Page 11 of Playing for Possession
Dutifully, I wrote on the pad, while racking my brain for something else to appease her. “My violin has been in the loft for years. I’ve always thought about getting it down and joining an orchestra.”
Dad couldn’t hide his disappointment that I hadn’t inherited his musical gifts. Maybe it would make him happy if I gave it another shot.
“Perfect.” Skylar nodded her approval. “Write it down.”
Jeez.She really wasn’t going to let this thing go. I felt her eyes on me as I wroteViolinunderneathLearn to crochet.
“And what about something a little more adventurous?” Skylar’s voice took on a tentative edge. “Have you ever done skydiving or bungee jumping?”
Nope.Hard to think of anything worse than hurling myself out of a plane or off a cliff. “I have been thinking about taking a pottery course.”
A snort erupted next to me. Lana threw her hand over her mouth to smother a laugh.
Skylar raised a surprised eyebrow. “Is something funny?”
Lana shook her head. “This is the most boring fuck-it list in history. Violin and knitting? My grandma had more fun than this in the retirement home. Then again, Granny Vera was pretty wild.”
Skylar frowned. “It’s Joanie’s list. There’s nothing wrong with any of that.”
Lana winced again and kneaded her side. “No one looks back at their life and wishes they’d spent more time on their needlepoint.”
Crochet, actually. Not that I’d dare correct her.Lana was kind of intimidating. She was confrontational on and off the pitch, and she seemed so confident and comfortable all the time. Lana had played for England, and Skylar had played in LA. They were both so cool. I could imagine how they saw me: a mediocre player taking up a place on this team because of my dad. A superstar’s daughter with too high an opinion of herself.
Lana held her hands out impatiently. “Give it to me.”
“I’m fine, honestly. You don’t need to—”
Lana snatched the notepad and pen from my hand. She tapped the pen against her lips thoughtfully and shot me a curious glance. “Are you still with that guy from contracts? What was his name? The one with... the haircut?”
Gerard.I suppressed my grimace. “We just broke up.”
“Perfect.”
A smile curved Lana’s lips as she turned over the page and wrote with an elaborate flourish.
Joanie’s fuck-it list.
1)Wild, horny rebound sex in Menorca.
Warmth climbed the back of my neck.What on earth?
Lana gave me another penetrating look. “Where’s the strangest place you’ve had sex?”
I shot a nervous glance at Claire patrolling the sideline. Her hawkish eyes surveyed the team as they stretched and chatted during the break in training. Lana followed my gaze and lowered her voice.
“Don’t worry about Claire. She can’t hear. Anyway, I bet Claire spends her weekends swinging from the chandeliers. That woman is an enigma. Well? Have you ever done it outside?”
The heat on my neck raced up my jaw to my cheeks.
Skylar shook her head, but her tone was indulgent. “It’s supposed to be Joanie’s list. Why do you always have to lower the tone? Aren’t you supposed to be training?”
“I’ve got a stitch! I’m suffering here.” Lana gripped her side and laughed. “Lucky for you. You need me to help with this.”
Skylar rolled her eyes. “No. We really don’t.”
Lana tapped the pen on my thigh. “What about a threesome? Have you ever done that?”
A crushing awkwardness gripped me.A threesome? Was she for real? I hadn’t even done a twosome.It wasn’t a big deal that I hadn’t had sex yet. My life had been busy, and I hadn’t met any guy who made me feel at ease. It had almost got to that point with Gerard, but something always held me back. I wasn’t great at putting myself out there. Sometimes, even talking to a man I didn’t know well left me tongue-tied and flustered. How could I shut this conversation down without looking precious?
