Free Playing the Game by Stephanie Queen Page A

that he had never loved her back. Their relationship had been nothing but a repeat of the mistakes of his marriage. He didn’t want it to end this way, but he was helpless to salvage the situation now.
    He was still standing there in the foyer with his golf bag over his shoulder as she came down the stairs. Her face was tearstained and he didn’t know what to say, but he felt compelled to say something.
    “Are you coming or going?” He gestured to the bags. She reached the bottom of the stairs. She wasn’t a petite woman, but she looked it next to him. She was average size with shoulder length blonde hair and clear blue eyes. She turned those eyes up to his now, and they were red and filled with pain. Then she answered his question with a catch in her voice.
    “Can give me a reason to stay any longer?” She tried to smile, but only succeeded in looking more pitiful in her hopefulness, he thought.
    “You don’t have to go now,” was all he could manage with any sincerity. He didn’t want to keep her under any illusions. He wasn’t the kind of man who would use a woman—or was he? Had he been using Susan all this time without realizing it? Taking her love and giving nothing of himself in return? He wouldn’t take from her any longer. He would let her go. Susan’s head dropped with his response.
    “I think I should go right away.” She paused and seemed to have something more to say as she picked up her bags. He waited for her to speak.
    “You can send the rest of my things…” She moved to the door and he turned to watch her go before she said what she had to. He wanted to say something more to her, something to make it up to her, but there was nothing.
    “I always knew you probably didn’t really love me. Your only love was always basketball. I couldn’t get used to that. I hadn’t counted on there being other women too.” Susan’s voice trailed off and she turned to go out the door but he couldn’t resist asking.
    “How did you know that I wasn’t in love with you?” He was astounded. She laughed without humor.
    “It’s pretty obvious to anyone who sees you play basketball that that’s where your heart and soul is.” She sighed and then she left. His ex-wife had said pretty much the same thing.
    He stood there holding his golf bag, not knowing what to do next. His weekend with Roxanne was over, but the repercussions were not. When the goose bumps sprang up, he felt very uneasy.
     
     
    After an early workout the next morning, Barry felt better. Determined to get back to his schedule, he arrived early at the local college for a preseason practice. Only Coach Benson was there, in the office, reading the sports page of that morning’s Boston Globe . An immediate sense of dread assailed Barry when the coach looked up at him from behind the paper. John Benson sat at the desk with his expression holding a look of concern. It was the look that everyone on the team knew meant no good.
    Barry took the seat next to the desk and didn’t say a word. He waited for the coach to say what it was he had to say.
    “Have you seen this morning’s paper?” The coach shoved the paper in front of Barry’s face so he could.
    “Note the lead on the article that was supposed to be about the charity golf tournament.” He prompted Barry to read it aloud.
    “Basketball star Barry Dennis arrived late to the charity tournament yesterday, delaying the crowds and causing much speculation. Apparently the guru of basketball, the reincarnation of the work ethic, merely overslept.” Barry slapped the paper down. He was not a guru or a reincarnation of anything, he thought to himself, and if they thought so, then that was their problem. .
    “And that was written by our friend, Kevin.” The coach nearly shouted. Barry couldn’t remember seeing him this agitated off a basketball court.
    “Why such excitement about one minor off-season article in the Globe?”
    “Because I think there’s more here than meets the eye.