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Ella nodded. First up, she had two young defenders who’d been drafted up from the reserves to the first-team squad. Ella had been working with them a little in the past couple of weeks, but today was their first full hour with her. Every time she spoke to them, they looked like rabbits in headlights.

For this session, she was taking them onto the practice pitches and was going to chat with them while kicking a ball around. She’d asked Lucy if it was okay, and the boss was all for it. Ella was looking forward to it. After that, she had a session with Sloane. Her whole body fizzed at the thought. However, they were at work, so they had to keep it professional. But they also hadn’t seen each other since that night. Since that kiss.

“I’m seeing Cleo and Wren.”

A grin broke out on Dan’s face. “I love those two! Good luck getting them to talk, though.”

Ella grinned right back. “Thanks. I have a cunning plan.”

* * *

Ella hadher feet up on a chair opposite and was scanning her notes when the door to the cinema room opened.

She turned her head.

Sloane.

Her heart skittered like a lone pinball in her chest. She took a deep breath and got to her feet. She was determined to keep it professional. Even though her breath was already caught in her throat.

“Howdy, neighbour.”

Sloane’s American drawl was louder today. Or perhaps that was just how Ella was receiving it. It whipped around the room like a lasso, pulling her closer. Ella stood, and gestured for Sloane to sit in the front row. The lighting was just how she liked it for these sessions: dimmed. But now she was thinking about it, was it almost romantic? She shook her head and banished that thought. It was how she did all her sessions. This was nothing unusual. But what about if someone came in?

This was normal.

Ella took a deep breath and gave Sloane a smile that told her she was in control. She pointed to her foot. “No boot. Progress.”

Sloane sat in the seat nearest Ella’s chair. “I told you in my message, right? Dan reckons another couple of weeks and I can kick a ball again. I can already wear a shoe now, after a few days in sliders. Things are looking up.” She held Ella’s gaze and gave her a lop-sided smile.

Ella cleared her throat and shuffled her notes. “That’s great. Are you back with the team now, too?”

“How was your weekend back home?”

The lights in the room dimmed a little more. Or perhaps that was just in Ella’s head. “You’ve got a habit of turning things around, haven’t you? We’re not here to talk about me. This is about you.”

“Gotcha.” A knowing smile played on Sloane’s lips. “I saw you out on the training field with Cleo and Wren. You’ve got a good right foot on you.”

She’d seen that? Blood rushed to Ella’s cheeks. Somehow, those sessions were meant to be private. Plus, she never wanted her playing to be the focus of attention. However, she couldn’t deny she was pleased with the praise from Sloane.

“Thanks. It was just to change it up, get them relaxed and talking. It worked, too.”

“And you got to kick a ball.”

“I did. Nice to flex the calves again. And my knee held up.” Ella tapped her pen on her notes. “But back to you. I know the foot’s healing, which is great. How’s everything else? No more paparazzi stalking you on coffee runs?”

Sloane sat up. “I’m sorry about you getting dragged into that.”

Ella shook her head. “Marina showed me, but you could hardly see my face. Plus, I’ve never been called mysterious before. I could get used to that.”

“I think they finally got bored. They’re still linking me to Jess having tantrums in the Ikea parking lot, which is annoying. But other than that, I’ve been the model of rehabilitation while you’ve been away. I had one glass of wine with dinner on Saturday.”

“Did you go somewhere nice?”

Had Sloane gone somewhere nice with anyone else? Irritation crept up her spine and Ella checked herself. She had no claim on Sloane. Yet. But if she had gone out with someone else, she might be tempted to stamp on her foot.

But Sloane shook her head. “Deliveroo and the Strictly final, even though I haven’t watched any of the show previous to this. The bottle’s still open if you fancy a glass later.”

Relief flowed through Ella. “Probably not the best move.”