24. Piper
PIPER
The early morning sunshine slanted through the shutters, making a parallel pattern across Judy’s bedroom floor.
I was deep in her closet, sorting through boxes of shoes and steeling myself for her ridiculous scarf collection.
The air conditioner hummed outside the window, and golfers shouted somewhere out on the course.
My phone buzzed against my hip. I groaned when I saw the name on the display and almost ignored the call. Lisa.
“You have some nerve,” I said instead of hello.
“Piper—”
“Setting me up with Gideon Bailey without telling me? What the hell, Lisa?”
“You’re both miserable and stubborn,” Lisa said. “Tell me you two weren’t perfect together on that court.”
“Perfect? We barely made it through one practice without killing each other.”
“But you didn’t.”
“He’s one of your clients, isn’t he?” How else could Lisa have arranged that ridiculous match?
“You know I can’t discuss that.” Lisa paused. “He wants to apologize.”
There was my answer. Lisa had to be breaking some physiotherapist/concussion patient rule. The Jimmy Choo in my hand nearly slipped to the floor. “Absolutely not.”
“Piper, hear me out—”
“No, Lisa. I don’t want to hear anything about Gideon Bailey ever again. He made it perfectly clear what he thinks of me.”
“That’s not fair. You both said things you didn’t mean.”
“I said things after he treated me like a sewer rat. There’s a difference.” I set the shoe down carefully, my hands trembling. “Find him someone else to play with. I’m sure one of those country club princesses like Izzy would love it.”
“Piper.”
“I have to go. I’m working.” I hung up before she could respond, then immediately felt guilty. Lisa was just trying to help. But the thought of facing Gideon again made the yogurt and granola I’d managed to eat that morning feel like it was going to make a surprise appearance.
Twenty minutes later, my phone rang again. This time, it was Judy. The staccato of pickleballs hitting paddles gave away her location. I crooked the phone between my ear and shoulder as I pulled out another pair of Jimmy Choo heels.
“Piper, clear your schedule. Janie Myers is doing a special clinic this morning. I’ve arranged for Olive to attend.” It wasn’t a question.
I put the shoe in the box. “A clinic? Judy, I can’t afford—”
“It’s free. Some promotional thing.” Her tone was breezy, but something felt off. “She specifically requested the young players with promise, and you know that’s Olive.”
A free clinic with Janie Myers? That never happened. I didn’t think too hard about it though; Olive would be ecstatic, especially with her upcoming badminton tryout.
“What time?”
“Ten o’clock. Courts five and six. And Piper? You should come watch. On the clock, of course.”
How could I say no? The shoes would have to wait.
An hour later, Olive bopped along beside me, holding my hand as we headed to the courts. She’d changed clothes three times before settling on an all-pink outfit.
“Do you think Janie will remember me from last time?” she asked, adjusting the matching pink sweatband that was a little too big for her head.
“I’m sure she will, sweetheart.” I wasn’t sure who was more excited, me or Olive.
The club was buzzing with activity. Kids ranging from about five to fifteen were scattered across the courts. The sound of paddles meeting balls filled the humid air, punctuated by overenthusiastic shouts from parents sitting in the stands.
“Piper!” Janie Myers appeared beside me, clipboard in hand and whistle around her neck. “So glad you could make it. Olive’s going to love this.”
“Thanks for including her. This is incredibly generous.”
“Thank your friend Judy.”
My suspicions were confirmed, but I didn’t care. If Judy wanted to spend her money on Olive’s racket sports development, I wasn’t going to argue.
“Can I go play now? Please?” Olive tugged on my hand.
“Of course, sweetheart. Have fun.”
She ran onto the courts, gravitating to the group of kids her own age.
Gabby and Ariana were both already involved in drills.
There were so many kids and so much action it was hard to follow the little girl in pink.
I caught one more glimpse of her; she was already laughing and hitting balls.
My heart swelled. What did I do to deserve a boss like Mrs. Lockelhurst?
“She’s a natural,” Lisa said. She had two coffee cups in her hands. “Want to grab a seat in the lounge? We can watch from there.”
I took the coffee, still not ready to forgive her for the ambush but grateful for the caffeine. “Fine. But we’re not talking about Gideon.”
“We don’t have to talk about anything. I just want to hang out with my friend.”
The club lounge overlooked the courts through floor-to-ceiling windows. We settled into leather chairs, but Olive’s group had been moved to one of the far courts. It was hard to see what was going on, so instead, Lisa and I caught up, and I found myself forgiving her.
Forty-five minutes later, we headed back to the courts as the clinic wrapped up. Olive was helping younger kids collect balls, which made my heart swell with pride.
“Mom!” Olive ran over, vibrating with excitement. “That was so much fun! Janie let me play with the older kids, and there was this really nice man who was coaching too. He said I was really good at pickleball.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah! But I told him it didn’t matter how good I was.
In doubles, you have to work together. He said that was very smart.
” Olive’s words came out at a million miles an hour.
I hadn’t seen her this excited in a long time.
I also liked the idea of a positive male role model in a sport that she loved.
“It sounds like you had a good teacher.”
“He was so cool, Mom. You should’ve heard him tell off the grown-ups who were being mean about us being noisy.” She grinned. “He told them that there was something wrong with them if the sound of children laughing bothered them so much.”
I laughed. “This coach sounds pretty cool.” Although I wasn’t impressed by the other members making comments to children. The fact that this new coach confronted them made me like him more already, and I hadn’t even met him.
“That’s him, over there.” Olive pointed toward the far court. My heart almost stopped beating when I realized who it was.
Gideon Bailey.
He was wearing athletic shorts and a faded T-shirt.
Those broad shoulders that stretched out his T-shirt had pinned me against the wall of his pool.
He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would be good with kids, but Olive’s description painted a different picture.
It was a side of him I’d never seen, and it was the last thing I needed to hear right now.
As if he could sense us watching, Gideon looked up. When he saw Olive, he smiled and waved. Then his gaze met mine, and dammit, a jolt ran through my body.
His smile faltered, but he walked toward us. I had to force myself to breathe as he approached, all six foot seven of him towering over everyone left on the courts. How had I missed this gorgeous giant man when we dropped Olive off?
“Olive! Your serves looked so good at the end there.” He held up his fist, and Olive grinned, bumping it with hers. “Is this your mom?” His eyes stayed on me, dark and intense.
“Uh-huh! Mom, this is the man I was telling you about. He helped me with my backhand.”
Gideon’s smile returned, softer this time, and I hated how it made my pulse skip. “That makes sense.”
“What makes sense?” Olive asked.
“Never mind,” he mumbled. There was something I couldn’t read in his expression. “She’s a cool kid, that’s all.”
My throat tightened. This was dangerous territory. “Olive, why don’t you go help Janie finish packing up?”
“Okay! Bye, Coach Bailey! Thanks for helping today!” She skipped off, leaving us alone.
The silence stretched between us. From where I stood, I could smell his cologne, and it brought me back to the night I spent nestled under his arm. My heart thumped, and the only way I could think to slow it was to step away.
“Piper.” His voice was quiet.
“Don’t.” I took another step sideways, but I could still smell the bastard. “Whatever you’re about to say, just don’t.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“You’re going to tell me you’re sorry. Something to make yourself feel better about being a judgmental jerk.”
His jaw tightened. “That’s not what I was going to say.”
“No?” I crossed my arms and took one more step away. “Then what? Maybe the maid is worth talking to after all?”
“Jesus, Piper.” He took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. “Is that really what you think of me?”
“How could I not? You found out I clean houses for a living and have a daughter, and you couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”
“That’s not why I left.”
“Then why?” I shouted. “Why?” I lowered my voice and glanced around to make sure we weren’t creating a scene.
Gideon stepped closer, and I not only smelled his cologne but felt his heat.
My pussy thrummed, and I hated myself for it.
How could I be turned on by a man who had been so mean to me?
“Because you didn’t respect me enough to tell me the truth.
Piper, believe it or not, I like kids. My mom drove a school bus when we were little, and she cleaned other people’s houses too.
I’m the last person who would judge someone for what they did for a living.
I liked everything about you, and if you’d told me the truth…
” His eyes softened. “I would’ve liked that too. ”
I didn’t believe him. “You’re just saying that.” The commotion on the courts had started to settle, and I didn’t want any of the Azalea Bay Club bitches to see us arguing again. I pulled him to the side of the court, keeping an eye on Olive.
“I’m not, and I don’t know what I can do to prove it to you.
” He reached for my hand, but I hid it behind my back.
Olive was still running around with Gabby, oblivious to the drama with her mom and her new coach.
“Piper, I like all of you. The gorgeous woman, the one who cracks funny jokes about cat names…” He paused, and a smile spread across his face. “Oh, did your daughter name your cat?”
I nodded, hoping that the tears I was fighting to hold back weren’t shimmering in my eyes. “Yes, of course she did.” I bit my lip.
Gideon continued. “You’re a confident woman who loves animals, makes a mean lasagna, and it doesn’t hurt that you’re drop-dead gorgeous. The fact that you sacrificed everything for your daughter only makes you more attractive. I wish you could see that.”
“Gideon, stop.” My voice quivered.
He didn’t.
“Piper, you’re the one who made me feel like I was more than just a hockey player.”
My defenses wavered. “It’s better this way. We can be neighbors, friends, right?”
“What would convince you to forgive me?”
The question hung between us. “I watched you with those kids today,” I said. “Olive couldn’t stop talking about how kind you were, how you made everyone feel included. “
“She’s an amazing kid, Piper.” He chuckled. “She knows more about teamwork than I do.” His voice went soft. “She gets that from you.”
“Don’t.” My voice cracked slightly. “Don’t say things like that.”
“Why not? It’s true.”
“Because it makes it harder to stay mad at you.”
Something shifted in his expression. “Maybe that’s the point.”
I could feel my resolve cracking. “I can’t do this again,” I whispered.
“Do what?”
“Pretend that we make sense. That someone like you could actually want someone like me for more than just a few nights of fun.”
“Piper—”
“No, listen to me.” I stepped back again, needing distance. “I’m a twenty-three-year-old single mom who cleans houses for a living. You’re a professional athlete who drives cars that cost more than I make in two years. We don’t live in the same world.”
“We could.”
We could?
“You heard me.” He stepped closer, but this time, I didn’t edge away. “Your daughter just taught me more about teamwork and character than thirty years of competitive sports. You raised her right.”
“Gideon—”
“I’ve been thinking about what she said, about doubles partners needing to work together like one person.” He paused, his eyes intense on mine. “Maybe I’m the weak player here. Maybe I need to figure out how to be better.”
He was saying all the right things. I wanted to throw myself at him, but I glanced across the court. Olive and Gabby had clambered to the stands and were taking turns hopping up the bleachers. Even if I wanted to say yes to Gideon, I had to think of one more person.
“If you decide that this is too complicated or too messy or too much work? What happens to Olive then? She already likes you, Gideon. If this goes south, she’s the one who gets hurt.”
“It won’t go south.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“You’re right. I can’t.” He moved even closer, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. “But I can promise that I’ll try. That I’ll prove you can trust me with both of your hearts.”
The sincerity in his voice almost got me. Almost.
“I need time to think,” I said.
“How much time?”
“I don’t know.”
He nodded slowly, like he’d expected that nonanswer. “For what it’s worth, I understand why you didn’t tell me about Olive right away. Being a parent is the most important thing about you, and you were protecting that.”
“It is the most important thing about me.”
“I know. And I’m not asking you to change that or put it second to anything else.” He reached out like he wanted to touch my face, then let his hand drop. “I’m asking you to let me be part of it.”
“I should go,” I said.
“Piper, wait.”
I turned back, against my better judgment.
“The tournament,” he said. “We’re good together. You know we are.”
“At pickleball.”
“At pickleball,” he agreed. “Maybe we could start there. See how it goes.”
The suggestion was reasonable. A way to spend time together that didn’t involve skinny-dipping and late nights exploring each other’s naked bodies.
He was right—we were good together on the court, but how would we stop that synergy from spilling into other areas, like his thousand-thread-count cotton sheets?
“I’ll think about it,” I said.
“That’s all I can ask.”
As I walked away to collect Olive, I could feel his eyes on me. Despite the hurt and the fear, I found myself wondering if it could actually work.
But first, I had to decide if I was brave enough to try.