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“Yes. She’s focused on her upper body strength, which I get because she was weaker last year, but they don’t have a coach or a regular trainer, so I think she’s put a little too much emphasis on that and not enough on balance, so she’s lost a step or two. If you run her back and forth, she won’t be able to get to the ball how she could last year. You two haven’t played them this season, so you probably haven’t noticed, but it’s my job to notice.”

“You’re really good at your job, you know?” Aspen complimented.

Kendra looked up at her in surprise and said, “Thank you.”

“Yeah, this is really helpful,” DJ added. “Want to run a few plays, Aspen? Work on our spots?”

“Sure,” she agreed. “Do you want to watch and give us some tips?” she asked Kendra.

“I thought I’d shag balls or something,” Kendra said.

“You can do both. I believe in you.” Aspen winked at her and stood up.

“Hey, how is–”

“My ankle is fine,” Aspen finished where she knew Kendra was going with her question. “I promise. I’ll still ice it when I get home, though, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Hey, are you two going to join me anytime soon, or am I supposed to pass to myself?” DJ asked.

It was only then that Aspen noticed that DJ was already standing up on the court. She got up and held out both of her hands to Kendra, who took them and used them to help herself up. Aspen and DJ were both in their suits, but Kendra had worn a pair of jean shorts and a blue T-shirt, and when she stood, Aspen pulled up on the scoop neck because it had lowered a little, revealing the tip of the scar.

“Thank you,” Kendra said, realizing what Aspen had done.

“No problem. You know I’d never push you on this, but…” Aspen pressed her hand over the shirt between Kendra’s breasts. “You’re beautiful. All of you.”

Kendra seemed taken aback but didn’t say anything, so Aspen dropped her hand and turned toward DJ, who was watching them.

“Okay. Let’s get back to work,” she said and turned to see Kendra still standing there, looking a little dazed.

Then, Kendra shook her head and walked to the other side of the net. Aspen picked up a ball and tossed it toward her.

“Can you fake-serve, DJ?”

“Sure,” Kendra agreed.

They ran several drills, focusing on their speed and accuracy, and then switched to serving. Becky played on the left side, so they practiced hitting their spots there before Kendra suggested they go in the middle a few times in order to create confusion between the two partners who had been struggling this season. Having worked on that as well and hitting several of their spots properly, Aspen was tired and ready to go home. She’d get back to her usual workout and practice routine tomorrow. Today, she needed to eat and rest.

“Do you two want to grab lunch?” DJ asked when they were packing up their things. “I was thinking about going to the smoothie place down the street and getting a bowl or something.”

Aspen glanced at Kendra, who seemed to be waiting for her to respond on their behalf.

“I’m kind of spent, DJ. I think I’d rather just get home and chill.”

“Okay. You’re going to ice–”

“Yes, Mom,” Aspen interjected.

“I’ll make sure she does,” Kendra offered.

“Good.” DJ nodded. “I’ll run to the smoothie place then and walk back for my cooldown. I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh, Kendra, will you be here?”

“No, I’ve got work tomorrow. I’m covering the MLS game here. After that, I’m off for a full week, which is nice. I took it off a while ago to make sure I had time to work on the house.”

Aspen winked at her again because she knew it would make Kendra smile, which it did.

“Then, it’s the next tournament for you two,” Kendra added. “And I’ll be covering that.”