Page 27 of Power Play

The doorbell ringing woke me up. The one sound that would have me hopping out of bed on a Sunday morning before noon, after a victory parade party that went late into the evening.

I thought about answering the door in all my glory just to get another reaction from her. While the underwear last time might have been a shade too far, she’d about swallowed her tongue, so it was worth it. Deciding on some decency, I pulled on sweatpants and nothing else.

I knew Kit hated herself for noticing my body and I took a perverse thrill in that. It was an excellent body. She should notice. She’d have to be dead not to.

But man, did it bother her.

In fact, just thinking about the way she’d gaped at me made me a little hard.

I scrubbed my face with my hands as I tried to get my bearings.

It had been a hell of a week. My brother went and upended his life at that golf tournament. Married, of all people, the love of my life, pop-star Sydney Malloy!

It was so unlike him, I took the trip out there to see if he needed saving. He did not. In fact, if I was a betting man, I’d say my brother might have found his match.

Go figure. Sydney Malloy.

But I took the red eye back for the parade yesterday. and now… beautiful Sunday.

I really wanted Kit to be wearing that cat costume again. I bounced down the steps eagerly, but stopped when I remembered she wasn’t coming today. She was coming next week. Suddenly, I was mad at whoever was ringing my doorbell so early in the morning.

“This better be good!” I growled, opening the door.

Standing there was a beautiful brunette and a little girl with a pink backpack.

My manicurist and once upon a time fling, Janice, and her daughter, Tess.

“Janice!” I said. “Do we have an appointment?”

“No, no appointment,” Janice leaned in and kissed me on both cheeks. leaving the smell of patchouli and something else that reminded me of summers with my brother out mowing lawns. “Thank God you’re home. I really need your help.”

“Come on in,” I said, pulling the door wide so Janice and the little girl could come inside. “Everything okay?” I asked her.

“Fine. I mean… you know.” She said with a laugh that could mean anything.

“Heya Tess,” I said to the little girl blinking her big blue eyes at me behind her pink glasses. She lifted her hand and we engaged in our very elaborate handshake that included a booty shake and ended with us pretending to sip tea out of little cups with our pinkies up.

“How are you Tess-a-saurus Rex?” I asked her, once the imaginary tea had been sipped.

Tess shrugged as if to say, how is anyone in the grand scheme of things? “Fine, Liam, Liam Bo Biam,” she said. Yes, we had secret handshakes and nicknames for each other. We were cute. “You won.”

“I did. Did you watch?”

“No.” she pushed her glasses up with her wrist. This girl gave zero fucks about me being an NHL Star. “What did you get for winning?”

“A big trophy.”

“Can I see it?”

“It’s….ah… it’s not here.” I suddenly wished I had a shirt on.

“I won a gold fish once. At the fair.”

“Yeah, that’s fun.”

“I named it Fishy.”

“Solid name.”

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