“Very good. Troy spoils him, but I’d expected nothing less.” He reaches down to brush his fingers along the crown of Drou’s head. The puppy closes his eyes, tail thumping softly against the floor.
“He’s well-behaved already,” I note, firing up my computer and pulling out the laptop from my bag.
“Yes. Sam has been working with him to teach him basic commands. I don’t know if I told you, but Nigel’s sister breeds dogs in Canada. He’s the one who connected us with her, when we started thinking about getting one. I think she must have a sixth sense about which puppies will have what temperaments, because she managed to give us the calmest one of the bunch.”
“You really know someone for everything, don’t you?” I muse.
“Well, Anthony does, at any rate. He makes friends everywhere he goes, and people justwantto help him.”
I smile at the loving way that sentence was spoken, happy to know that sometimes two people who are meant to be together do find one another. It gives me hope for the rest of us.
“I talked to Jack—sounds like they had a blast at the game,” I comment lightly, starting the conversation off slow, and on the safer ground of hockey talk.
“Anthony said the same thing,” he agrees, smiling softly. “Carter was happy to see them, apparently. Surprised, too, from what Anthony told me.”
“That’s what Jack said.”
“Carter’s family provides an incredible amount of financial support to him—or at least they did—but the emotional has always been lacking. He would never expect anyone to show up for him in that way.”
“You made a lot of young adults happy, that’s for sure,” I tell him, which makes him snort. Drou ambles over to me, putting a paw on my leg when I don’t pet him fast enough. I rub behind his ear, hoping he stays over by me for the next part of the conversation. An emotional support puppy might be just the thing I need to make it through. I take a deep breath—now or never.
“There is actually something I wanted to talk to you about,” I start, turning my chair to face him. He does the same, lips curving into a partial smile as he notes Drou’s presence by my seat. “In regards to Jack.”
“Oh? Is he okay?”
“Fine, yeah. He’s great. But, there’s…” I trail off, feeling stupid and ridiculous and a little ill. Nico waits patiently, elbows resting on the arms of his desk chair and fingers linked across his stomach. His face is relaxed, and he’s not even squinting at me, clearly happy with the dimmer light of the room.Just tell him, Desy,Vic urges softly. She was always braver than me.
“I wanted to let you know that me and Jack have talked about going out together. We struck up a friendship right away, and have recently discussed taking that further.”
I stop there, watching each of the words dawn on Nico as he processes. My stomach clenches when the relaxed,peaceful expression is replaced by something hard and unforgiving.
“Excuse me?” he asks, voice gruff.
“The weekend before last,” I clarify calmly. His eyes narrow and the lazy sprawl is replaced as he straightens in his chair.
“I really hope you’re not telling me that you have—in direct breach of the contract you signed—been in a relationship with Jack McIntire.” I open my mouth to defend myself, but he continues on in a hard, dangerously low voice. “I hope, for your sake, that I am misunderstanding exactly what you’re saying. I hope, Desmond, that you have not endangered one of my boys.”
“Of course not,” I reply, still somehow managing a calm tone. Maybe this will be good practice for when I’m in court fighting for Parker. “Nico, believe me,nothinghappened—or has happened—with Jack, and certainly not while he was playing for the team. I wouldn’t do that.”
I don’t have much hope that he’ll believe theI wouldn’t do thatplea, even though it’s true in this case. Everyone who’s ever done something wrong has probably tried to convince their boss of their innocence the same way I am. Nico’s face is stony enough that I can’t get a read on what he’s thinking; can’t see any emotions past anger. God, I really hope today is not the day I lose my job.
“You told me he was at your place doinglaundry, Desmond. Laundry and playing video games with Parker,” he grits out, sounding as though he’s talking through clenched teeth.
“And that’s true. All that’s changed is that last weekend we discussed the possibility of things becoming?—”
“Did you coerce him into quitting the team?” he asks,voice cutting across mine. Stung, I try to keep the composure I’ve been able to maintain, even though what I really want to do is beg him to believe me. Nico isn’t that much older than me, but while he gives off “real adult” vibes, I feel barely proficient. He’s also my mate. I don’t want him to be angry with me.
“No, of course not,” I reply softly.
He shakes his head, looking at me in mute disbelief. Drou, still sitting on the floor, warm against my leg, lets out a low moan, as though reading the emotion of the room. I rub his ears, partly for his comfort, but mostly for mine.
“I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do with this, Desmond,” Nico says angrily, standing up suddenly and startling Drou. He barks, trotting toward the closed door, apparently thinking a walk is happening. Instead, Nico slips between the desks and tries to pace the small office, hand smoothing down his chest the way he does when he’s got a tie on. I try to control the waver in my voice as I talk.
“Jack was struggling, we both know that. I didn’t convince him to quit so that I could date him. In fact, that wasn’t even something that had ever crossed my mind until a few weeks ago, well after he was off the team. He was, first and foremost, a player and a friend. Now, things have changed, and I’m coming to you in an effort to be transparent.”
“I’m going to talk to Micky,” he warns. I sigh, but nod, having known that was coming. Drou snuffles at the hem of his pants as he stops pacing and contemplates me with hands on hips. “If this ends up being?—”
“It won’t.” It’s my turn to cut him off, not needing or wanting to hear the end of that sentence. “I know it doesn’t mean much, but I promise you,nothinghappened. Nothing beyond what you already knew about, and agreed was fine.”
