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After I finished unpacking, I tested out the rainfall shower and threw my hair up into a messy bun. And as I stand, staring at myself in the full-length mirror, dressed in sweats and a Storm T-shirt, I run through how long I can feasibly stay here rent-free before I feel like I’m taking advantage of him.

Which I already sort of am.

“Kendra?” Jack’s voice filters into my bedroom.

Tucking a piece of loose hair behind my ear, I continue facing the mirror. “Yeah?”

“Can you come here for a second?”

When I reach the living space, I find Jack sitting at the island with his back to me, head down and deep in concentration.

“How can I help?” I say, taking a seat next to him and studying the grocery app he has open on his iPad.

Once another item has been added to the cart, totaling in excess of three hundred dollars, he turns his attention to me, his eyes landing on the pile of wet hair on top of my head.

He doesn’t say anything as he slides the iPad across to me. “I was going to do this earlier, but then I realized I don’t know what you like. So, just add what you want, and I’ve reserved a delivery slot for late afternoon.”

Checking out the contents of the cart, I select a couple of things I’m running low on, including deodorant. “I can give you half of the total cost,” I say, continuing to check out the list. Which is everything I could think of.

I pause on the clotted cream and look up at him, grinning. “But I’m not paying for this.”

With his chin resting in his palm, Jack braces his right elbow on the countertop. “Let’s not get off to a bad start now, Kendra. We both know you love a scone.”

I refocus on the grocery cart, but pause and scroll back up a couple of items. “Candles?”

Jack’s eyes fall to the list, his lips twisting slightly. “So, mysister, Darcy, really likes candles. She’s a similar age to you and says they make anywhere feel homey. I figured that, you know, you might like to have some here. In your room or whatever.”

He swipes a hand across his mouth as I continue to look at him, probably with mine hanging open.

“Sorry, it was a stupid idea.”

He reaches out to hit the Remove button on the list, but I beat him to it and cover the screen with my hand.

“No, no. Your sister is right. I love candles, and it’s true; they do make any place feel homey.”

I retract my hand, but Jack’s remains hovering.

“I’m surprised my apartment didn’t burn down, to be honest. Flames everywhere,” I muse.

Clicking the plus sign next to the vanilla-scented candle, he adds a few more. “I don’t want any money for groceries, unless you insist because it makes you feel uncomfortable or something.”

“It makes me feel uncomfortable,” I immediately confirm. “Just give me your details, and I can transfer whatever you need.”

Leaning back in his chair, he crosses his arms over his chest. I clocked his broader shoulders the first time I saw him at Lloyd’s, but today is the first time I’ve noticed his thicker forearms.

He also has a face, Kendra.

“Okay, deal,” he replies. “But that’s it. I don’t want anything else. Save the money you earn; otherwise, me putting you up for a few weeks is pointless if you go right back to square one.”

“Thank you,” I say quietly. “I can use it to subsidize rental payments until I sign a new contract later this season. Which will hopefully see an increase in my wages.”

Hitting Order on the app, Jack pulls the iPad back toward him and locks the screen. “I find it kind of gross that male pro footballers earn what they do, but not the women. It’s the exact same back in the UK.”

I run my tongue along the roof of my mouth. “Yep. Ty alwayssaid it was a male-dominated sport, and so it’s natural to have a pay gap.” I laugh sarcastically. “I’d love to see him survive on sixty thousand dollars a year.”

Jack’s eyebrows shoot up. “Yeah, it would last him a week.”

“This summer, I’m hoping to secure another twenty thousand since it will be my third season in the NWSL. That’s what Jenna thinks I’ll be offered anyway.”