Page 12 of Harry

“Oh, soccer, I like that,” Rory said.

“Do you play?” Peach asked.

“A little in college.” She didn’t want to say that she had been good enough to make tryouts for Team USA. It had been around the time she was deciding if she wanted to go into the Marines or stay a civilian. Playing soccer didn’t seem like a realistic career path, and she’d picked Marines, thinking it would be a more stable job. Worry over the file she’d found popped into her mind, and she pushed it away. Now wasn’t the time to think about troubles at work.

“Come on,” Peach said. “You can be on my team.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve played.” She’d been on an advanced recreational team in Virginia but hadn’t found a team in California that she wanted to join.

“It’s all good,” Peach said. “Just stretch before you get out there.”

She wanted to laugh but said nothing as she set down her bag and moved to the field where they played. Since none of the other women wanted to play, they’d arranged it where it was four against three, giving her team the advantage.

“You guys don’t really have to do that,” Rory said, still not wanting to reveal that she was a good soccer player. It had been a while since she’d played on a mixed team, and she thought that perhaps the guys would show her up. It was a reasonable thought since they were SEALs.

“Just let them do it,” Harry said. “They think you need help.”

“Okay. Let’s go then,” Rory said.

One of the guys, she thought it was Andy, made the mistake of letting her take the ball from him. She turned on her action and speed, faking out the opposing team, spinning to her left, picking up the ball, and scoring about twenty seconds after gaining control.

“Wait,” Jax said as he came up beside her. “You said you played in college. I thought you meant you played like intramural.”

She shrugged. “I was on scholarship, full ride. That was the only way I was going to college.”

“Damn, Harry. Your girlfriend knows how to play,” Jax said.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Harry said as he took the ball from Jax’s hand.

Jax took off jogging the other way. “Whatever you say.”

They played two more plays, and she went easy on them. Then the kids came over and wanted to play, so they toned it down and did soft kicks. The girls were really interested in watching her, and she taught them a few tricks. Of course they were young, so they weren’t really getting it, but she encouraged them and told them they were doing great.

After about forty minutes, they broke to eat burgers and hotdogs. Harry grabbed her a soda, and she patted him on the back to thank him as she stared up at him.

“You still owe me a back rub,” she said in a low voice.

“Hmm, that would mean you’d have to come to my condo.”

“That could be arranged.”

His lips tipped up on one side, and she couldn’t help but smile. The kids came over and asked her questions, wanting to know how she knew so much about soccer. She told them she’d been playing street soccer since their age.

“But I lived in a very small town, and there were very few cars that drove down the streets. It would be too dangerous around here. But there were no parks close to where I lived, so we didn’t have too many options.”

“I bet your parents were proud of you,” Ava said.

She shook her head. “Nah, they dipped when I was five. Haven’t seen them since.”

Silence descended over the group. She glanced up and saw the shocked look on everyone’s face. She hated being a mood killer.

“But by the time I was in high school, I’d found a decent family. I’m still friends with the girl who I shared a room with. She’s my sister. I mean, not on paper, but we both keep up with each other, and she’s the closest thing I have to a sister, so that’s what we are.”

“Wow, that’s great that you have someone in your corner,” Jessica said.

“Can we go play on the slides?” one of the kids asked. She thought it was Mia, but she wasn’t sure.

“I ate everything,” Ethan said.

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