Long Game

by Catherine Evans

  Quin choked on laughter. ‘When did you get muscles like that?’ He waved his hand at her.

  She waved her hand at him. ‘Hello. Footy player. We need muscles. You’ve got them.’

  He leaned his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. ‘You mean you ogle my spectacular arse too?’

  The last thing he expected was to make her blush. Her gaze dropped and all the brash cockiness she’d been exhibiting fell away so quickly, all he could do was laugh. ‘Touché, hey?’ He held his hand up for a high five.

  She shook her head as she slapped his palm. It seemed to snap her from her momentary lapse of being a woman. ‘As I was saying …’

  ‘Oh, yeah.’ He listened while she repeated her schedule and plans for the next few months, then asked, ‘Are you going to go home for Christmas?’

  ‘Of course.’

  It was then, when he was wondering if he should ask to go home with her, that he noticed all the salad vegetables she’d been washing. ‘Where did they come from?’

  ‘I bought them today. You didn’t seem to have much in your fridge that I wanted to eat, so I shopped.’

  ‘Right.’ He wasn’t sure when she would have fitted that in but he didn’t want to be questioning her every move. ‘I’ve been away. I thought I’d find out what you wanted and we’d shop tonight.’

  She paused in her carrot dissection and turned, eyes wide. ‘You’ve been away? I hope you didn’t come home because I was coming?’

  He shook his head. ‘Preseason starts next week, I was coming back anyway.’

  She held herself incredibly still before she slowly turned back to the chopping board. ‘Thank you.’ She spoke softly. ‘I’ve really put you out, haven’t I?’ She sliced carrot as she spoke. ‘I just do all this for Dad, so I didn’t even think you’d have a plan, or even want to shop. I should have asked.’

  For someone who’d been so confident a few moments ago, this soft Cress was unexpected and touched a part of him that she hadn’t accessed before. He stood and walked behind her, brushed his fingers along her arm before closing them over her shoulder. ‘Watercress, I know what you’re like. Drill sergeants have nothing on you.’ He laughed so she knew he was kidding because he’d felt the slightest tightening of her arm when he said that. He squeezed her, closed his other hand on her other shoulder and gave her a bit of a shake. ‘Tell me what to shop for and we can sort out our household duties. Then we can talk about the social life and sightseeing and work out an itinerary for the next few weeks of freedom.’

  ‘You don’t have to—’

  He squeezed her, not letting her say anything more. ‘I know I don’t have to. I want to.’ He waited for her tension to ease before saying, ‘And I’ve been planning where I can take you for the last couple of weeks.’

  ‘You have?’ A hint of her natural enthusiasm in those words.

  ‘I have.’ He leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of her head. Her short blonde hair was softer than he expected and the barest hint of clean fresh eucalyptus wafted in the air. Although he wanted to explore that softness and scent further, he stepped back and hit the bench with his flattened palm. ‘Put me to work, Watercress.’

  While she passed him salad items, he got a chopping board and knife ready, and tried to sort out his brotherly feelings. For a few moments tonight, his thoughts had not been brotherly. But, in his defence, he hadn’t spent a lot of time with Cress in recent years, and certainly not while she wore running gear like tiny shorts and a crop top.

  ‘How do you want this chopped?’ he asked.

  She shrugged. ‘However you manage. I’m not fussy how it looks, just how it tastes.’ She shot him a grin and it speared him. He had to get these non-brotherly thoughts under control.

  ‘Right. Good. Easy.’ For a few moments, he gave his complete and utter concentration to the cucumber he was slicing.

  ‘Where did you holiday to?’

  Such a simple question, yet the answer could be so many things. He went with the easiest. ‘The US.’

  ‘Oh, nice. What did you do? Where did you go?’

  ‘I drove, Watercress.’

  ‘Route 66?’ She grinned and there was so much enthusiasm in her, he almost forgot what had sent him fleeing overseas in the first place.

  Chapter 3

  The team meeting had allowed Cress to put names to faces, but it was at training where she’d get to know the girls. If the training was tough, she’d know them well enough for the season ahead; otherwise, during the trial games she’d learn the rest of what she needed to know.

  It was unlikely that the first training session would be tough. However, just in case it was, Cress had left her mowing job until afterwards. It would probably take her a week or two to work out the best way to juggle work and training so she wasn’t physically affected by too much strenuous activity in the heat and humidity.

  It was the humidity in Sydney that was messing her body about as she tried to balance sweating and fluids.

  ‘Hi, I’m Cress Kennedy.’

  The girl she stood beside as she arrived at training glanced over at her, skimmed her gaze along Cress’s length and then shook her hand. ‘Petra.’

  ‘Where are you from, Petra?’

  ‘Northern Beaches, you?’ Petra had a tan but that’s where Cress’s idea of a beach babe ended. Petra was brown-haired, brown-eyed, tall and well muscled. All football player.

  ‘Grong Grong.’

  A snort, a snuffle and then Petra spat out, ‘What?’

  ‘That’s where I’m from. It’s a town in the Riverina, between Wagga Wagga and Narrandera.’

  Still laughing, Petra tried to ask, ‘What’s it called again?’ Her words were all jumbled up in giggles but Cress was pretty sure she knew what Petra had asked.

  ‘Grong Grong.’ This wasn’t the first, and wouldn’t be the last, time Cress’s hometown had caused amusement.

  ‘That’s the most hilarious name I’ve ever heard. Like Boing Boing, and Bong Bong. I can’t decide if you have lots of kangaroos or drugs.’

  ‘We have kangaroos on drugs.’ Cress delivered it deadpan.

  Petra paused for a beat, laughter stopped. She stared at Cress. Hard. Lines slid into her forehead. Cress kept her face passive. ‘You’re pulling my leg, right?’

  ‘I don’t know. Am I?’

  Petra shook her head, as if she couldn’t work Cress out, and that suited Cress well.

  A whistle blew and the training session began with warm-up stretches and drills. Easy stuff to ease into the first day. After the stretches and warm-ups, a couple of light runs around the oval were ordered. When Cress set off, Petra was right beside her.

  ‘Cress, these are my mates Kirstin and Geral, short for Geraldine, but she hates that.’

  Cress waved at each of the girls. Kirstin was leaner than Cress with very angular features, although they may have been amplified by Geral, for whom the description of angular was impossible. Kirstin’s dark hair and eyes contrasted with Geral’s short bouncy curls and bright green eyes. Two girls could not be more different.

  Another girl joined them with a jaunty wave and a face full of make-up. Cress blinked to be sure she wasn’t mistaken. She’d never trained with any girl who wore complete make-up, sure some eyeliner or lip gloss, but this was the works.

  ‘Hi everyone, how’s your morning going?’ Her words were bright and cheery but they grated on Cress as somewhat false.

  ‘Hayley, how are you?’ Petra seemed friendly, in a guarded way. She certainly wasn’t grinning as she had when Geral and Kirstin had arrived.

  ‘I’m just so ecstatic to be here. Isn’t it exciting?’

  Petra’s response was a little snuffle, or else she’d developed a cold quickly. ‘Cress, have you met Hayley?’

  Cress shook her head and leaned over as she loped along. ‘Hi Hayley. Are you from the Northern Beaches too?’ She didn’t look like a beach babe either, but Cress had decided you didn’t need to if you came from there.r />
  Hayley giggled, high-pitched and breathy. ‘No. I’m from the Eastern Suburbs, can’t you tell?’

  Cress sighed. ‘I can’t even tell if someone’s from Sydney, let alone what part.’

  Petra grinned. ‘You girls are going to love where Cress is from.’

  Cress groaned as Geral said, ‘Didn’t she say Riverina?’

  Petra laughed. ‘Oh, it’s so much better when she’s town-specific.’ Then she looked at Cress and winked. ‘You don’t mind, do you?’

  ‘It’s not the first time someone’s laughed at me. I think I’ll handle it.’

  Four faces turned to look at her, keen interest in their gazes. Cress gave her town name, again, and watched as their eyes widened and their lips stretched, and they each dissolved into laughter.

  ‘No way is that real,’ Kirstin said.

  Hayley clicked her fingers. ‘Someone else comes from there, let me think.’

  Petra arched her brows and Cress shrugged. ‘There’s a few hundred people in town. I don’t live there by myself.’ She had an inkling Hayley would come up with Quin’s name fairly quickly. He was their biggest export.

  ‘Oh, my God, Quin Fitzpatrick’s from Grong Grong. Do you know him?’ It hadn’t taken Hayley long at all.

  ‘Of course.’ And then in a little burst of pique, she added, ‘I’m living with him.’ Cress made it sound as matter-of-fact as she could.

  ‘You’re living with him?’ Hayley’s scorn and disbelief came in the tone, but also in the slow glance that roamed over Cress. The curl on her lip after she’d finished speaking and examining only added to the effect. Not that it bothered Cress one little bit, or not that she’d ever let anyone know.

  ‘How did you manage that?’ Hayley was certainly trying her best to rattle Cress.

  Belatedly, Cress realised she should never have said anything. However, sooner or later the girls would have found out and that would have been bad for the team. Cress had to be honest, even when the prickles of jealousy were beginning to tingle along her spine. ‘I grew up with him. He’s my brother’s best mate.’

  ‘Oh, you have a brother?’ Hayley made it sound like Cress had a disease.

  ‘I have four brothers, all older.’

  ‘Holy cow.’ Petra’s voice held a touch of awe. ‘Are they all as good looking as you?’

  Cress laughed loudly. After Hayley’s sneering dismissal of Cress, Petra’s words were even funnier. ‘We’re all blond with blue eyes, yes.’

  Petra’s eyes widened and she let out a sigh.

  Kirstin chimed in. ‘Do they have those cheekbones?’

  Cress hadn’t had this much interest in her looks, ever. ‘Well, not exactly these ones, because they’re in my face.’

  Kirstin laughed and elbowed Cress in the ribs. ‘Do you all share the same sense of humour?’

  ‘Pretty much.’

  They were at the end of their laps and the conversation had to end while they did drills and were instructed in each activity. From the glances they were all giving her, she knew the conversation wasn’t over yet. Petra, Kirstin and Geral would be wanting to know more about her brothers, and Hayley would be angling for an invitation to meet Quin. There was no way Cress would be giving that out.

  In the dressing room, after drills, Geral slapped Cress’s shoulder. ‘No wonder you’re so tough on the field. Four older brothers. Life must have been hard.’ Kirstin and Petra nodded.

  Cress looked from one new friend’s face to the next. They were here again, picking up the conversation as if they hadn’t had an hour of drills in between. Fortunately, Hayley was missing. ‘It wasn’t that bad. Don’t you have brothers?’

  Geral shook her head. ‘I’ve only got a sister.’

  Kirstin nodded. ‘Yeah. One. He’s younger. A total pain.’

  Petra shrugged. ‘Mine’s married. Older. A total nerd.’

  ‘You’ll like my brothers then. They’re totally fun.’

  Petra, Geraldine and Kirstin shared a look between them, but Cress wasn’t sure what they were saying. ‘What’s that about?’ She waved her fingers between them.

  ‘You say that like we’ll meet your brothers.’

  Scrunching her nose, Cress said, ‘They’re coming for the games, so I guess you’ll meet them.’

  Kirstin began fanning herself with her fingers. ‘Bring on game one.’

  ‘I get first dibs.’ Petra wagged her finger at the others but before they could voice their order, Hayley joined them.

  ‘Have you heard?’ Hayley spoke in hushed tones. ‘Mattie got engaged.’

  ‘Who to?’ Petra’s question came quickly and Cress was still processing that Mattie was Matilda, one of the older girls in the team. She’d met her at the team meeting, but hadn’t chatted to her yet.

  ‘Her girlfriend.’ Hayley said it in such a way that Cress’s spine tingled. She hadn’t expected anyone in the team to worry about someone else’s sexuality. Surely they’d come across all types before?

  ‘That’s awesome,’ she said, not having to pretend any excitement. Engagements were always cool. A signpost marking a change in the path of life. Petra, Geral and Kirstin seemed to be as enthusiastic as she was, as they all sported big grins and gave similar responses.

  Hayley peered at Cress, standing right inside her personal space. ‘Are you one of them?’

  ‘Is it any of your business?’

  ‘You are.’ Hayley shook her head with disgust. ‘They’re everywhere.’

  Cress held her ground. ‘It’s a women’s football team, of course women are everywhere. What’s your point?’

  Before Hayley could say anything further, Geral stepped in close. ‘I don’t know about you, but I don’t care about who someone sleeps with, lives with, or carries on with.’

  Kirstin frowned before chiming in with, ‘Matilda hasn’t done anything to make you dislike her, has she?’

  Hayley looked as if she’d eaten something awful.

  ‘Hayley, aren’t they hitting on you, honey?’ Petra’s tone was overly saccharine. Cress snorted even as she tried to keep the laughter in. Petra’s comment was so unexpected, Cress couldn’t even mask her reaction with a cough or a sneeze.

  Hayley looked like she wanted to thump someone, probably Petra, but Cress would be up there too.

  ‘If we’re going to be a team, and win this comp, then we have to pull together, not bitch about each other.’ Hayley’s eyes flared at Geral’s words.

  ‘I want to win. I want the best people on the field. And I want to pull together, be a team. Isn’t that what you want too, Hayley?’ Petra’s backing support for Geral was strong.

  Hayley went a light shade of pink before she looked at the ground. Her feet shuffled, and her shoulders wriggled. Then she looked up, biting her lips together, and gave a sharp nod before walking away.

  Cress grinned at the girls around her but before she could say anything, Petra grabbed her arm and squeezed. ‘We’re a cracking team. From now on, we’re in this together.’

  ‘Together.’ They all spoke and it seemed to echo across the grounds.

  These were her kind of girls. Cress had found not only her team, but her niche within the team. She’d settled in as if she was at home.

  Chapter 4

  Quin sat quietly and tried to keep a grin from forming. Watercress had the oldies eating out of her hand. Her easygoing nature had won them over within the first ten minutes. She hadn’t acknowledged their stares or fears in any formal way, she’d just said out loud, ‘I’m so excited to be doing this. It’s going to take a huge effort to make me walk a step when my eyes are going to be glued to the bridge.’ Everyone had laughed. The ice was broken.

  The lady immediately next to her had said, ‘Is this your first time, dear?’

  Then the woman beside her said, ‘So where are you from?’

  The conversation was now centred on who knew who from any town remotely close to the Riverina. Cress’s lips were twitching as if she was trying to hold back laughter.
Being from a small country town didn’t mean you knew every person in every small town, just that you knew most people in your town. City folk didn’t always catch on to that.

  ‘Why did you move to Sydney?’ one lady asked.

  Watercress hesitated, just a tiny pause as she opened her mouth, closed it, then went to open it again. Quin jumped in. ‘She was selected to play in the new footy team.’ His pride came through in his words, and he hoped she heard it.

  Her gaze darted to his, and her eyes sparkled, but it was all too brief. She turned back to the ladies who were momentarily lost for words. It was as if they’d become stunned by what he’d said. It was then he realised that girls playing footy probably wasn’t something they encountered every day.

  ‘Have you heard that the Aussie Rules are starting a women’s competition?’

  This started some shuffling from the women and they glanced quickly between each other before they all shook their heads, like puppets.

  ‘Women’s Aussie Rules is going to be huge. And Cress is a member of the Sydney Sirens. I hope you’ll be supporting them. Or maybe you don’t follow Aussie Rules?’ Quin looked from one lady to the next, trying to work out if they would even be supporters of any sport.

  ‘I follow the league,’ the lady next to Watercress said, ‘but if Aussie Rules are having a women’s comp, then I’ll certainly be supporting that.’

  ‘You will?’ Cress asked in almost a whisper.

  ‘My goodness, yes. It’s been a long time coming, allowing women to play sport properly. If you have a comp, then I’ll be there cheering. When do you start playing?’ The other ladies seemed to be nodding their heads.

  Cress glanced at Quin, then back to the ladies. ‘We start in the New Year, before the men’s comp. February. Hopefully there’ll be some media coverage. It’s called Women’s Aussie Rules, W.A.R.’

  The ladies chuckled and murmured before one said, ‘And where do you play, dear?’

  ‘Out at Parramatta. The same grounds as the men’s Hercules team. That’s for the home games.’