Page 57 of Double Puck

“Go and help Diego with the platter and get over here. You too, Darcy. We've got some bonding to do!”

Beck exhales dramatically but stands anyway, giving me exactly zero distance as his long fingers swipe my nearly empty margarita glass before he holds the other hand out to help me up.

"Seems we've been summoned." He yanks me up with one strong tug. "Come on, you're sitting next to me."

Minutes later, my first live experience of a Morrison family meal spirals into full-blown sun-drenched chaos as we surround the massive outdoor table overlooking the pool.

Diego’s margaritas glow like liquid sunshine, paired with a gallery-worthy spread of chips, guac, salsa, miniature tacos, and sliders so hauntingly perfect that Josie actually catches Declan smiling.

From there, the afternoon unfolds the way I imagine Morrison family meals always do… loud conversation, overlapping banter, and completely immunity to any concept of an agenda.

As Beck loads up my plate with three delicious smelling tacos, Morgan, at ten years old and operating at approximately the energy level of three adults, holds us all captive from the end of the table with yet another long-winded story from school.

"—and then Coach said I had the best wrist shot in the whole under-twelves, which obviously I do because Uncle Beck taught me, but also Colt says my stance is wrong and I should—"

"Who's Colt?" Beck asks immediately, mouth full of smoky beef slider.

Zoey goes very still.

"Mom's hockey boyfriend," Morgan announces cheerfully.

"He's not my—" Zoey starts.

Beck points at Zoey with a corn chip. "You have a hockey boyfriend?"

"He plays for the Snow Leopards," Morgan adds helpfully. "He's very tall and he smells good and he taught me the butterfly save."

"You're ten," Declan says, which is either about the save technique or the boyfriend commentary. Hard to tell with Declan.

Zoey redirects with the practice of a woman who has been deflecting Morrison chaos since before most of these people were born. She tops up the margarita glasses and turns to Beck.

"Be a good boy and get Darcy another one of those, would you?"

Beck gets up without question.

I stare at the back of his head, exchanging glances with Josie. He got up without question? No comment? No quick comeback?

Zoey catches my eye and smiles as Beck returns. He sets a fresh margarita in front of me, and drops back into his seat like this was a completely normal occurrence.

"Anyway," Zoey continues innocently, "how's the whole trade situation going, Beck? Anyone keeping you in the loop on that?"

Beck reaches for another slider. "Oh, you know. My analyst thinks I'm hot. So business as usual."

"He what?" Zoey looks at Declan.

Declan looks at Mason.

Mason looks at the salsa bowl.

"Um… You do know Darcy's the one recommending the trade, right?" Josie says casually, looking from Zoey to me then back again. "She's the Bears' performance analyst. Beck's been doing the full evaluation with her for days now."

Zoey turns to look at me with an expression I can't quite read.

Is she pissed at me? Is she shocked? I can't tell.

"You're the one trying to trade my brother?" Zoey asks directly, not even blinking.

I shift awkwardly in my seat. "Um, well, yeah. I submitted the recommendation—"