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I’m playing the most dangerous game, I wrote back. Anyone who’d been on a villager hunt inAnimal Crossingwould understand.
Like hunting wild game? Not people, right? Haha, he wrote back, and I rolled my eyes. Once again, spending my evening in fuzzy pajamas, watching a fish give birth, wouldn’t be Melvin’s idea of how a leader spent his time.
In this business you’re always hunting people, I texted. I tried to pick my words carefully so as not to outright lie to Melvin. I guess it didn’t matter anymore after what had happened yesterday, but I still wanted to keep it to a minimum as much as possible. There was a moral differencebetween allowing a misconception to continue and outright lying. Or at least I told myself that so I could sleep at night.
So true. Unfortunate we haven’t been able to connect over the last two days. Are you injured?
No, but I appreciate you asking.Awkward.
Everything okay with that woman and the baby?
She’s no longer pregnant, seems to be doing fine.I winced. I mean, what do you say?
Also wanted to speak with you at the brunch this morning, but we both kept getting sidetracked.
What a nice way to put it. Because of Heidi, I had nearly died. I thought quickly.Yeah, I tried to catch your attention, too.
So many speeches, am I right?he wrote.
I almost typedtotallybut caught myself.Affirmative.
They almost had me when they said you died lol.
My stomach heaved.Everyone’s a comedian.
Impressive landing. Jason said you’d just stepped out when I came to have a drink. There were feathers in your whiskey. How big was that bird?
I tried not to squeal and burrowed farther under the blanket. There were feathers in the whiskey? Subtlety, thy name was not Joseph. Or Heidi. Or Jason. Or even Patrick. I winced again, imagining Big Bird fromSesame Streetattacking a commuter plane. Nightmare fuel.Nothing I couldn’t handle, I typed, then squeezed my eyes shut.
No doubt. I know you’re busy so I’ll keep this brief. I don’t know what you’ve heard. Artemis needs a win. That’s where you and I come in. We need to land the website revamp and app creation for S.J. Sporting. I heard you were an EBUG for the Avs.
A what now? I quickly googled the term. Oh yeah. I was a goaltender. I’d forgotten about that.
I picked my words carefully.I don’t get called on to play very often,I responded.
Doesn’t matter. S.J. is looking to partner with the Avs to expand the brand. We need to get a meeting with the CEO at the Avs practice arena. Put together a kick-ass pitch. Explain our software and what we can do. You can tell them about your hang gliding and your connections to the team. Can you get them season tickets? I’m going to email you a packet of info and we’ll connect tomorrow. We need this account, Indiana.
Understood,I texted, even as I felt the panic start to set in again. I was the least athletic person in the world. When I’d been in kindergarten, they’d sat me up on the piano while the other kids played because I’d been so much smaller than everyone else. There was no way I could bullshit someone into thinking I was a modern-day Viking.
I took a cleansing breath and tamped back the panic. I could panic tomorrow. I wanted to sit with my memories of my day with Shane and marvel at the variety of emotions I’d experienced that day. I looked back over at Hopper. He was still at it.
When the phone dinged again, it was Shane.What’s the current count?
I pressed my face to the glass and did my best to count every tiny pair of eyes. There were so many that my vision crossed, and I finally had to give up.Too many, I wrote back.I think there are at least seventy.
I hate to tell you this, but when I got back to the hotel, I googled it. They can have up to 200 babies at a time.
I sat back in shock.
I really am sorry about all the grandfish, he wrote.It’s a lot for your first day of fish ownership.
It is, I agreed.I hope that girl at the shop stubs her toe every morning for a month.
Damn. I don’t want to get on your bad side.
I grinned. I really was growing to love my grandfish. I’d deal with the Melvin thing, I promised myself. Tomorrow.
Chapter 9
