Page 33 of Bride Games

Mr. Hales would like to see you in the office at 8 o’clock sharp tomorrow.

That’s all it said. Short and sweet. Paige stared at the screen as she reread the short note. None of the usual,‘Hi Paige’or niceties like‘please or thank you.’Mouth dry, Paige attempted to swallow.This is bad. Really bad.

31

Paige barely noticed the striking pink and yellow sunset as she drove home. Annoyed by her vibrating phone which likely contained more hateful comments about her career in sports—especially saying how absolutely dreadful she was at her job. She plucked her cell off the passenger seat and threw the offensive phone in the back as she pushed on the gas pedal. Pulse racing, she shook her head, even though she was alone.Who the hell started this avalanche of awfulness?Paige couldn’t drive home fast enough to do some reconnaissance and see if she could find the offender, or offenders. Jaw set, she pulled into her driveway, not quite sure how she remembered to get there.

Once inside, Paige had barely set her car keys down before immediately reaching for a bottle of wine. No food was necessary. Maybe no glass was necessary. She paced holding the still-corked bottle to her chest as if it would magically make this—all of this—go away.Who would do this to me? And why?Paige racked her brain.

Wineglass in hand, Paige stared out the window at nothing and at no one. Everything seemed a blur. Everything had changed at warp speed, it seemed. Nothing made sense any more.How did my stardom fall this quickly?She drained herwine and poured a fresh glass.I must be methodical about this.Rummaging through her junk drawer, she found a tablet and pen and sat on the couch. Staring at the blank paper, Paige took a long sip of wine before she wrote down potential names of someone—anyone—who might want to destroy her career. Eventually, she came up with:

Trent

Marie

Stan the Man (or Statman, as Zach calls him)

A player

A coach

A fan

Another sideline sports reporter

Anonymous person who hates women in sports

Anonymous woman who had an affair with Trent

Zach

The last one broke her heart. She quickly crossed it out so hard she nearly made a hole in the page.Zach would never, ever do this to me.The others? Quite possibly.Staring at her long list of suspects, Paige’s mouth went dry.It could be any of these. It could be someone local, someone from another state, or another country, for that matter. It’ll be nearly impossible to find the perpetrator unless he or she makes a mistake and shows their hand.She took a deep breath, anger ready to overflow like a boiling pot of water but she did her best to tamp it down.I have to keep my cool and wait. Someone will trip up.

Paige scrolled social media, especially X, where fans on the NFL app and ESPN were trolling her. Some called her every name in the book, said she didn’t belong in sports, and was a disgrace to the profession. The last comment made her eyes tearup. She poured herself a third drink as Zach walked through her door.

“Hey, babe. How’s it going?” He immediately noticed her dour expression. “What’s wrong?”

Paige folded her paper with the list of suspects. She wasn’t ready to show him, nor to admit she made a list. Rolling her eyes, she said, “Everyone hates me. Haven’t you been on social media today?”

“Actually, no. Mr. Hales is sending me to a Sports Hall of Fame event. I had to make some last-minute arrangements.” He stared at her. “Didn’t Mr. Hales ask you to go? ATV 10 has an entire table at the event.”

“Nope. This is the first I’ve heard of it. Mr. Hales certainly didn’t mention it to me.” She quickly wondered if her boss’s name should go on her list. Last year, he was thrilled with her reporting. He wouldn’t do anything to destroy her career and bring the station down too.

Shrugging, Zach said, “Don’t sweat it. Someone probably canceled and they had a limited number of seats. Stan the Man is go—” Zach crossed his arms. “Come to think of it, that is weird, Paige. Why don’t you go in my place?”

She held up her wineglass. “I’m settled in for the night, but have fun.”

“I’d rather stay here with you.” Zach sat beside her on the couch, held her face in his hands, and kissed her. Grinning he said, “You taste like wine.”

She winked. “There’s a good reason for that. What time is the event?”

Zach peered at his watch. “Oh, man, it’s in twenty minutes. I didn’t realize it was so late. I’ve gotta run.”

“Scoot. I’ll be fine. Really. I’d rather be alone with my brooding thoughts.”

Zach crossed the room toward the door and turned back with a sly grin. “Want some company later?”

“I’ll probably turn in early. See you tomorrow at the station, okay?”

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