Page 6 of Spin Serve

“Yeah… Okay,” Kendra agreed with a little hesitation that Aspen wondered about.

“Great. See you then.”

“Okay,” the woman repeated and hurried back toward the house.

Aspen watched her go and turned away when Kendra was inside the house and she could no longer see her. She couldn’t believe that the sideline reporter, Kendra Bowie, was her new neighbor. What were the odds? Los Angeles – and its many, many neighborhoods – was a big city, but somehow, it always felt like a small town when she really thought about it. Aspen tossed the ball toward the box and got in her ready position to pass it back to her imaginary partner. There were sounds behind her as she trained, and she did her best to ignore the men talking loudly with the backdoor open, but when one of them laughed like he had just heard the funniest thing in the world, she spooked at the sound and turned around.

Kendra was standing there, and she was looking over at Aspen. Then, she quickly nodded and turned around awkwardly. Aspen didn’t know what that was about, but it was around lunchtime anyway, so she just went inside. She made herself a sandwich with baby carrots and celery on the side and mixed up a chocolate protein shake for her dessert. She sat at her kitchen table alone and ate, scrolling on her phone between bites and checking social media. When she heard Kendra’s voice outside saying something Aspen couldn’t quite make out, she got the idea to look her up instead.

Kendra Bowie had been working as a sports reporter since she’d graduated from UCLA with a degree in broadcast journalism. She’d worked her way up, though, according to her bio online, and hadn’t always been the go-to reporter for the network. She was around thirty-five, if Aspen had her math right, and, according to what she could see of Kendra’s social media stuff that wasn’t private, she didn’t appear to be married or have any kids. Aspen hadn’t ever noticed her wearing a ring, but not everyone wore one, so she hadn’t given it much thought.

She wondered if Kendra would actually come over for that coffee like she’d said she would or if she’d assumed that Aspen was just being polite. Aspen was, technically, being polite, but she also wouldn’t mind talking to Kendra about something more than beach volleyball. She got her answer when her doorbell rang seconds later. She stood quickly and nearly knocked over her chair, as if the FBI just beat down her door, and realized she was weirdly nervous.

“What is your deal?” she whispered to herself as she walked toward the door and pulled it open. “Hey.”

“Oh,” Kendra said and looked down.

“What?”

“Nothing. I’ve seen you in a bathing suit before. I just...”

Aspen looked down and realized that she was wearing a sports bra and her bikini bottoms. She wore this ensemble so often, she usually forgot to change once she was back in the house.

“I like to practice like I play,” she explained. “I was just having lunch.”

“I didn’t know if I should just come over or–”

“Yeah, it’s totally fine. Come on in. I can put on some actual clothes.” She moved out of the way to let Kendra walk inside, closed the door behind her, and added, “Just give me a second. I’ll be right back.”

“Your place is nice,” Kendra noted as Aspen hurried toward the hallway and into her bedroom.

“Thanks!” she yelled in response as she quickly tossed on a hooded sweatshirt and found a pair of shorts on her floor. “I wasn’t expecting company, so it’s not exactly clean.” She walked out of her room and found Kendra still standing by the door. “I need to do the dishes and laundry, so please don’t judge me.”

“No judgment here.”

“Since everything you own is probably in boxes, can I make you something to eat? I was just having a sandwich, but I have other stuff. Coffee?”

“I…” Kendra looked around the living room. “I’d love to, but I just came over to say thanks for the invitation and that I really should be unpacking. I leave again soon, so I need to make as much progress as possible… before I do that. Maybe another time?”

“Oh,” Aspen let out. “Sure. Yeah. Whenever I’m here. Do you need help with anything today? I don’t mind.”

“I’m okay. The movers put everything where I needed it to be, and I don’t have all that much to unpack since I came from an apartment, and the house has a lot more space.”

“You have that nice patio table.”

“I ordered it when I got the offer approved on the house. I’ve always wanted a backyard where I could sit, so it was my reward for buying my first home.”

“I do that, too.” She gave Kendra a smile.

“Do what? Sit outside?”

“Well, yeah, I’m sure I do that, but I meant that I reward myself for stuff. Like, tonight, I’m having wine with dinner; that kind of a thing.”

“If it works, you know?”

“Yeah,” she agreed.

“Anyway, I should get back to that. I need to unpack the things I have to pack in my suitcase later, so…”

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