Page 32 of Getting the Grinder
“Hey, Leo,” Dex says. “Where’s your faux beau?”
“No idea. We haven’t talked since she went to a team party with me a few days ago.”
“What a game last night. You guys smashed it.”
Carter’s brows rise. “You watched it, Dex?”
“I did. I added a hockey all-access package to my obnoxiously expensive cable plan. I’m a Crush fan, of course, but between us, did you guys hire those refs last night or what? They’re probably still scrubbing shit out of their hair from having their entire heads up your coach’s ass.”
I scoff. “Not every call is right, but it all evens out. You win some, you lose some.”
Dex sets down his celery stick. “No. Lucien should have been called for boarding. Twice. The ref was looking right at him.”
Carter shrugs a shoulder. “I saw one time he should’ve been called. But it was John McMahon getting boarded, and that guy’s a massive douchebag, so fuck it. And when you win 6–2, a few different calls wouldn’t have changed the outcome.”
“You’ve really gotten into the game,” I say to Dex.
He shrugs. “Suki makes us watch games when we’re over and they’re on, and it’s really grown on me. I was on a business trip recently and I was that guy, asking the bartender at the airport bar to change the channel so I could catch part of a hockey game.”
“Leo, hi,” Suki says, coming into the dining room and giving me a quick arm around the shoulder hug. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Yeah, I was letting the kids go first.”
Darling follows her into the room, his tail swishing when he sees me.
“There he is,” I say, putting my hand out. “Come get your head scratches, big guy.”
He loves having his head, ears and back scratched and rubbed. When Mara and I were taking care of him, she’d absently rub his back for a solid hour at a time, scrolling her phone with the other hand.
“Where’s everyone else?” I ask Suki.
“Harry had to work, Lainey and Bash will be here later, and I don’t know about Mara. She bought some cookies from someone at the courthouse who has a side business, and she was planning to bring them. But she texted and said she didn’t know if she would make it.”
I feel a twinge of disappointment. We had a nice time at the party, and I left for a quick road trip the morning after. More than once, I thought about her smile when I changed into the sweater-vest she got me. Her sudden grin was bright and warm and so damn happy, and it was directed entirely at me.
I’ve seen her smile that way at Suki before. But when Mara looks at me, her shoulders usually slump with disappointment. I get glares and eye rolls. Sarcastic laughter. I liked her sincere, light expression when I stepped out of my car, where I changed into the vest.
We drove separately to the party, so we just said a quick goodbye at the end. Anson had already left, so there was no need to fake a kiss.
I was hoping to see her tonight. There’s one more team holiday event I’ll need her to be my date to, and then the New Year’s Eve thing. I’ll have to text her the dates and times.
Lainey and Bash come, and after I say hi to them, I make myself a plate of bread, meat, veggies and fondue. About to head back to the dining room, I hear someone come in the door that leads from the garage into the kitchen.
It’s Mara. Her eyes are red, the skin around them puffy, and she’s holding a white box in her hands. She puts a finger to her lips and whispers softly.
“I just want to drop these sugar cookies off and go.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
She presses her lips together, her expression pained. “Horrible day at work. It was either stay home and eat this entire box myself or drop them off. I can’t people right now.”
Everyone has bad days at work. When I get home from road trips, I usually can’t wait to get home to my quiet house. My anxiety can be exhausting, and time alone helps me get out of my own head.
I should let Mara slip out and go home to recharge, but something makes me set my plate down.
“I’m fine,” she says.
“I’ll walk you out,” I offer.
