Page 65 of Dump and Chase

“How about tomorrow? Before the road trip.”

“Sure. That’s if you aren’t called up first.”

The rumor mill was that he’d be called up before the road trip. The Kodiaks wanted him nearby.

“Even if I’m called up, the Kodiaks are in town. It’ll still work out.”

I smiled. “All right, then. Tomorrow it is.”

* * *

Because it wasn’t a date, I wore a pair of jeans that still fit and a cocoa-colored V-neck sweater. I met Brandon at the restaurant because this wasn’t a date. He was waiting outside for me in dark jeans and a white shirt with an open gray button down over top. I was so accustomed to seeing him in shorts and T-shirts that he looked a little different, but he certainly cleaned up well.

“Glad you made it. Mario has a table ready for us.”

I followed him inside and of course stole a glance at his ass. I really had to stop doing that. The hostess escorted us to a corner booth away from most of the other patrons. She put down two menus and asked Brandon if he wanted his usual to drink.

“How often do you come here?” I asked.

“At least once a week. And I order in a couple times a week.”

“Don’t you eat like Ethan and all the other hockey players? Lean poultry or fish, steamed vegetables, and brown rice? Rinse and repeat?”

“I watch what I eat, but I also like to move beyond the same shit every night. Mario prepares some dishes just for me so I’m eating well. But I’m counting today as a cheat day. And I’m also celebrating.”

“You were called up to the Kodiaks?” I asked, excited for him but a little sad for me. I looked forward to our sessions. He was the only person on the team I loved to talk to. We’d chat about the news, books because he liked to read on road trips, where to go and what to do in Vancouver. And he had started to open up to me about his life and his family. He had definitely moved into the friend category.

He grinned. “Got the call this afternoon. So I won’t be on the road trip.”

“You won’t be a stranger, right?”

“Nah. We’re going to be in the same building.”

I’d forgotten about that. We’d moved from the practice arena to the small offices allotted to us at Graham Place. Instead of sharing an office with just Jim, I was now sharing it with Allan too. But the facilities were better. The training room was top-notch and the gym state-of-the-art. I had no complaints. And I would still see Brandon on occasion if our paths crossed.

“Congratulations. It’s where you should be.”

The server came around for my drink order and dropped off Brandon’s beer.

“I was thinking about what you said the other day about expecting too much. I’m wondering if maybe my injury was a blessing in disguise. I’m going to try to ease up on my expectations. Maybe your ex will even start to like me.”

“You don’t get along with Ethan?” I knew that, but I decided to see what he had to say.

“We don’t hate each other, but we’re both centers. I’d do anything to be on the first line and he knows it, so we have a bit of a competition.”

After the server returned with my tea, I said, “It’s funny because Ethan is a competitor too. I’d think you two would get along.”

Brandon shook his head. “Grant puts up with bullshit on the team. I don’t. He’s also in tight with Jeremy, our captain. They’re best friends.”

Right. Jeremy. I knew him back in the day, but he’d been on the team only a few months before the New Year’s blowout, so I didn’t know him that well.

“Maybe you could ingratiate yourself?”

“We’ll see. I have a few friends on the team, and that’s all I need. I don’t plan to kiss ass.”

We got around to ordering, and I couldn’t help but get the gnocchi after Brandon told me they were homemade by Mario’s mom. Brandon truly was on a cheat day because he ordered chicken parmesan with pasta as his side. We decided to share a salad with some garlic toast.

“Speaking of Grant, you never did tell me why the two of you broke up.”

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