Page 39 of Thoroughly Pucked

She heads into the bathroom, and I’ve got no choice but to follow her.

“Holy shit,” I say once I turn into the spacious room.

It’s not a bath.

It’s a hot tub set into the corner of a giant bathroom, with a big marble step heading up to it. From the tub, you can enjoy a view of the water and the emerald trees below.

But I’m not thinking about that view.

I’m thinking about the future view of her in the tub. And whether I’ll be stupid enough to get in it with her.

Chances are, I probably will.

When I catch Dev’s gaze, he’s staring at her like he’s picturing the same damn scene.

This is going to be the hardest honeymoon in history.

18

THE DAILY DOSE OF GOOD

Dev

I’m not disciplined for nothing.

The way I see it, all my training in the weight room, on the ice, and at the dinner table when I resist carbs will come in handy tonight.

I can resist the woman I want just like I can resist bread.

I’ll have to be my own goalie, saving me from me.

The key will be routine. First, we’ll grab some food, and as we eat, I’ll make sure we chitchat about anything else in the world besides sex, beds, and romance.

Starting now.

On the walk to the restaurant, Ledger waggles his phone and tells us he needs to return a call to his dad, so he ambles ahead, and we give him some space. I reach into my grab bag of fun facts and turn to the woman by my side. “Did you know there’s a prehistoricbird once thought to be extinct that’s now roaming through the wilds of New Zealand again?”

Aubrey tilts her head. “What kind of bird?”

“Takahe. An iridescent flightless bird and now a conservation success story. My parents sent me an article on it. That’s their shtick. Happiness,” I say.

“Do you mean that’s their schtick as therapists?”

As we turn the corner, we pass a sundry shop with a rack of postcards out front. I’m tempted to thumb through them, but I resist the pull. “A lot of their clients are dealing with anxiety and depression due to, well, the state of the world. Climate change and all. So they’re both big on trying to teach them about finding happiness in the moment. Compassion. Kindness. But those two often stem from finding personal happiness. So, they look for the good news in the world,” I explain. “And they send it to me each morning.”

Aubrey’s smile is soft, almost enchanted. “They send you stories every day?”

“The Daily Dose of Good, they call it.” Maybe it’s cheesy to share this. But I’m proud of them. “Their theory is that focusing on some of the good things happening can help you experience more happiness, and that can offset, I suppose, the shitty things.”

“I love that. I think I believe it. I want to believe it,” she says, clearly giving it some thought. “What about you?”

“Hard to do, but I try,” I say.

Except a dark cloud floats over me. Do I try hard enough? Sometimes I get too caught up in the intensity of my job, the drive needed to play at the top of mygame. Happiness sometimes takes a back seat to ambition, that powerful motherfucker.

“What else do they send you in the daily dose? Like, what was in it today?” Aubrey asks, her ankle boots click-clacking on the sidewalk as we pass a vintage shop peddling antique road signs right beside blouses and teacups.

“Honestly, their stuff is the antidote to the regular news. For instance, I read a story about a landfill in Latin America that became a mangrove forest. Or, there was one about a dude who used discarded vape batteries to build an electric scooter.”

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