“Not in a week or so. Why?”
“He’s sneaking home for a quick visit before the season starts! It turns out your father and I are signed up for a race the Saturday he’s here, so we were thinking he could come into the city and hang out with you that day. Maybe spend the night?”
I glanced at Meredith and she was already nodding. She pointed to her ear. “I can hear her and it’s fine,” she whispered.
I refrained from reminding my mom about my punishing writing schedule because I wasn’t about to miss time with Wes.
“Yeah, that would be great,” I said. “What are the dates?”
As we mapped out his visit, I tried to ignore the echoes of a lonely cowboy, wishing I would finally let him fall in love.
Chapter Fifteen
I stood outside my apartment on the sidewalk, scanning the morning rush as I waited for Owen to pick me up for horse school. I had no idea what kind of car he drove so every passing vehicle was fair game. Was it going to be a sensible Honda? An electric car? Something that belonged outside the city, like a pickup truck?
I moved under the meager shade of a tree that had seen far too much canine marking to actually flourish. Owen told me to wear jeans and sneakers or boots, none of which were ideal for the late June heat. Thankfully we were meeting at eight so I wasn’t sweating too much yet.
A delivery truck in a no-parking zone right in front of me pulled away and a black Wagoneer took its place. Owen waved at me through the windshield.
I didn’t realize that he was hat-free until I was sitting next to him in the blessedly cool car. My heart did an unexpected jig when he smiled at me.
“Good morning,” he said. “Ready to meet some new friends?”
“So ready! Honestly, I don’t think I’ve even touched a horse since I was like ten. Which I guess was obvious since you picked up on it inRogue.”
Owen slid into traffic. “Now, hold on, I never said that. I said you could enhance the story with more details. I loved the dynamic you created between Trent and his horse Wildfire. It felt very real to me. You’regood.”
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, and I wondered if the heat in my cheeks was obvious.
“Well, thank you. That was just from watching a bunch of YouTube videos.”
“Impressive. I can only imagine what you’re going to do with hands-on knowledge. And then once we make the Kai thing happen? You’re going to be unstoppable.”
We.Owen and I were a team in the forthcoming Kai connection. Kai-nection?
I’d assumed Owen’s sloppy sartorial choices were a lifestyle, but there wasn’t a single crumb or balled-up receipt inside the car. And not only was he hatless, but he was also dressed like he actually cared how he looked, in jeans and a navy golf shirt/button-down hybrid that made my black tank top, washed-out jeans, and sneakers feel junky in comparison.
“I’ve been thinking about your next steps on the court, and we need to start group play,” Owen said as he zipped through a yellow light. “Private lessons are great for building your foundational skills, but pickleball is a team sport.”
It was a leveling up that I didn’t feel quite ready for yet. Ilikedpracticing in the deserted club, with just the two of us and the occasional Marti cameo.
“Yes?” he asked. “Do you agree?”
“I mean, yeah? But with who? CPA members are great players, so who’s going to want to dumb down their game for me? Meredith is obviously out. I could probably get Colton for a mercy round or two, but we need a fourth.”
“Fair point. You’re not ready to ask Kai quite yet. I’m sure I could rope someone in, but what if you try a public court too?”
I looked over at him with wide eyes. “You mean play withthree complete strangers?”
Owen took his eyes fully off the road to glance over and laugh at me. “Well, yeah. That’s a big part of the game. Unless you come to the sport with friends, it’s how you build your community.”
“But... but...” I sputtered. “I still don’t understand all of the rules!”
“That’s the beauty of a public court; I can guarantee that someone else will. Just tell them you’re a novice. You’ll be fine.”
I stared out the window and imagined showing up to one of the courts dotting the city. Thanks to Owen, I was learning the unwritten rules of playing at CPA, but I assumed that public courts had their own ecosystem and bylaws that were different from the fancy club vibes. Not understanding themplusmy sketchy knowledge of scorekeeping spelled disaster.
“If you want, I’ll go with you the first time.”
