Page 133 of Carrie Soto Is Back

“Yeah. I’m done. I’m ready to be done.”

Gwen nods. “And are you retiring?” she says, looking at me. “After this?”

I don’t have an answer. I can barely consider this afternoon.

“Okay,” Gwen says. “We’ll prepare for all scenarios.”

Bowe returns to whatever he’s doing and then pops his head back up a second later. “Oh, don’t forget your notebook.”

He hands it to me, and I breathe in. I’ve read every line of it over and over again since I first found it. I fell asleep reading it last night. I read the page on Dvoráková three times this morning alone. I look at my watch. I’m playing her in a matter of hours.

“What is that?” Gwen says.

I open my mouth to explain, but I can’t. I can’t get the words out.

“Jav put it together,” Bowe says. “His coaching plan. So Carrie’s gonna follow it and win.”

Gwen nods. “I love it.”

“Do you want to see it?” I say.

“Your coaching plan that your father gave you?” Gwen says. “You don’t have to share that with me. Or with anyone if you don’t want to.”

“I want to,” I say. “Check it out.”

I crack the book open, and I take her through each page. When we get to Dvoráková, Gwen and I read through it together.

Since Carrie beat her back in Melbourne, she’s gotten stronger. Her baseline work is better. But she wants to be a power baseliner so bad, even though she’s better at serve and volley. Keep her playing at the baseline. It will thrill her, but she won’t be able to keep up.

I start to feel that hum in my bones. It feels small, right now, like a nascent flame. But I know it will grow. I know soon it will roar.

Gwen looks up at me. “You’ve got this,” she says.

“Yeah,” I say. “Plus, my dad didn’t write it down, but Dvoráková is intimidated by me. I’ve beaten her every time I’ve played her so far. So if I don’t let her get a foothold at the beginning, I think she’ll go down like a house of cards.”

Gwen nods. “You’re a smart one,” she says.

“Thanks. Taught by the best.”

Gwen holds my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Yes, you were. And you’ve absorbed it all.”

“Thank you.”

I get up as she keeps flipping through the pages.

“There’s a lot on Chan,” she says.

“Yeah, I have to study that section.”

“Well,” she says, “I’ll be in the players’ box for each and every match, all right?”

I nod. And then Gwen kisses me on the cheek and hugs Bowe goodbye and leaves.

I turn to Bowe. He is holding up a navy tank top and a white tennis skirt. He has put my yellow Break Points on the bed.

“I fucked up. I forgot socks,” he says. “When I was packing your things.”

“We will get some on the way,” I say. “It’s gonna be fine.”

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