Page 47 of Safe Hands

No one had said hello yet, or even nodded. Carly couldn’t tell if they were focused on their laps or simply unsure what to do with her.

Before she could make a proper assessment, Jenna sprinted past, yelling, “Lloydy!” at the top of her lungs.

“Lloydy?” Lauren asked, dropping her bag next to a pile behind the goal. “Where does that come from?”

“Carli Lloyd. The American footballer.” Carly paused. “Not an American football player. An American footballer.”

Lauren frowned.

“American,” Carly clarified, “and a footballer.”

“Got it.”

“She had a short loan spell at Manchester City when I first met Jenna, and Jenna was obsessed. Not sure how I got the name, though. Carli Lloyd isn’t a centre-back.”

“I remember Carli Lloyd.” Lauren reached into her bag and pulled out a keeping jersey, holding it up to reveal a Manchester City crest. “Big City fan.”

“Just not City Rovers?”

Carly kept her tone light, but she was curious. The Blues must be a few divisions lower, and Lauren had always been competitive. She wouldn’t have left a higher-level team without a reason.

“Manchester only,” Lauren said. “But I knew who Carli Lloyd was before her loan spell. She’s a legend, so those are big boots to fill.”

“No pressure, then.”

“Lots of pressure. Jenna thinks you’re going to save the team. And me, from the chaos in front of my goal.”

“Is that an excuse for all the goals you’ve let in this season? What was it? Twenty-two, and you’re only seven games in?” Carly arched an eyebrow. “I thought you said you had the safest hands in the league.”

Lauren pulled a face. “Twenty-three, actually. But who’s counting?”

“You. Me. Your opponents. Definitely Jenna.”

Right on cue, Jenna jogged back towards them, panting and bending over with her hands on her quads.

“Glad you could finally join us,” she said between ragged breaths. “I thought you’d bottled it.”

Carly glanced at her watch. Five to seven. Early.

“We’re on time.”

“Depends. I put in the group chat earlier that, since I’m running training tonight and the pitch is always free, we should start fifteen minutes early and do some extra fitness.” Jenna’s eyes gleamed. “But maybe it’s best you ease yourself in. Don’t want you breaking anything.”

“Excuse me.”

Carly caught the bait too late. They’d always been like this, toeing the line between banter and competition. She would have bitten hard if she’d known about the message.

“I’m not in the group chat,” Carly said. “Lauren was in charge of getting me here on time.”

She waited for a comeback, but Lauren shrugged instead.

“I haven’t checked it today,” she said, tugging the shirt over her head and nearly choking herself on the hoodie beneath.

Carly stepped in without thinking, fishing the hood loose so Lauren could breathe again. Once free, Lauren grabbed her gloves and clapped them together.

“So,” Lauren said. “Who’s warming me up?”

“You can do it,” Carly and Jenna said in unison.