Page 8 of Never Say Never
Shit, I guess her dad is not a good topic. I wonder why. Maybe she doesn’t want to live in his shadow? Something I can relate to.
“Sorry if I shouldn’t have mentioned that stuff about your dad,” I say softly. “I’ve got a complicated relationship with my brother too. And my parents for that matter.”
She looks at me squarely. “It’s fine. Let’s just play ball.”
My apology seems to have registered though, because a little of that shine returns to her eyes.
She never loosens back up completely, but we’re teasing each other again by the end of the session.
Well, since she scores almost thirty versus my eight, more like her poking at me while I try to process how great she is.
“Iwasa higher pick in our draft than you were in yours,” she says to me after draining her third three-point shot.
“Oh man, a dagger to the heart.” I clutch my chest and fake being hurt. “Way to put me in my place, Ms. Parker.”
A little laugh slips out of her mouth at my antics.
In the meantime, while Reggie, Mikhail, and a couple of others make contributions, the younger guys don’t quite drop their obvious shock that Avery and I are here. They largely stare at us except when the ball comes to them and they’re forced to play.
It’s something I’m pretty used to, and I suspect she is too, being in the spotlight for both her own and her family’s accomplishments.
I try to block it out and keep Avery contained.
A losing proposition. She’s too good.
“Damn, you’re incredible,” I say to her as we drain our water bottles after the session ends. “My first time playing with a WNBA player, and I can say it didn’t disappoint.”
“I doubt you’re the kind of person who gets disappointed often,” she says wryly.
“What do you mean by that?”
She arches a brow. “Come on, superstar football player? How often do people not give you what you want?”
Huh.I wonder where this is coming from. Her tone is light, so maybe she’s just teasing again. “It’s not really like that.”
She shrugs.
Let’s see if I can get this conversation going in a more positive direction.
“So do you know anyone here in Orlando? I mean, other than your teammates?”
She shakes her head. “No, but it’s not a big deal. I’ve known Sarah Hartbright a while, so she’s been inviting me out.” Sarah’s the star forward on the Surge, and happens to be good friends with my sister Grace.
“Oh, that’s great. I’ve met her and her boyfriend Malcolm a few times, and they’re fun.”
“Yeah, she’s awesome.” Avery’s face warms up. “She went to UConn like I did and talked to me a lot when I was there, even though she’d already graduated.”
“Like a mentor?”
“Yes, and she really gets me. It’s nice.”
My own first impression being that Avery is hard to read, I suspect her connection with Sarah is rare.
“That’s cool you landed on the same pro team. Are you nervous to start training camp tomorrow?”
Her face shifts to a determined expression. “No way. I’m ready.”
There’s that confidence again.
