“Sure,” Spencer said absentmindedly, keeping her eyes on the match. “I’ll meet you at the spa in a few.”
When the game was finished—a complete rout—Colin and his buddy shook hands, walked to the sidelines, gulped down two bottles of something called AminoSpa vitamin water, and stripped off their shirts. Spencer coolly picked at her cuticles, not wanting to stare too pointedly at Colin’s absolutely perfect abs. He was definitely hot—maybe even hotter than Wren, the boy Spencer had stolen from Melissa earlier this fall. If he weren’t so mobbed with fans, he might just make the perfect winter-vacation fling. It had been ages since Spencer had gotten excited over a guy.
“Hey, Colin,” Lacoste Dress cooed, winding a piece of blond hair around her finger. “That was some amazing tennis.”
“You’re sooo good,” another girl drawled. “Do you practice every minute of the day?”
“Pretty much.” Colin wiped sweat off his face and opened another bottle of AminoSpa. “My trainer’s down here for the winter—sometimes we play with the pros. The other day I saw Andy Roddick on the courts.”
The girls nudged each other. “That is amazing,” one of them said. “Nike should so sponsor you.”
Colin just grinned. He finished loading his gear into a big lime-green Adidas bag and started in the direction of the clubhouse. Suddenly, he stopped and stared straight at Spencer. She could feel his eyes boring into the top of her head as she pretended to smooth a wrinkle on her cover-up. “Hello.”
All of the girls’ heads swiveled toward Spencer, too. “Hey,” she answered, looking up and trying to remain poised and confident.
Colin took a few steps toward her. “Are you a new member of my cheering section?”
Spencer cocked her head. “I don’t really do cheering sections—unless I’m the athlete being cheered on. But maybe I could make an exception.”
The groupies began nudging each other. “Who is that?” one of them whispered.
“I bet she isn’t even a club member.” Wedge Heels didn’t even bother to lower her voice.
Spencer glared at them, and every groupie looked away en masse. Suddenly, they reminded her of her parents. Excluding her. Acting like she didn’t belong. Acting like she wasn’t good enough to be here.
She turned to Colin again. “Like I said, I’m more into doing than cheering. What I’d rather do is volley with you sometime. If you ever need a partner, that is.”
Colin raised an eyebrow. “Do you play?”
Spencer flicked her hair over her shoulder. “Of course I play.” Her parents had made her take lessons since she was four.
Colin leaned back and eyed her carefully. After five long beats, he looked down and pulled out a BlackBerry from his bag. “You’re on, then. What’s your name?”
Spencer told him, and the girls started whispering again. “Let’s play tonight,” Colin decided, tapping something into his phone. He didn’t bother to give Spencer his name. He probably assumed she already knew it. He was right—and she liked his confidence.
Spencer pretended to mentally check her schedule. “I think I could arrange that.”
“Good.” Colin tossed the empty AminoSpa bottle in a perfect arc into the trash can. “See you tonight at five-thirty. Same court. Winner buys drinks.”
Spencer suppressed a smile and slipped her sunglasses back over her eyes. Had they just made a date? And he had assumed she was old enough to drink. Score.
Colin shot her a wink and sauntered away. Spencer was dying to watch him climb the stairs and glide toward the locker room, but she restrained herself, not wanting to seem too eager. When she turned toward the gate, she came face-to-face with Colin’s groupies, who were still staring at her.
She looked them straight in the eye. “Is there a problem?”
The girls flinched. Their mouths dropped open into matching round Os.
“I didn’t think so,” Spencer said breezily. She pulled her tote higher on her shoulder and strode off the court to meet Melissa in the spa. She could feel their gazes on her back the whole way down the sidewalk. The sun felt brighter, the air more fragrant, and when she glanced up at the blue sky, she saw a floating cloud that formed a near-perfect heart. She had a tennis date with a hot guy, and she already knew what the score would be: love–love.
Chapter 3
Some Girls Get All the Breaks
Smack.
Spencer couldn’t help but watch in awe as her serve arced through the cool evening air, forming a perfect path over the net like a shooting star.