Page 53 of Puck My Stepbrother

“How do you know you’re in love?” I asked.

“So itisa woman?”

I wouldn’t give my teammate the satisfaction of knowing he was heading in the right direction.

“Just answer the question, would you?” I asked.

“Why are you asking me?”

“Because you’re at least ten or fifteen percent smarter than the rest of the guys on this team.”

“Hey, thanks.”

“But not smart enough to realize that’s not really a compliment.”

Detenbeck recoiled like my comment had stung him.

“You get a lot of ass, don’t you?” I asked.

“Not as much as you.”

“Now that’s a compliment. But hey, you get your share. You’re a hockey player.”

He half-smiled, showing a dimple, as if being a pussy magnet went with the territory.

“Have you ever had two at the same time?” I asked.

“You mean like a threesome?”

“Sure, but I also mean juggling two or more in general.”

“Holy cow. You’ve got that many on the go, likefor real? No wonder you’re distracted.”

I rolled my eyes. It was a bad analogy, but I had to throw a hypothetical at him without giving away too much.

“I mean, think about it,” I said. “That situation would seem great. Nothing but fun times. But then you realize you’re in love with one of them.”

“So you’re not just distracted because you’re banging a handful of girls at once?”

“When did I ever say I was doing that?”

“You did just a second ago. I mean, um, er…never mind.”

“I’m just throwing awhat ifat you. Let’s say you’re having fun times with a girl, but it turns out you feel way more than you ever expected to.”

Saying it felt liberating. I still wanted to keep the specifics secret from him, at least for now. If I wanted to be with Quinn, those things couldn’t stay secret forever. Sooner or later, everyone would know.

“Come on, Levi,” Detenbeck said. “Don’t tell me you’re going soft on me.”

Now I wanted to slug him. He could say anything he wanted, but I would never tolerate him questioning my toughness.

“The guys are starting to notice the difference in you,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“Your game, Levi. You’re not going out there and knocking ’em dead like you normally do. We expect you to take noprisoners out there. Hate to say it, bro, but it’s like we’re seeing a different Levi Dunn out there.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. As far as I was concerned, I hadn’t changed one bit.