“Strikers, hey?” Lia squeezed Erin’s hand back. “I can’t wait to share the pitch with you. We’ll set the league on fire.”
With a sigh, Erin glanced at her knee. “I hope it’s sooner rather than later.”
Chapter 10
In the canteen, a tray clattered onto the table opposite Erin.
Expecting Alex—who else would want to join her?—Erin raised an eyebrow when Lia dropped into the chair. She hadn’t seen Lia that morning in the gym; she’d been given the all clear to go back out onto the training pitches to move on to the next phase of her rehab. Erin was still stuck inside.
A few of their teammates who had already returned from international duty gave them curious looks as Lia got herself settled.
“What?” Lia lifted her bottle of water to her lips.
“You never sit with me. No one ever sits with me.”
“Alex does.”
“Alex is different.”
“I missed you this morning.”
Okay, that was not what Erin was expecting Lia to say. “Look, just because you were at my place last night doesn’t mean that we’re friends.”
“Oh no.” Lia dug into her omelette with gusto. “I wouldn’t dream of it—we’re colleagues only.”
Erin’s own words were parroted back at her with a sarcastic smile.
“And sometimes colleagues eat together.” Lia paused, glancing at Erin’s face. “Do you want me to go?”
“Well, you’re already here, so you may as well stay. And people will talk if I send you away. More than they already are.”
The looks and muted whispers of her teammates made Erin itch. It wasn’t a feeling she was accustomed to—she had a thick skin, and other people’s opinions didn’t matter to her. But it was rare that someone dared to discuss her so openly.
Lia grinned. “I knew I’d grow on you.”
“Like a rash.”
“So you didn’t miss me this morning?”
“No.” Lia didn’t need to know how empty the gym had been without her.
“You do wonders for my ego, you know. I can always count on you to keep me down to earth.”
Some of Erin’s unease ebbed away the longer Lia talked. So what if this was unusual? Hadn’t Shanice wanted the two of them to get on? Well, look at them now.
“How long did you manage to run today?” Lia asked.
“Seven minutes.” A full ninety felt like an impossible mountain to climb, but Erin was determined to get there.
“Nice. You’ll be back on the grass in no time.”
“How was your training today? Do you think you’ll be ready for the weekend?”
Lia’s shoulders lifted in a shrug. “It’s looking good, but you never know. I’ll hopefully be on the bench, at least.”
“And how are you feeling about that?” Erin tried hard to keep her voice neutral.
Lia stiffened all the same, tension in the set of her jaw as her knuckles flashed white around her fork. “I’ll have easier games.”
