Page 33

O ver lunch at the clubhouse’s patio café, Endy twirled the long-handled spoon in her iced tea, her salad next to her untouched. Around them, golfers leaned back in their rattan dining chairs, ankles crossed, drinking Stella Artois straight from the bottle.

Her phone vibrated and Endy glanced down at an incoming text, the third one from Sebastian since she’d told him to leave her house the night before. She sighed and her shoulders slumped.

“Que pasa, mi amiga?” Maria asked, placing her hand gently on Endy’s arm.

“Another text from Sebastian,” said Endy, shaking her head.

“Well, have you actually talked to him since last night?” asked Maria.

“No, not really,” replied Endy. “I did reply to his first text this morning, though.”

Maria raised her eyebrows. “And …?”

“And told him that we should call it quits.”

“Endy, you broke up with Sebastian through a text?” exclaimed Maria. “That’s super harsh.”

“It’s a thing,” reasoned Endy, looking chagrined. “Plus, I honestly don’t think I could do it in person.” She leaned her elbow on the table and brought her fist under her chin. “Oh, Maria … don’t you feel like everything is just an absolute mess right now?”

“I mean, sure, you’re going through a tiny rough patch.”

Endy blew out. “That’s an understatement.”

“Okay, but we can figure things out. We have each other, bestie. For the past six years, that’s what we’ve done together, and it’s been pretty damn good. What’s to say these next couple of years won’t be even better?”

Endy reluctantly nodded, still looking thoughtful.

“You know what my little cousin Camila says?” asked Maria.

“Tell me.”

“She says, ‘Don’t be sad, Maria, turn that frown upside down.’”

Endy squinted across the table. “You’re making that up.”

“Well, okay, yes, Camila doesn’t say that. She’s four years old and an absolute monster. I just made it up.” Maria placed her hand on her heart. “But people do say that, and it’s how we have to think.”

Endy rubbed her chin and tilted her head. “Go on …”

Maria sat tall in her chair and declared, “You and me, Endy, are going to turn our frowns upside down.” She thumped her hand on the table.

“You can stay with me at my cousin’s until you find a new place to live.

And if they scrap your position here, you can work over at my tio ’s restaurant until you find something else.

And as for Picklers, well, you hand it over to the school with as much money as you can.

If you don’t have the full $25,000, they’ll make do…

. Sad as it is, public schools are used to budget shortfalls. ”

“What about Sebastian?” asked Endy.

“Sebastian,” repeated Maria. “Well, chica, even though you guys didn’t work out, I guess just be happy it was good while it lasted.”

Endy’s lips pulled up in a sad smile.

Maria took a sip of her iced tea. “We’ll still find a new group of friends to hang out with, so you won’t be lonely when I find some handsome guy who adores me … and then we get married, buy a condo, and get a rescue dog.”

“That’s my dream for you, bestie.” Endy lifted her glass of iced tea and tilted it at Maria in a toast.

“Here’s to a good man, a two-bedroom condo, and a dog who needs us.” Maria clinked her glass against Endy’s.

“Anything can happen, right?” Endy said.

“Anything can happen.”

At Picklers that afternoon, Endy stood with the kids under the shade awning. Mayhem surrounded her, as was the norm, but everyone was in good spirits, and Endy felt lighter than she had for some time.

Endy sent the kids to their various courts, then turned up the volume on a Taylor Swift song playing through the portable speaker on the table. She swayed, singing along with the lyrics.

“Endy, I love this song. Can you turn it up?” a little girl shouted from the pickleball court.

“Yup,” she replied. Blindly reaching behind her to grab her phone on the bench, Endy stepped on a backpack on the ground, stumbled, and tripped back … into strong arms that held her tight in an embrace. She smelled a citrusy, earthy scent, inhaled deeply, and looked up into Sebastian’s eyes.

He quickly released her and stepped back, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Sorry.”

“Sebastian …” said Endy. “What are you—”

“Hey, loser, we’re on court five,” said Paco from the edge of the patio. He looked from Sebastian to Endy with a troubled look on his face, sensing the coolness between them. “Endy, it’s okay if he’s here to practice with us, right?”

“Of course, Paco. It’s a great idea since you’re partnering next week.” Her lips pulled into a small smile. “Go ahead. But don’t let him cheat.”

Paco looked stern. “Boss, we don’t cheat. Ever.”

“I know that,” replied Endy. “I was kidding.”

“But we don’t, so don’t joke about it.”

“Okay, I promise.” She crossed her heart and looked up to see Sebastian pulling Paco by the side of his collar toward court five, while Paco took swipes with his pickleball paddle at the back of Sebastian’s legs.

“Miss Andrews, do you allow spectators?” Endy jerked around to see Barbara Tennyson standing just outside the patio, her hands clasped in front of her. What was it with that family that they were constantly sneaking up on her? “May I go watch my grandson on the far court?”

“Yes, of course, Mrs. Tennyson,” Endy stammered. “Feel free to stay as long as you’d like.”

Barbara remained still, then slid a glance at the portable speaker. “Perhaps that is just a bit too loud.”

Endy rushed to the table and lowered the volume. “I’m sorry. We’re just—”

“No, no. It’s fine now. Thank you.” Barbara nodded her head to Endy, then walked to the bench near court five.

She sat down, opened her shoulder bag and pulled out sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, then crossed her legs, settling into the seat.

Endy thought Barbara looked very at home sitting there on that bench.

Endy spent the next half hour going court to court, reminding the kids that they’d be competing in a week and giving them tips: return the serve deep, try to get to the kitchen, keep the ball low, but if it’s popped high, slam it.

When she arrived at Sebastian and Paco’s court, she heard Paco call out the score.

“Ten, one, two.” The first team to reach eleven points won the game, so they only needed one more point.

When Paco had called out “two,” the third number of the sequence, Endy knew he was the second server on his and Sebastian’s team, and they would have to win the next point since teams were only awarded points if they were serving.

Endy looked over to Barbara Tennyson, wondering if she was able to follow the scoring system, which might be confusing compared to what she was used to in tennis.

Then Paco delivered a deep slice serve that curved out of the reach of his sixteen-year-old opponent, and their point was easily won.

“Game,” he called. Sebastian and Paco tapped their paddles together, then approached the net and tapped paddles with the opponents.

“Nice job, bro,” Sebastian said to Paco. “That was fun.”

“Come on, bro. That wasn’t fun, that was a blowout.” Paco scowled. “What’s a kid gotta do to get some competition around here?”

“You want some competition?” Endy asked, her lips pulled up in a grin.

She pulled out her phone to check the time.

“Your mom probably won’t get here for another twenty minutes, so let me put together a real match for you guys.

” She started typing on her phone. “I’m going to let the other kids go, so let’s meet back here in a few minutes. Go take a water break.”

Sebastian watched Endy head for the shade awning, then nodded once at Paco.

“Yeah, go grab some water. I gotta do something, but I’ll be back in five minutes.

” He jogged across the court to where Barbara sat on the bench.

Sebastian said something to her, then continued jogging across the street to the large Tennyson property.

Endy made sure the other kids had their belongings and were waiting under the awning for pickup.

Once she was sure they were all accounted for, she made her way back to court five where Paco stood with his arms crossed, an angry look on his face.

Next to him, stretching his legs, was Steven Markowitz.

Paco approached Endy and hissed, “I told you I wanted to play someone good, and you invited your abuelo !” His eyes shot daggers at Endy. “I’m gonna have to go easy on grandpa so he doesn’t bust a knee!” Endy hid her smile and shrugged her shoulders.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sebastian crossing the street, carrying a clear acrylic wine goblet. He stopped at the bench where Barbara Tennyson sat and held out the wine to his grandmother. She accepted the glass, and Sebastian leaned over and kissed her cheek.

He jogged onto the court. “Hey, Dr. Markowitz,” he said, reaching out and shaking hands. “You joining us?”

“Yes, it appears that Grandpa is, indeed, joining you.” He smiled at Paco.

“Who’s our fourth?” asked Sebastian, his eyes searching around the court.

Endy held up her hand.

“Really?” said Sebastian, rubbing his chin.

“I mean, if you’re okay with it,” said Endy, her word carrying a light challenge. “But if you’d rather have someone else join you, I totally understand,” she added, worried that Sebastian might be uncomfortable playing with her since they’d just broken up.

“I’m okay with it. What do you think, Paco?” Sebastian asked.

“Bring it,” Paco replied, turning his back on Endy and Steven and bending over, wiggling his butt in their direction.

Endy rolled her eyes. “I’ll take that as a yes. Are you ready, Dr. Markowitz?” He held up his paddle and nodded. She looked up at Sebastian. “Seriously, Sebastian, are you okay with me playing in?”

The side of Sebastian’s lips pulled up in a grin, and he looked deep into Endy’s eyes. “More than okay,” he said. He walked away, toward the baseline, and called over his shoulder, “Let’s go, pickleball girl.”

Endy served first, with the ball landing across the court, deep at the baseline.

Sebastian hit it back, keeping the ball low, but Steven quickly returned it to the middle of the court.

Caught off guard, Paco stuck out his paddle, and the ball popped up above their heads.

Endy reached up with her paddle and slammed the ball, hitting the top of Sebastian’s feet.

Sebastian burst out laughing. “So that’s how it’s going to be?”

Endy giggled. She couldn’t resist. She turned her back, bent over, and wiggled her butt at Sebastian, which made him howl with laughter. Paco grinned, proud of what he’d contributed to the game. And sure enough, Sebastian seemed more than okay with playing around Endy.

Endy and Steven switched sides, and she served to Paco. He swiped at the ball, which floated over the net. Steven moved forward to return, except the ball landed on the court and skipped away from him, out of his reach.

“Ooohhh,” muttered Steven, his arm stuck straight out, far away from the ball. “The boy has a slice.”

The air was filled with the squeaking of their shoes as they moved on the court, and the game continued with the four of them shouting and jeering at each other. Each point was hard won, so when a team got a point, the players broke out with arm pumps and yells.

With a tight score at 10–9, the competition was fierce. Sebastian and Paco led, just one point away from a big win.

Sebastian held the ball and announced the score, “Ten, nine, one.” He swiped his paddle, sending the serve soaring over the net.

Endy returned the ball then quickly moved forward, coming even with Steven. Her eyes danced and a joyful grin played at her lips. “Nice serv—” she started saying.

But Paco, his forehand in the middle, instantly crossed in front of Sebastian just as the ball bounced in their court.

Thwack ! He sent the winning shot hurling through the middle, past both Endy’s and Steven’s paddles, to win the game at 11–9.

He leaped in the air for a chest bump with Sebastian. Paco stomped his feet and howled, “Aaah-roooooooooooooh!” And he and Sebastian tumbled into each other like young wolf pups.

Endy threw her head back and burst out laughing as Steven dropped his paddle in surrender. “Well done, boys,” he called out, raising a clenched fist.

“Aaah-roooooooooooooh!” howled Sebastian.

Endy’s heart squeezed in her chest. She had missed Sebastian. And while watching him, thought that perhaps she had made a huge mistake in breaking things off with him. Maybe she was overreacting to Sloane’s presence and misconstruing the situation with Barbara’s formal complaint.

If Barbara Tennyson was coming around to accepting pickleball due to her grandson Sebastian, then could the program at Whisper Hills be spared? Endy felt a glimmer of hope bubble through her veins. But when Endy looked over to the bench next to the court, her huge smile dropped from her face.

The bench was empty. Barbara Tennyson had taken her leave.

Endy’s shoulders sagged. She had thought that maybe by coming by to watch Sebastian play, Barbara would change her mind about pickleball. But she couldn’t have been more wrong.

It was obvious that Barbara Tennyson was at the pickleball court supporting Sebastian solely because she cared for him. And Sloane seemed to be at Whisper Hills Country Club for the same reason.

Endy rubbed her forehead and shook her head. In a competition against those two, Endy knew for certain she couldn’t win.