Scratch that. Clearly, he wasn’t wasting any time today ferreting out information for Grant.
She and Reese had already had this conversation, the story of how they’d fallen into one another’s lives at just the right time.
Sadly—for Hallie, at least—her best friend’s suggestions had all been vetoed, including Sydney knocking Reese out with a tennis ball and running to her rescue to revive her, Reese knocking Sydney out with a tennis ball and running to her rescue to revive her, and, Sydney’s personal favorite, Hallie knocking both of them out with tennis balls and upon them waking with amnesia, Hallie allowing them to believe that they were deeply in love.
There was a smile on Reese’s lips when she finally answered. “I was in Indian Wells for a little R&R, and the Paribas Open was happening. I almost went to Palm Springs instead. Can youbelieve that?” Reese’s eyes went wide at the possibility of their missed meeting, and Sydney had to stifle a laugh. “Sydney and I ended up staying at the same hotel and ran into each other at the bar. I almost didn’t recognize her; it’d been so long since we’d seen one another.”
“Small world,” Grant deadpanned. He looked around the group to take stock of their responses, but they all seemed enraptured by the story.
Perfect.
Sydney moved a little closer and slipped her arm around Reese’s back, enjoying the softness of her shirt as her fingers toyed with the fabric.
“I lost in the first round,” Sydney said, picking up where Reese had left off like a well-oiled machine, further selling the story with a hint of self-deprecation and a winsome smile. “And I was planning on taking the red-eye back to Miami but decided to stay for the night.”
She felt how Reese’s body had melted against hers. It was one of the most enjoyable feelings she’d had in months.
“Best decision I ever made,” they said in unison. It was perfectly unscripted, and they both burst into laughter and drew closer.
Reese looked at her then, their eyes locking. Sydney felt that little spark again, like life was happening to her instead of around her.
The prying eyes of the crowd floated away as Sydney enjoyed the attention of a beautiful woman who was putting on the show of her life.
“I can’t pretend like life doesn’t work in strange ways,” Sydney said, acknowledging at least part of the truth of the situation.
Reese held her gaze for a beat longer, rewarding her with a smile before shifting her focus back to Brynn and Grant. “So, I’m dying to know, how didyou twomeet?”
Six
“I feellike this could be going a lot worse,” Sydney said, leaning down the few inches that it took to whisper in Reese’s ear.
Reese tilted her chin up, appreciating the cadence of Sydney’s voice, how her eyes sparkled with mischief once they were alone.
They’d survived another twenty minutes in the small group before excusing themselves to refill their drinks.
Sydney had been asked inane questions about professional tennis along with stupidly personal ones about her injury and retirement from the tour, but she’d handled it all gracefully, her touch never straying from Reese’s back as she fielded the questions like she was attending a post-match press conference.
“Grant and I were both told to behave today,” Reese admitted as they grabbed two glasses of champagne from a waiter passing by.
They stopped by a side entrance to the house, and Sydney leaned back against the stone that cut across the home’s ground-floor exterior.
Her brow lifted before she took a small sip of her drink. “Really?”
Reese nodded. “Dinner last night was eventful. I’m not sure whether Grant was more upset at the possibility of hisengagement being overshadowed or because I’m dating you, but I didn’t exactly do my best to quell his concerns.”
“Atta girl.” Sydney extended her drink to toast Reese.
Reese met her in the middle, the soft clink of their glasses audible in the privacy of the alcove.
It was a moment of quiet, and Reese relished it until Sydney’s smile dipped. “It almost seemed like Brynn didn’t know? About the cheating at least. Did you get that sense?”
Reese considered the question, shooting a glance to the patio area to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “Unless she’s a psychopath, I don’t think she’d have been able to tell that story about the two of them meeting at a hotel event two years ago without giving something away. It’s one thing to tell a lie. It’s another to tell it directly to the face of the person who knows it’s a lie.”
“You’re probably right.”
Lifting an eyebrow, Reese caught Sydney’s gaze again. “Are you trying to talk yourself out of your own theory when I’m agreeing with you?”
Sydney ignored the question. “I guess it’s better that he wasn’t just trolling dating apps.”
