He flipped the switch, ran to the other side, and lunged for the first ball. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he hit forehands, one after another, drilling the balls over the net and pinging off the curtain. Each swing left him grunting, throwing all his strength into beating his opponent.
After a few minutes, he fell into a routine. Each ball represented a threat to Shauna, and he smashed it over to the other side of the court with all his power. Sweat dripped down into his eyes, but he kept going. He couldn’t stop.
The machine took two hundred tennis balls, and he returned them faster, harder each time, letting himself sink back into a routine that was more familiar to him than waking up every morning. This is where he belonged. This was what he could control.
Out on the court, he could pretend his life was easy, that there wasn’t a woman loving him, and pain ready to take someone he loved. He was playing a game. One he knew well.
Repetitive movements, constant power, and two hundred tennis balls later, he dropped his racket on the court and walked out. He walked down the hallway to his office. Leaving the lights off, he sunk down in his chair, and buried his head in his hands.
He knew what he had to do.
“I’m not letting you go this time, sweetheart.” He ground the heels of his palms into his eyes. “You’re mine. You’ve always been mine.”
“Juan!” Shauna jogged across the school parking lot until she reached his side. “Have you seen Grayson? I can’t find him anywhere.”
“No.” He flipped his shaggy blond hair to the side. “Now that you mention it, he wasn’t at the house when I left either.”
She bit her bottom lip. Something was wrong. He was supposed to meet her at the park and take the press around to the different sites where the celebrities were working. Instead, the park was empty of cameras and she couldn’t find Grayson anywhere.
“If he shows up, can you ask him to call me?” She brushed the wrinkles out of his shirtsleeve. “Yeesh, Juan, it looks like you live in a suitcase.”
“Hey. It’s the look I’m going for.” He beamed at her with the straightest teeth she’d ever seen. “The chicks love it.”
“Hm. I bet they do.” She sighed. “Anyway, I’ll be out at the lake this morning helping Bruce. Tell Grayson to call me. It’s important.”
“No problemo.” He lifted the strap of his duffle bag with his good arm, and headed toward the gym. “Thanks for sending over all my supplies. Not being able to use my shoulder makes my life complex. It sucks. I can’t wait ’til they give me the okay to start acting like a human again.”
She studied the way the elastic strap held his wrist to his ribs, immobilizing his shoulder. “How much longer do you have to take it easy?”
“Coach says two weeks, but I’m hoping to talk the doctor into letting me start therapy next week.” He grinned. “The doc wants me to date her sister, so I think I can work something out with her.”
She laughed. “Don’t push yourself. You’ve gained a fan, and I want to see you on the slopes soon.”
“Dump Grayson and we can scoot to the mountain right now and get a run on.” He winked. “There’s nothing like snuggling to keep warm.”
She shook her head. “Not on your life. Not even for you.”
“Good answer. Grayson’s a lucky man. I’m happy for you two,” he said.
Shauna left Juan laughing, and strolled to her car. She drove the shortcut through her old neighborhood, glancing at her dad’s house and the garage, before taking her foot off the gas pedal and stopping along the curb.
Oh my God.
The freshly mowed lawn, the flowerpots decorating the porch, and the flag blowing in the wind gave her a glimpse of how much her dad’s life had changed since her mother had come back. He’d begun to take pride in his home again. Her hands slipped off the steering wheel. Even the shutters around the kitchen window now matched the rest of the house.
What would cause a grown man to remain faithful to his wife after all the years spent asking questions to the air and feeing abandoned? She slouched in the seat. Belinda had never called, sent a letter, or checked up on her family. If her mother loved her dad so much, how could she do that?
What kind of mother leaves her daughter without any regrets? She thumped her hand against the steering wheel. She swore never do that to someone she loved.
Tony stepped out of the garage and lifted his arm in the air. Shauna waved back. She should go, but instead she found herself opening the door and walking down the driveway.
“I figured you were busy today. Everyone is talking about all the stars, and the events planned. You’ve done a real good job making something of Cottage Grove, sweetheart.” Tony ruffled her hair when he hugged her, making her smile.
Some things never changed.
Some things she never wanted to change.
Her dad’s love was one of them, and she knew whatever hold her mom had on him, if she was going to continue her relationship with her dad, she’d have to deal with the whole package. She just wasn’t ready to lower her armor and allow herself to get hurt again.
“I am, but not too busy to stop and see my dad.” She gazed over at the house. “I’m on my way over to the lake now. You should come on over and learn something from Bruce. Might help you catch more fish.”
Tony smiled. “Half the fun of fishing was the company I kept. We had some good times drowning worms, huh?”
She nodded. “Some of the best memories I have.”
“Mine too,” he said.
She glanced everywhere but at him. “The house looks nice. You cut the grass.”
“Yeah.” He pointed to the porch. “Belinda’s been planting things in all those empty pots I had in the garage, and even has more flowers in back still in the flats. She wants me to make window boxes next. I told her before long it’ll look like an old couple lives here and she’ll want me to paint the house yellow.”
She shuffled her feet. “I better go. It was good seeing you, Dad. Maybe next week we can go out to dinner. Just the two of us. I have something to tell you.”
“Oh, yeah?” He smiled. “Good news, I hope.”
“The very best.” She grinned.
“Is this about Grayson?” He adjusted his baseball cap. “I’ve heard the rumors. That’s the great thing about small towns. News travels fast and often.”
She laughed. “Yes. I finally convinced him I wasn’t crazy, and we’ve been seeing each other. I’m … he’s … it feels right, ya know.”
“That’s my girl. You were always stubborn, but your heart was in the right place. I’m glad to hear Grayson’s realized there’s no way to run from you.” He laughed. “At least now I don’t have to worry about what kind of trouble you’ll get in trying to win his attention.”
“About that … ” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry that I was such a hard kid to raise.”
“Not hard. Interesting.” He shrugged. “You were my daughter. I thought everything you did was cool.”
“Cool, Dad?” She laughed. “Next thing you’ll say is ‘groovy.’”
“Don’t blame me for trying to stay young,” he said.
She threw her arms around his barrel chest and kissed his rough cheek. “I love you, Dad.”
“Love you too, buddy.” He took off his hat and swatted her backside. “Go on and get outta here. I need to get back to work.”
She jogged to the car, and drove off. By the time she arrived at the lake and walked down to the water, Bruce already had a group of kids fishing in the pool and the adults stringing their poles. She checked in with the volunteers running the cash boxes, and later kept busy talking and catching up with old friends.
The hours flew by as she shuttled back and forth from the school to the lake to the park making sure everything ran smoothly. At five o’clock she called it another successful day.
Not having heard from Grayson all day, she hurried back to the hotel. While eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, she called Grayson’s cell. After six rings, her call went to voice mail.
“Hey, it’s me. Give me a call. I’m at the hotel.” She paused. “Okay, call me soon. I missed you.”
Not giving up, she called his house. When no one answered, she called the tennis center, and the desk personnel informed her Grayson had left hours ago.
She braced her elbows on her knees and stared at the floor. It was odd that she hadn’t seen him all day. Not even a glimpse of him at the events.
Where are you, Grayson?
“You’re so full of shit, Schyler.” Crista threw the throw pillow at Grayson’s head. “Call Shauna and have her come over.”
“No.” He ducked. “The farther away she stays from me while the press is in town, the better. The benefit is almost over, and then I don’t have to worry about someone questioning her. She’s trying to make a name for herself and provide growth for Cottage Grove. I won’t let anyone stop her from reaching her goal.”
“Oh man, it’s a good thing my sisters aren’t here. They’d rip your balls off for taking the choice away from Shauna.” Gary laughed.
“Hell, your sisters don’t like any man. I think they’d use the occasion to throw a bashing party and take out the whole town.” Grayson picked up the cushion and set it on his desk. “I can’t believe you survived, growing up with six sisters. Not to mention every single one of them could stand in on any defensive line and win the damn game.”
Gary nodded. “My momma raised us on meat and potatoes, what can you expect?”
“You should go talk with Shauna.” Juan pulled his hair back in a ponytail and tied it with a rubber band. “She’s worried.”
“She’s fine. Shauna is Shauna. She’s throwing herself into raising money with everything she’s got. Hanging around me will only distract her. She came back to Cottage Grove for one thing … to prove she was over bringing trouble down on her. When we’re together, people will talk. The event is almost over, and then things will go back to normal.” Grayson sighed. Was there such a thing as normal when Shauna was around?
“Still … if Shauna was my girlfriend, I wouldn’t let her have any free time alone to think up ways to see me.” Bruce stretched his arms over his head. “That girl has a wicked imagination.”
“True. Trouble always follows her.” Grayson burst out laughing. He rather liked not knowing what she was up to. It kept him on his toes. “You don’t have room to talk. I don’t see you guys calling your girlfriends.”
“Women don’t float my boat.” Crista slapped Juan when he opened his mouth. “Shut up, Juan. Don’t even talk.”
“God, I love when you boss me around.” Juan leaned closer. “We could be so good together.”
Crista ignored him and gazed at Grayson. “I’m telling you … she doesn’t deserve you.”
“Enough. I’m through talking about Shauna.” Grayson stood up. “If you were my friend, you’d see that this is the best thing I can do for her. You all know how hard the reporters work to drag up the past. Shauna’s got more past than any of us. She doesn’t need that kind of public humiliation right now. This is her moment.”
Crista picked up her beer off the coffee table, drank, and continued to glare at him. “I’ve never understood how you could come to the conclusion that Shauna isn’t smart enough to handle herself in any situation. When it comes to stupid males, you’re right up there with the best of them. Any nice thing I’ve ever said to you in the past, I take back.”
“I understand his pain.” Dominic tossed a tennis ball in the air, caught it, and repeated the action again. “Women are awful. They never think about our feelings. They have no understanding that we hurt, and have pain too.”
Crista swiped the ball before it could land in his hand. “Cry me a river, you big ox. I’m out of here. You guys can moan and whimper the rest of the night. I’m going for a run.”
“You ran all day.” Juan laid his good arm around her shoulder. “Why don’t you and I take a stroll and — ”
She elbowed him in the ribs. “Get lost, Juan, unless you want your other arm busted. I’m not one of your fan girls.”
Crista left, the door slammed, and the following silence irritated Grayson more than the lecture. He tossed the key ring to Dominic. He’d go to the house to find space to figure out how he could celebrate with Shauna after tomorrow’s events. She deserved something big for all her hard work.
“Hey! Where are you going? I thought we were all staying a while at the center, opening the bottle of whiskey, and toasting our success.” Juan sat down on the chair in Grayson’s office. “We had a successful day.”
“We could call Shauna and see if she wants to come over.” Gary glanced at his watch. “It’s not that late. What’s her number? I’ll call her.”
“Leave her alone.”
“Oh, come on. She wants to see you. I don’t want her mad at me, thinking I didn’t give you her message.” Juan stifled a yawn. “She’s worked harder than any of us, and deserves to relax and chill.”
“Don’t. Call. Her. I’m serious,” he said.
“Grayson — ”
“I’m outta here. Lock up when you’re done and whatever you do, don’t roughhouse and break up my office or ruin the courts.” Grayson shut the door behind him.
Cottage Grove wasn’t the place to hide from someone if you were looking for a place where no one would find you, especially Shauna. He hated resorting to old habits, but she had an event to oversee and he wouldn’t do anything to embarrass her. He’d done that enough in the past.
He walked through the garage and out the back door into his private yard. With the others gone, he had the place to himself. He sat down at the edge of the pool, took his shoes and socks off, and stuck his feet in the water.
There had been a time when he used to sit out here in the dark. His parents were dead, Shauna was gone, and his manager would be asleep in one of the spare bedrooms, and he’d stare into the pool, imagining Shauna walking up to his front door after being away from him for years.
In his mind, he opened his arms and she ran toward him as if the time apart had meant nothing. He stared down into the water, watching the lights play off the surface. His career, the press, and his dreams never entered the equation. It was just him and Shauna, the way it was always supposed to be.
But she’d stayed in college, and he’d gone on to break records.
He gained a reputation as a charmer. He knew how to work the press. They called him the golden boy. Every time he played, he won, and he got more attention.