To many more victories.
Your friends at Nike
She breathed in the aroma of the fresh-cut flowers. Nike was upping their game. They’d been dangling a sponsorship deal since she’d won a few lower-level tournaments during her first year on tour, but they’d backed off slightly after she’d lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Penny wrinkled her nose.Lostwas a bit of an understatement. She’d been eviscerated. A total embarrassment and something she’d never let happen again.
“The flowers are a nice touch,” Jack said, pouring himself a glass of orange juice.
“A car would’ve been a nicer one,” Teddy quipped.
“I already have a car,” Penny said, tucking the note backinside the box and then pushing his legs out of the way to find a vase under the island.
Teddy smiled, his dimples appearing, making him seem far more innocent than he’d ever been. “Yeah, this new one could be for me.”
“Spending too much of that NIL money on beer, man,” Jack said.
Teddy’s name, image, and likeness deal with Duke had netted him a decent amount of money over the years, particularly after Penny had started making waves on tour. But it definitely wasn’t enough for a car.
“Speaking of cars, though, can I borrow yours real quick?” he asked, ignoring their brother and turning to Penny.
“Nope. I’m going to OBX,” she said. “You could come with me?”
“Wait, why are you going in today?”
“I have to train. The French Open is in less than a month. I can’t just walk into Roland-Garros unprepared.”
“Yeah, and you just won a million dollars in Madrid. You’re not going to take a day to enjoy that?”
“I did,” Penny said. “When Jack and I stopped over in New York to talk to potential sponsors I took the whole afternoon off and went shopping.”
“You’re a real wild woman.”
“I try.”
“C’mon, please? I don’t have time to wait for you to finish training to drive home, and I’ve already walked back once today.”
“What do you mean?” Jack asked.
Teddy smirked. “I stayed over at OBX last night and I left my phone by accident. I just need to pick it up.”
“A new girl?” Jack’s eyes narrowed. “You just got home.” Teddy went to Duke and had wrapped up his junior year a couple of weeks before. “Who was it this time?”
“Katie Nelson.”
“Katie’s sweet,” Penny said, looking up from arranging her flowers. “She deserves better.”
“Shedoesn’t think so. In fact—”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Penny said, reaching for the bowl of car keys on the counter. “Take my car. I’ll hitch a ride with this one.” She motioned toward Jack.
“You’re the best.”
Teddy jumped down and took the keys from her, then strode out of the kitchen toward the front door.
“So, Nike,” Jack said, taking the card from the box. “Looks like your win in Madrid made them rethink things.”
Penny wiped some of the last sleep from her eyes. “Looks like it.”
“You know this isn’t just an outfitting deal. They want you to be the new face of their tennis brand. You can’t go into a major tournament and bomb out again. Things have to be different in Paris.”
