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“Do I need to wear anything special for the auction?” he asks, still speaking into his cell. He chuckles. “I’m not coming out in my birthday suit, Ann, not even for charity.” He pauses. “A tux I can do.”
He speaks with the caller for another minute before hanging up the phone and tossing his cell onto the counter.
“How are you feeling?” he asks me, walking over and sitting in a chair next to the couch. He leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“Much better,” I say, wondering who Ann is. “What auction were you talking about? Is it something for the team?”
“No,” he sighs. “It’s for the American Cancer Society. I was involved with it in California, so I contacted the branch here. They’re having a benefit to raise money for people who can’t afford treatment.”
“Wow,” I say, the blanket pooling around my waist when I rise to a sitting position. “That’s awesome, Sam. I didn’t know you were part of anything like that.”
“It’s a cause that’s important to me,” he admits solemnly.
I search my memory for any mention of it online when I googled him a few weeks ago, but can’t recall anything written about it. Sam’s association with a cancer charity would be a PR gold mine.
“Does Mads know about this? It could really boost your reputation.”
“Nope,” he answers resolutely.
“Why not?” I’m confused why he wouldn’t want to shout this from the rooftops. It would benefit his career.
“Because I don’t do it for the notoriety. I don’t want the press talking about what a good person I am for supporting the cause. I do it because I want to and because it’s the right thing. It makes me feel good.”
Wow. I wasn’t expecting that. I stew on his words for a few seconds.
“Your heart can be in the right place while you enhance your rep, you know. It wouldn’t make you a bad person. Why the cancer society anyway?”
“My mom,” he says after a few beats. And I get the impression that he doesn’t talk about this often. Or at all. “She was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was back in college.” He runs a hand down his face. “It was one of the worst times of my life, watching her go through those treatments. My parents never had much money, and they struggled to pay for everything. The charities helped. So, when I entered the NHL, I got involved.”
“How is she doing now?” I ask, pulling my knees into my chest.
“She’s been in remission for a few years.”
“That’s great, Sam.”
He has a small smile on his face that fades right before he speaks again. “That’s why I never wanted to broadcast my involvement. I wanted to do it for the right reasons—for her—and not because I was getting something out of it.”
“I get that,” I say, reaching for my glass of water on the coffee table when my throat feels dry and scratchy. I take a sip. “But if the hockey team knew, I bet some of the other guys would want to get involved too. And all of that would benefit the charity. It could bring in even more money.”
He smirks. “They asked me to auction myself off this year for a dinner date.”
“The women are going to go crazy.” I smirk, picturing the melee the announcement will cause, the image causing that unfamiliar twinge again. “Can you imagine how much you guys could bring in if there were a few of you up there, auctioning off dates? I bet Cruz would do it. And Cooper. Ollie too. It could make a lot of money for a worthy cause.”
He’s watching me as I speak. “I never thought about it that way.”
I shrug and set my glass back on the table. “It’s just a suggestion. You do what you’re comfortable with.” I pull the blanket back up around my shoulders. “By the way … that art room …” I’m at a loss for words.
“I just thought you could use a space of your own to create. Those guest rooms just sit there, unused most of the time. You’re welcome to paint in here too.”
The attention to detail in that room still overwhelms me.
“How did you know the type of paints I use? The brushes?”
“I cheated.” He smirks. “I went through your stuff when you weren’t home.”
“I can’t believe you did all that,” I whisper. “It was incredibly thoughtful. And expensive.” I know just how much the paints and brushes and canvases cost. And they aren’t cheap.
“I can afford it.”
