Page 77 of Long Shot

Drew hemmed and hawed for a second before relenting. “The truth is, I fell for this woman that I didn’t think I had anything in common with. And I screwed it up to take this job.” Drew lifted their camera and grabbed a few shots of the court. Mac could only assume it was some sort of B-roll.

With a nod, Mac scrunched up her face. “I… get that.” Her eyes looked back to Taylor, who whipped her own head back to Kim and the press following behind her. “And the thing is, I’m not sure any job is worth losing someone like that.”

“Me either.” Drew clenched their jaw. “What do we do?”

Laughing, Mac shrugged. “I’d be lying if I said I had the answer. But I think we have to make it right, at any cost. The fuck is the point of winning if no one’s in your court at the end of the day?”

They only took a few more shots as Taylor disappeared behind them. As soon as Drew got what they needed, Mac shook their hand and said goodbye. She slung her racket bag over her shoulder and ran into the locker room. Looking over her shoulder, Drew was making a call.

She better be there. Mac jogged down the slight slope of the tunnel, gaining speed faster than she meant to. A few seconds later, she skidded to a halt outside the women’s locker room. She pushed open the door and scanned the aisles for Taylor.

“Come on,” she muttered under her breath. By the time she reached the last aisle, Mac assumed she must have missed her.

Until she saw the flowing blonde hair and thick sunglasses.

She stopped in her tracks, chuckling. “Sunglasses inside is a choice.”

Taylor swallowed hard. She put her hands in the back pockets of her linen trousers. “Hi, Mackenzie.”

“We’re back to the full name, are we?” Mac smirked as she walked closer.

Taylor shook her head. “What do you want?”

Mackenzie shrugged. “I just wanted to tell you that I don’t believe you.”

“What?”

Mac nodded. “Yeah I think you’re full of shit.”

Taylor pulled off her sunglasses. “Do you want to explain yourself or are you just going to be nasty?”

Catching her breath, Mac stared into Taylor blue eyes. They were a little puffy and red. Mac pursed her lips. “I think you will come out. I don’t believe that you’re satisfied with your life looking like this.”

Taylor scoffed. “Okay, Mac. You are welcome to believe whatever you’d like.”

Mac took another step closer. “The thing is, I told myself that I was crazy to believe you still wanted me. Foryears, I convinced myself that it was really over. And then you walked right back into my life.”

“That’s not…” Taylor tried to deny it.

“But the thing is, I saw you at the bar. I watched your face when you felt safe enough to hold my hand and kiss me in front of people you trust.” Mac shook her head. “And I know that you can’t walk away from the way that feels.”

Taylor crossed her arms. “Mac, I told you: I’m not coming out. And it’s okay that you’re not okay with it. But we have to let it go.”

Mac nodded, raising a finger.“Right. You’re welcome to. I’ve just decided I’m going to wait for you. I won’t date you whileyou’re in the closet. But I know there will be a day where you change your mind. And when that happens, I’m going to be waiting on the other end of the line.”

Taylor clenched her jaw, tears welling at the corners of her eyes. “Mac, that’s insane. There are plenty of other women who are ready for you. Beautiful,outpeople who you deserve to love.”

Sighing, Mac sucked her teeth. “But that's the thing. I’ve tried that. And none of them are you.”

She took one final step, leaving just a few inches between them. Even there, in the locker room, Mac could feel the electricity between them.How could I go the rest of my life and never feel this again?

Looking down into Taylor’s eyes, Mac’s gaze softened. “So, whenever you’re ready, give me a call. I know you’ll keep my number.”

Taylor opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself as Mac smiled at her. Taking a few steps back, Mac kept her eyes on Taylor until she turned her back and walked out of the locker room.

Maybe it was crazy – to put all of her cards on Taylor Young – but Mac couldn’t stop herself. She couldn’t risk missing out on the other great love of her life.

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