Page 32 of Always on My Mind

“You too,” Tessa said, and it didn’t feel like a lie. The truth was, touching Jamie made her more relaxed than anything. Even nerves about doing the new job faded.

Jamie let go first, but maintained eye contact for a long moment afterward. She held Tessa’s gaze until Monika called her name, and she had to turn her head. Tessa watched the swish of the brown ponytail and ached to run her fingers through Jamie’s hair.

The sound of Rebecca’s whistle drew Tessa from her preoccupation with Jamie and made her alert. Pulling out her phone, she shot some videos of the women’s drills. Rebecca wanted to work on set pieces. She split the team up into two teams, one playing defense and one playing offense. Jamie was on offense. Tessa had to remind herself to move the camera off Jamie’s flexed, gorgeous legs, and get shots of the others. She couldn’t let this job turn her into the creepy friend fromLove Actuallywho only filmed Kiera Knightley.

But Jamie stole the show when she launched herself into the air to meet the ball with her head, steering it right into the top right corner of the net.

Tessa’s heart fluttered as she watched Jamie’s joy. Tessa hadn’t seen that in a while. When Jamie was at Arsenal, she was riddled with anxiety. In fact, Tessa had talked her down from more panic attacks than she could count. The few times she caught a Manchester City match, Jamie walked around the pitch with a furrowed brow and a frown. Something was different atStanmore. For the first time, Jamie appeared to be enjoying football.

In an uncharacteristically cheeky move, she blew a kiss to the camera. Tessa grinned. Smiley, playful Jamie was. . . cute. There was no other word for it. And Tessa found herself wishing she could kiss those smiling cheeks again. It was easy to ignore missing Jamie when Jamie wasn’t around. But when she was, Tessa’s chest cracked open with the misery of it.

Damn that forty quid an hour.

When the athletes wrapped up on the pitch, Tessa parked herself in front of the exit to the dressing rooms to deliver her celebrity crush question. The first few answers were expected, with several names of models thrown out. Hector mentioned Bella Hadid. Peter O’Riley switched to actresses and named Sydney Sweeney.

“Jordan, who’s your celebrity crush?” Tessa asked the goalkeeper, and he tugged off his gloves.

He pulled out the chain hanging around his neck from under his kit and flashed his wedding band before pressing a kiss to it. “My wife.”

“Awww,” Tessa said before she could stop herself.

“Oh, come on, give us a real answer,” Nelle urged through a laugh.

“That is a real answer,” Jordan argued. “My wife is more famous than I am.”

Nelle rolled her eyes as he made way for Paige.

“Paige, who’s your celebrity crush?”

“Jordan’s wife,” Paige answered, snorting through the word “wife” as Jordan whirled around, affronted.

“Oi!” he warned.

“You be nice to Laci,” Paige quipped. “Or I will be so,sonice to her.”

They elbowed each other playfully as they walked down the tunnel. Tessa’s mouth turned up into a smile. Maybe the men and women could train together peacefully. Paige and Jordan teased each other, Hector and Zahra exchanged a few flirty looks, and Monika and Callum gave each other tips on the best way to take a penalty as they walked.

Jamie approached next and Tessa braced herself as she asked, “Jamie, who’s your celebrity crush?”

Jamie’s face froze, and Tessa saw a glimpse of panic behind her eyes. She recovered quickly, blinking and clearing her throat, but Tessa knew it was a ploy to buy time. Jamie had never been attracted to men. There was no way she had an answer ready to go.

“Er. . . ” she trailed off. “Hozier? I guess?”

Tessa bit her lip to hold back a laugh. For someone who didn’t want people to know she was a lesbian, Jamie was not hiding it well with that answer.

Neriah, who was behind Jamie, halted. “Hozier?”

Jamie blinked. “Is that odd?”

“No, but it is gay,” Neriah said with a scoff.

The color drained from Jamie’s face. “But. . . he’s a man.”

“And? Have you seen that man? He’s not for the straights.”

“I don’t understand—”

“Okay, why don’t we get your celebrity crush, Neriah?” Tessa intervened, and Jamie shot her a grateful look before she disappeared down the tunnel. “You seem to have put some thought into this.”

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