Page 113 of The Husband Game

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he looked, his socks were nowhere to be found.

“Okay, who stole my damn socks?” he asked with a laugh.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matty said, grinning and attempting an innocent look he didn’t pull off at all. “I didn’t touch them.”

“Sure you didn’t,” Dustin shot back. “Anyone got a spare pair?”

The guys shook their heads and Dustin frowned, pawing through his bag but still coming up empty. He usually had some extras on hand in case of stray holes or wet socks but this early in the season he hadn’t thought he’d need them.

Kate stuck her head in the door. “Media in three minutes! Make sure you’re all dressed,” she called out.

Dustin gave up on his search for his socks and shoved his feet into his street shoes. He took a moment to be sure his hair was lying right, and he was ready for media duty.

When the reporters began to trickle in, Dustin greeted them warmly.

At times, dealing with them could be frustrating, but his dad had taught him that developing a good relationship with the beat reporters and local media went a long way in making interactions with them pleasant.

It was never fun when the team was on a losing streak and they wanted answers he didn’t have. But at the end of the day, they loved hockey and they were doing their job, same as him.

So he asked about their summers and congratulated one of the guys who’d gotten married—who congratulated him right back—then let them get down to business.

“After having attended rookie training camp as an observer last week, how do you feel about the team’s prospects?” one woman asked.

“I feel great about it,” he said, looking into the camera lens and meaning every word of it. “I am impressed with the crop of talent we have.”

Rookie training camp had been attended by twenty-five players and included a couple of new free agent signings and draft pics, along with some AHL prospects who had shone the previous season with their development team, the Toronto Black Bears.

“I think we have a lot of guys who are going to do well in our lineup. Some of them probably won’t see an NHL game for a few years but I’m confident our staff at the Bears will do a great job with their development. I saw a lot to be excited about and those who attended today did very well.”

This week’s training camp roster had been built by Pat Fleming, their GM, and it included a number of guys from the rookie camp and returning veterans, combined for a total of thirty forwards, twenty-one defensemen, and six goaltenders.

By the end of the week, that would be trimmed down to the leaner season lineup numbers, but for now they’d been split into three separate teams until the end of camp.

As Dustin listened carefully and answered questions, he gradually became aware of his feet.

They felt … warm.

He wriggled his toes in his shoes, wondering if they were sweaty from the lack of socks.

But the heat built and built and an itch began under the arch of his left foot.

“Dustin, does it look like you, Olson, and Jensen will be on the top line like last season?”

“I know our coaching staff is going to try a few different pairings throughout the camp to see what gels, but as of right now, I think it’s quite likely. We worked well together last season and, uh, we … we will certainly give it a go this time around, I’m sure.”

Flustered by the growing heat and the itch, it was difficult to focus on his answer.

Dustin tried to surreptitiously rub the toe of his shoe against the arch of the other one but the sole was too thick for it to do anything. And the itch was beginning to spread, working its way up to his toes.

What the fuck was going on? Was he having an allergic reaction to the soap or something? It was the same stuff as last year, or at least it had smelled the same.

“How do you feel about the free agency signings this past summer?”

“Uhh, well …”

God this was fucking awful. The heat kept growing, radiating from his feet and beginning to suffuse his whole body.

“I think …” He cleared his throat. “I think we have a lot of talent on the team and bringing in, uh, bringing in guys like, um, guys like … like Kevin Hunter and Evan Chapman will add some much-needed depth to our offensive lines.”

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