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Gabe put an arm around Miri and pulled her in close. “You’ll be back on this pitch before you know it. I’ll be on the sideline with the pram.”
She smiled and reached up to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and they kissed like two people that thought they were alone.
The American coughed and flashed me an amused glance.
I matched his smile and rolled my eyes. “Can’t you two get a room?”
“We have a hotel full of rooms. Miri just can’t keep her hands off me. It’s not my fault I’m irresistible.” Gabe’s gaze flickered to me. “This is Evan Lewis. Director of the LA Halos. Evan, meet our captain, Skylar Marshall.”
“We’ve met, briefly,” I said.
Evan held out his hand. “Good to see you again, Skylar.”
I held my hands up and flashed an apologetic smile. They were far too muddy to shake with a man that looked this pristine. “You too.”
His smile was wide and his teeth strikingly white against his olive skin. “Gabe’s been telling me you’re taking this team to the Women’s Super League.”
It was impossible not to return Evan’s disarming smile. “That’s the plan.”
Why was he still hanging around? What did the WSL matter to an American?
Gabe picked up the ball and did some impressive kickups. Gabe always looked so smart in his expensive suits, I forgot that he still knew his way around a pitch. “And we’re not just getting into the WSL. We’re going to the top of the table. This team is going to be the best in England.”
“England’s fine, I suppose.” Evan’s voice was casual, but his bright eyes shone with purpose. “The people are friendly enough, but the weather is so shitty. The WSL is fine too, but it’s not much of a development opportunity for a player of Skylar’s caliber.”
He had a teasing look in his eyes as he flashed a glance at Gabe. “Unless your captain is happy to be a big fish in a small pond?”
Gabe’s mouth twitched with amusement, but he kept his eye on the ball as he bounced it from his shoulder back to his knee. “Some of us like this pond.”
Evan nodded thoughtfully. “But a bigger pond would be a greater challenge. Maybe across the pond…”
I raised an eyebrow. The man was trying to poach me for his team right in front of Gabe. He had balls, I had to hand it to him. Gabe stashed the football under his elbow and flashed an amiable smile. Why was he allowing it? Didn’t he want to keep me? First Claire and now Gabe. Did anybody actually want me to be here?
“Are you trying to get rid of me, Gabe?”
Miri reached for my hand. Maybe I hadn’t managed to keep my hurt from my voice. “Of course he’s not. Evan is an old friend of Gabe’s. There’s no pressure. This is a development opportunity, something good for you and the team.”
Evan’s brogues squelched as he lifted his foot from the mud and glanced at it with disdain. Gabe might have been happy to get his Armani muddy, but from the look on Evan’s face, he didn’t feel the same. “We’ve been discussing a short-term arrangement—an exchange of talent and ideas. You do a year or two with us. We’ll send a player over here.”
My mind reeled at the significance of his words. The LA Halos? It was one thing to play in the Women’s Super League, but to play in the States? The LA Halos were one of the best teams in the world. It would be an incredible opportunity. A curious thrill shot through my nerves. What would it be like to start again in a new country? Nobody would know me over there. No one would be talking about me and Sean. A new start.
Evan shielded his face from the drizzle. “We have blue skies, beaches, and mountains. This could be a gentle ocean breeze in your face.”
And what of all the things I’d leave behind? My team. My family. Reece. A pang pulled at my heart. Last night had been one of the most amazing nights of my life. Still, what future could I have with Reece? We weren’t even supposed to be together.
A phone buzzed in Evan’s pocket and he smiled politely. “Excuse me. I have to take this.” He stepped away to take the call.
Gabe shot me an encouraging smile and passed me the ball. He glanced at Evan and the empty pitches beyond and lowered his voice. “Is everything okay for you at the Beaufort?”
“Of course. It’s a five-star hotel. It couldn’t be any better.”
Especially with the company I’d had last night.
“And have you heard anything from Sean?”
My chest tightened. I shook my head. PR was issuing a statement today. They’d advised me to stay off social media for the week until it blew over. I didn’t have a problem with that. I’d always hated social media anyway. It was Sean that had insisted I keep it up.
Gabe dropped his voice lower, being purposefully mysterious. “You need me to beat Sean up for you?” He rocked back on his polished brogues and his bright eyes twinkled. “Technically, I’d have to put my security guy on it. I can’t risk a punch to my face. I’m too pretty for fights.”
