Page 6 of Power Play Pursuit

A laugh bursts out of me. “Nope. I’d have to be dating someone for quite a while before that happens.”

He shrugs. “In my day, people got married weeks after meeting each other.”

“Wow.” I blink back in shock. I guess when you know, you know?

“It was a different time, that’s for sure,” he says with a faint smile, looking off to the side, probably remembering that bygone era.

“Well, when I do find someone, you’ll be the first to know,” I say with a nod. “Is your family visiting this week?”

He shakes his head. “No, my eldest son is on vacation, and the youngest is working a lot at the moment—too much, if you ask me.”

“I’m sorry. I hope you see them soon. But until then, I’m here for you, of course.”

“You’re a good man, James.” His eyes crinkle with a smile. “I know Diane is looking down on you, and she’s so proud. You can count on it.”

His words touch something deep in my heart. My grandma was everything to me. She raised me, put me through school, helped me get into hockey, and was my fiercest cheerleader. I miss her every day. Coming to this place is always nostalgic. I see her everywhere I look. But it’s also a painful reminder that she’s not here.

“Thanks, Bill.”

We move on to other topics, and soon enough, it’s already time for me to call it a day. But after my visit, I feel so energized for tonight. I know it’s silly, coming to Golden Age when I don’t even have a relative staying here anymore, but these are some of the only people who treat me like a normal human being.

Don’t get me wrong, I love hockey. It’s a dream come true, being able to play for a living. But it’s also nice to have normal conversations and be liked for something other than my skills on the ice—or my looks.

It’s refreshing to feel loved just for being, rather than doing.

Beth Bowen

Marissa and I finish packing all my bags into Aaron’s trunk, and despite how heavy they are, I’ve never felt lighter. I know I’ve made the right decision. Lucas hasn’t even tried calling since I caught him in his lie last night. That’s how much he cares about me. It’s a shame it took me another blatant round of evidence of his cheating to realize what an awful boyfriend he was.

I’ve already started to look at apartments to rent, but Brooklyn is crazy expensive. I’ll need a couple of weeks to figure things out and find something decent in my price range. Thankfully, I have the most amazing friend in the world, and her husband isn’t half bad either. I know that taking me in while they’re still in their honeymoon phase is less than ideal, but they didn’t hesitate one second when I called this morning.

“You’re going to be okay,” Marissa reassures me, giving me a tight hug after closing the trunk. “I’m here for you.”

“Thank you,” I mutter, my voice wavering slightly. I feel the tears coming up, but I hold them back. No more crying today. Today, I’m starting over.

I’m grateful that I don’t have to worry about working this afternoon. My cousin Celia, who’s studying at NYU, frequently helps out at the shop, and she stepped in for us today so we could take care of this situation.

We drive to the modern building Aaron and Marissa call home—well, he doesn’t own the building, but he does live in one of the stylish apartments inside—and start hauling my stuff up to the elevator. I don’t exactly travel light. What can I say? This girl loves shopping online. And I also might have an entire bag just for my beauty products. But a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

“Phew!” Marissa says, dropping the large bag she was carrying into the entryway. “That one was heavy.”

“Sorry.” I wince. “You stay here and catch your breath. I’ll go get the last one.”

“Gladly. Even with the elevator, I’m breaking a sweat. I need to exercise more.” She shakes out her shirt before gathering her long hair into a messy bun. “I’m going to take a shower, but you already knowthe place, so make yourself at home.”

“Thanks. I’ll be right back.”

I take the keys and ride the elevator down to grab the last of the bags from the car. It’s the lightest of them all—a tote bag with my underwear. What? We ran out of space in my suitcases! I do feel bad carrying this now. I could have given this one to Marissa. She’s already done so much for me.

I walk back into the building and wait for the elevator. It finally opens with a ping, and I startle when I see James Adler inside, wearing a freakingsuit.

With everything happening, I completely forgot James lives in the same building as Aaron.

His brows furrow. “Elizabeth? What are you doing here? Are you okay?”

How does this man always seem to know when something’s up? Does he have a sixth sense? Or maybe it’s those deep cobalt blue eyes that can see straight through my skin.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just going to Aaron and Marissa’s,” I say, struggling to tear my gaze away.

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