She loved it.
She knew it was wrong, but she fucking loved every second of it as Grant made frustrated sounds with every step he took.
“And you don’t get to call me Syd,” she yelled at his back as the door shut behind him.
She dropped Reese’s hand and started rummaging through her suitcase.
“I just need to throw on some clothing,” Sydney said. She was more invigorated for that run than she’d been fifteen minutes ago. Maybe at any point since her injury.
Her limbs still buzzed as she picked up a sports bra that was hanging over her chair and slid it over her head.
Sydney was comfortable with nudity, having lived the last decade of her life in locker rooms. Not to mention the saunas, ice baths, and any myriad of physical therapy techniques that could give an athlete an edge.
So, even as her skin prickled with awareness that Reese Devereux was only a few feet away from her, respectfully looking out the large window toward the ocean, she moved her focus to finding a pair of running shorts and a tank top in the suitcase she hadn’t unpacked yet.
She could say goodbye to all the free swag from her sponsors now that her retirement had officially been announced. It wasn’t like she couldn’t afford to buy her own clothing, but she loved packages showing up on her doorstep, perfectly fitted to her long frame.
Her agent had been giving her space since her retirement, though she was sure that Sara was squaring away any clauses related to her not fulfilling the terms of her existing contracts: Wilson for her rackets and Nike for her clothing and footwear. God, she hoped that Rolex let her keep the beautiful watch they’dgifted her from their Datejust collection last year, when she’d moved into the top twenty.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go?” Reese asked, pulling Sydney’s attention to the window where The Stone’s Throw’s new owner stood, still looking out at the shoreline.
Reese Devereux, a woman she’d only met once—maybe twice—before today, was now going to be a very present fixture in Sydney’s life.
And Sydney, in that moment, realized that she knew very little about Reese. What she did know had come secondhand from Grant and wasn’t exactly flattering. Which, on principle, made Sydney like Reese all the more.
Reese’s dark hair flowed in soft waves as she looked out toward the ocean, her shoulders straight. Even at this moment, she was all business. Sydney caught the contour of her cheeks, soft and round, that made Reese look younger than she actually was. Even from feet away, she could see the light color splashed across those cheeks.
The new owner of The Stone’s Throw Inn, the sister of her ex-boyfriend and, if you asked Grant, Sydney’s new girlfriend.
Things were really changing, in every facet of her life. She couldn’t imagine the Thatchers not owning the inn, a place she’d spent countless days throughout her childhood.
Sydney took a deep breath, her energy starting to even out. Sometimes after a big match, it would take her hours to come back down to any sort of stasis.
“Oh my god,” Reese said, her hand lifting to her forehead so forcefully she almost slapped it. “Hallie is going to think I’ve abandoned her. That I saw ghosts and ran screaming off the cliff.”
Sydney smiled at the visual as she pulled on a pair of running shorts. “I feel pretty haunted by ghosts of the past today, so that’s not far out of left field.”
Reese groaned, and Sydney tried not to be endeared by her embarrassed smile, so different from her posturing moments ago withGrant.
From where Sydney was standing, Reese and her brother couldn’t have been more different. She could practically see Grant seething as he paced back and forth in the living room. Meanwhile, Reese was contrite, if not a little shy, as she stood in the confined space with her brother’s ex-girlfriend.
Reese’s soft, brown eyes lifted up to meet hers. “I am so sorry about that. I didn’t know he’d show up here.”
“I didn’t think you two were close.”
Reese scrunched her nose. “We’re not. My mother probably sicced him on me when she found out I was back in town.”
Sydney pulled her ponytail out of the tank top she’d just thrown on before cocking her head to the side. “So they don’t know that you bought the inn?”
She was surprised by Reese’s sheepish expression. “No. And I’m not exactly champing at the bit to tell them.”
“Why not? Seems like there’s no love lost between you and Grant. It must feel good to get the best of him,” Sydney said as she felt the flicker of exhilaration rush through her.
Reese looked back out at the choppy waves. “My relationship with my family is complicated. It always has been.”
Sydney felt lucky that she couldn’t commiserate. Her parents were her rocks. They’d been so supportive that she felt the need to flee their love to wallow in self-pity instead of meeting their well-intentioned eyes at every turn around her house in Florida.
Sydney had only talked to them once since arriving, so she made a mental note to call them soon.
