Chapter 6 Summary: THREE

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens with Elias Westbrook stepping off the stage at a charity auction, where he has just been auctioned off as a date. Aiden Crawford bumps into him, pleased with how the event went, and tells Elias to thank the woman who bid on him. Elias’s attention is immediately caught by her: brown hair pulled into a bun, a loose curl framing her heart-shaped face, hazel eyes, and a black dress held up by thin straps. He’s struck by her posture and grace, and he realizes it’s been four or five years since anyone has caught his eye like this.

Elias is reluctant to approach her, and Aiden teases him about his “not-so-secret admirer,” Lana. When Elias finally moves toward the woman’s table, he freezes: Marcus Smith-Beaumont slides into the chair beside her and hands her a slice of cake. Marcus is a man who despises Elias, and Elias has been dodging him all evening. After a lecture from his coach an hour earlier, Elias knows Marcus won’t be gentle. He pivots to the terrace, passing his goalie, Socket, who’s being eyed eagerly by an elderly woman in the crowd.

On the terrace, Elias sips ice water, trying to cool down. Sage follows him and introduces herself as Sage Beaumont. Elias’s mind races—is Marcus her father? He’s frozen, unable to speak or shake her hand. She offers a fist-bump instead, which he still can’t manage. His agent, Mason, intervenes, assessing Sage with a calculating look. Sage is offended that Elias needs his agent to talk to her. She clarifies that she didn’t bid for him—Aiden asked her, and her little brother happens to be a huge Crawford fan. She tells Elias he owes her nothing, especially not a date.

Elias finally speaks, correcting her: “It’s Eli.” Sage is surprised he talks at all, and she thanks him sarcastically before preparing to leave. But Elias insists he still owes her a date. She declines, saying she’s not into hockey players anymore and that he just reminded her why—implying a past bad experience with a hockey player. Elias pushes anyway, citing charity, and she relents, allowing him to add his number to her phone. She leaves, calling him “Elias” this time, and he doesn’t correct her.

Alone, Elias checks his phone. The group chat “BUNNY PATROL” is full of messages from his college friends—Dylan, Kian, Sebastian, Cole, and Aiden—teasing him about a woman in his hotel room and joking about reviving “Bunny Patrol 2.0.” The chat reveals the dynamics of his old college hockey circle: Dylan and Kian are undrafted seniors finishing their degrees, while Sebastian and Cole are juniors focused on hockey and parties.

Then a bank notification arrives: the monthly money wire has been successfully transferred to a specific account. The name on the screen adds weight to Elias’s shoulders. It’s not the money itself that bothers him—it’s the reminder of the person who receives it, filling him with dread and guilt. His parents’ encouraging messages after last night’s game only deepen that guilt, since he feels his performance was unremarkable. He reflects on the defamatory headlines that surfaced when he first arrived in Toronto, and how he had to explain to his parents that the media was sensationalizing his reputation.

Aiden texts that it’s time to leave, and Elias heads for the doors without wasting a second.

Key Events

Elias is auctioned at a charity event and is unexpectedly drawn to the woman who bid on him.
He retreats to the terrace when he sees Marcus Smith-Beaumont sitting beside her.
Sage follows him, introduces herself, and clarifies she bid only because Aiden asked and her brother is a Crawford fan.
She declines the date, citing being done with hockey players; Elias insists for charity and adds his number to her phone.
Elias reads the “BUNNY PATROL” group chat from his college friends.
A bank notification about a monthly money transfer weighs on him.
His parents’ encouraging messages deepen his guilt.
Aiden texts that it’s time to leave.

Character Development

Elias Westbrook: This chapter reveals Elias’s guardedness and internal conflicts. He’s been closed off to attraction for years, yet Sage catches his eye immediately. His physical reactions—dry mouth, frozen body language, inability to speak—show how disarming she is. His retreat from Marcus reveals a fear of confrontation. The bank notification and his parents’ messages expose a private burden: a monthly obligation that fills him with dread and guilt, suggesting a hidden responsibility or past mistake. His correction of “Elias” to “Eli” is a small assertion of identity, but when Sage calls him “Elias” at the end, he lets it stand—a subtle shift.

Sage Beaumont: Though we see her through Elias’s eyes, Sage comes across as direct, sharp, and self-possessed. She doesn’t fawn over Elias; she’s offended by his guardedness, clarifies her motives, and declines his date offer. Her comment about being “done with hockey players” hints at a past relationship that left her wary. She’s also connected to Marcus Smith-Beaumont, which complicates Elias’s situation.

Aiden Crawford: Aiden is supportive and teasing, pushing Elias to thank Sage and later signaling it’s time to leave. He’s a grounding presence.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Identity and Names: Elias insists on “Eli,” but Sage calls him “Elias” and he doesn’t correct her. This tension between public persona and private self runs through the chapter.

Reputation and Media Scrutiny: Elias reflects on defamatory headlines and the need to explain them to his parents. His reputation as a hockey player precedes him, and Sage’s wariness of hockey players echoes this.

Obligation and Guilt: The monthly money transfer weighs on Elias—not the money itself, but the person who receives it. This private obligation contrasts with his public success.

Guardedness: Elias’s physical retreat to the terrace, his frozen body language, and his reliance on Mason all show a man who keeps people at a distance.

The Terrace as Retreat: The terrace is a literal escape from the room—from Marcus, from the crowd, from expectations. It’s where Elias and Sage first truly interact.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter marks the first real meeting between Elias and Sage, setting up their dynamic for the rest of the book. It establishes Elias’s guardedness, his fear of Marcus, and his private burdens—the monthly transfer, the guilt, the media scrutiny. Sage’s directness and her refusal to be impressed by Elias create immediate tension and chemistry. The chapter also deepens the world-building through the group chat, showing Elias’s connections to his college friends and his past life. The bank notification introduces a mystery that will likely unfold later.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Elias retreat to the terrace when he sees Marcus Smith-Beaumont beside Sage?

Elias has been avoiding Marcus all evening. Marcus despises Elias, and Elias knows that if Marcus sees him, he’ll face another confrontation—one that won’t be a gentle warning, unlike the lecture his coach gave him an hour earlier. The terrace is his escape route.

2. What reasons does Sage give for bidding on Elias, and how do they challenge his assumptions?

Sage says she didn’t bid for Elias personally—she did it because Aiden asked her, and her little brother is a huge Crawford fan. This challenges Elias’s assumption that she was an admirer or fan of his. It also explains why she’s sitting with Marcus, and it makes her rejection of his date offer more pointed: she wasn’t interested in him at all.

3. What does the bank notification reveal about Elias’s private life?

The monthly money wire transfer adds weight to Elias’s shoulders. It’s not the money itself that bothers him—it’s the reminder of the person who receives it, which fills him with dread and guilt. This suggests a private obligation or past mistake that he carries, separate from his public persona as a hockey player.