She grabbed an orange sitting on the island and chucked it at my head, missing me by a mile.
“Well, your career in the Majors is over. Back to the farm teams for you,” I joked picking the fruit up off the floor and dumping it in the trash can.
She laughed. “I better gas up my tractor.”
“The farm league isn’t made up of actual farmers… you know what? Never mind.”
Suddenly, the building went eerily quiet. If there’d been a turntable present, you’d have heard a needle scratch.
Followed by…
“What the fuck are you doin’ here?”
That sounded like Buzz’s angry voice.
“Huck the Puck?” Buzz bellowed. “I’ll ask again. What the fuck are you doin’ here?”
“Is he talking aboutyourHuck?” I hiss-pered.
“No, I’m sure someone else just happened to invite someone else named Huck to family night by coincidence,” she hissed back sarcastically.
I waved my hand toward the door. “Well, go out and see.”
“I can’t believe Huck the Puck is here at this party,” Buzz continued. “Now I can personally kick your ass.”
“Oh, shit, you better go out there,” I said.
“Yougo out there,” she snapped.
I threw my arms in the air. “Huck the Puck isn’t the guy I’m trying to fu—”
“Okay, fine, I’ll go out there!” she growled, grabbing my hand, and pulling me toward the door. “But you’re coming with me.”
“You cost me twenty-grand on that playoff game against Philly last season,” Buzz accused.
We walked out to find Huck giving Buzz an amused grin. “Well, I’m not usually one to throw my teammates under the bus, but I have to say, it was technically our right wing who cost us that particular game.”
“Yeah, maybe, but Cherkowsky ain’t here,” Buzz pointed out.
Huck shrugged. “Well, I don’t usually fight off the ice, or without pads.”
“Yeah, figured you’d need pads to throw down.”
“Oh, no the pads are for you,” Huck retorted, putting his hands up in a boxer’s stance.
Buzz bust out laughing. “Come on, man, I’m just fuckin’ with you. But what the hell’s a Stanley Cup winner doin’ in our house?”
“The team won the cup, and I won a trip to an orthopedic surgeon.”
“Yeah, man, I was real sorry to hear about that. I thought you were a shoo-in for rookie of the year.”
Wow. Huck was a hockey player? Hockey was kind of a big deal around here. Ever since the Ducks had become a team back in the early nineties according to Hatch. I mean, football, basketball, and baseball were also a big deal, but hockey for Buzz was life.
“Um, I invited him,” Daisy squeaked. “Hi, Huck. I see you’ve met Buzz.”
Huck smiled at my best friend, his face soft and he was obviously totally into her. “Hey, Daisy.”
“God damn, Buzz, hockey?” Fletch admonished. “Is there anything youdon’tbet on?”
