I had to bite down on my tongue to stop myself from begging them to be nicer, to make this easier. This was a fresh start for us. If I could change my opinion about Chloe, then maybe they would too if they got to know her better.
“It’s nice to meet you all,” Chloe said, and smiled. If she’d caught any sense of the unfriendliness towards her, she didn’t show it. “How long have you been working with Inés?”
“Zack’s the newest member and he’s been with us for three years,” Maya said.
“That’s great, you must be a close bunch?” Chloe asked.
“We like to work as a team,” Mallory said, each word sharpened to a spike.
“That’s so great,” Chloe chirped from beside me. “My team is a little different. We’re actually short a physio at the moment.”
I raised my eyebrows, looking towards Maya. “Would you be able to help Chloe out while she gets sorted?”
I knew she’d have time to help us both, not to mention the extra income would be appreciated.
Maya looked a little uncomfortable at first, but she answered, “Um, yeah, as long as you aren’t playing at the same time, I’m sure it would work fine with my schedule.”
“That would be awesome, thanks.” Chloe looked between us. “My brother was stressing about finding somebody reliable last minute, so if you are up for it, we will work to make it happen.”
Looking a little less reluctant, Maya slid her phone across the table. “If you give me your coach’s number, I’ll send him a message and we can arrange a session to see if we work as a good fit. If not, I know a few people I could suggest.”
“Thanks so much, I’ll let him know.” Chloe took the phone, the smile across her face growing as she typed. As she passed it back, she looked around the table. “So, you must have some behind-the-scenes stories about Inés?”
Zackary muffled a laugh. “Remember that time you accidentally hit a ball kid?”
“Stop,” I said, cringing. “That was so embarrassing.”
Chloe’s laugh was sweet as she nudged her arm softly into my side. “What happened?”
Sighing, I forced myself to relive that day, even if it was only to hear that sound come from her again. “I served really badly—I still think it was the wind.”
“Excuses, excuses,” Henrik muttered playfully from beside her.
Was I sweating? Or had it gotten really hot in here?
“And it flew at this goddamn kid,” I continued, “hitting him right in the face.”
Chloe almost squealed, “No, that’s so bad.”
“I felt terrible, and I tried to apologize,” I said, Zackary cutting me off to continue.
“But then his nose started to bleed and it was everywhere,” he said, a sly smile across his face. “And apparently Inés can’t handle blood at all.”
“I hate the sight of it,” I admitted, the entire table laughing. “It’s supposed to be inside the body. It’s weird when it escapes.” A shiver ran down my spine at the memory of that day. “So, then I start getting lightheaded and I need to sit down. Threw me off for the second set.”
“Did you still win?” Chloe asked, her eyes connecting with mine, the glee they held giving light to the sea green.
“Barely,” I managed to say, before dragging my gaze away from hers. “I swear I kept seeing spots of blood on the grass and feeling sick.”
“And then there was the kit mishap,” Mallory piped up from across the table.
My eyes went wide. “Don’t tell her that.”
A playfully cruel smirk pulled at her lips, her head nodding towards me. “Inés appeared late to her doubles practice.”
“I slept in.” I wasn’t sure if this was a story I wanted retold.
“And she’s got somebody else’s kit bag,” Henrik finished for her.
