“Uh-oh.”
“And I want to help you.”
“But?”
“Can you open it up to girls too?” I throw out the question hopefully, biting my bottom lip and keeping my eyes trained on Luca’s face.
14
Luca
“Girls,” I repeat, staring at her.
“It’s kind of my thing.” Her eyes dance and she leans forward, clearly excited about the prospect.
“I-I’m not sure,” I say slowly. Carla’s face falls and I quickly tack on, “I’m not not open to the idea. I’m just wondering, given the timing, if we’d be able to open it up and do the additional component justice.”
She nods, her expression thoughtful. “What if we started small? And opened one small girl group, ten participants max, and I would personally oversee setting up their training. And, if you’re worried about how it would work for the full two weeks, we can try it for the first week only.”
I turn the idea over in my mind.
“Luca.” Carla drags her fingertips over my forearm. “Yes, I’m in. I’ll help you no matter what you decide. But I think adding a girls’ program, or at least introducing one, could be great for the camp. It would mean more press coverage.”
“It would also piss off a lot of families,” I counter.
“Paying families,” she mutters.
I nod.
“Unless it’s framed as a sister school, so to speak. It’s not taking away from the boys’ program but adding to it.”
“And how would it do that?”
Carla chews the corner of her lip, thinking. “More funding…”
I quirk an eyebrow.
“More scouts,” she continues.
“And how would you do this?”
“I know people.”
I snort. “Ex-boyfriend, people?”
She laughs. “No, female soccer players and supporters, people.”
“The Tornadoes.”
“For starters. Plus, Kate and my college crew. I could make this work. I promise.”
I look at her, noting the spark in her eyes. The excitement spreading across her expression. She looks focused and hungry and…happy. She looks the way I did when I decided to start this camp in my father’s honor.
Hopeful and determined.
“Please, Luca,” she says, her voice soft.
And I see her. The woman who needs a win. A cause. Something to sink her teeth into and grind away at and prove that she can do it. That she is enough. Hell, more than enough.
