie squatted to say hello to Poppy—and to hide his grin. It was tricky, parsing out the truths from the lies, but Dorian’s tell was in the way he couldn’t meet Jamie’s gaze when he lied.

Truths? Brunch and the aunt who’d been a merchandiser.

Lies? The earring and the aunt browsing his samples.

Why he didn’t want Jamie to know that he’d been quietly conversing with the dog was anybody’s guess. But then, Jamie got the feeling that there was a lot more to Dorian than met the eye, and his love of dogs—maybe animals in general—was one of them.

“Did you find it?” he asked.

Dorian blinked. “Find what?”

Amusement tickled the back of Jamie’s throat. “The earring.”

“Oh! Uh, no. She must’ve lost it somewhere else.”

“Uh-huh.” Deciding not to call Dorian on the lie, Jamie stood and lifted the takeout bag. “Hungry? I brought Italian.”

“Is it evening already? Damn. I lost track of time.” Dorian nudged his shoulder on the way past, giving Jamie a lungful of his scent. “Believe it or not, I was going to make you a celebratory meal as congratulations for making the playoffs.” He said it with a teasing grin, but oddly... Jamie did believe him.

Or maybe not so oddly. As Jamie was learning, Dorian was complicated and had hidden depths Jamie had barely skimmed the surface of.

They ate at the kitchen table, Poppy between them waiting for scraps. Jamie gave her head a scratch. “How was she while I was away?”

“Google said I can feed her vegetables, so I’ve been giving her some with dinner, and her poops have been enormous.”

Jamie nearly fell over laughing.

Later, once they’d eaten, they dressed in their outerwear and clipped a leash onto Poppy’s collar. Jamie eyed the discarded dog booties by the stairs and said, “No booties for Poppy?”

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