Page 73 of Set to Love

The following day after the second clinic, I catch Zoe by surprise. Which is rare. Usually, she’s three steps ahead of me. But right now, she’s been staring at me with her mouth open for almost a full twenty seconds. Not that I’m counting.

“Did your smoothie give you brain freeze?” I tease, taking a long sip of my matcha vanilla blueberry drink. It’s a questionable shade of swamp green, but tastes surprisingly good.

My words seem to snap her out of mannequin mode. “Explain it to me again. One more time, slowly, just to make sure I didn’t hallucinate the middle part.”

She sets her tangerine-lemon smoothie down and leans over the small, rounded table. All around us, the outdoor mall is humming with families laden with overflowing shopping bags, trudging from outlet to outlet.

“While I was packing up after the clinic today, Drew pulled me aside and told me he liked the way I took direction. He said he’d be willing to work with me on a trial basis.” I can’t stop the small, terrified smile that forms on my lips. “In London.”

Saying the words aloud sends a nervous flutter through me. It still doesn’t feel real. I mean, going into the clinic, I’d just hoped to have Theo’s friend take notice of me. The absolute last thing I imagined was that said friend would turn out to be Drew Russo. Or that’d I’d be invited to London.

Zoe nods slowly. “And you said what, exactly?”

“I told him I’d think about it and get back to him.”

“And you didn’t say yes on the spot because?”

“It felt too good to be true,” I say, staring into the green swirl of my drink.

“And . . . ?” Zoe prods.

“And . . . my life is here.”

Zoe shakes her head, looking at me like I’ve sprouted a unicorn horn and wings. “Katie, you are couch-surfing and car-less. All your stuff is in a five-by-five storage unit. One of the best coaches in the world just offered you a golden ticket. What could you possibly want to stay here for?”

I keep my eyes on the table. The thought still feels too massive to process. “You. Lina. I can’t just disappear.”

Zoe reaches across the table and places her hand over mine. “Lina and I would miss you like crazy, but we’d both be furious if you stayed for us. You were never meant to make a full-time job out of carrying trays of gnocchi, Katie. Tennis is the reason you’ve given up everything. Don’t believe me? Call your parents and see what they have to say.”

“It’s eleven-thirty there. Kind of late.”

Zoe arches an eyebrow. “Won’t your dad be up watching the highlights of the Yankees-Red Sox game?”

“True, he probably is.”

Zoe slides the phone to me. I accept it and hit Dad’s name. He picks up on the third ring. “Katie Bear?”

“Hey, Dad.”

We spend a minute catching up before I finally get to the point. I explain the clinic, Drew’s offer, the trial period, and the possibility of moving to London. There’s a long pause on the other end of the line.

“Katie,” he says finally. “That’s fantastic news.”

I let out a long exhale. “You really think so?”

“I do. It’s the opportunity you’ve been chasing for years.” I can hear the smile in his voice. “I couldn’t be prouder of you.”

My chest tightens. “It’s just . . . London is a long way away.”

“Sure it is,” Dad says. “But you’re a Keller. We’ve always moved around. And the best part is, you’ll be closer to us.”

That’s true. I didn’t think about being closer to Mom and Dad. It’d be nice to see them more often. Maybe have them come to a few more matches. Like the old days.

“You really think I should do it?”

“I think you’d regret it if you didn’t.”

“Hold on.” I hear a muffled voice in the background. “Your mother’s demanding the phone,” Dad says. “And before you ask, yes, she’s already worried about the nitty-gritty details.”