Page 14 of Long Shot

As the yellow blur zoomed across the net, Mac peeked at the Rolex speed monitor just past Adeline’s body.115 miles per hour. That’s it.

A smirk took over Mac’s face just as Garnier’s racket connected with the tennis ball, hurtling back toward her. She zipped across the court, her shoes sliding slightly on the clay as her forehand flew right back to Adeline’s side. Over the course of the match, Mac noticed a slight slump in Adeline’s body as exhaustion set in.

Now’s my chance!Applying some topspin, Mac returned the ball close to the net, forcing Adeline to rush into the service box. Garnier slid across the court, nearly diving to reach it. But the ball bounced just short of her racket.

The crowd erupted in cheers, Babs and Piper standing from their seats as the umpire called out, “Match, Mackenzie Bennett.”

Mac keeled over, letting her hands rest on her knees for a moment as she took in the applause. After a moment, she stoodup and jogged to the net where Adeline Garnier was waiting to shake her hand.

“Well done. Take it to the top.” Adeline winked.

Mac smiled and grabbed her hand, shaking it before bringing her in for a hug. “Great match.” Making her way to the umpire's stand, Mac shook the ump’s hand before turning back to the small crowd. She waved a few times as fresh tennis balls bounced onto the court. She signed a few of them before gently hitting them into the stands for her few admirers to claim.

But Taylor’s face kept flashing in her mind. She hadn’t left that long ago. There was a chance she’d be lingering around the courts or the locker room, playing her match long before it ever started.

Mac ran up to the stands where her mom and Babs waited, smiles plastered on their faces. She swept her mom up in a hug. “Thanks for coming.”

“Just two more, baby. Then it’s all yours.” Piper held Mac’s shoulders with a tight squeeze.

It was, of course, an oversimplification. If Mac managed to win her next two qualifying matches, she would be admitted to the French Open. But from there, she would be facing the top players of women’s tennis from around the globe. Nothing was guaranteed.

But she tried not to get caught up in the minutia as her coach pulled her in for a hug. “That was great, kid. Don’t make me lose my investment.”

With a shrug, Mac laughed. “I’ll think about it. I’m going to run to the locker room and then we can eat.”

Babs was about to fight her on it, but Mac winked and zipped out of the court, slinging her racket bag over her shoulder. Jogging across the cobblestone paths, Mac could feel the tension in her hamstrings and the sweat drying on her skin.

But she was on a mission, and there was no time to waste in catching that motherfucker.

6

Taylor

Fuck.She wasn’t supposed to see me. Taylor bit her lip as her body slammed against the wall of lockers.Mom can’t know I was here – that I sawher.

It was an accident.Of course a part of Taylor hoped Mac would be here, even fantasized about what it would be like. But she wasn’t stupid enough to risk her entire career on some maudlin impulse.

Not bothering to check the schedules, Taylor had chosen a random court to watch. It wasn’t until she was seated that she realized justwhowas on the court. She watched the match longer than she meant to, unable to tear herself away from Mac’s annoyingly impressive game until it happened – Mac saw her.

Shaking her head, Taylor tried to get the image of Mac out of her mind. She looked incredible. More muscle than she had when Taylor saw her last. It must have been at least a decade ago now – by design.

As Taylor paced, the slam of the locker room door jolted her from her rumination. Feeling a presence behind her, Taylorstopped in her tracks as her heart raced. Swallowing, she let her shoulders relax before turning slowly on her heels.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Mackenzie’s gravelly voice made Taylor’s spine tingle. She couldn’t tell if it was fear or that ineffable feeling Mac always inspired in her.

Taylor shrugged. “Watching the newbies.”

Mac’s jaw clenched, annoying Taylor with just how chiseled it was. “Actually, if you subtract the time your parents played, you’re just as new as the rest of us.”

It took everything in Taylor to simply shake her head, to ignore the comment… to ignore the decades of history that sat on the locker room floor between them. “You played well. Let’s see if you can pull off another two. Then you’ll have to play with the big girls.”

A hardy chuckle erupted from Mac’s broad chest. She closed the distance between them, her broad shoulders and towering height forcing Taylor to take a step back. Taylor lost her breath as her spine met the wooden lockers behind her. Up close, it was clear just how built she really was. Trying to keep her focus, Taylor glared into Mackenzie’s dark eyes.

Mac smirked down at her, just inches from her face. “I’ve played with the big girls plenty, haven’t I?” From the corner of her eye, Taylor could see Mac’s chest rising and falling as rapidly as her own.

Taking another small step forward, Taylor licked her lips. “And you couldn’t handle the heat then. Think you could take it now?”

Before Mackenzie could answer, Taylor willed herself to push past her. Their shoulders slammed together as Taylor breezed out of the locker room. It wasn’t until she heard the slam of the door behind her and was a few paces down the narrow hallway that she let herself breathe.

---