Slammed, стр. 24

“You’re not bending well,” Ezi assessed in two seconds flat, with a soft tut of disappointment. “We might have to modify your serve, at least for the first match.”

“We’ll worry about that tomorrow,” I said. “I’m just stiff from the plane.”

That just earned me a stop-the-bullshit glare. Ezi could have had a gold medal in that, if the Olympics would only make it a sport. She was interrupted by the arrival of Alice, who’d be sharing the suite with me and our mother. Thank God for separate bedrooms.

“Sure these digs are fancy enough?” Alice asked, dropping a pile of bags on the floor of the shared living room. “I mean, is there anything in here that isn’t sculpted from marble or gold?”

It was actually pretty tasteful, with lots of soft touches and very pleasant art on the walls. Only my sister could make it sound like Trump Tower.

“If you don’t like it, I think there’s a backpackers’ hostel…somewhere. If you want to be so authentic.”

“When are you all going to liven up and move to Brooklyn for this? It’s a straighter shot to your little stadium, for a start.”

“We can’t all be ageing hipsters. Now, what do you want to do today? I want to actually see you while we’re here.”

“I thought Ezi would have you locked in the gym by now, honestly.”

“No, she doesn’t pay me enough to do bonus hours,” Ezi complained. “I’m not officially on the clock until tomorrow morning. So I’m going to make the most of being in New York. You two should as well.”

I plucked the plastic folder from my handbag without looking, knowing that Parisa would have placed it there while we were on the plane to Teterboro Airport. Sure enough, it was filled with a stack of invitations and printed requests for my attendance. Sponsors, both of me personally and the tournament, were always keen to have some splashy events. I dropped the pile on the coffee table and gestured for Alice to choose.

“Let’s see…” She began to sift through them, discarding the bland corporate ones right away. “Oh, champagne? Maybe. Something with water polo?”

I shook my head. I wasn’t doing anything that required exerting my hip or wearing a bikini.

“Well, tonight is sorted,” she decided, setting aside a couple of fancy cards that seemed to be exclusively about cocktails. “Let’s start with this little shindig; it’s only a few blocks away. Anna Wintour’s hosting, so you know it’s going to be a good time.”

I had met the infamous fashion editor a few times, since she liked to feature tennis in the magazine whenever she could. I wasn’t hot on her radar in the same way as the girls who really did look like models, but she loved the sport enough to treat me with a great deal of respect. She’d made vague mentions about me doing a cover someday, but to my eternal relief nothing had ever come of it.

“Let’s go,” I said, knowing that if I started stressing about what to wear, we’d never get anywhere. It hadn’t been a long flight, and I didn’t look too crumpled. “What’s the actual event?”

“Something about organic gin and…badminton?” Alice said as we headed down in the elevator. “That doesn’t seem right. But hey, it’s all hitting stuff, right?”

I groaned and fired off a text to Parisa. She would be thrilled that I’d finally shown up to some events without being bribed, coaxed, or dragged. Plus, I wanted her to relax and have some fun too. She could snag all the freebies and promotional stuff and actually use most of it too.

There were press in the lobby as we emerged, but as I’d stayed at the Palace every year for the past five years, I knew how to duck them by that point. After making a sharp turn, we entered a staff-only door by the elevator bank and followed the corridor out to the street.

“Not in the mood for the paparazzi?” Alice teased. “It’s just the Euro press. The Americans don’t really care that much.”

“Still, cameras,” I groaned. “There’ll be plenty at the event, and tonight as well I bet.”

“Good. Wouldn’t want to miss a chance to embarrass you, Elin.” There was just a hint of edge to her voice, like she thought her presence was the reason I’d given a full-body swerve to the public glare.

“You’ve been trying for twenty-seven years and haven’t managed it yet,” I said, and it sounded a lot softer than I meant it to. I just didn’t ever want Alice to doubt that I was proud of her, since I knew beneath her mockery that she was always proud of me. Or I hoped, at least. “Although that winter you had green hair came pretty close.”

“Well, if you ever get sick of blonde…”

“I’ll know green doesn’t suit us. Good note.”

We strode down the sidewalk to the restaurant. The gin company sponsoring it had put up signs that could be seen from space, or at least New Jersey. At least we knew we had the right place.

Parisa caught up to us at the door, still an expert at running in impossible heels. She and Alice greeted each other with air kisses, and I got a quick hug for my trouble. Parisa had been the advance party, in town for two days already.

“You made it quickly,” I said.

“Your mother was finding things for me to do,” she replied with a shudder. “The only way to escape was if you needed something, so thank you. How come you’re doing the press and promo?”

“Because she’s still in pain, and she’s worried she might crash out early,” Alice answered, linking her arm with Parisa’s and ushering me through the doors. “So she wants to get her face out there, make sure it’s not a waste of time dragging you all here.”

“Alice!” It was a warning and a protest at how quickly she had figured me out.