12. Piper
PIPER
Sweeping palm trees stood in silhouette as pink and purple hues lined the horizon. The girls bobbed in the pool, perched on the backs of inflatable creatures, while Lisa and I drank some wine. “Look at that sky.” Lisa leaned back in her chair and pointed to the horizon.
“It’s beautiful.” A wave of gratitude washed over me. Maybe it was the Pinot Grigio, or maybe it was the day of playing on the courts with my daughter. Whatever it was, tears sprungin my eyes. How had I gotten so lucky? “Thank you for today.”
“A-ha.” Lisa grinned. “Admit it. Pickleball is better than tennis.”
“It’s fun, I’ll give you that. It’s also more of a workout than I expected.” The pink top I’d borrowed had turned to a deep magenta by the time we were done playing. “Once I got those confusing rules straight.”
“That’s the hardest part.” Lisa sipped her wine.
“I still can’t believe you shot down the hot guy that asked for your number.
When you’re ready to date, the pickleball club is where we will find a man for you.
There are members that are surgeons, hedge fund guys, NHL players, and even a couple of guys that race Formula One.
” She held up a finger as she listed off the types of members.
The only hockey player I knew was Gideon, and he had never once mentioned pickleball. “The guy that asked for my number, do you think that he’s a hockey player?”
“Mr. Cocky? One hundred percent, that guy is a hockey player. Did you see the size of him?”
I had definitely seen the size of him, but he was nowhere near as big as Gideon Bailey. He was cute, had shaggy brown hair, and I felt nothing when he smiled at me.
“If I was single…” She traced the bottom of the glass with her fingertips.
“I’m just not—”
“I know, I know. I get it. You’re not ready.
” Lisa rolled her eyes. “Girls, it’s time to get out of the pool,” she shouted, then returned her attention to me.
“Humor me. If you were ready, who would you pick? Mr. Cocky with the gorgeous biceps from the club or the mystery man who made you come so hard you’re still glowing the night after? ”
I couldn’t help myself. “Mystery man was ten times hotter than that guy today.”
I took off my sunglasses and put them in my purse. While Olive was busy climbing out of the pool, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I don’t think I can ever have sex again. I reached the pinnacle last night.”
“Well.” Lisa crossed her arms and stood. “Unless you’re joining a convent, that means you’re going to have to go back for more.”
Going back would lead to nothing good. “No. I have to think about Olive. She’s my priority right now.”
The girls had ignored Lisa and were lined up on the edge of the pool, trying to see who could make the biggest cannonball splash. I would always put Olive first. No matter what.
Lisa’s sigh was drowned out by the squeals of the girls. “Does that mean you’re going to be single until Olive’s eighteen?”
Shrugging, I tried to act nonchalant. Eighteen-year-old Olive was thirteen years away. A calculation I hadn’t done until that moment. “I guess so. Unless an emotionally stable man who is also amazing with five-year-olds magically appears.”
Lisa raised an eyebrow. “Let your best friend fix that statement. A ridiculously hot, triple-orgasm-delivering , emotionally stable man who is amazing with five-year-olds.”
“You left out magical because I’m probably going to have to take up witchcraft in order to conjure this mystical man.”
“Lisa,” a voice called from the house. Gerry, her husband, leaned out the sliding glass door. When he saw me, he waved. “Hi, Piper.”
I waved back. “Hi, Gerry.”
“Hi, Daddy,” Gabby shouted. “We played pickleball today with the Myers sisters!”
“Awesome.” Gerry’s chest puffed. “Did they notice you’ve been working on your serve?”
Gabby nodded enthusiastically and dove back into the pool.
“I picked up some chicken for dinner, Piper. Are you and Olive staying? We’ve got enough to start our own Popeyes here.”
“No, we’ll be leaving once we drag the girls from the pool. We’ve been trying to get them out for the last hour.”
Gerry chuckled. “They won’t come out until they look like raisins. Lisa, have you seen the barbecue lighter?” He loosened his tie.
“Did you look in the drawer where we keep it ?”
“No.” He gave her the wink and a gun gesture and disappeared into the house.
Lisa rolled her eyes. “The man can balance a billionaire’s profit-and-loss spreadsheet like nobody’s business but loses his glasses every single day.” Her eye gesture suggested annoyance, but the tone in her voice was giving total adoration.
“Found it,” he shouted from inside.
“We’ll continue our discussion later,” she whispered.
“There’s nothing to continue.” I finished my drink.
“I haven’t seen you smile like this since I’ve known you. Give the man a chance. How do you know that he wouldn’t want to step in and look after you and Olive?”
I cast a glance at the door. “I don’t need a man to look after me.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Her eyes were kind.
“Olive,” I shouted through the splashes. “It’s time to go.”
Olive swam to the deep end, her tiny arms working hard inside her floatie vest.
“When does the defiance stop?” I asked. Olive had been a breeze as a toddler but, like any five-year-old, had started pushing the boundaries.
Lisa groaned. “Wait until the hormones start. This is nothing.”
The sliding door rumbled open. Gerry emerged, brandishing the barbecue lighter and wearing an apron. “It was under the rolling pin.” He clicked it a couple of times. “Are you sure you can’t stay? I’m dying to use all the burners on the new grill.”
“I have a few things to do tonight, but someone has decided she’s part mermaid and would rather live in your pool.” I crossed my arms as Olive jumped in the water again.
A whoosh of hot air and aa loud whumph sound distracted me from the pool. Gerry took a step back from the barbecue and rubbed his face. “Honey, do I still have eyebrows?”
Lisa walked to her husband, ran both of her thumbs over her brows, and kissed his lips. “As bushy as ever, but the ends are a little crispy.”
Gerry lowered the lid and turned his attention to the pool. “Girls. It’s time to get out. Olive has to go home.”
Instead of protesting, the three of them got out of the pool. Ariana kissed her father on the cheek. My heart ached for the relationship the girls had with their father. It was jealousy, not for me but for Olive.
Lisa put her arm over my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “Ask him.”
Her heart was in the right place, but Lisa had been out of the dating game for too long.
She had a loyal and dedicated husband. There was absolutely no way a gorgeous hockey star would be interested in getting splashed by cannonballs and barbecuing chicken.
There was no way that Gideon wanted to be a Gerry.
Olive held my hand as Lisa walked us to the car. “It’s hot in here.” Olive hopped into the back onto her booster seat. I cranked the window down, then slipped into the driver’s seat. “Whooo. This car is as hot as that barbecue.” I slipped the keys into the ignition.
“Watch your eyebrows.” Lisa held on to the open door.
Laughing, I turned the key but, instead of starting up, was met with a click. “Oh, no.” I tried it again.
Click.
“The battery must be dead or something,” Lisa said.
This was the last thing I needed—an expensive car repair. “I hope it’s just the battery.”
“Hold on. Gerry’s got one of those charging things.
” Lisa disappeared into the house. We stepped out of the sauna on wheels until she returned with the battery contraption in her hand.
“Gerry said you should do a slow charge. He’s going to hook this up.
I’ll drive you two home, and we’ll bring your car to you tomorrow. ”
Biting my lip, I tried to quell the tidal wave of overwhelm that threatened to crash through my nervous system.
Expensive car repairs would train wreck my budget for the month.
A new car was completely out of the question.
Asking for help was not something I did often.
I had gotten this far in life, pretty much on my own.
“I’ll call a tow truck.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Lisa got into her SUV. “Get in.” I was too hot and tired to protest, and Lisa’s tone told me that she was done with the discussion.
Twilight had given way to night by the time the SUV’s headlights shone on the garage doors of my carriage house. Mr. Lockelhurst came out of the main house carrying a flashlight.
Lisa rolled down the window. “Hi, Keith,” she shouted and waved.
“Lisa, what are you doing here?” My boss peered into the car and smiled as he spotted me in the passenger seat. “Oh, Piper. It’s you.”
“The battery in my car died. This is my friend Lisa.”
“I know Lisa.” Mr. L grinned. “Best physio at Azalea Bay.”
Lisa leaned on the frame of her open window. “Are you still doing the ankle stretches I gave you?”
My boss bounced on the balls of his feet. “Every day.” He looked past Lisa at me. “This woman is the reason I can walk the golf course every day. If only she could fix my slice.” He laughed at his typical golfer joke, then held out an envelope. “This is for you. Someone left it stuck to the door.”
Lisa took the envelope and handed it to me. “Thank you.” I turned it over in my hands. My name was written in swirly cursive.
“No problem, kiddo. You can borrow one of our cars tomorrow if you need one,” he said.
“We’re going to get Piper’s car all charged up and return it in the morning,” Lisa said.
He nodded. “You’ve got a great friend here.” He patted Lisa’s hand. “Good night, you two. Piper, you know where we keep the car keys. You can borrow any of ours for as long as you need it.” He didn’t wait for me to protest and went back into the main house.
“That’s a great boss,” Lisa said.