*hugs Jad* The “daily record book” is yours!

Chapter 470: Danny XLVIII—Priorities

After Michele essentially chewed him out, Dan had barely enough time to brood over it before getting a call from Alex inviting him to lunch with Peter, Adam and Robbie at an Italian restaurant. “Alex!” Dan exclaimed, forgetting his woes momentarily. “They’re practically Black Aces, you heard what Joe said!”

“Yeah, so?” Alex replied calmly.

Dan wrinkled his nose, pressing the phone into his ear. “But Joe said, we shouldn’t be hanging around the injured guys because…”

“Danny are you really that superstitious?” Alex scoffed. “Come on, we don’t have to tell Joe about it, Robbie called me and the guys are getting lonely, what’s the harm in some good Italian food? I’m hungry! Aren’t you hungry?”

“Well, yeah,” Dan replied, and he grinned. “Sure, see you there Alex, I’m on my way.” He hung up the phone and sighed. Well, his stomach did call for food, but overall, he’d planned for an entirely different way to spend his afternoon, and he hadn’t planned on Michele’s increasingly volatile temper to throw a kink into it.

True, he did understand now why she’d thrown a stink and it embarrassed him. Of course she would have her own normal life, her friends, her activities, and appointments she couldn’t break, why wouldn’t she? And he’d just expected to call her up, and have her drop everything run into his arms and show him more of that magic she’d given him a taste of. Even though he knew all this to be true, it still hurt him to realize that there were other priorities she had that came before him, and not even family or friends, mundane things.

Was she done with him now? He could just imagine. How skillfully she’d spoken so smoothly about Jana possibly having an ailment at school that she would need to run to, and he’d been to slow to catch on. In fact, if he’d just taken the stupid point and hung up when she’d given him the first indicator, perhaps she’d be on her way here right now, and not thinking to herself what a mistake this stupid boy was as she probably was now.

Really he didn’t realize the temper she had. How could he have missed it?

Ever so slowly, Dan felt it creep in his mind, and he shoved it aside, he didn’t want to look at what he knew to be true in the face. Michele could have deftly hid her temper from him, hid a great many things, perhaps as Cecile had noted before, contempt for his fiancée, and a wily talent for seduction. But what could she gain from it? Dan couldn’t believe that to be real about Michele mainly because he couldn’t understand why she would with everything to lose and absolutely nothing to gain.

No, in his mind it had to be one thing, the only thing, a deep affection between a fragile woman and a well meaning young man. The house of cards rested on that foundation, Michele needed him for now just as he needed her. She schooled him in the tender acts of love, and he gave her a smooth release from the brute of a man she’d married, from the daily grind of being a full time house wife. This understanding rested between them and Dan hated himself for so quickly trampling upon it.

She’d come to him last time, and perhaps it should be understood that she would call him again on her time, when she was ready. After all, she had more on her schedule than he did on his day off.

Dan lingered in the doorway before he left the apartment, just for a moment, waiting for his phone to ring. Maybe in a minute, Michele would call, she would tell him she was on her way, and he would apologize to her for his stupidity. Within the hour they would be together, twisted in pleasure and not caring about a husband and a fiancée because for that tight moment of bliss, they did not exist, nothing did. He swallowed, another minute passed, and then another and he felt a damp sweat filming on his forehead, he made a fist and shook his head. “Forget it,” he muttered. And he slammed the door, and he locked it.

Lunch turned out to be the best thing he could have done for the day. He turned off his cell phone and took a small pleasure in imagining that now Michele felt terrible for yelling at him, worried that she’d hurt his feelings and wounded his tender heart mortally and right now was sending desperate calls to his apartment and then to his cell phone getting his answering service each time. He felt a little bitter now and vindictive, he wanted her to know that if she didn’t wait by the phone for his calls, well than neither did he. They could both be satisfied with their non-importance for the other.

Best part about lunch however was the company. Robbie looked great, aside from a sore neck he said, everything was sore and a little tight but as far as he was concerned nothing serious enough to keep him out of the game tomorrow. Of course the training staff would have the final say on that one, but really he felt on the verge! Footer, same thing, actually, Adam seemed great, from what he said, he didn’t even feel any soreness or tightness anywhere. He dared anyone to keep him out of the game tomorrow.

Well Patty would be happy about that one!

You think?

Yeah Footer, he’s practically in love with you!

The entire table laughed and Dan patted Footer over the shoulders, Adam didn’t seem to be laughing and he wrinkled his crooked nose. “You guys that’s just not a mental image I want.”

“Oh and what’s that?” Rob grinned and he buttered a hunk of torn rosemary bread.

Foote nodded. “The image of Patty lovesick, over anything much less me aye?”

“Oh I got it!” Dan grinned holding his hands up, “Imagine this, just think about it, Patty tapping the end of a pen to his lips, hmmm dear diary, today Footie may come back to play for us, I am so happy, maybe I’ll pick some nice flowers for him to….”

“You know I don’t think I can see Patty actually saying ‘diary’,” Tanguay frowned thoughtfully.

“Yeah he would want to man it up, you know make it male!” Blake nodded.

“Okay, then,” Dan amended, “He’d start it with, ‘Dear Daily Record Book’.”

Foote and Blake laughed, Alex as well. Tanguay then looked at a grinning Peter, “So Pete what about you? How are you feeling? Can you join us tomorrow for the game?”

Peter straightened up in his seat and sighed. “Well I don’t know, I,” he grimaced, baring his gleaming lower teeth. It gave him a sort of animalistic leer that sent a slight chill through Danny. Some men he understood why women went nuts over, himself included, but Peter seemed too creepy at times to want to… ew. “I’m still feeling kinda ginger on this left leg you know? I tried skating early this morning, I’m just not looking limber enough, Karns said. But hey, I might be feeling tons better tomorrow, we’ll have to see.”

And lunch reminded Dan of priorities. The season was still going! They trailed Vancouver by a mere handful of points for the division; they were only a few months away from the playoffs. Right now the team needed everything the players could give it, every last man was important and could contribute in some way. And all morning Dan had been worrying about when he could score with a teammates’ wife? Even Michele scoffed at his selfish needs come to think of it!

Whether they liked it or not, women should not be the priority at this time, not with games on the mind. Dan heard that spoken many times before by many veterans, they weren’t trying to be mean, but that’s just how it is. Even Blake had made no mention of Brandi’s condition, Foote the same about Jennifer, Alex didn’t ask and Peter showed no signs of worry about Josefina.

I have to be stronger, Dan thought with a firm set to his jaw. I can’t be so weak.