“Straight back to the hotel,” he told them before leaning in the window and telling the driver where to go.
“Feels like I just got sent to the principal’s office,” Indy muttered.
“We kind of did,” Jasmine giggled, feeling the buzz starting to wear off just slightly, and then her laughter faded.Disappointing Dom was not on her list of ways to make him take her seriously.
Driving through the streets of Paris was an experience all its own. The streetlights reflected against the windows of their car and each street looked like it was the set of an epic love story. Indy sighed from the seat next to her.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Jasmine asked.
“Almost too beautiful to be real. Have you been here before?”
“Yeah, with my parents.”
“Right. Me too. My mom and I did the London and Paris thing when I was thirteen. I definitely didn’t appreciate it at the time.”
They pulled up to the front of the hotel and the driver got out to open the door for them. As they stepped out onto the sidewalk, the Eiffel Tower—lit up for the night—twinkled in the distance, the rest of the city’s lights a mere stage for the famed landmark to stand upon.
“Why didn’t your parents come?” Indy asked as they moved through the lobby toward the elevators.
Jasmine frowned. No one else had thought to ask that. Not even Dom, although it was possible he already knew why. “I asked them not to.”
“Why?”
“I…” She hesitated as they got into the elevator car. “I wasn’t sure how well we were going to do and I didn’t want to, I don’t know, disappoint them, I guess.” Then, feeling a lot more exposed than she had in a long time, she shot back, “Why isn’t your dad here?”
“I doubt he even knows I’m playing.”
Jasmine raised an eyebrow in disbelief and the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival on the sixth floor.
Indy sighed and kept talking. “My dad loves his job. He loves his job more than he loved my mom, and he loves his job more than he loves me. When my mom died, he let me keep on living in the house I shared with my mom instead of asking me to live with him. He hired a housekeeper, paid for the maintenance, and kept my bank account full. I get a card from him on Christmas and a present on my birthday, but his secretary sends them.”
“That sucks.”
“Life’s not fair and all that. I have it a lot better than most people.”
“I guess we both do.”
“Yeah, and look, I didn’t mean what I said about your serve.”
Jasmine snorted. “Yeah you did.”
“Okay, maybe a little, but it’s not terrible, and you were right, my net game could really use a lot of work.”
“If you miss, I’ll be behind you to get it.”
“Good to know.”
Jasmine smiled. She should leave this newfound peace alone, but she couldn’t help herself. They were getting everything out in the open, so why not this? “So, if we get into the third round, which will it be?”
“What?” Indy asked.
“If it comes down to it, if you have to choose, doubles here or singles in Bari?”
“I… I don’t…”
“Listen, I know how this works. If we get into week twohere, you’re going to have to choose, and I won’t hate you forever or anything if you choose singles. I get it.”
“No, it’ll be doubles,” Indy said finally.
