ESPN was playing, like it usually was in a place like this. On the screen, some talking heads on SportsCenter were covering something from the night before in the NBA. He watched with minimal interest, idly reading the closed caption dialogue simply for something to do.

Whatever tidbit was being covered ended and instead switched to footage, yet again, of the fight on the red carpet. Ward groaned. When would this stuff let up? It had been days already. He tugged his hat down tighter on his head taking a long pull of his beer, readying himself to leave.

I don’t need to see this again.

But then the coverage broke away from the brawl and returned to the studio, where the words ‘Breaking News’ flashed across the screen, this time beneath Rob Kendrick’s face.

Suddenly interested, Ward motioned to Joe. ‘Hey … mind turning that up?’

Crap, he hoped the ass hadn’t since made some big public announcement about pressing charges or something.

Joe glanced up at what he was watching and smirked. ‘Ha! You looking to go round two? Don’t punch my TV, OK?’

‘I’ll do my best to keep it together,’ he mumbled as Joe turned up the volume.

On the screen, one of the news reporters was talking. ‘Questions have been swirling today about the head-to-head face-off late last week involving NHL All-Star Ward McKenzie and PGA Champ Rob Kendrick at the NHL Awards. And while we aren’t entirely clear on what spurred the red carpet rumble, some brand-new information about one of the parties has since come to light … ’

Chapter 65

HANNAH

‘Well at least I’m out of my pyjamas,’ Hannah muttered to the cat as she slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. ‘That’s progress, is it not?’

While she still was living under a form of involuntary house arrest – and existed in a state of limbo with her job – she had at least opened up the blinds, taken a shower, and started picking up after herself around the apartment. The sting of the very public embarrassment was there still, but Hannah recognized that she couldn’t keep acting like a mushroom.

Plus, it now seemed she had a cat to look after. Since first coming to her rescue that night with Rob and now in the aftermath of the red carpet bust-up, it had been her near-constant companion. Sitting with her, watching her with its inquisitive eyes, curling up next to her in bed at night.

Hannah had to admit she didn’t mind the company and its presence made her feel less crazy than when she was alone and talking to herself, wallowing in her own despondency.

‘Are you hungry?’ she asked and then smiled. ‘Of course, you’re hungry. You’re always hungry. Thank goodness you can get cat food delivered here – along with everything else.’