“Is she covering Italy?”

  “No,” Aspen replied.

  “So, you won’t see her for over a week, then?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “Are you going to miss her?”

  Aspen looked out at the water beyond the sand and said, “Yeah.”

  “Aspen, ask the woman out already.”

  “DJ, it’s complicated. Chill.”

  “Why? Because she interviews us sometimes?”

  “And we live next door to each other.”

  “Why is that complicated? That seems like it would make things simpler.”

  “Really? What if I do ask her out, and she says no, for whatever reason she might have? I’m sure there are many. I’d still have to take my garbage cans out once a week, and we’d bump into each other. Or, I’d be in my backyard, and she’d be in hers, and it would all be awkward. What happens when I see a woman leaving her house in the morning? Or, if they’re on the patio, like, making out or something while they sit on some chaise lounge that she doesn’t have but I’m picturing right now?”

  “Do you want to make out with her on the chaise lounge she doesn’t have?”

  “Obviously,” Aspen said. “So, it would just be weird. Then, we’d have to see each other at these things, and we’d be forced to make awkward small talk where I pretend that I care about her new relationship while I’m still single and wishing she and I were together instead. It’s all complicated.”

  “I think it’s pretty simple, actually,” DJ replied.

  “How so?”

  “Well, she obviously likes you, too. So, if you asked her out, she’d probably say yes, and you’d avoid that whole thing where she’d have someone else eventually because that someone would be you.”

  “What if it doesn’t work out? What if she says yes, and we try, but it’s not there at some point? We live right next to each other. And it’s not like we’re renting these houses; we own them. We’re not moving out after a year when a lease is up. We’d be stuck there. And she won’t be single after that forever.”

  “Aspen, you’re worried about things that haven’t even happened and might not at all.”

  “Maybe, but–”

  “I’ve never actually seen you like this before.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like it matters,” DJ replied.

  “It does matter. She’s special.”

  “I can tell. You’re different around her.”

  “What do you mean?” Aspen asked, leaning forward in her folding chair.

  “You’re impulsive; you know this. And, in your case, it’s not usually a bad thing. It’s not like you’re impulsively stealing cars out there or spending all your money on a bad shopping habit or something. You just usually don’t take time to make a decision, and sometimes, you don’t think things through. Alex is coming to mind.”

  “Alex? What about her?”

  “You knew she was in love with you, and you still took someone else back to your hotel room, Aspen. You didn’t have to do that. If you really wanted to sleep with her, you could’ve gone to her room on a different floor or just waited until Alex wasn’t in the room across the hall. You didn’t think about the fact that the next morning, Alex would wake up, and there would be a strong chance that she’d see you and her together. And I’m not saying this because I think you did it intentionally to hurt Alex or anything. It happened because you didn’t really think about it at all.”

  “I know.” She looked down at the sand. “I shouldn’t have done it. And I still feel guilt over it. That was the thing that ruined our partnership for good.”

  “I’m not complaining about that part because it meant that you needed a new partner, but it’s an example of you not thinking things through. With Kendra, you are thinking things through, so it’s different. I don’t think it’s because she lives next door, either. I think it’s because you don’t want to blow it because you actually want it to work out.”

  “There’s nothing to work out right now,” Aspen argued. “We’re friends who flirt, at most.”

  “Friends who flirt, with the possibility of more. She’s single, Aspen. So are you. There’s nothing really stopping you from putting yourself out there like you do with pretty much everything else.”

  “There’s the fear,” she pointed out. “I’m not used to feeling fear like this.” She looked up at her best friend and colleague. “She’s beautiful, smart, and funny, and I really like her, DJ.”

  “But you’re scared?”

  Aspen nodded and said, “What if she says no if I ask her out?”

  “Why do you think she would? From what I’ve seen, she’s totally into you, Aspen. And she invited you out last night. I don’t think she expected me to tag along. She was also your date to Mark’s thing, even if you didn’t want to call it a date. She’s always smiling at you, and she joined us at practice. You talk about her all the time, and from that, I can also tell that you two spend time around each other when I’m not there. So, what are you so afraid of?”

  “She has some stuff that I think she’s working through right now, and it worries me, okay? I’m not going to give you any details because they’re hers, but we were talking last night, and I know it’s a big deal for her. She’s not big on sharing, I think.”

  “But she shared with you?”

  “Some, yeah.”

  “And you don’t think that means something? That someone who never or rarely shares something with people talked to you about it?”

  “I brought it up,” Aspen explained.

  “Just because you bring something up, doesn’t mean someone else has to talk to you about it,” DJ replied. “How many times did I tell you to shut up about Chase before I told you that I liked him?”

  “This is more serious than your obvious crush on Chase.” Aspen sighed.

  “I was blinded by the blond,” DJ said almost wistfully.

  Aspen laughed then, remembering how cute Kendra had looked when she’d made that joke; all flushed from the alcohol and maybe the heat, laughing with that little adorable snort.

  “Yeah, you really like her.”

  “Huh?”

  “Aspen, I know where your mind just went. Talk to her.”

  “I will. Just not now. We’re about to leave for Italy anyway. I’ll wait.”

  “Why?”

  “I need to focus on my game.”

  “Our lives aren’t all about volleyball, Aspen. I mean, in ten years, we’ll be lucky if we are still playing. So, in ten years, do you really want to be alone, watching Kendra make out with another woman in that fake chaise lounge across the fence because you waited too long to ask her out?”

  CHAPTER 20

  Kendra couldn’t afford a trip to Italy. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Her network wasn’t covering the international event. Volleyball, both indoor and beach, while popular across the country, was only starting to be aired on prime time. Beach volleyball had been on TV every weekend of the season during the heyday of the previous pro league for about twenty years or so, but when that league collapsed, there was a gap before the new one popped up, so it was only starting to get popular again for networks to air. An international event, though, which most people weren’t even aware of, wasn’t going to be covered on any of the major sports networks. That meant that Kendra wouldn’t be paid to go to Italy to cover the event, and since she couldn’t afford to take a trip like that after just buying a house and starting to do work on it, she’d be watching Aspen’s matches on her laptop, since it would only be streaming, and at odd hours due to the time difference. She had one trip to Portland to cover an NWSL match that would be during the middle of the tournament for Aspen, but other than that, she’d be watching at home.

  As she stared at her computer, with the website telling her with a black screen and a short message that the event would start shortly, Kendra thought about maybe making the trip to Berlin. The network still wouldn’t be covering it, but she could ask for some time off and at least go for a few days, get a hotel room with points, and use some of her frequent-flyer miles to get a free or cheap flight. She supposed she could’ve done that for Italy, but she’d already been booked for a local NWSL match for Angel City FC and the one in Portland, so she probably wouldn’t have gotten the time off. In addition, spending all those miles and points on a tournament that wouldn’t earn Aspen and DJ an automatic spot in the Olympics didn’t seem worth it. Not to mention, the hotel points and flight miles would only take care of so much; she’d still have to pay for everything else. So, if she was going to do that, she’d rather do it for Berlin, when Aspen and DJ could lock in an Olympic spot.

  “You’re acting like she’s your girlfriend,” she said to herself as she took a sip of her merlot. “She’s not your girlfriend. You’d just be that weird person tagging along to support a relatively new friend. She might even think it’s weird for you to be there.”

  Her screen changed to a volleyball court, and she set her wineglass down on her table quickly.

  “Come on, Aspen.”

  In their first match, Aspen and DJ were playing a team from South Africa. They’d gone with two tall players, both over six feet, and that was a strategy. For a few teams, it worked, whereas for others, it usually didn’t. Aspen and DJ were introduced, and they took their spots on the court. As Kendra took Aspen in from thousands of miles away, she thought about how she’d told Aspen things about herself that she hadn’t told anyone before her. Only her teammates back in school, because they’d been there when it happened, and her parents knew some of what she’d told Aspen. Her teammates didn’t know about her later surgery, though, and her parents never understood how much being seventeen and nearly dying, losing her entire life plan on top of that, had negatively impacted her.

  She hadn’t shared everything with Aspen, but she’d opened up to her, and it wasn’t even all that hard to do. How had she gone from having a girlfriend for two years and not being able to tell her anything like that to telling Aspen a lot of her story over hot dogs? Kendra couldn’t put her finger on it exactly, whatever it was that Aspen had that made her want to tell her things no one else knew, but it was there. And with Aspen being on the other side of the world, she missed her.

  Aspen and DJ opened the match with an easy win and went into the second set looking good. Then, Aspen jumped for her serve, trying to get them their ninth point, and she stumbled a bit on her landing. She got up and made a play when the ball came back over the net, but they didn’t get the point and took an injury timeout.

  “Shit,” Kendra muttered, wishing she were there because she’d be getting information on the injury to relay to the people watching at home.

  This streamer hadn’t provided any commentary, though, and she was watching a somewhat blurry screen, so she had no idea how bad the injury was. She sat there and waited, trying to watch Aspen’s face as the trainer took a look at her ankle, but it was impossible to tell. When the timeout was over, Aspen and DJ went back out onto the court, and Aspen seemed to be moving okay. The match resumed, and they served Aspen because they wanted to take advantage. She passed it up, DJ set it, and Aspen smacked it down, earning them a point.

  “Yes!” Kendra cheered to no one.

  She was okay. At least for now, Aspen was okay. They won the second set by three and shook the hands of the other players. Then, the screen went black again, and a message telling Kendra that the event had ended popped up. She hated being at home. She wanted to walk up to Aspen and ask her about her ankle and how it felt to get the win after going down with an injury. Instead, she reached for her phone and decided to send the woman a text, congratulating her and asking her if she was okay. Kendra knew she wouldn’t get a response right away. And it was late her time, so she should’ve gone to sleep, but she finished her wine, dropped the dishes from her late-night snack in the sink, and went to her bedroom, waiting for Aspen to message back. When her phone dinged, she was holding it and staring down at it, but she was still unprepared. She jumped a little, promptly dropping the phone, and it landed on the floor.

  “Jesus!” She picked it up and pulled up the message.

  Aspen Ashley: Why are you awake? It’s late there.

  Kendra Bowie: Because I was watching you win. Congratulations!

  Aspen Ashley: Call?

  Kendra smiled and replied quickly.

  “Hi,” she greeted.

  “Hey,” Aspen said.

  “How’s the ankle?” she asked and settled back against her pillow.

  “Fine. I rolled it, so I had it massaged, and I’ve got ice on it now. We don’t play again until tomorrow, and it’s still early today, but I have time for it to relax.”

  “Where’s DJ?”

  “She went to get food. I came back to the hotel. I wanted to get my foot up and rest.”

  “Have you eaten?”

  “Not yet. It’s only ten in the morning here, and I had breakfast before we played, so I’m all right. DJ will bring me something back for lunch later. You really stayed up late to watch?”

  “I did, yeah. It’s always a different experience watching on my laptop than being there in person. I couldn’t tell how hurt you were. I… got worried, Aspen.”

  “I’m okay. I landed on the line and got caught, but I’m okay. One benefit to playing indoor over beach, though, is that the lines are painted on the gym floor. In beach, they’re just stuck in the sand, and I got my toe caught.”

  “You’re not just saying you’re okay?”

  “No, I really am okay. I got back out there, didn’t I?”

  “Yes.”

  “And we won.”

  “I know. I saw. Your sets were off, though,” she teased.

  “They were, were they?” Aspen laughed a little. “Do tell.”

  “DJ likes them high, doesn’t she?”

  “Yes, she does.”

  “You were setting her a little lower than usual. Was that part of the game plan for some reason?”

  “No, I was struggling with my sets off of her passes. Her passes were short today. I don’t know why. We’ll talk about it when she gets here. Did you not notice that? Only my errors?”

  “I noticed.” Kendra smiled. “Just thought we could focus on you since DJ’s not on the phone with us.”

  “Would you like me to call her and have her join the chat?” Aspen laughed.

  “No, I just want to talk to you.”

  “Don’t you have work tomorrow?” Aspen asked.

  “I do. But it’s a travel day. Heading up to Portland to cover the Thorns.”

  “Shouldn’t you be sleeping, then?”

  “For my two-hour flight that doesn’t leave until one in the afternoon? I think I’ll be okay,” she replied. “When is your match tomorrow?”

  “It’s in the afternoon. Four my time.”

  “I think that’s, like, six or seven in the morning here. The game I’m covering doesn’t start until six at night, so I should be able to watch your match before I head out, assuming the hotel Wi-Fi isn’t terrible. Who are you playing?”

  “Number two team from Sweden. They’re good. They’ve got one of the best defensive players in the world in the backcourt. We’ll have to figure out a way to get the ball around her because she’s fast.”

  “Just mix up your shots a lot,” Kendra suggested.

  “Oh, that’s all?” Aspen chuckled. “All we need to do?”

  “Well, if she’s extra fast, you have to make her work hard. Get her to run a lot. Tire her out as much as you can. If you mix up your shots, even if she gets to them, it’ll be exhausting. May not be a big deal for her in the first set, but it’ll hit her in the second, at least. Give her some tips, too. Make them high to give you time to get back and ready for defense. DJ is the best blocker on tour, so she’ll be able to get you a few points that way, and you’ll be there to pick up anything else. Go line a few times in a row. Make her feel safe back there. Then, hit her with a poke, a cut, a poke again, a line shot, and keep mixing it up. Don’t play off wherever she is. Play to her if you have to in order to keep the mix.”

  “You’re suggesting we aim right for her instead of the sand?”

  “I’m saying she’s going to stand where she’s going to stand, but you still need to mix up your shots. So, if you’re due for a line shot, and she’s there, still hit her with it. Don’t back off of the strategy unless you really have to. Make sure DJ puts a few over on two. You, too, should put a couple of sets over on two; all the way to the backcourt. Make her really run back there to get it.”

  “I’ll talk to DJ,” Aspen said. “Maybe we’ll give it a try.”

  “You already know all of this. It’s not like it’s new.”

  “It’s nice to hear from someone else who knows how we play and knows the sport. We lost our coach, remember? We’ve been on our own ever since. And it’s okay, but we’ve been missing someone telling us what they see, you know?”

  “How’s that going? We haven’t talked about it in a while.”

  “We haven’t brought anyone out in a minute. We just wanted to get through this and maybe a few more tourneys before we try again. There aren’t that many great coaches out there.”

  “But you’re the number one US team. Don’t coaches just fall at your feet?” Kendra joked.

  Aspen laughed and said, “Maybe. But even the ones who are good and willing to leave who they’re with now aren’t always going to work for us. They have to be able to deal with me and DJ, and we’re a handful.”

  “I can imagine,” Kendra replied.

  “How are things there? How’s that grill you bought but haven’t used yet?”

  Kendra smiled and said, “It’s all set up and ready to go. I just need someone here to cook for. Know anyone?”

  “I know someone who’s not there right now, but who will be soon. She’s interested.”

  “DJ?” Kendra teased.

  Aspen laughed again and said, “Not DJ.”

  “Then, who? The Swedes you play tomorrow? I didn’t know they were coming to town.”

  “Yes, that’s who I was talking about,” Aspen replied sarcastically. “I guess I’ll just watch you three have dinner on your patio from my own backyard;.”