Top of Her Game, page 6
“Is that all I am to you?” Sutton smirked, and Kenzie needed a deep breath to calm her heart.
“The more hands the merrier,” her mom said as she walked into the great room. She was wiping her hands and had yet to look up. “I have dozens of eggs to dye and no desire to do it.” She smiled at Kenzie and then to Sutton. She stopped in her tracks. “I know you.”
Sutton extended her hand. “Sutton Flores. It’s so nice to meet you Miss…Mrs.…”
“Just call me Liz.” She shook Sutton’s hand and wouldn’t let go. “After seeing your picture everywhere and watching you on TV, I feel like I already know you.”
“Let’s get to those eggs,” Kenzie said. She pulled Sutton away from her mother and led her to the kitchen. “Excuse the mess and everything,” Kenzie said while looking around at the disarray and open cabinet doors. “Are you hungry? I have some snacks around here or I can cook you something.”
“I’m fine for now. Liz, are you a soccer fan?”
Liz looked genuinely ashamed. “Not really, but Kenzie always put on the games. Every time they showed you, she’d spew your stats.”
Kenzie groaned. “Oh my God.”
“I swear my little girl was in love with you.”
Sutton turned to Kenzie with raised eyebrows. “Is that so?”
Kenzie wanted to die on the spot. She opened the refrigerator and stuck her head inside, hoping the air would cool her heated face. “Please, Mom. Eggs.”
“They’re all on the bottom shelf, honey.” Her mom rushed over and shooed her out of the way. She pulled six cartons of eggs from the refrigerator and stacked them on her small kitchen table. “They’re all already hard-boiled. Or at least most of them.”
Kenzie picked up one of the cartons. “What do you mean?”
“You try boiling seventy-two eggs without losing track once or twice.”
“I can’t believe the church still uses actual eggs. That’s why they make plastic ones.” Kenzie tapped the top of an egg. Her mother always managed to make a small project into a daylong ordeal.
“They prefer the old-time charm or something like that. I could’ve gotten twice as many fake eggs for a third of the price.”
“I know a trick,” Sutton said. She took the carton from Kenzie. “You take an egg and spin it on a flat surface.”
Both Kenzie and her mom watched as Sutton spun the white egg around and around.
Sutton pointed to the egg. “This one’s been boiled.” Kenzie looked at her skeptically. “If it stops after one or two spins, then it’s raw.”
Kenzie took a different egg out of the carton and held it in her hand. The shell was cold in her palm. She tossed it up and caught it before placing it on the table and spinning it. The egg spun several times.
“Where did you learn that trick?” Kenzie said, staring up into Sutton’s soft brown eyes.
Sutton’s smile was small and warm. “Google.”
“And it works?”
Sutton shrugged. “Hasn’t failed me yet.”
They shared a smile.
“Smart and beautiful,” her mom said, breaking the unusual moment. “Now let’s see if she’s artistic, too.”
They looked at the pile of dye boxes her mom had put on the table. “Did you save any for the kids in town?” Kenzie said.
“Shush, and let’s get started.” Her mom rolled up her sleeves, and she and Sutton followed suit.
After setting up over a dozen cups of dye, the three of them set out on an Easter egg dyeing marathon. More than a few times, Kenzie cursed at her dye for splashing back on her shirt and chastised Sutton for laughing. Her mother made more excuses than anyone thought possible to leave the room. She and Sutton were down to a dozen left before they started to talk about things other than Easter.
“I’m sorry you got roped into chores on your off day,” Kenzie said as she blotted her teal egg on a paper towel.
“You’re kidding, right? I’m having a blast. I can’t remember the last time I dyed eggs, let alone for such a good reason.” Sutton picked up one of the plastic cups and swirled it, staring at her egg as it danced in the cyclone. She looked mesmerized.
And Kenzie felt mesmerized. She cleared her throat. “Thank you, Sutton, I really mean it. I would’ve been here all night.”
The childlike wonder was gone from Sutton’s eyes, and something new and unnamable crossed her features. She smiled stiffly and pointed at the egg in Kenzie’s hands. “And all of your eggs would’ve been some shade of blue.”
“What?” Every egg she had done was some kind of blue or accented heavily with blue details. “Huh.”
“Favorite color?”
“Not really.” Kenzie started to laugh, and when she looked back to Sutton, she realized that Sutton’s very soft-looking sweater was blue. She hadn’t subliminally chosen blue dyes to match Sutton, right? “I guess I’m just in a blue mood,” she said, feeling a bit dumb immediately after.
“I’m meeting Taylor and a few of the girls for dinner. You should come with—it’ll help with that blue mood.”
“No, I…I should probably stay here and help clean up.”
Her mom reentered the room. Impeccable timing as always. “Nonsense. You go have fun with your team. I can take care of this,” she said, instant regret visible on her face.
“I can stay and clean.”
Sutton placed her hand on Kenzie’s arm. “Please come.” Kenzie looked down at Sutton’s hand and then back up to her eyes. Sutton pulled back. “Only if you want to.”
Kenzie knew she should take a breath soon, but the genuine sparkle in Sutton’s eye and the touch that still lingered held her captive. Once she finally breathed, she managed a small nod along with it.
“Only three raw so far. That’s not so bad,” her mom said triumphantly.
Sutton’s laughter cut the tension, and they continued to dye eggs in silence. Once they were done, Kenzie changed from her splattered shirt and into a black shirt more appropriate for a bar. She grabbed their coats and tried her best to pry her mother from Sutton before she could embarrass her any more.
“Let’s go,” Kenzie said, tossing Sutton her jacket and guiding her toward the door. “Taylor’s waiting. Can’t be late.”
“Thanks for letting me be a part of your Easter prep, Liz.”
“Thanks for the hard work, Sutton. I hope to see you again soon. I know my daughter wouldn’t mind if you came over more often.”
Kenzie clamped her jaws shut. “You were doing so good,” she said between clenched teeth.
“I’ll definitely be back.” Sutton smiled smugly.
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be back later, Mom.”
Kenzie rushed to the car to avoid the chill…and Sutton. Part of her wanted to run right back into the house and up to her room where she could dive into a pile of blankets, she was so embarrassed. She was grateful Sutton was driving because she knew she didn’t have to look at her. But she could feel Sutton glancing over as she drove. She chose to ignore it and watch the passing scenery instead. They’d had a nice afternoon together, and the last thing she wanted to do was make things between them weirder than they already were.
“So…” Sutton started.
Kenzie could feel the tension roll between them with just that one word. “The game against Dallas should be interesting. Their offense has been unstoppable so far. I hope you’re ready for that.”
“We’re really not going to talk about what happened back there?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Okay, if that’s how you want to handle this, I’ll follow your lead.” Sutton adjusted her grip on the steering wheel. “You seem embarrassed, and I figured you wouldn’t be if we talked about it.”
“You’re right, because if we talk about it, I will die on the spot and never feel embarrassment again.”
Sutton laughed.
Kenzie shot Sutton a lethal glare. “Don’t laugh at me.”
“I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at how dramatic you’re being.”
“Fine. I had a crush on you. It was a silly, small crush, and really I just admired how well you played.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“You turned on all my games?”
“I turned on all the team’s games.”
“And my gameplay is all you noticed about me?”
“Please don’t tease me.” Kenzie covered her face with her hands. “I knew my mom was going to do this to me. She doesn’t know the difference between appropriate and inappropriate.” She dropped her hands. “Is there any way I can convince you to forget this ever happened?” Her patience started to wane when Sutton didn’t answer right away.
Sutton shifted in the driver’s seat and stayed quiet. She took a few turns. “I don’t ever want you to feel uncomfortable around me. If you want me to pretend I never heard about an adorable crush you had on me, I can do that.” She pulled in to the parking lot of the restaurant and parked in the first available spot.
Kenzie recognized Taylor’s and Erin’s cars in the same row as them. She unbuckled her seat belt, placed her hand on Sutton’s, and thanked her. “My mother will live to see another day.”
Sutton covered Kenzie’s hand with hers. Her palm was soft and warm. “I’d hate for Liz to meet her end because of me.”
Kenzie smiled easily and felt truly relaxed for the first time all afternoon. She reluctantly pulled her hand back. “I’m sorry for how I’m reacting. I just hate the icky feeling of being embarrassed.”
“I get it.”
“Do you? I find it hard to believe you embarrass easily.”
“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get embarrassed.”
“Tell me the last time you were embarrassed.”
“Will it make you feel better?”
Kenzie nodded.
“I had a little tightness in my hamstring for a few games last season, which led to me spending extra time doing stretches and getting stretched. After practice one day, I was in the middle of getting stretched, and I farted in the trainer’s face.”
Kenzie didn’t react immediately. The information had to sink in before she broke out into a broad grin and laughter. “No, you didn’t.”
“I did,” Sutton said, dropping her head and shaking it. “It snuck out.”
“Oh my God.”
Sutton tilted her head. “I bet that killed any bit of a crush that still lingered.”
“You say the C word one more time, and I’m killing my mother. Her life is in your hands.”
“After I just confided in you? I didn’t even tell Taylor that story.”
Kenzie’s heart skipped a beat, but she kept her expression hard.
Sutton chuckled “Okay, okay. Let’s get inside before I press my luck.” She unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car.
Kenzie followed suit and caught up to walk beside Sutton. The evening was crisp but refreshing. “I should warn you, if you keep teasing, I’ll pay that trainer to tell people.”
“Can’t. The trainer died that day.”
Kenzie’s loud laughter echoed into the night as they walked together to meet their friends.
Chapter Ten
Sutton stretched her left triceps and then her right. She was standing in the corner of the gym waiting for instructions from Brett. The team was on the road, and their home for the next two days would be in Dallas. Sutton missed her house, but she loved the dry heat.
“We’re going to start today with an hour in the gym, and then we’ll hit the field.” Brett scribbled on his clipboard as he spoke.
Taylor leaned in to Sutton. “This is punishment for losing.”
“I have more notes on last week’s game. Dallas won’t know what hit them.” Brett’s smile seemed normal, if not a little evil, when he left the gym.
“He’s definitely going to punish us,” Sutton said, searching for Kenzie. She found her stretching against the opposite wall near the free weights. Sutton decided that starting out with cardio was getting old.
“I’m going to work with some weights for a bit.” Sutton strode across the gym and stopped at a bench not too far from Kenzie. She dropped her towel and grabbed two ten pound dumbbells. She let them hang at her sides and felt them pull at her shoulders, but half of Sutton’s attention was on Kenzie. Sutton could tell by the set of Kenzie’s eyebrows and her small smile that whatever she was chatting about with Sherri was amusing. She had seen that look many times when they got to spend the day together, especially when they sat at the bar and traded stories of their toughest games.
Kenzie had seemed to really click with Sherri and Erin, and Sutton felt a bit excluded. She started her lunges. With each extension, she allowed herself to think a little bit more about her feelings. She wanted to be loved by all, but she also knew she couldn’t be everyone’s best friend. She thought she and Kenzie had made some progress after their day together, but a disconnect still lingered between them.
Taylor’s sudden voice made her jump. “Starting with weights, huh? We’ve been training together for years, Flores. You seem to forget that.”
“I never forget that, Taylor.” Sutton let out a rough breath when she finished her set. “Pick up some weights before Tyler comes over and makes you do burpees again.”
“I’ve been dying a little each day since they named him head athletic trainer.” Taylor made a show of picking up weights and mirroring Sutton’s lunges. “First you show up at the bar with a plus-one, and now you’re starting with weights. You never start with weights.”
“I also don’t like losing the second game of the season. Sometimes, I need to switch things up.”
“Training routines or girlfriends?”
Sutton dropped her weights on the rack loudly and turned her back to Kenzie, walling off Taylor’s comments. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and can you please lower your voice?”
“I know your rookie-of-the-year reputation is still alive for a reason, but Rhea really loves you and still wants to be with you.”
“That’s great, but what about what I want?”
“Do you even know what you want?” Taylor stared Sutton down for an intense moment before stepping back. “I’m hitting the elliptical.”
Sutton huffed. “Fuck.” She picked up her towel and marched to a bike. She needed to stick to her routine. She needed to stick with her girlfriend. She needed to stick a knife in whatever it was she felt for Kenzie because her bad habit of falling for rookies needed to end now. She climbed on the bike and started pedaling. She didn’t care about time or goals, just about getting her heart beating fast enough to be a distraction.
But the only real distraction was Kenzie working with resistance bands across from her. Kenzie’s body was long and lean and rippled in the most pleasant places. Sutton shook her head and felt sweat trickle down her temple. Beautiful women were always a temptation. She pedaled and pedaled.
Kenzie was more than beautiful, and that was a big problem. She was funny, thoughtful, and shy, which added to her charm. Sutton struggled to forget Kenzie’s crush. Past crush, Sutton reminded herself.
She would be lying if she said learning that little tidbit didn’t make her feel good. She actually felt great. Sutton slowed her pedaling as a realization hit her. This was all about the crush. She was definitely attracted to Kenzie, but Kenzie’s former crush made this feel different. She’d let it go to her head and inflate her ego. If her breathing wasn’t so ragged, she’d laugh at herself.
By the time the team was outside on the field, Sutton had started to calm down and decided to partner with Taylor for a quick round of piggybacks. “I’m sorry,” she said while carrying Taylor from one line to the other. “I overreacted. I appreciate your friendship and how you call me out on my bullshit.”
“Apology accepted, and I’m taking this as you admitting to your bullshit.”
Sutton laughed as she dropped Taylor and switched positions. Riding on Taylor’s back allowed her to speak directly into her ear. “Kenzie used to have a crush on me, and I let that get to my head. But there’s really nothing going on there. You know I wouldn’t cheat on Rhea.”
“I know, but you could be better to her, too.” Taylor dropped Sutton.
Sutton shielded the sun from her eyes and looked at Taylor. Brett was in the distance helping set up cones for a drill. “I don’t think she’s the one,” she said, finally admitting it aloud.
“Then you need to stop stringing her along.” Taylor took a ball from a trainer.
Sutton took a ball from Gabby as well, juggling it with her feet. “That’s the thing. We’re great when we’re together, but I don’t really miss her when we’re apart.” She let the ball fall to the ground and watched it bounce. “That made me sound like an asshole.”
“Split up. We’re working on elevator passes,” Brett said. He followed the order with a blow of his whistle.
“You’re not an asshole, but you will be if you don’t figure this out soon.” Taylor slapped Sutton’s shoulder and ran off to get into formation.
Sutton sighed. Easier said than done.
* * *
As Sutton paced her hotel room later that night, she tried to focus on her relationship and her feelings for Rhea. What did Sutton really want? Every time she would gain even a hint of clarity, she’d remember a special moment with Rhea. Like the specialty cake she’d ordered for Sutton’s birthday or the cute notes she’d leave around Sutton’s house. She stood still. Maybe she was too busy focusing on a million things other than how great Rhea was and missed her chance to fall in love. Sutton blew out a long breath and decided she had done enough thinking for one night. She unpacked her laptop and pulled up Netflix. Some downtime with her favorite show would do wonders for her scattered mind.
A knock at the door caused her to jump. Sherri had left their room twenty minutes earlier to meet up with some of the girls for ice cream. She wouldn’t be back so soon. Sutton couldn’t figure out who it could be. Without a glance through the peephole, she swung the door open and smiled instantly at her guest.
