Page 68 of The Game

A smile pulled at my lips. "The best of both worlds I hope."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Surrey have asked me to play for the women’s side."

"But you're injured." He glanced at my knee with narrowed eyes.

"Mm, guess it got better."

He picked up a biro and scored at the desk with the lid.

I bumbled along. A stinging embarrassed burn smothered my cheeks as I tried to account for the fact a year ago I'd pretended to be more injured than I was because I'd been too embarrassed to admit that I wanted something other than cricket. And that now I wanted to find a way to balance the two things I loved within the boundaries of my life. "It's not just that, they are setting up a women’s youth academy and they've asked if I'd like to be involved."

"Surrey, right?" His right eye twitched, and I wondered if this was the beginning of a seizure.

"Yes, why?"

The twitch started to lift half his face. "Go figure, hey. And there's nothing I can do to get you to give us another season? Even the amended contract won't convince you?"

My cheeks flushed again, but for a completely different reason. "No."

Waller rocked back in his chair, his head falling back onto the leather as he groaned at the ceiling. "Well isn't this just great."

"Come on, Simon, you'll have applications for another fitness coach in no time."

"It's not just that, Lyssa," His eyes met mine. "I've already lost my captain today."

At first, his words made no sense to me at all. Then a slow dawning reality filtered into the slow churning of my brain. "Willis is leaving?"

Waller waved his fingers at me, like he was over the conversation, or he'd had it more times in one day than he'd wished. "Yep, he's been offered his perfect job back in test cricket."

"Oh." I rubbed my hands along my bare knees. "Oh," I repeated. I had to ask. I couldn't leave that room and not know. "Was his contract amended like mine?" My cheeks flamed.

"Yep, it didn't make any difference."

"Captaincy?" I asked. It shouldn't matter, but it did.

Waller shrugged like he wasn't allowed to say.

And well isn't that a bitch.

I concentrated on the sun streaking through the window as I mulled this over. Eventually, I stretched up from the chair. "Cool, I'll go and round up the boys for training."

He nodded. "Sure." As I closed the door softly behind me, my heart beating with a heavy ache in my chest, I saw his shoulders slump as he threw the biro minus its lid across the room.

The boys worked hard, and even Jase Willis didn't have any complaints to make as I pushed them probably further than I had done in months. The following day we concentrated on R&R, saunas, massages and flexibility.

I didn't speak to the captain about his new captaincy in test cricket, and he didn't speak to me about my role. In fact we didn’t speak, not unless we had to and it was directly to do with the game or the team. Kill me now and bury me six feet under. In the evenings, Mum, Dad and Maria provided me with some adult entertainment that was most welcome, well until mum started to irritate Maria to such an extent that kitchen cupboard doors were being slammed on a regular basis.

The night before the big game, I left the team doing some late-night run throughs with Waller and went home.

"I'm home," I called, and the little guy ran out of the patio doors like a tornado, intent on landing in my arms.

"How was it? Are they going to win?" He jumped into my arms, and I squeezed him tight and breathed in the scent of outdoors that clung to the skin of his neck. I wondered how long I would get these giant cuddles, would there be a point in the future when he would be too old or too cool to hug his old Aunt, and what would happen to me then?

I walked with giant steps towards the lawn, and he hung around my neck squealing giggles that made my heart soar. "Game of catch?" I released my hold, and he slid down to the grass. "Before the adults realise I'm home, and I'm made to do jobs." I winked with my words. Sammy had also been made to do tidying 'jobs' by my mother, and it was fair to say he was as keen on them as I.

"You didn't answer," he threw the ball into the air and caught it with ease. "Are we going to win?"