Page 31 of The Head Game

Nico shuddered like someone had walked over his grave. “What if it isn’t?”

* * *

The scent of laundry soap and steam rose toward August’s nose as he navigated the iron across the collar of his shirt.

When it was done, he hung it next to the ones he’d already finished, then swapped another load of laundry from the washer to the dryer.

There was something satisfying about clean laundry and August hummed to himself as he tucked folded clothes in the dresser and hung the rest in the closet, pleased with the neat and tidy rows.

After his laundry supplies were put away, he went to the kitchen and prepared dinner for himself and a treat for Marty.

A short while later, August approached the fish tank. “Hey there, Marty. You still alive in there, buddy?”

The goldfish—named after famed goaltender Martin Foster—swam toward August. He smiled at the fish.

Marty had seemed a little lethargic last night when August got back from the games in Illinois and Minnesota but he looked livelier today.

He was in a nice-sized tank with good filtration and had an automatic feeder, of course, but goldfish could be fickle and August sometimes had his neighbor check on Marty.

August spent a few minutes talking to Marty and giving him a few peas with the skins he’d peeled off.

Marty immediately devoured them and August smiled at his enthusiasm.

See, everything was fine.

August ate his own dinner at the kitchen table, trying to ignore the empty chair across from him and the siren call of his social media.

Daniel and Kent were in Bermuda. Ridiculous. Daniel was a good Canadian boy and he hated hot weather.

Or that was what he’d always said.

August was beginning to think he didn’t know his ex at all.

He reached for his phone to torture himself with more pictures of how good Daniel looked in a swimsuit when a text from his brother came in.

Holy shit, dude, don’t you have a coat like that??

August squinted at the message from Julius in confusion. A link to a JockGossip article popped up below it.

What on earth was Jules talking about?

Why are you reading JockGossip? he sent back. Because there was no way he was clicking on the link until he was sure his brother hadn’t been hacked.

Why aren’t you? Oh wait, is it because you’re in it, asswipe?

No, that definitely sounded like Jules.

Wait. August froze.

In it? In what? In the article? Oh God. No. No. Oh please no. August frantically clicked on the link.

If August’s … ill-advised encounter with Nico Arents had landed him in the sports gossip pages …

August felt increasingly sick as he read through the article.

“One source claims they recognize the distinctive coat and stated, ‘I can’t say for 100% sure the guy in the photo is who I’m thinking of but someone within the league definitely wears that coat. And I’m not talking about a player.’

So who is he? Someone in the head office? A trainer? Referee? Coach?”

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