Read Online Love Game - Season 2012 by M.B. Gerard - Free Book Online Page A

.”
    Martina nodded, considering the deal. Chili
looked at Mint angrily. Of course, Mint would snatch the novel away from her.
    “But I want a second book for The Lotus
Lily . It’s brand new,” Mint added. “How about Tennis Nurse and The Bagel
Factory ?”
    Martina laughed. “Oh, that was a good one.
But I don’t have it. Morgana might though. How about Tennis Nurse and The
Australian Formation ?”
    Mint hesitated. Where was Morgana? Was it
too early for the Frenchwoman? It was highly unusual for her to miss the Tennis
Nurse swap meet. It was also very inconvenient, as Morgana had all the novels,
most of them in duplicate, and she was the best source for new or rare books.
    “I have The Bagel Factory ,” a voice
suddenly piped up. Quietly, Polly Duke had come in and stood behind the
players. She held a single book in her hand.
    “Mint wants two books for The Lotus Lily ,”
Chili remarked spitefully.
    Polly let her hand sink down. She shook her
head. “I only have this one.”
    “I’ll swap with you,” Mint said quickly.
“I’ve wanted to read The Bagel Factory for ages. I heard it’s very funny.”
    “Yes, it is,” Polly answered in surprise.
She handed Mint the book. Chili and Martina had fallen silent.
    “This one is in very good condition,” Mint
remarked while turning the book, even weighing it. “I also give you The
Queen of Kopenhagen for it.”
    Chili’s jaw dropped open, but she didn’t
say a word. That was typical of Mint. Humiliating Chili on purpose and using
her Tennis Nurse collection to show off. The deal was sealed with a
handshake and Polly now had two books of her own. But the conversation at the
table had died down. Mint had turned back to arranging her novels by
publication date while Chili was staring at Polly.
    The Canadian turned around, wanting to
leave again when Candice called her name from the other table.
    “Come sit with us for a minute,” the
communications manager said. She patted the chair next to her and Polly obeyed.
    “What have you got?” Natsumi asked
curiously, and Polly displayed her new treasures.
    “Good ones,” Agnes smiled, popping another
strip of bacon into her mouth.
    They chatted for several more minutes
before Polly excused herself. She felt they were trying to cheer her up, as
they knew about her mother’s situation. But Polly didn’t want cheering up.
     
    ***
     
     
    “Hey, how are you?” The unexpected question
startled Sasha. She spun around, ready with a cool reply to get rid of the
intruder. It was Martina Rodriguez. Sasha exhaled in relief. Martina and her
girlfriend, Antonia, were among the few people who knew about the incident when
she had broken her nose in the Istanbul nightclub. They also knew about the
pictures, as they had been given one, too. They didn’t know about the second
fracture, which had been caused by Lulu’s punch in the hospital.
    “I’m great,” Sasha lied. “Had a super
off-season.”
    “Good,” Martina said hesitantly. “How is
your nose?”
    “Fantastic. A welcome side effect is that I
can breathe even better now.” Sasha gave the Argentine a big smile, realizing
that Martina seemed not convinced.
    “How about you? Did you have a nice
vacation with Antonia?” she managed to ask in a friendly manner.
    “Christmas with the family. Her family,”
Martina chuckled. “Crazy Italians. Lots of food.” She grinned at the thought.
Sasha smiled again. She, too, had spent the holidays with her family at home,
she informed Martina. She didn’t mention it had been far from relaxed due to
them all demanding to know what had happened to her nose. She had given them a
flimsy excuse, as she couldn’t have possibly told them about the flying punch
bowl, or Lulu Galloway, or the picture that had caused all the trouble in
Istanbul.
    Sasha sighed while packing her training
shoes into her bag. “Any news from Tom?”
    “No,” Martina shook her head. “But Ted told
me on the flight that they were working on a