“Maggie, how have you been? You haven’t returned any of my calls,” Dad says, taking a sip of his drink.
I avoid eye contact and shrug, acting unperturbed. “Been busy, I guess.”
I’m fuming on the inside. I want to snap and ask why he cares, especially since he hasn’t even acknowledged my win in Australia. Instead, I finish my breakfast, congratulate my sister again and come up with an excuse for Rowan and I to leave.
The drive back to our neighborhood is quiet and I sneak a few glances over at Rowan. He’s bobbing his head along to the radio and watching the ocean.
“So,” I say, clearing my throat. “Do you wanna talk about doubles?”
“I haven’t made a decision quite yet. I’m sorry you found out about it from your dad, though,” he says, wincing.
“How did he know?”
“I reached out to one of our old college coaches to get some advice. I think he works at the same club as your dad now, so word must have gotten around.” He shrugs, frowning.
“You’re really considering switching over? Or would you play both singles and doubles?” I ask, selfishly not wanting him to play doubles at all if it means I have to give him up as my practice partner.
“I don’t know yet, Mags. But you know I wouldn’t leave you hanging, right?” he asks, pinning me with his serious gaze.
I bite my lip and nod reluctantly. The truth is, I don’t know that. “You’d have to find a partner,” I say, leaving the sentence hanging.
“That doesn’t mean I’d give upourpractice time,” he says emphatically, placing his warm hand on my thigh.
“Okay, well—” I say, conjuring up a smile. “Let me know when you decide.”
“You’ll be the first to know, Mags,” Rowan says, squeezing my thigh and rubbing his thumb back and forth over my skin.
I close my eyes and let his words sink in. He won’t give up on me. But why does it feel like I might lose him anyway?
CHAPTER 11
Rowan
Five Years Ago - Charleston
There’snothing like coming home. Growing up on the outskirts of Charleston, South Carolina was nothing like the opulent lifestyle I experienced during my years at Stanford, and definitely nothing compared to Maggie’s upbringing and her family’s mansion in San Francisco.
I didn’t have the money or support at Stanford that she did, instead relying on my full scholarship and working odd part time jobs to have petty cash. At least I was used to odd jobs. Growing up in the marsh, I was always working—whether that was out fishing, working at the local surf shop, or peeling shrimp in the kitchen of my friend’s family restaurant.
Since I graduated from Stanford, life’s been a little easier, financially speaking. When Donovan, one of my good friends from the men’s tennis team, mentioned his family had connections at the Coastal Beach Country Club in Palm Beach, I jumped at the opportunity to take a part time job as a tennisinstructor. Crashing in Donovan’s guest house for the past year was just a bonus, allowing me to save every penny I made for championship entry fees.
The only downside of moving to Florida is being away from Maggie. After graduation, she went back to San Francisco, training at the country club her father now owns. While we see each other at some tennis events throughout the year, it’s not the same as spending essentially every day together like we used to in college.
I miss playing with her. I miss laughing with her.I miss her.
“Earth to Rowan,” Boone says, waving a hand in my face. Boone, Garrett, and I all grew up together. I grin at the memory of the three of us always surfing and causing upheaval for our parents. Well, mostly for my mom, since my dad left when I was twelve.
“Yes?” I ask, shaking myself out of my reverie. Nothing good comes from thinking about my dad, anyway.
“I said, when is this Maggie person supposed to get here?” Boone repeats himself and gives me a wide gap-toothed smile. I sigh, wiping the sweat off my forehead with my arm. The last thing I need is Boone running his mouth around Maggie once she gets here. Or worse, flirting with her.
“Look,” I say, taking on a more serious note. “I need you both on your best behavior when she arrives. Can you do that?”
Garrett laughs and slaps me on my naked back, wincing when he realizes how sweaty I am. “When have we ever been on our best behavior?” he asks, resuming cleaning up the yard.
When I impulsively invited Maggie to come stay with me at my mom’s for a week, I didn’t think about how messy the place was. The house itself is in much better shape than it used to be, but with my mom working two jobs, she doesn’t always have the time or the money for the upkeep. And after seeing Maggie’s mansion, well—I just want to make a good impression.
“I’m just saying, I really care about her and I don’t want you two messing this up,” I say, pointing at each one in turn.
