In a strange way, I feel like I’m really seeing her for the first time—like she’s finally letting me in. They’re fleeting, but I’ve seen little glimpses of who she really is here and there since I started with the Aces. There’s something so honest and open about her in those moments, those rare times where the carefully constructed walls of hers slip, and I can see right down to the core of her. I like that soft, vulnerable side of her more than I care to admit, and I hope that we can eventually get to a place where she trusts me enough to show it more often.

Hannah notices me watching her when she lowers her glass, and warmth rises to my face. I don’t usually get flustered like this around women, but I can’t seem to help it when I’m around her. She just has this effect on me that I can’t explain, and that’s a big part of the reason I haven’t given up pursuing her, even though I know I probably should. But I don’t want to come across like a lovesick fool, so I clear my throat. “You know, I meant what I said that first day when you saw me in the locker room. I really do want to get to know you more.”

Her brows draw together slightly, like she’s internally debating whether she should let her guard down. But she takes another tentative sip of her whiskey, and as she lowers the glass, her expression relaxes. She leans back against the booth seat but doesn’t say anything for a second, just watches me while she lets the liquid linger on her palate.

“Did you really not know that your coach is my dad?” she finally asks after swallowing.

“No, I really didn’t. I had literally no idea who you were when we met, and I never thought I’d see you again. Not that I didn’t want to.” A hint of a smile appears in the corner of her mouth, but it’s gone as fast as it appeared. Something about that fleeting smile emboldens me. “Does some part of you wish I hadn’t been signed to the Aces? Do you wish I hadn’t come here?”

She contemplates the question, tracing the edge of her glass against the table, then shakes her head so slightly that if I wasn’t watching her every move like it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen—because it is—I would’ve missed it.

“I don’t want that. You’re a great player, and you’ll be good for the Aces.”