Page 36 of The Game
It’s the perfect way to wind down after a long day.
“You like reading books?” he asks me when he finishes talking about his history hobby.
“Yeah, I do. It’s a nice escape,” I reply.
He eyes me intensely; his gaze momentarily fixed on my lips before he responds.
“I bet you like to read those books with the sexy men on the cover.”
He’s not far from the truth.
Some of my books have spicy covers, featuring men with ripped muscles and good looks.
Similar to him, actually.
He could have had a successful career as a model if hockey hadn’t worked out for him.
It’s the inside that really holds the heat, though.
I shrug my shoulders.
“A lady never tells.”
That makes him look even more intrigued, and I get the feeling he’s going to find out what kind of books I read.
Chapter 9
Alexander
Talking with Sarah feels natural and easy.
I’m learning more about her with each minute of this bus ride, and right now I’m thinking about what kinds of books she enjoys reading.
The look she just gave me tells me that her books look different from the ones I read.
I plan on finding out somewhere down the road.
Besides our shared love of reading, she tells me she grew up about forty minutes outside of Chicago.
She’s known for a long time that she wanted to work in media, especially with the NHL. Her dad used to play in the league, which made her a hockey fan from an early age.
Being the history nerd and hockey fanatic that I am, I’ve actually heard about her dad. He used to play for Washington back in the day, when they were a lot better than they are today.
When I ask about her mom, she wears a clouded expression, and her hands twist in her lap.
“If it’s too personal, you don’t have to tell me anything,” I assure her, noticing her discomfort about the subject.
“No, it’s not that, just that the anniversary of her death is coming up, so I was just hit with a little unexpected wave of emotions when you asked, no worries.”
I look into her eyes, seeing a mix of strength and vulnerability I’ve never seen before as Sarah shares her story about her mom and her battle with cancer.
She speaks of her mom with such love and affection that I feel moved along with her.
I learn that her parents were inseparable when she was growing up, but then one day, their lives were turned upside down.
Her mother got cancer and was ripped away from them, leaving Sarah and her dad to grieve a wonderful lady.
Even though it’s been almost nine years since she passed, I can tell Sarah carries her with her everywhere, and her pain is evident.
