Page 22

She chewed on the inside of her cheek. She’d done nothing wrong. She’d just sung a song. She dashed off a reply.

Of courseI’m not screwing the fucking coach. I’m still engaged, and I have standards.

It was a low blow,but Jess had asked for it. She had some fucking nerve accusing her of things. Sloane had done nothing wrong. Jess had no right to be watching what she was doing. She should be focusing on herself. But Sloane knew what soccer players’ lives were like. There was an awful lot of free time, an age to watch social media again and again, and wind yourself up. Jess had clearly been doing that.

Sloane clicked on Jess’s Instagram and saw reels of her training for North Carolina. There was also a reel Sloane hadn’t seen from a week ago, with Jess out playing golf with Britney. The woman she’d had the affair with.

Sloane ground her teeth together and tried to compose herself. Jess was such a bare-faced hypocrite. The way she looked at Britney as she swung her club? Like she wanted to eat her? Sloane could sing to Ella for days and it would never match that. Mainly because Jess was watching someone she’d slept with. The difference was night and day. Sloane clicked over to Britney’s Insta, something she hadn’t done for a few weeks, and saw reels of her and Jess embracing post-goal.

Something snapped inside. Sloane was a rational person, but this was over, wasn’t it? Jess calling her out for singing a song, when she was probably still sleeping with Britney? Sloane’s breath sped up. She was so done. She called up the message box again. The gruesome script of their breakup had kept her awake many nights, replaying its lowlights, and her skin still crawled in the aftermath. This past summer had all been about what Jess wanted. Nothing about Sloane. Just as Ella had said.

That was about to change.

You comeinto my messages acting like you’re the victim? Fuck you, Jess. I saw you playing golf with Britney. Celebrating on the field. It’s clear as day you’re not backing off like you claimed. I know what we said the other day, but why don’t we just grow up and see what’s in front of us? Make this break permanent and call off our engagement. Nothing’s going on with me, but you’re paranoid it is. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

Jess is typing...

Sloane checked her watch. It was the middle of the night where Jess was. What the hell was she doing up?

Jess is typing…

Jess is typing…

Then nothing.

Sloane pressed her head against the headboard and breathed out. Wow. Four years and thousands of promises all boiled down to this moment of nothing. She waited two more minutes, then sent a message because Jess was clearly too scared to call it.

Take this as my exit.Our engagement is officially off. Feel free to fuck whoever you like.

She pressed send,sighed the heaviest sigh of her life, then jumped out of bed. A swarm of bees took up residence in her head, but she tried to ignore them. She got dressed into her tracksuit pants and training top on autopilot, arriving at their private room for the breakfast buffet.

There were only five others already there, including the assistant coach Jonas, teammates Cally, Nat, and the missing Layla, plus one of the physios. She couldn’t recall his name. Ken? Kai? Definitely began with a K. Sloane waved at them, then walked to the buffet and helped herself to scrambled eggs, baked beans, and toast. She’d got a taste for baked beans since being in the UK. She slopped the beans on her plate and some splashed up on her training top.

“Shit.” She put down her plate, but it was only when she went to clean the stain, she noticed her hand was shaking. She bit her lip and took a breath. Had she done the right thing? She’d just ended her relationship, blown up her engagement. Or perhaps Jess had done that months ago?

She picked up her plate and put it down on a nearby table. Then she walked to the coffee machine, pressed some buttons, got a mug of black liquid, added milk even though she wanted cream. She liked Europe, but their lack of cream in coffee was an issue. As she walked back to her food, she tripped on nothing and spilt half her coffee on the floor in front of her.

She stopped. It was a good job they didn’t have a game today. She’d be useless.

“Sloane?”

She glanced up. Nat. Looking very unsure. Her gaze diving around, anywhere but Sloane.

“I wondered if you had five minutes to have a quick chat? Somewhere private?”

Sloane held out her top, still coffee stained, and shook her head.

“Can it wait until later? I’m sorry, I’m a bit distracted this morning. It’s just not a good time.”

Nat stared at her for a second, then gave her a brisk nod. “Of course, no problem.” She hurried off and out of the dining room.

Sloane frowned, as concern sat in her stomach. She should have made the time. But today was not a good day.

A hand on her back stilled her. She turned carefully so she didn’t lose the rest of the coffee over whoever was behind her.

When she saw Ella’s concerned gaze, she wanted to put down the coffee and fall into her arms.

What the hell? They didn’t even know each other that well. But right now, Sloane could do with a friend. But she couldn’t collapse in the breakfast room. That was way too public.