“Nicole?” Ariana called to her.
She looked up and Ariana mouthed the words, “Wait for me.”
Nicole nodded and went over to get her bag. She watched as Ariana signed and spoke with each child.
“That was nice of you to stay and give every kid an autograph,” Nicole said when Ariana walked over to her. “Not every player does that, you know.”
She shrugged. “I love doing these things.”
“I do, too.”
“Then why haven’t we done one together before now?” Ariana asked.
“I guess we haven’t been in town at the same time.”
Ariana nodded. “Would you like to go for a coffee or something?”
“Don’t you have practice?”
“I do later.”
“I could use a protein smoothie,” Nicole said.
Ariana’s face brightened. “I know just the place. Let’s go.”
They grabbed their bags and walked down the street into a smoothie shop and placed their orders. While they were waiting for their drinks Ariana said, “Were you surprised when I took the tip off last night and went down and shot?”
Nicole chuckled. “I loved it! I’ve always thought you should shoot more.”
Ariana grinned as they walked over to a table and sat down. “So, did I use my weapons like you thought I should?”
Nicole raised her brows and studied Ariana for a moment. “You’ve been listening to my commentary.”
“I always listen to you,” Ariana said. “You know what you’re talking about.”
Their names were called and Ariana went up to the counter to get their drinks. When she sat back down Nicole asked, “Did you enjoy watching your performance last night?”
Ariana took a sip of her drink and shrugged. “I focus more on what I missed, like passing opportunities or defense.”
Nicole nodded and sipped her drink.
“I’m trying to figure out why we haven’t talked more before or after games,” Ariana said. “We have a lot in common.”
“Oh, we do?”
“Yeah, we both have pretty brown eyes, nice jump shots, and we like playing with the kids,” Ariana said.
Nicole sipped her drink, trying to hide the smile she couldn’t keep from her face.
“It was nice talking to you at the bar last night and I enjoyed meeting Kate,” Ariana said.
“Oh, she’s something else.”
“She must not like your girlfriend,” Ariana said.
Nicole furrowed her brow. “My girlfriend?”
“She was encouraging me to come on to you.”
