Common Goal (Game Changers #4)- Rachel Reid Page 0,37

wall next to a flat-screen television. Eric had gotten rid of most of his own book collection when he’d embraced minimalism and ebooks a couple of years ago. He’d found himself regretting his decision lately, wishing he had made room in his new house for a library. He loved looking at books, holding them. He missed the smell of paper.

Kyle’s collection was eclectic, and horrifically disorganized. On one shelf there were graphic novels, history books about ancient Rome, South America, and World War I, celebrity autobiographies, cookbooks, and novels in English, Spanish and French. Eric pulled one well-worn hardcover that was missing its dustjacket off the shelf and flipped it open. It was in Italian, which made him smile.

He slid the book back where he’d gotten it—between a cocktail manual and a paperback copy of The Iliad. His fingers itched to reorganize the shelf, but instead he turned his attention to the top of the bookshelf, which was lined with framed photographs and knickknacks. There was a photo of Kyle and Maria, both laughing with elaborate cocktails in front of them. Next to it sat a snow globe with little ski hills inside that said Vermont on the base. Eric picked it up and turned it over, watching the snow fall over the little plastic skiers inside.

“Almost like being there, huh?” Kyle’s voice startled Eric, and he nearly dropped the snow globe. It was rare that someone was able to sneak up on him.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snoop.” He placed the snow globe back on the shelf. When he turned to face Kyle, he noticed that Kyle looked extremely hot in a V-neck, purple T-shirt and dark, slim-cut jeans.

“It’s okay,” Kyle said easily. “You already know about my top secret Vermont origins.”

“Do you go back there at all?” Eric couldn’t stop himself from asking.

The smile fell from Kyle’s lips. “Haven’t been back in years.”

“Oh.”

“Mom and Dad send money. They paid for this place.” He swept a hand around. “But, no. I haven’t been invited home.”

Eric couldn’t understand why Kyle’s parents wouldn’t be eager to see him as much as possible. He was brilliant and lovely, and working on a master’s degree from Columbia. Surely his parents were proud of him?

He opened his mouth to say...something, but Kyle cut him off. “Are you ready to go?”

Eric decided not to push it for right now. At least the mystery of the very nice apartment had been solved. “Sure.”

Kyle grabbed his jacket and scarf from where he’d tossed them over a chair. His smile was back, and he winked at Eric as he said, “Let’s go turn some heads.”

They didn’t speak until they reached the street, and then Eric thought of a question that had nothing to do with Kyle’s family. “How many languages do you speak?”

“How do you know I speak more than one?”

“The books on your shelf. I saw a few different languages there.” Something occurred to him. “Or maybe those were Maria’s.”

“You were snooping,” Kyle teased. “They’re mine. Maria speaks Spanish too, but I also speak Italian and French. One of my undergrad majors was Latin, so I can read that. Some ancient Greek as well. I’m working on modern Greek.”

“Holy shit.”

Kyle shrugged as if he’d just rattled off a list of movies he liked. “I’m a quick study when it comes to languages. Always have been.”

“You’re lucky. I know enough French to get by, but languages definitely don’t come easily to me.”

“We all have talents. I’m not much of a goaltender.”

Eric laughed. “Have you ever tried?”

“God no. What kind of maniac lets people shoot pucks at them?”

“Someone whose cousin had goalie gear they didn’t need anymore.”

“Is that where it started?”

Eric nodded. “We were poor. I was lucky to get that hand-me-down gear.” He still remembered how thrilled he’d been the first time he’d strapped those heavy pads to his legs. He’d loved being a goalie from the very first puck he’d stopped. He’d taken the game seriously, because he took everything seriously, even as a child, and by the time he was a teenager he saw it as a way of solving his family’s financial struggles. Of maybe having a chance to go to university.

“Where are your parents now?” Kyle asked.

Eric smiled. “Living very comfortably on the shores of Lake Ontario. I bought them their dream house when I signed my first NHL contract.”

“That must have been one hell of a contract.”

“Their dream house isn’t anything extravagant. Just a nice little Cape Cod outside Hamilton, Ontario. That’s where