"You're not quitting."

"I didn't say I was. I said I was thinking about it."

"Fucking semantics. You're not even thinking about it. Not allowed."

"You can't tell me what I can and can't think. It doesn't work that way."

Shannon leaned closer, forcing Sammie to step back. She collided with the wall then shot a desperate look at Taylor, silently asking for help. Only no help would be coming from that direction, she knew that with just one glance. Taylor looked stunned, and almost as furious as Shannon.

"Guys, come one. You're supposed to be my friends. You're supposed to support me."

"Not when you start talking stupid shit like this, we're not. I mean, what the fuck, Reigs? Where is this even coming from?"

"I told you, it's getting to be too much. And I only said I was thinking about it."

Shannon threw her hands in the air, then brought them straight down on top of her head. She closed her eyes and made a low sound in the back of her throat that came out like a growl. Sammie stepped to the side, actually worried that Shannon was ready to come undone.

Taylor caught her arm, holding her in place and pinning her with a confused look. "But why? I don't get it."

"There's nothing to get. I'm just—I don't know if I can do this anymore."

"But why?"

"Because I'm tired."

"We're all tired, Sammie. You don't see anyone else saying they're going to quit." Taylor pointed behind her, but the gesture was empty—they were the only three in the room.

Sammie should have never said anything. She wasn't even sure why she had. But she'd been thinking about it during the entire bus ride up to Philly, and instead of coming to any conclusions, she was more confused than ever. So she'd gotten dressed then dragged Taylor and Shannon to the small bathroom, needing to talk to someone.

That had been a mistake, because both women looked like they were ready to lose it, torn between confusion and anger and worry.

"I should have never said anything—"

"But you did. You can't just drop something like that on us and walk away." Taylor released her hold on Sammie's arm then started pacing around the small room. "What happened? Why this change of heart all of a sudden?"

"It's not a change of heart. I don't want to quit. I just don't—"

"Fuck, Reigs. Out with it already. You're totally fucking with my mojo."

"What? How can I mess with your mojo—"

"OhmyGod, will you just answer the question already! What's going on? Where's this coming from?"

Sammie's gaze slid from Shannon to Taylor. "I told you, I'm tired."

"Yeah? And?"

"And…I don't know if I can keep this schedule up."

"What schedule? Practices? Games? That's only three days a week."

"Yeah. And then there's work. I have a full-time job, remember? And I'm a mom. I have to think about Clare."

"I thought part of the reason you were doing this was for Clare."

"I was. I am."

"Then what's the issue? What's really going on?"

Shannon leaned closer, her brows lowered in a scary frown. "Does this have something to do with your ex? Is that what this is about? Because I have no problem kicking his fucking ass."

"What? No. Jon wants me to keep playing." At least, Sammie thought he did, if his reaction this morning meant anything.

"Then what, exactly, is the issue? Because all of us work."

"Which totally fucking sucks, because you know if we were a men's team, we wouldn't—"

"Shannon! Not now!" Taylor turned back to Sammie. "Out with it. What else is going on?"

Sammie opened her mouth, closed it with a snap. How could she explain, when she didn't understand herself? It wasn't just because she was tired, she knew that much. And it wasn't just because she was worried about not spending enough time with Clare, although that played a huge part in her fears.

She dropped her gaze to the floor, unable to meet the gaze of the other women. "I'm not sure. I mean, I am tired. And yes, I know we all are. I know I'm not the only one with a full-time job. But I need to worry about Clare, too. What if I'm not spending enough time with her? Especially now that Jon's in the picture and spending so much time with her."

The words echoed off the cracked tile of the dirty floors and walls, bouncing around them. Sammie kept staring at the floor, waiting for the other two women to say something. To sympathize. To give her words of encouragement. To commiserate.

Something.

All she heard was silence.

Sammie finally lifted her head then jerked back in surprise, hitting her elbow against the edge of the sink. Shannon and Taylor were staring at her, but not in sympathy.

Not even close.

"You're jealous."

"What? I am not."

"You are, too. You're fucking jealous."

"I think Shannon's right."

"No. No way." Sammie shook her head so fast, her vision spun. She stopped, blinked, waited for her vision to clear, then denied it again. "No. I am not jealous. There's nothing to be jealous of."

"That's exactly what you are. You don't want to share Clare with him."

"Don't be ridiculous." No. They were both crazy. This had nothing to do with Jon.

Did it?

No, it didn't. It couldn't.

Could it? Was she really that petty?

"I think it does. I mean, this wasn't even an issue until a few weeks ago. Isn't that when he started spending time with Clare?"

"Yeah, maybe. But that doesn't mean—"

"That's exactly what it means. Face it, Reigs. You're used to having Clare all to yourself. You don't want to share her."

"Share her? Shannon, she's my daughter. Not some kind of toy. And—"

"Whatever." Shannon waved a hand, brushing her off. "You get my point. And it's stupid."

"How can you say it's stupid? She's my daughter!"

"It's not stupid." Taylor shot a meaningful glance at Shannon then turned back to Sammie. "But Shannon has a point. You're not used to having anyone else in Clare's life."

"That doesn't mean anything." And it didn't. It absolutely didn't mean anything.

Except she was afraid it did. And oh God, what kind of mean, smallminded person did that make her?

"It's not a big deal."

"Shannon—"

"And I have the perfect solution." Shannon talked right over Sammie, ignoring her objections and Taylor's wild gesturing. "Just move in with him."

Startled silence settled over the small room—not just from Sammie, but from Taylor, too. But Taylor recovered quicker than Sammie.

"Are you out of your freaking mind?"

"No. Why would you say that?"

"Because he's her ex-husband, that's why! On what planet does that even make sense?"

Shannon brushed Taylor's objections off then turned to Sammie. "You're sleeping with him, right?"

"I—no." Sammie stopped shaking her head when Shannon shot her a disbelieving glare. "One time. That was it. It didn't mean anything."

"OhmyGod, Sammie! Why didn't you say something?"

"Really? It didn't mean anything?"

Sammie looked back and forth between her two teammates, trying to figure out who to answer first. Shannon was the bigger threat. "No, it didn't. It just…kind of happened."

"Uh-huh. And how many other men have you been with in the last two years?"

"That doesn't—"

"How many?"

Sammie narrowed her eyes, thought about not answering…and realized that wasn't an option, not with the way Shannon was staring at her. "None."

"Yet you slept with your ex. What does that tell you?"

"Nothing. And what does any of this have to do with what we were talking about?"

"Everything, that's what. You think you're missing out on spending time with Clare because she's spending time with your ex. You're already sleeping with him—"

"It was one time—"

"So just move in with him. Problem solved."

"Why would I move in with him?"

"Because you still love him. Duh."

Sammie stared at Shannon in open-mouth shock, her mind completely blank. She had no idea what to say, how to respond. That was—

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Where did that come from? I mean, seriously. How does that mind of yours even work?"

"Oh please. You know it's true. Look at her!" Shannon waved a hand in Sammie's direction. "She still loves him. You know it. I know it. And she knows it, too—she just hasn't admitted it to herself yet."

"I can't." Sammie's denial fell from lips that felt oddly numb. "I don't even trust him!"

"Let me ask you something." Shannon's voice softened, understanding and insight flashing in her eyes. "Where's Clare now?"

"With Jon. But that doesn't mean—"

"You wouldn't leave her with someone you don't trust."

"That's not the same thing—"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. I know better. And so do you." Shannon tapped her on the head the three times with her knuckles. "Now I have to go do extra work on my mojo, try to get it back after this little interruption."

Sammie opened her mouth—to disagree, to complain about being knuckled, to say something about Shannon's mojo. She never got the chance because the door swung open and Coach Reynolds stormed in, pinning all three of them in place with her furious gaze.

"Is there something going on in here I need to know about?"

"No, Coach."

"Then is there a reason the three of you are in here, instead of out on the ice, warming up?"

"No—"

"Reigs was talking about quitting."

"Shannon!" Taylor hissed her name, shot an apologetic look at Sammie. "Coach, it's not—"

"Wiley and LeBlanc. Out. Now."

Shannon and Taylor hesitated, glanced at Sammie, then hurried from the room. Coach Reynolds moved in front of the door, her dark eyes studying Sammie. Judging. Weighing. Sammie shifted under the scrutiny, forced herself not to look away.

"You quitting, Reigler?"

Was she?

The answer came to her immediately. No, she wasn't quitting. Taylor was right, she had worked too hard for this. All of them had. She didn't want to quit. And quitting wouldn't help with the real issue, now that Shannon had—in typical Shannon-fashion—tossed the real issue straight into Sammie's face.

She straightened, shook her head. "No, Coach."

"Then get your ass out to the ice where you belong. Now."

"Yes, Coach."