Game Misconduct (9780369742056) by Baran Ari

Author:Baran, Ari
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Sales Corp
Published: 2023-02-24T13:58:40+00:00

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Danny was back in Pittsburgh for the next week, a few home games before he had to go on the road. The cat was steadfastly pretending not to be happy to see him. Except he was doing a piss-poor job of it, so instead of actually ignoring Danny, he prowled around the perimeter of any room that Danny happened to be in but hissed if Danny came too close. Then he’d follow Danny again if he went into another room. The cat was an angry idiot with a bad habit of fighting shadow monsters no one else could see and tripping over his own paws, which he hadn’t entirely grown into yet, and Danny thought he was perfect. He just couldn’t come up with a name that fit.

He made himself dinner, but it was basically the same meal he made himself every day he was home by himself, which was a rotating protein cooked in the pan and then popped in the oven, brown rice in a rice cooker because he burned it every time otherwise, and a vegetable on the side. Today it was chicken breasts and kale. When he’d cared more about food beyond needing to put calories back in his body, he’d put an effort into spices and seasoning and switching up techniques, but now it just seemed like a waste of time. He mostly ate it standing up in the kitchen before moving back into the living room anyway.

The cat jumped up on the counter and glared at him, and Danny relented and gave him a little piece of chicken he’d pinched off. The cat seemed to like that, so Danny gave him another one. The cat slunk forward and rubbed himself against Danny’s hand, and he laughed.

“Oh, now you want to hang out? I guess the secret was people food the whole time.”

The cat stared at him, completely unimpressed, so Danny gave him one more piece. “Okay, I have to eat the rest of this, buddy.”

The cat batted at his hands, begging with strident meows. It wasn’t until Danny realized the cat had started answering to buddy that he had inadvertently given him a name, and a horrible name. Appropriate for a hockey player’s pet, he supposed.

Mike called him a little later so he turned off the TV to answer. Danny wasn’t too drunk yet and since that awkward conversation a few weeks ago he’d been careful to watch the way he talked when they were on the phone or when they were video chatting.

“Hey, Mike.”

“Hi,” Mike plowed on immediately, like if he didn’t, he wasn’t going to be able to say it, “so what are you doing for the holiday break?”

Danny blinked. The holiday break was three days long, December 24 through 26. In prior years, especially when he was playing for the Cougars, he’d gone home to his parents’ house. The last few seasons he’d spent it alone, at home. “I was just going to stay here, I guess. Why?”

“Well...” Mike sounded uncertain in a way he usually didn’t, in a way that got Danny’s hackles up.

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