Page 93 of Clean Point

‘They seem friendly,’ another voice broke my concentration. I turned, finding Kit, Scottie’s mom, beside me. Her blonde hair was pulled out of her face, and it struck me how strikingly similar they looked. Identical dainty nose and round face. Same deep blue eyes.

I laughed. ‘Just wait till they get out on the court.’

‘It’s incredible how quickly they get ruthless.’ She tossed her head back, almost recoiling at the memory. I’d met her mom in the family box during one of Scottie’s games. She’d sat, her leg jigging nervously as she watched her daughter sprint across the grass, clapped and yelled a little too loudly for Wimbledon standards when she’d won.

I’d never sat with somebody’s parents while they watched before, but I imagined my own weren’t any different. They’d normally come to show support, the last thing I needed was the rest of the Kotas family descending on Scottie. We’d struck an agreement that if I made it to the final, they could come then, no matter how reluctantly my mom agreed. I didn’t need any more pressure.

‘I’m just glad I get to play with her instead of against her.’

Kit looked over at me, before she said with a knowing wink, ‘In more ways than one, I hear.’

I blinked, my mind panicking slightly at the insulation. ‘I—’ The silence stretched on and on, only jumbled sounds leaving my mouth. ‘Em …’

Her face cracked open with glee, her hand patting my shoulder in what was supposed to be a calming motion. ‘Relax. I just wanted a shot at being the embarrassing parent for once.’

I coughed, trying to clear away the choke from my throat, but the words still came out strangled. ‘Did it live up to your expectations?’

‘It certainly did.’

Thankfully, Scottie interrupted the conversation before I could make myself seem like any more of a fool. ‘What are you guys talking about?’

‘Just the match,’ Her mom replied, still looking very happy with herself. ‘Anyway, I should head up. I don’t want to be late.’

Scottie nodded before pulling her mom into a hug. ‘I’ll see you out there.’

Kit turned to me for a moment. ‘Nico, are you joining me in the box?’

I realized that knowing my luck, I’d probably be sitting next to her. ‘I’ll be right behind you.’ I smiled politely, hoping that would be enough time for me to be able to look her mom in the eye again.

She looked back at Scottie, waving as she turned away and crying a final, ‘Good luck!’

As soon as she was out of earshot, Scottie practically spun around to face me, a wild curiosity across her features. ‘What was she saying?’

‘It was nothing.’

‘Did she embarrass you?’

This time, I didn’t hold back. ‘I nearly choked on my tongue.’

She smiled, looking a little pleased with her mom. ‘Sounds like her.’

Looking at them together, you’d never have guessed that Kit had only been back in Scottie’s life for less than a year, the closeness they had. They spoke the same language. I was glad she had somebody outside of tennis to keep her grounded somehow, somebody who had nothing to gain from her win.

‘How’s Inés?’ I asked.

Scottie grinned back at me, the expression twisted with something devious. ‘Nervous.’

My eyes narrowed. ‘Now that you mention it, you don’t seem so skittish anymore.’ Her earlier jitter was gone, her hands relaxed by her side, her face calm and collected. It was as if she’d returned a new person.

She looked carefully around her, stepping closer to me and keeping her voice low. ‘I … I think I can win this, Nico. Like, a real chance.’

‘Yeah?’ I beamed back at her, renewed by her newly found confidence.

‘Inés is great. She always catches me off balance with her slice. But she’s still recovering. Her matches have only gone two sets. I know how she plays, and I think if I can get her to play long points, maybe even get her into a rally and push her back behind the baseline, it might work. Keep it so she can’t execute that slice. I could tire her out and win.’

I thought over her words. It was good. She was right about Inés. Get her to that final set and she had a solid chance of winning. Pride welled up inside of me.

‘Sounds like you’ve got your game plan.’

---