Page 15 of Couple Goals

At Hoffman’s signal, the man has started walking over.

‘Our new club director is here and would like to introduce himself.’

Adriana watches as the man strides into the light and into focus, and her stomach flips.

Because she knows this man. She knows this man in the Biblical sense.

It’s Jacob.

Next to short Kevin he looks even more towering. Jacob’s wearing a sharply tailored light grey suit with a tie, his hair neater than when Adriana had been running her hands through it, and his glasses have thick black frames that feel strangely out of place on the football pitch. In this outfit and his geeky demeanor, Jacob might be out of his natural habitat, yet still has a commanding presence, his shoulders back and expression clear and professional.

‘Good morning, Tigresses,’ he says, his voice deep. ‘My name is Jacob Astor. I am your new club director, acting on the interests of my father.’

Astor? No. This can’t be happening. Prince Charming Jacob is really the son of the club’s owner, Mark Astor? Adriana’s heart is racing, her cheeks flushed, blinking furiously.

‘I understand that this is a time of significant change for all of you. Thank you for your cooperation as we work to improve the successes of the Tigresses.’

Jacob looks around at the team, his presence calm and commanding at once. Adriana’s struck by the smoothness of his voice, low and assured.

‘You are in the best hands with the leadership of Coach Hoffman, but I also want you to know that if you have any questions or comments about the impact of the new ownership, my door is always–’

His eyes land on Adriana’s, and widen. His face blanches. The two of them stare at each other, in shock. It’s like time stands still as the two of them realise their situation.To meet your incredible one-night stand a few days later… and one of you owns the other’s football team.

Adriana shakes her head a little, not really knowing what she means, but just to try to rouse them both from this horrible realisation before her teammates notice. Jacob’s cheeks go pink, and he turns away from Adriana.

‘Uh–’ Jacob coughs, and he adjusts his tie. ‘Yes. My door is… always open.’

Adriana overhears Charlie whisper to Elisa, ‘He’s hot, right?’ and then descend into stifled giggles.

‘Well,’ Jacob adjusts his tie again, blinking rapidly, then gestures at Coach. ‘Coach Hoffman, I’m sure you can explain the other updates better than I can.’

Coach Hoffman doesn’t seem to bat an eyelid at any changes in Jacob’s behaviour, continuing brusquely.

‘Yes, thank you Jacob. We have some more relevant information for you all,’ Hoffman continues. ‘So please listen carefully.’

Adriana tries to listen to Coach, but she’s still breathing rapidly, staring at Jacob’s side profile, his sharp jawline, his broad shoulders, trying to work out his expression. He looks, if anything, even more handsome in the broad daylight. But she isn’t allowed to fancy him anymore. Not only does she have her no repeats rule, now she knows this man iscompletelyoff-limits.

‘It may be that some of you players have never experienced being part of a team as it undergoes new management,’ Coach is saying. ‘New management is always a time of a lot of change for teams.The Tigresses haven’t had a shake up in a long time. Too long a time, some would argue. With new ownership, there are going to be a lot of eyes on us. On me, and on each of you.’

At this, Jacob’s eyes glance back at Adriana, and she feels her whole body spark. She tries to smile at him, but he’s already turned quickly back away, folding his arms and nodding at Hoffman. She wonders if he is struggling to concentrate on her words right now too.

‘We need to prove that we are a good investment, as much as the men’s team,’ Hoffman continues. ‘The better we play, the more money we’ll have to strengthen our team, and we’ll be driving excellence both on and off the pitch.’

Coach Hoffman’s silver eyes flash, and Adriana pays proper attention. ‘Change works both ways. As well as bringing fresh blood in as I shape my squad, some of you might be let go and sold to other clubs who might be interested.’

A ripple of consternation goes round the players. Maeve’s face has turned a sickly green, and Charlie and Elisa whisper to each other. Adriana’s stomach does somersaults.

Under their old coach, the Tigresses felt like such a safe club to be part of, such a united team, that Adriana had felt their friendships kept some players from looking to move elsewhere. But with new ownership changing the mood of training, and perhaps the fate of the players on the pitch, Adriana can feel the camaraderie of the team falling apart around her. And it feels like Coach Hoffman and the new owner are trying to deliberately shake things up as much as possible. Adriana just wants to stay being able to play football with her friends.

‘This is for the best, for the team we’re building. We’re only as strong as our weakest player,’ says Coach Hoffman, her voice strangely neutral for someone talking about moving players on. ‘Every team is in danger of falling to the standards of the lowest common denominator. We can’t have anyone holding us back. So please be aware, that the results of your performance over pre-season will be recorded, and taken into account when making decisions about our business during this transfer window.’

Adriana, who has always thought of things in terms of the overall performance of the team rather than her own individual competitiveness within it, feels suddenly destabilised too. She doesn’t even know where she is within the rankings of the team. Is she someone who should be thinking about captaincy to try and assert her place at the club? She quickly scolds herself, she would never try to take that from her best friend and that’s Maeve’s dream. But should she be worried about being axed? What if word has got around to Coach Hoffman that she sometimes doesn’t behave as professionally as she should, going out partying on training days? Like she did just a few days ago… with their new club director, Jacob Astor?

‘It was good to meet you all,’ says Jacob, nodding his head respectfully to the team. Before he turns to leave, he looks meaningfully at Adriana. Her heart thuds. ‘Please remember, my door is always open.’

He leaves, Adriana feeling like she’s out to sea, buffeted by far too many waves.

Chapter 6Maeve

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