Page 108 of The Fake Out Flex

"Is that your question for me?"

"It is."

He smiles. "Yeah. I'm happy with that answer."

"Why? And before you can accuse me of asking two questions in a row, this is a related follow-up, so it counts as one, and you have to answer. Don't make me get Rosie."

"Oh, no. Not your glittery pink umbrella."

"Hey. She can do some major damage."

"I bet she can."

We laugh.

Fraser folds his hands over his chest. "Um, I like your answer because it explains a bit about you. You're an upbeat and optimistic person, and normally I can't stand upbeat and optimistic people. But you do it in a way that isn't offensively sweet. Don't get me wrong, you are sweet, but I'm not going to catch diabetes by hanging out with you."

"Gee, thanks. Also, not sure it's possible to catch diabetes."

"But you get what I'm saying, right? You're…cool."

"Thanks. I think?"

He laughs.

His face is lit up by the blue glow from the TV, and I notice just how perfect his teeth are.

"My turn again," he says. "Are you a cat person or dog person?"

"Can I be both?"

"Sure."

"Okay. So I'm both. What about you?"

"Dogs. Big dogs."

"So, no dogs that could fit in a purse?" I tease.

"Definitely not." He grins while he mulls over his next question. "Have you decided what you want to study?"

"No final decisions have been made, but I'm leaning toward journalism."

"Permissible follow-up question coming…Why? Why not teaching?"

"I'll allow the follow-up," I say. "I figure this way I might be able to reach more people. And I have this idea. A potentially very crazy idea."

"My favorite kind."

"I want to share good stories. Uplifting stories. The world sometimes feels like it's a dumpster fire, and I want to give people a sense of hope. Because I think that deep down, there's more that unites us than divides us."

"That's not all that crazy. Sign me up. I'll watch. Or read. Or subscribe. Just don't ask me to share anything on social media because I avoid it like the plague."

"Noted." I smile. "Thanks for your support. I guess there's no point in me asking what you want to do, is there?"

"Only one way to find out."

"Oh, come on. It's obvious you've always wanted to be a hockey player."

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