Page 60 of Misbehaving With Minotaurs
As we near the diner doors, a deep voice shouts my name. Expecting one of the leadership monsters, or maybe a fan, I turn with a smile.
A gigantic green troll wearing aviator sunglasses jogs across Main Street toward us, wearing a big ole shit-eating smile. I refuse to lose the smile as he reaches out to shake my hand.
“Longhorn, good to see ya; it’s been a while.” Gil Stoneswallow’s amber brows rise mischievously. “Think last time we met was that game in Brazil where I crushed the Hellions, right?”
I resist the urge to ask him what the fuck he’s doing in Ever when I still have another two weeks of my trial period. There wasn’t supposed to be overlap between us.
He removes his glasses, amber eyes dropping lasciviously down Catherine’s lush figure. “I was coming to chat with Manorin, but who might you be?”
I’m about to verbally bitch-slap him for being rude when Arkan trots toward us and claps the troll on the back, interrupting what’s about to be a tirade from me.
“Gil, you’re here early.” He glances at Catherine and me. “We weren’t expecting your trial to start for another two weeks.”
I glance at Catherine, who has a frown on her beautiful features. “Cath, this is Gil Stoneswallow from the Sao Paulo Silents.”
She forces half a smile but doesn’t reach for his hand. Instead, she glances at the big troll. “We weren’t expecting you, Coach Stoneswallow. But I’m on the decision committee, so I’m sure we’ll be meeting soon.”
Stoneswallow’s eyes drop to her hand tucked into the crook of my arm, and I do grin for real at that.
Looking to Arkan, I decide to let him handle this. It was his plan to bring Gil here, and he can deal with the brash, assholish young troll. “Keeper, this shouldn’t change our schedule for today, but I assume you and Gil need to catch up. I’m taking Cath to breakfast, but let me know if you need me to amend any of the schedule for the next week.”
Arkan nods, but he looks irritated as hells. Gil starts talking as I turn Catherine and grab the Green Bean’s front door, pulling it open for her.
I’m a quietly seething mass until we’re seated in a booth inside the Galloping Green Bean. Alba seats us and waits expectantly, and Cath looks up at her with a half smile.
“Give us five, friend?”
As Alba clip-clops away, I rub both hands over my eyes and down my snout in irritation, tugging at my nose ring. The pull centers me when I need to think. After a moment, I glance at Catherine.
“That was awkward,” she says. “We were purposeful in not overlapping the two of you. How’s that going to work with the exhibition game?”
“I don’t know, but the nerve to show up early and unannounced. That kid’s such an asshole,” I hiss. “I hate him for Ever, and I hate the idea of him trying to build something here. He wouldn’t know a good program from a hole in the damn ground.” My nostrils flare. “Not to mention I was about to deck him for looking at you that way when Arkan trotted up.”
“You’d have had to deck him after I did,” she says with a wry laugh. “Arkan saved him by appearing.”
We sit in uncomfortable silence for a moment. I lay a big arm along the back of the booth, looking across the table at her. “He staying with us?”
She shakes her head. “Thankfully, no. He opted for the wraith motel, last I heard. Although, I suppose his plans could change.”
“The gods are smiling on us if he doesn’t,” I say. “The idea of him under Annabelle’s roof makes me want to rip something in half.”
She pokes at the menu on the tabletop. “Annabelle has strong opinions. If I don’t like someone, or if she doesn’t, she runs them off.”
Manorin laughs, crimson eyes going wide. “Really? I’m surprised that’s allowed to happen.”
Cath shrugs, leaning over the booth to grin at me. “Well, she and I are in lockstep, and I’d rather a bad review than deal with a shit customer.”
“Heard.” I glance around, sucking at my teeth before returning to her with a frustrated look. Reaching across the table, I pull both of her hands into mine. “Why does it feel like everything suddenly got a lot harder? I’m sorry for that, Sunshine.”
“We’ll figure it out,” she says. “It’ll work out one way or another.”
I sit back and cock my head to the side, staring quietly at her. “That belief in something working out is a very minotaur-likeapproach, Sunshine. I was serious last night and this morning when I shared my feelings. That hasn’t changed.”
She strokes my palm with the fingers of one hand. “I know. Me too. I just don’t want you giving things up, Nor. Never.” Her expression goes fierce. “Never, ever.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CATHERINE
