Page 16 of A New Chapter in Rosewood Beach (Rosewood Beach #7)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Terrence strolled along the terrace of an indoor-outdoor restaurant, gazing out at the golf course that sprawled beyond it. He had just finished performing a health inspection for the restaurant, which belonged to the local sports and recreation center located on the outskirts of Rosewood Beach.

He was looking for an empty table where he could sit and finish filling out his paperwork.

There wasn’t much that needed to be fixed at the restaurant, but it was a newer establishment, and he always liked to write out detailed notes for newer businesses.

He liked to outline all of the things that might go wrong unexpectedly, so that the restaurant would be better equipped to handle them if they did happen.

It’s a very nice place, he thought, smiling to himself as he uncapped his favorite pen and began to write. The kind of place I’d like to return to as a guest. Clean, smells fresh, and what a view!

He paused in his work to look out over the golf course and nearby tennis courts.

He’d never been one for sports, but he could certainly appreciate the sight of the well-kept facilities.

The tennis courts were bustling with life as people dressed in bright colors knocked balls back and forth across the nets, and there were several parties of people out and about on the bright green golf course as well.

It was a peaceful setting, a pleasant blend of nature and civilization, he thought as he went back to his paperwork. In a few minutes, he’d written down everything that he wanted to in impeccable, error-free cursive.

He stood up and went to find the owner, who was chatting with the hostess at the front of the restaurant. He spoke with him briefly about his findings and then handed off his signed report and notes.

He left the restaurant and made his way toward his car, which was parked in a parking lot at the bottom of the hill, near the tennis courts.

He took deep breaths as he walked, delighting in the smell of the gardens that lined the cement path.

Terrence had a soft spot for flowers, although he could only name a few of the species that bordered the walkway.

He had just reached his car and was about to get in when something whizzed straight toward his head. He realized that it was a neon green tennis ball, and he ducked just in time before it hit him.

“Gracious,” Terrence murmured as he watched the ball bounce to a stop after hitting the top of his car. “That was a lucky miss.”

A woman wearing a pink visor, pink and green neon leggings, and a matching pink workout top ran up to him, words of apology tumbling out of her mouth.

“I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t hit you, did I? I’m just learning how to play tennis, and I?—”

Terrence blinked in surprise when he recognized that the woman was Vivian. She seemed to recognize him at the same time, and she blushed in mortification.

“Oh,” she gasped. “Terrence, I?—”

For a moment, neither of them said anything. All Terrence could think about was the kiss that they had shared, and based on the way Vivian was still blushing furiously, he guessed that she was thinking of it as well.

“You’re taking tennis lessons?” he asked her, feeling fascinated by her colorful outfit. It suited her, he thought. He’d never seen her wear something so bright before, but it seemed to match her warm, fun personality.

“Oh, no, just spending some time with Hazel and trying to learn.” Vivian cleared her throat.

As if on cue, Hazel hurried toward them.

“Hi, Terrence!” she called, waving to him. She was also dressed in leggings and a workout top, but hers were a matching pale blue.

“I’m so sorry again,” Vivian said, gesturing to Terrence’s head. “I’m so glad you didn’t get hit.”

“Were you trying to give me the same sense of what a near-death experience feels like, same as what you had?” he teased good-naturedly.

Vivian laughed. “Heavens, no. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Although, I suppose it did lead me here.”

Terrence cocked his head to one side, feeling confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, a positive side of my near-death experience was that it opened my eyes to the fact that my life is far from over. It made me want to live my life to the fullest, starting with playing tennis like I’ve always wanted to.”

Terrence felt impressed. “That’s an excellent attitude to have, Vivian. I’m glad you’ve decided to take up a new hobby. How do you like it so far?”

“Very much.” Vivian was still slightly out of breath, but she was smiling now and didn’t seem embarrassed anymore. “Hazel is a great teacher.”

Terrence turned to Hazel, who had been watching Vivian and Terrence interact with unconcealed interest. “That’s great. You play tennis, Hazel?”

She shook her head, laughing. “I do today! I played it some when I was a kid. Mom was right, though, it’s much easier to pick it back up than I thought it would be.”

“It’s so much fun,” Vivian said. “Pretty tiring, but I expect that will get easier as soon as I’m more in shape, and tennis will definitely help with that.”

“Yes,” Terrence said, nodding. “I believe physical activity usually results in more energy and improved stamina.”

For a few moments, he blinked at Vivian and she blinked back at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hazel looking back and forth between them.

“Well,” he said finally, completely at a loss for words, “I guess I’d better get going.”

“Do you like tennis?” Vivian blurted, as if she was trying to keep the conversation going longer.

“I’ve never been one for sports,” Terrence admitted honestly. “But it does look like fun. I was watching some of the tennis matches from the restaurant earlier, but I had no idea that both of you were down there.”

“If you’d known what we were wearing, we would have been impossible to miss,” Hazel joked. “Isn’t Mom’s outfit fabulous?”

Vivian blushed again, and Terrence nodded. “Yes,” he agreed. “She looks wonderful.”

Vivian blushed even harder. “Do you like watching sports, then, even if you don’t enjoy playing them?”

Terrence wasn’t sure if she was trying to change the subject, or simply trying to keep the conversation going still. He certainly didn’t object to speaking with her longer, but he felt a bit confused about where the conversation was going.

“I don’t typically watch sports, but I tend to enjoy spectating whenever I do,” he said, stammering slightly. It was a topic he’d never given much thought to, and he felt preoccupied by the way Vivian was smiling at him with more warmth than she usually did.

There were another few moments of electrically charged silence, and then Hazel spoke up. “Terrence, I wanted to thank you for coming to Mom’s rescue that day she was coming back from Providence. We all really appreciated the way you were willing to hurry out to her so quickly.”

“Of course.” Terrence nodded earnestly. “I didn’t have anything going on at the time, but even if I had, I would have left right away. No matter what, I would have—well, anyway it was no problem.” Terrence felt the tips of his ears turn pink as he cleared his throat.

He and Vivian locked gazes for a moment. Beside them, Hazel cleared her throat gently and then scooped up the offending tennis ball.

“I’ll see you back at the court, Mom,” she said hurriedly. “Bye, Terrence! Good to see you.”

“Bye, Hazel!” Terrence called, but he didn’t look away from Vivian. They continued to blink at each other for a few more heartbeats, and he wondered what she was thinking.

“I guess I’d better be going,” he said finally.

“Of course.” Her cheeks looked slightly flushed as she smiled at him. “I shouldn’t keep you any longer, I’m sure you have places to be. Good to see you.”

She was about to turn away, but he reached out and gently touched her arm.

“Vivian.”

She turned back to him, her eyes slightly wide.

“We really should discuss what happened the other day,” he said softly, his voice low because his words were for her ears alone.

Vivian nodded, her eyes wider. She paused for a moment, and he saw her inhale and then exhale before speaking. “I do think that’s a good idea. And we will talk about it. But right now, I—I should get back to Hazel.”

“Of course.” He smiled, feeling both relieved and disappointed that they weren’t about to have that high-stakes conversation after all.

Did she want to wait because she didn’t know what to tell him?

Or did she want to wait to talk about it because she was worried he didn’t feel romantically toward her, but she did feel that way toward him?

Or did she want to wait because she didn’t feel that way, and she was worried about hurting his feelings?

“I’ll see you soon, Vivian. Have fun playing tennis.”

“Thank you, Terrence. See you later.” She smiled at him again, almost shyly, before turning around and starting back toward the tennis court.

He watched her go, standing next to his car until she’d disappeared back onto the tennis court. When she’d been out of sight for several heartbeats, he let out a long, luxurious sigh and got into his car.