Page 80 of Break Point
“Evan?” Henry grins and rushes toward her.
“I figured I’d run into you here,” she says, pulling him in for a hug. He hugs her back.
I clear my throat, watching, waiting for her to peel her face off Henry’s chest. But I’m not going anywhere until I figure out who thiscute little thingwrapped around his waist is.
“Evan, this is?—”
“Belén Freeman,” she cuts in with a chuckle, finally pulling away but keeping a tight distance between them. “And my opponent for the fourth-round match on Sunday.”
Of course.
“Evan King?” my dad asks, holding out his hand. She takes it with a smile and nods.
I knew her name sounded familiar. I know who she is on paper, but I didn’t know what she looked like until now.
“Nice to meet you.” She offers me her hand, and I shake it firmly.
“You were great out there today,” Evan says. “Jules is tough. Shedestroyedme at the Luxembourg Open last October.” She laughs. Sweetly. She’s adorable, and judging by the way Henry smiles at her with squinty eyes, he must agree.
“Jules plays some very proactive tennis,” I say, like I’m quoting a press release.
I don’t enjoy mingling too much with opponents before a match. I’d rather ignore them if possible. It’s hard enough to make friends in a sport as competitive as tennis, only to have to face off against them later. But Evan seems likable. Impossibleto dislike, even.
Still, I intend to keep this encounter short and sweet. For technical reasons.
“You bet,” she replies, turning back to Henry. “Will you guys be at the Coop Craft Brewery cocktail party tomorrow?”
“We will,” Henry answers quickly. “Neel Ultex is co-sponsoring the event, and Belén has to make an appearance. It’s also her birthday, so she deserves the night off.” He meets my gaze, his lip curling into a smile.
“Oh, fun!” She brushes Henry’s arm, and I swear I feel my left eye twitch and the vein in my forehead start pulsing.
“As long as Belén’s back at the hotel by nine sharp,” Dad adds.
I roll my eyes. Of course he had to say that.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you there?” Evan says, eyes locked on Henry. “There’s so much we need to catch up on. We miss you back in Chicago.”
The plot thickens.
“Yeah, I miss you guys, too,” Henry says, sounding oddly uncomfortable. I wish I knew why. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll text you,” Evan adds with the kind of confidence that makes it sound like a daily habit. “Do you still have the same number?”
Man, she moves fast …
At least that means they haven’t been in touch.
“I do,” he replies, a little too fast for my liking. Not that it’s any of my business who Henry talks to, or doesn’t, even if my blood pressure disagrees.
“It was nice meeting you,” she says to Dad and me with a warm, genuine smile.
I want to hate her, but I can’t. Evan seems like a genuinely lovely girl, and I’m just jealous. She’s probably nothing but a friend from Chicago.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Dad replies.
“I’ll see you on Sunday,” I say, but the words come out sharper than I intended. Like a threat.
Evan’s eyes widen slightly before she nods. She mentioned she’s attending the party tomorrow, so I’ll see her there first anyway.
