Page 19 of Long Shot

In a matter of seconds, a waiter appeared with a piping cup of coffee and a newspaper.

“Thank you,” Taylor smiled up at the waiter as she pulled the sports section from the paper. A quick scan showed the usual updates on the Open. But her skin prickled when she noticed it: a column about Mackenzie’s rise through the ranks.

Taylor wanted to look away, but the picture they chose for her was too perfect. She was mid-scream as she launched a perfect serve over the net. Gripping her racket, Mac’s biceps rippled as she used her body's full force. The thought of being held between those strong arms and broad shoulders made Taylor’s chest tight.

Shifting in her seat, Taylor felt her body tense at the sight. She’d spent the last decade trying to wipe the image of Mac practicing from her mind.

But now, it all flooded back.

“Oh come on, that’s unfair!” Mac laughed as Taylor pulled her shirt over her head.

Taylor felt Mac’s eyes resisting looking down at her sports bra. “What? It’s too hot to practice in a shirt like that.” The courts in the Catskills were completely exposed to the sun, no shade shielding their bodies from its heat. And the water off the lake made the air more humid than anywhere else Taylor had practiced.

Shaking her head, Mac let her eyes flick down. “Too hot for a workout shirt? What are you going to do, rip off your clothes at a Grand Slam?”

Taylor shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe. Will you be there?” A part of Taylor loved how Mac’s eyes felt on her body.

Even though she tried to hide it, Mac’s flushed face was impossible to miss. And Taylor loved making her so flustered. It was the last summer before they would be playing together in every single Open.

“I’m surprised your mom didn’t make you compete this year.” Mac joked as she lobbed a ball over the net.

Casually hitting it back, Taylor shrugged. “I may or may not have had to beg.”

Mac laughed. “Why didn’t you? Compete, I mean.”

“Didn’t want to,” Taylor gulped, avoiding Mac’s dark eyes. It wasn’t entirely a lie. The truth was, this summer camp was the only place she could spend time with Mackenzie. It was also the only place Kimberly couldn’t be.

Letting the ball bounce out of play, Mac shook her head. “If it was me, I would’ve started in the Grand Slams years ago. I could be a millionaire by now! I guess it’s not much of an incentive for you, though.”

Taylor shrugged. “I’d like to have my own money. But we just turned eighteen, so I wouldn’t have had access to anything I earned until like two months ago.”

Mac approached the net. “I guess that’s true. I don’t know. I just feel like we have so few years to achieve our dreams that it feels like a waste to not play this year.”

Watching her closely, Taylor saw Mac’s eyes drop. Few people had Taylor’s access, the chance to start training so young, and the ability to travel the world without any guarantee of a payday. But the truth was, unlike everyone else, Taylor had even less time to experiencethis.

Taylor walked up to the net, setting her hands on its white headband. Mac rested her hands next to Taylor’s, their faces justa few inches away. Taylor shrugged. “I like spending summers here though.”

A smile crept onto Mac’s face. “I like it too.”

Taylor’s eyes flicked around Mac’s features: her dark eyes, soft cheeks, and strong brow. Her entire being felt drawn into Mac’s gravity. When her eyes landed on Mac’s lips, there was no point in denying the pull.

Mac swallowed hard as she looked from Taylor’s blue eyes to her plump lips.

“Taylor, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Your mom…” Mac started.

But Taylor lifted a hand to Mac’s neck and pulled her in close. “I don’t care about that.”

Their lips met, electricity passing between them like two lightning rods. Just as Taylor was getting swept away…

“Your meal, madame.” A waiter presented a stunning red mullet the size of Taylor’s palm.

Clearing her throat, Taylor sat up and turned back to the server. “Thank you.”

With a light bow, the waiter set down the perfect plate, leaving Taylor to her thoughts.

Why can’t I stop thinking about her lips?Maybe it was because she had denied them for so long. Or maybe because she knew just how angry her mother would be.

Taylor loaded up her fork with food, pretending not to know the real reason Mac was still on her mind.

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