Page 26 of Drop Shot
“He’s nervous,” I lie, since I have no idea whether he is or not but it seems like the most logical answer.
Ebba frowns. “Nervous? I didn’t think he ever got nervous.”
I wiggle in my chair, the Miami sun shining down on us. It might be March, but it’s Florida so it’s still hot.
“Yeah, but he’s been playing poorly, and you know what it means to him to win in Miami.”
“True,” she replies, shifting in her own seat. “We haven’t hung out much lately. Do you think we could go shopping and grab lunch soon?”
I don’t hesitate to reply, “Yeah, of course.”
One of the best parts of working for Elias has been his sister. Ebba is the kind of person that makes the people around her instantly feel more comfortable. She exudes comfort and kindness. She’s also a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the ATP Tour since she’s been traveling with Elias for years now. We became fast friends when I started to work for her brother.
“Has he found a new assistant?”
I shake my head, pulling a hair clip from my purse and twisting the long strands back into an updo. I won’t get nearly as hot with my hair off my neck.
“Not yet,” I reply. “I’ve offered to find him a new one, but he’s stubborn.”
She stifles a laugh. “He does realize he can’t have you running around doing all his bidding anymore doesn’t he?”
“Of course,” I retort. “I’m not working for him anymore. We thought that would be too weird.” I smooth my hands down my skirt.
I wish the game would start already. As much as I love Ebba, I don’t want to have to make small talk with her today. Not when Elias and I haven’t fully fallen into a routine yet with this whole thing, and also especially not with the very real looming threat of having to kiss him at the end of the match.
“It would be,” she agrees. A sudden shudder ricochets through her. “Oh, God my best friend is sleeping with my brother.”
My eyes widen in horror. “Shh. Don’t say that.”
“I’m sorry.” She holds her fingers in front of her eyes. “I didn’t mean to think about it but it just popped in my head.”
“Well, pop that thought bubble, I beg of you.”
I don’t want to talk to her about my non-existent sex life with her brother.
“I’m trying,” she whimpers.
Luckily for me, it’s time for the match to start.
The first game gets underway and despite the fact that things haven’t really changed between us, I feel like I watch with more rapt attention than I ever have before. I’ve always wanted him to win, but there’s added stakes this time that I can’t quite explain and has nothing to do with a possible kiss.
Elias barely squeaks out with the win in the first set.
Nerves assault my stomach, so I can’t imagine how he feels out there on the court.
“He’s got this,” Ebba assures me. “I believe in him.”
“He looks stressed,” her mom comments. “Does he look stressed to anyone else?”
I nod my head in agreement. All the recent losses—which aren’t even that many, but to someone like Elias I’m sure it seems like a lot—are piling up and weighing on him.
“He’ll pull through,” his dad says. “He just needs to win one more set. He can do it.”
The next set is another nail biter and unfortunately it goes in favor of his opponent.
“Come on, Elias,” I mutter under my breath. “You can do it.”
I know there’s no way he can hear me, but at that moment he looks up at his players box and finds me. His eyes take me in, at least what he can see of me, and smiles. I smile back and give him a small wave. He turns away, drinking slowly at his bottle of water and takes a bite of banana before the final set begins.
