Page 55 of On Merit Alone
“Yeah.” I kicked at the ground. “He's nice when he’s around you.”
She snorted. Like, a full on taken off guard kind of snort, followed by a laugh. “Yeah,sonice. No. I just know Ry, and he knows me. If anything, I think he’s meaner to me. He knows he doesn’t have to be on his best behavior.”
Choosing to ignore whatever that could mean and the sour feeling in my gut because of it, I turned to her. “So, teammates, huh?”
“Looks that way,” she said.
“This is like your dream or something, isn’t it?”
She rolled her eyes. “No. My dream is to not need a guy to step in for my ideas to be taken seriously.”
My smile flattened as I nodded gravely. “Yeah, that was bullshit. I’ll talk to my team about acting like that. I don’t know what's wrong with them.”
She shrugged. “That’s just the way it goes, I guess. I just wish it wasn’t. I’ll step out on the court with anyone at any time, but it doesn’t always mean I’ll be welcomed. I wish I didn’t have that problem.”
I hated the way her little mouth curved in a pout as she crossed her arms over her chest. I hated the way this industry could make her feel like this. Unwanted, unaccepted, not as good as the boys. It made me want to wave a flag in the air and tell everyone that this woman was just about the hardest worker and best player I’d come across in all my days as a player. Not like they would listen, though.
Trying to be positive, I said, “But you have a shot to make them listen. Show them that what you have to say is important.”
“I guess. That’s if they even care that we’re on the court at all next to you guys,” she grumbled.
“Oh, they’ll care,” I scoffed. “I don’t think you can step into any room, let alone on a basketball court, and not turn heads, Six. You’re commanding,” I said. I couldn’t not say it. It was the truth.
She stared up at me, trying to decipher my expression. I don’t know what she saw, but after a while she looked away. “I think you should coach.”
I choked. “What?”
She looked up at me again. “Does that surprise you?”
“Well, yeah,” I said, my hand going to the back of my neck. “I’ve never been a coach before.”
“Except you have. With me,” she said. “You give great adviceand see past the generic first answer when looking at a problem. You see a lot actually. It’s impressive. Plus, everyone likes you.”
I didn’t let myself ignore the fluttering feeling her words gave me. I embraced them. Recognized that it was there because of her, because of the words she gifted me without even batting an eye. With no expectation for flattering words in return.
I didn’t comment on the feeling, though. To do so now in the middle of the busy tunnel would only serve to open me up to an embarrassing rejection or, even worse, something else that I wasn’t sure I was ready for.
No, I wouldn’t explore a feeling I’d never felt before here. Here, I would keep things safe in that lane of teasing and joking that we’d been playing around in for weeks now. Nudging her, I raised my eyebrows suggestively. “Everyone, huh?”
“Almosteveryone. I’m still making my assessment,” she joked. “Anyway, I gotta go. We’re hitting the road for Nash tonight.”
“Right, right. No more good luck, Merit,” I said, and I couldn’t quite help the slight disappointment that lined my voice. I couldn’t explain it, but I liked having her there watching me. It felt private in a way, even though it was literally anything but in a stadium of so many. After sharing parts of myself and my game with her, it almost felt like we were in it together. Like she was an honorary part of the team.Myteam. “We’ll be missing you at the game.”
“Oh, I doubt it,” she smiled as she turned away. “Maybe you’ll actually focus without me there.”
“Hey, wait!” I said before I could stop myself. She turned back to me with expectant eyes. “No good luck anything?”
“What, like a good luck kiss?” Another snort escaped her, and I found my lips tugging up with the noise. I never thought I could amuse her so much. It was sort of addicting. While everyone else puts her on edge, I could make her smile. Laugh. Be herself.
If I’m being honest, I loved it. And it made me wonder what other unusual reactions I could squeeze out of her.
Raising an eyebrow, I took a step forward. “You want to kiss me, Six?”
“What?” she startled, her head cocking back. “I didn’t?—”
“You did.” I moved even closer. “Youjustsaid?—”
She laid two hands on my chest to stay my advance. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
