Trade Deadline - Avon Gale Page 0,20

wasn’t sure of Micah’s schedule, but it was Friday and he’d posted a picture with the adorable, smiling dolphin that very morning. This early in the day, the aquarium should still be open. Maybe it was time Daniel dropped in for that tour. Anything to escape the house that didn’t involve golfing with his dad. His retired father golfed religiously, every single morning. Only hurricanes and tropical storms kept that man off the green. Daniel had taken to joining him whenever his schedule allowed, but he didn’t really love the game. He went because, aside from Tabby and his kids, he didn’t have anyone else to hang out with. Most of his childhood friends had moved away, and those that remained he hadn’t seen in twenty years. He wasn’t about to slide into their DMs just because he was lonely and desperate for company of the non-canine variety.

Sighing, Daniel thudded his head back against the couch. He’d never found himself at a loss for what to do in Atlanta, but despite having grown up in Miami, after two decades, it felt like starting fresh. How did people even make new friends as adults? His relationships in Georgia had all happened organically, over the course of years—through his teammates or his and Tabby’s volunteering or her coworkers. With tensions running high in his current locker room, he felt more isolated than he had in a long, long time. It bummed him out, but he was a grown man making a hell of a lot of money playing a sport he loved. Guilt ate away at him any time he even thought about complaining.

A new text lit up his phone, making it buzz against his palm.

Micah: Bored? You just liked 12 posts in a row. ;)

Busted. Might as well be honest.

Daniel: Yes, actually. Sitting at home going stir crazy.

Micah: How about we have dinner tonight? I’m off at six.

Daniel: Sure, sounds good. Got any cravings?

Micah: Not right now, but I’m sure that’ll change when my stomach starts growling.

Daniel chuckled.

Daniel: Ok. Should I meet you somewhere?

Micah: Come to the aquarium and pick me up? There are plenty of options around here.

Daniel: Sounds good. I’ll text you when I’m in the lot.

Micah: Awesome, see you soon!

Despite a total lack of motivation, Daniel took time to exercise and spent the rest of the day doing housework. He didn’t like the actual scrubbing, but there was something to be said about taking a shower in a sparkling clean bathroom.

Later, once he’d made sure the dogs were situated, Daniel was out the door. He hadn’t bothered trying to tame his curls with the Florida humidity being what it was, and it showed in the messy halo around his face when he spotted his reflection in the rearview mirror. He spared a brief thought to stopping somewhere to give them the big chop, but his hair was going to do what it wanted regardless, and besides, he kind of liked looking halfway wild. Maybe that meant he was clinging to his youth, because he and Nathaniel were starting to sport the same unruly mane these days, but eh. Daniel was okay with having a Mini Me. Or being the Bigger Me? Whatever.

From his new neighborhood in the heart of Coral Gables, the drive to the aquarium took less than half an hour. Before long, a smiling, coconut-scented Micah was sliding into his passenger seat. His red hair was sleek and perfect, apparently impervious to the humidity, and he wore a lime-green polo stitched with the aquarium’s leaping dolphin logo and a pair of snug but perfectly professional khakis.

“Hey!” Micah’s smile brightened his entire face. “I’m so happy to see you. I’m glad you decided to stalk the aquarium’s Insta today.”

Daniel laughed. “I needed to get out of the house, I guess. I’m glad you invited me to dinner.” He flexed his fingers on the steering wheel. The temptation to lean across the center console and pull Micah into a hug was surprisingly strong. Micah smelled great, and he looked even better, sunny and cheerful and as effortlessly attractive as he appeared in every unfiltered selfie, with those pretty hazel eyes, all that creamy, freckled skin, and that full, soft mouth... Yeah, maybe it’d been too long since Daniel had touched someone who wasn’t a family member or a teammate, because this was dinner with a friend, not a date, and he should not be thinking about how amazing Micah might feel in his arms, or in his lap,