Holy hell.
"Wow."
"There will be some adjustments, but I feel good about the decision and I think the team will really benefit. We'll vote for the new captain on Monday."
"I don't really know what to say."
Coach Davis eyed me for a moment and then leaned forward, as if she didn't want me to miss a single word.
"You have a good head on your shoulders, Kinsley. In the few weeks that you've been with the program, you've had quite a few challenges thrown your way, yet no matter what, you haven't let it affect your practice or your commitment to the team. You've had multiple opportunities to shove yourself into the spotlight, but I think the way that you're going about your career is very wise. All too often, athletes shoot themselves in the foot by reaching for celebrity status before honing their skills."
Her warning reminded me of Liam.
"Do you think it's a bad idea to be with Liam? If I’m supposed to stay away from the spotlight?"
"I don't think you could find a better match than Liam. He has a reputation, as I warned you about, but now you’ve seen firsthand how the press likes to embellish their stories about young athletes. He's a damn good soccer player and I think you could learn a lot from him."
Wow. I couldn't believe the way the conversation was going, but I'm really glad I agreed to meet with her. The haziness around the last few days was beginning to settle and my options were right in front of me, ready for me to take them.
"Thank you so much, Coach Davis. For everything. I promise I won't take my second chance lightly."
"Good. Now, let's order. I'm starving." She winked and handed me a menu.
…
"Penn said his house is on the beach so let's wear bathing suits under our dresses in case people are swimming," Becca declared as we pushed off the bed to start getting ready.
"Okay, I have this cover up that's kind of fancy enough to be worn to a party," I mentioned, heading toward my closet. It was an icy blue silk material that wrapped around my body and crossed in the front so that it stayed closed when I pulled my arms through the spaghetti straps.
"Hmm, I'm not sure what I have. I could just wear a nice top and shorts?"
I found the cover-up hanging in my closet right next to an identical one. I’d forgotten my crazy mother had ordered me the dress in multiple colors. One blue and one fuchsia. I think they’d been a part of a “Maui” themed care package. I’m not kidding, the woman is dedicated.
"Oh, I forgot my mom bought me two! If it’s not too ‘sister-wives’ of us, we could both wear these?"
Becca ran to the closet with a giddy smile. "That's perfect."
"You should wear the teal with your blonde hair," I said, pushing the cover-up toward her.
"We'll look like we're fourteen-year-old best friends that have to match wherever we go."
I pushed her out of my closet so I could change into my bathing suit. "We kind of are.”
“Hey wait, are you nervous to see Liam?” she asked as I started to shut the door on her face.
“Nope. No. Zilch. Nada. Who’s that?” I lied before squashing her out of the door way.
I was as cool as a cucumber.
“The lady doth protest too much!” she called before cackling her way toward the bathroom. As long as I live, I’ll regret not putting that hot wax on her face.
An hour later we were leaving the house in our bright, silky cover-ups. Becca's hair looked sleek and sexy and she'd curled mine so that it hung down my back in beachy waves. Penn's house was all the way out in Malibu, but I didn't mind the drive down Pacific Coast Highway. You'd think after having lived in Los Angeles my whole life I'd be sick of the ocean, but most of the time I was just too busy to take a trip out just for fun. It'd been almost a year since I'd been out to Malibu, and as we pulled up to his beach house, Becca and I exchanged impressed nods.
Penn had a modern home with lots of windows and sharp, clean lines. We could see people mingling around inside already, so we pushed through the front door and were greeted by music and laughter.
"This isn't so bad," Becca nodded. The party was intimate compared to the last few weeks and the crowd appeared to skew a bit older than the LA Stars parties. There were people mingling around with cocktails and beer, but I didn't recognize anyone right away.
"Good call with the bathing suits," I nodded, noticing a few of the guys were wearing swimming trunks and t-shirts.
"Should we go get a d—"
Becca was midway through her sentence when she was interrupted.