Page 96 of Double Puck

Josie wants details. Rose wants feelings.

Both of them want to know when, where, how many times, and whether Beck's personality in bed matches his personality everywhere else.

"Worse," I finally admit, pressing my cold glass against my cheek. "He's worse in bed. More."

"More what?"

"Just... more. Of everything. "

Rose fans herself with a napkin. Josie grins so wide I can see the fish in her teeth.

"And the bear in your car?" Josie prods.

"We won it on our date. Well. I won it. He spent eighty-seven dollars failing."

"That is the most Beck Morrison sentence ever spoken."

I allow myself one small, uncontrolled smile.

My phone buzzes again under my thigh, and I don't check it because if I see one more photo of that man's hand wrapped around himself in a team facility, I will combust in front of witnesses.

The laughter fades when I pick up another fry and realize I can't actually taste it anymore. Because underneath the warmth, underneath the stupid grin I can't flatten, there's a rock sitting at the bottom of my stomach that no amount of fried fish can dissolve.

"There's something I haven't told him."

They both turn to look at me, sensing my sudden drop in tone.

"Colin pulled me in this morning. The trade talks aren't just floating anymore."

The table goes quiet.

"He knows about the evaluation," I say, lowering my voice. "He knows a trade is possible. What he doesn't know is how far Colin's taken it, or how much weight my recommendation actually carries."

Josie's expression changes. "How much weight?"

I stare down at the fry between my fingers.

"Enough that Colin basically handed me Beck's career this morning and told me to pick a direction."

"Oh," Rose says softly.

"Yeah. Oh."

I drag the fry through the tartar sauce, suddenly fascinated by it. "And I've had chances to tell him. Last night on the pier, he looked straight at me and asked if I knew something he didn't."

Josie winces. "What did you say?"

"I'm your analyst. Then proceeded to mount him like some kind of desperate stray dog."

Rose slowly puts down her burger. "Darcy."

"I know."

"And his numbers?" Rose asks gently.

"Still messy. The game loss wasn't a one-off pattern." I drag a fry through tartar sauce without eating it. "That's the problem. The man is brilliant and reckless in the same breath. And no matter what I do, I can't make the data lie just because I want it to."

Josie reaches across the table and squeezes my wrist.