Page 51 of Playing to Win
Kyle laughed. “Kid, I’m glad someone else is a favorite. I’ve always thought Anderson was a little bit better than me, anyway. But I have three things to ask you.”
“Yes, sir.”
“First off, stop calling me sir. I’m only twenty-six and it makes me feel like my dad.”
“Yes, si—I mean, sure thing, um, Kyle?”
“Much better. Secondly, can we have our food now? Curly over here gets cranky when she doesn’t eat.”
“Oh, yeah, yeah. I’m sorry. No problem. It’s right here. It’s actually been right here since you pulled up, but I saw you and got distracted and—”
“It’s okay, kid. Lastly, give me your name so I can have your tickets waiting for you at the booth and we’ll be on our way. How do floor seats sound?”
“That sounds totally amazing, Mr.—uh, sorry. Kyle. And it’s Brian. Brian Graves.”
“Well, Brian Graves, you enjoy your tickets. And pick up your VIP passes at least two hours before the game. You’ll get a tour of our locker room, get to watch the shoot around, and meet the players for autographs and pictures.” With a wave, Kyle drove off from the drive-thru.
“Do you always do that?” Callie asked.
“Do what?” Kyle said, opening up his packet of salsa verde.
“Give away tickets to everyone you meet.”
“Not everyone. Just people I feel could use the boost. Or that are helpful. Or that aren’t star-struck by me.”
“That kid was definitely star-struck, though.”
“And completely nervous. Besides, I felt there was a story behind a kid working the midnight shift. Figured he might need a pick me up.”
“You’re all right, you know that, Dimples?”
“So I’ve been told. But hearing it from you is the best ever.”
Callie smiled and started opening her food. Kyle was driving nonchalantly, in no hurry to drop Callie off and end the night. He was cresting the hill of the road, about to turn left to be sure and take the scenic route to her apartment when a stray cat darted in front of the car.
“Don’t hit it!” Callie screamed.
Kyle slammed the brakes and his tires came to a screeching halt millimeters from the terrorized animal’s head. Callie threw the door open and ran to the front of his car.
“What are you doing?” he called out the window. “What if that thing has rabies?”
“We can’t just leave it here. Look at it. The poor thing is obviously scared and hungry. I’m not leaving it.”
Kyle bit back a groan and looked out the window to where she was trying to coax the cat out from under his wheel where it had run when the car came to a halt. It came out from behind the wheel when Kyle saw Callie offering up her taco as bait. The thing was quite possibly the ugliest thing he had ever seen. Its long, brown tabby hair was matted in knots and plastered to its body. Its ears were bleeding like it had recently been in a fight with another cat, and its tail was missing half its fur.
What was worse was by the look on her face, he could see that Curly was dead set on taking the ugly thing home. And taking it home meant it needed a ride. In his car. Callie had finally succeeded in picking up the damn Gremlin and had cradled it to her chest where it was chowing down on the last bit of her taco. She walked to the passenger side of his car and opened the door.
“Isn’t she cute?” she asked him, eyes wide as she held out the cat, trying to get Kyle to pet it.
“No, it isn’t cute. It isn’t cute at all, Callie. In fact, it’s quite possibly the ugliest cat I have ever seen.”
Callie gasped. “Don’t say that! Sugar might hear you.”
“Sugar?”
“Yes. That’s what I named her.”
“How do you know it’s a girl?”
