‘Guess you didn’t know me very well.’ Hell, she hadn’t realised how far down the ladder she’d dropped. Yet all of a sudden she was here, getting out and looking for fun, not just hoping it might come her way if someone had time to spare for her. When she’d determined to get out and start living she hadn’t expected it to happen so fast. It was Nathan. By believing in her, he’d pushed her boundaries and helped her open up some more. ‘I’m adept at keeping hidden in plain sight.’
Past tense, Mol. You’re over that now.
Georgia’s gaze was on every move happening on the court. ‘I figured.’
Coach was the second person she’d opened up to, though only briefly. There’d been no in-depth talk about Paul and the abuse, but just admitting she had problems had been huge and had felt good in a way she’d never have believed.
It was good the barriers were dropping here too, but there were some she wouldn’t let go. The likelihood of infertility for one. Today Nathan had learned more than she was prepared to share with just anyone. She’d spent so long trying to make people believe she was being abused it was hard to let go of the reticence to talk about it now. What if she woke up tomorrow to find it was all a load of bulldust and she wasn’t any further on? That people thought what happened was her own fault?
Then you’ll try again, and again, until you get it right. Until people accept you for who you are.
Nathan hadn’t laughed or told her she was attention-seeking. No, he’d believed her from the get-go. Her grin had slipped, so she dug deep for another and found it wasn’t as hard to do as it used to be.
Molly focused on the game.
The score was twenty-seven all.
The opposing team called for a substitute.
Coach stood up. ‘Eloise on. Carmen off.’
At half-time the team swilled water from bottles, wiped faces with towels, crowded around Coach for instructions, and said hi to Molly as though she’d never been away.
The third quarter got under way, and the score continued to climb, each team matching the other, the Roos getting ahead only to have the Snakes catch up and pass them, before they took back the lead.
Sarah snatched the ball, blocked an opposition player and swung around to throw for a goal, and tripped over the other player’s foot. Down she went, hard, her elbow cracking on the floor, reaching out with her other hand to prevent hitting the deck with her head. Pain contorted her face as she cried out, pulling her wrist against her midriff.
The coach’s expletives were the more damning for being spoken quietly. ‘That’s the last thing Sarah needs. To do her wrist in again.’
Molly rushed on court with Georgia and knelt down beside Sarah. ‘Tell me where the pain is.’
‘Same place as last time.’
‘Where you fractured it?’
Sarah nodded abruptly, her lips white. ‘Yeah.’
‘Can I take a look?’
Another nod, and Sarah pushed her arm towards her. ‘It feels just the same as before. It’s broken again.’
Molly carefully touched the rapidly swelling wrist, then felt up Sarah’s arm and over the hand. ‘Okay, I agree with you. We need to get you to the emergency department.’
A first-aider sank down on his knees beside them. ‘Let me look at that.’
Georgia glared at the young man. ‘Molly here’s an emergency nurse, and she thinks Sarah has broken her wrist. I’ll take her word on it.’
‘All right, then. We need to get her to hospital.’
Molly stood up. ‘I’ll take her.’
Sarah glared at them. ‘I’m not going anywhere until the game’s finished. I want to watch the last quarter.’
‘That’s not a great idea. You’re in pain,’ Molly said.
‘You’re telling me?’ The woman’s eyes widened. ‘I know what the damage is, know how the pain works, and I can deal with it for a little while longer. Now, help me off the court so the game can resume.’
Molly smiled at her courage as she took an elbow and Georgia put an arm around her waist. ‘You’re one tough cookie.’
‘Better believe it,’ Sarah said, then gasped with pain. Locking eyes on Molly, she growled, ‘Don’t say a word.’
‘Okay.’ But she wanted to bundle her up and rush her to an ED to get painkillers on board.
Once they had Sarah settled on the bench, and the game was under way again, Georgia leaned close to Molly. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got some sports shoes with you?’
Her heart thumped once, loud and hard. ‘Yes. But I’m out of practice.’
‘You still run every day?’
‘Yes. What about the other players?’ The ones who turned up every week all season.
Standing up, Georgia growled, ‘Don’t you want us to win this game?’
That was one mighty compliment. ‘Back in a minute.’
Shorts and a shirt in the bright yellow team colour were shoved into her hands. ‘Put these on while you’re at it.’
* * *
‘Bottoms up.’ Eloise raised her glass and tipped the contents down her throat, and most of the other team members followed suit.
Molly sipped her sparkling water. It tasted like the best champagne out there. They’d won. She’d scored eight points. Unreal.
‘Glad you dropped by,’ Georgia muttered beside her. ‘But don’t think you’re getting out of Wednesday night practice from now on.’
So she was back on the team, whether she liked it or not. Thing was, she loved it. And this getting together with everyone. Once, she’d gone out of her way to avoid it; now she felt like she belonged with these women. ‘One problem. I’m on shift this Wednesday night from three to eleven.’
‘Some of the girls are working out here tomorrow at nine. Don’t be late.’
‘Yes, boss.’
‘Better believe it.’ Georgia winked. Then pulled her phone from her pocket. ‘Sarah’s texted. She’s having surgery tomorrow. That’ll put an end to her playing for the rest of the season.’
‘Unfortunately you’re probably right.’ A second fracture on top of the previous one was not good. Molly felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. ‘Nathan’ showed up on the screen. Her heart went flip-flop. He was the last person she’d expected to hear from, despite their harmonious morning. ‘Hi. How’s things?’
‘I saw your car parked downtown and thought I’d see what you were up to, if you’d like some company. But...’ and he chuckled ‘...it sounds as though you’re in the middle of a party.’
‘I’m at the Lane Bar with the Roos basketball team. I used to play for them.’
Played for them today and made some points. Yeeha.
‘Feel free to join me. Us.’ He wouldn’t come. She’d been rash suggesting it. ‘Some of the others’ partners are here.’
‘Two minutes.’ Gone.
She stared at the phone. Had that really just happened? Nathan was coming to have a drink with her? Her heart raced.
You did kiss him this morning. Maybe he wants another.
He could get as many kisses as he wanted from most single females he crossed paths with. He was drop-dead gorgeous and damned nice with it. Nice? Okay, kind, considerate, opinionated and bumptious. But if he made to kiss her again then she wasn’t saying no. Yeah, well. She sighed. The kiss had been pretty darned awesome. Her knees still knocked thinking about it.
That might be exhaustion from charging around the court, not desire, Mol.
Sipping her drink, she stifled a yawn. It had been a long, emotional roller-coaster of a day and suddenly she felt shattered. Just when Nathan was about to join her.
* * *
One good thing about Molly’s red hair was she was easy to find in a crowd. Another—maybe not so good?—she drove him wild with need, but that was on hold as he tried to slow down his pursuit of her. Yeah, right. If th
at was so, why was he here? The challenge had got out of hand fast, to the point he didn’t know who was challenging who. Hopefully Molly was unaware she rocked him off his usually steady feet.
He stood watching her for a moment as she chatted with the women surrounding the table they stood at, her finger running down her cheek as she laughed over something someone said. This was a whole new Molly from the one he thought he knew in the ED. Yet the vulnerability was still there in the guarded way she stood, one shoulder slightly turned, ready to spin around if she sensed trouble approaching.
‘Hey, Molly,’ he called, a little louder than necessary, not wanting to disturb her comfort zone.
The curls flicked left then right as her head shot up and around. The smile spreading across her mouth hit him hard in the belly. ‘Hey, you, too.’ She shuffled sideways to make room for him.