Her father hadn’t so much as congratulated her in person before last night, and here he was, touting her achievements like some kind of prized pony for the illustrious Fitzpatrick family.
She smoothed the look quickly and took another sip of champagne.
“Daughters,” Stan said, genuine wonderment breaking into his voice as he looked at Brynn like she’d hung the moon.
Ah, so that was her father’s angle. Stan Fitzpatrick was a true family man, and Tripp would gladly play the part to look more favorable in his eyes.
Reese wondered what it would have been like to grow up with a father like that, one who genuinely supported her and looked at having a daughter as a gift, not a consolation prize.
Tripp laughed good-naturedly. “You’re telling me. Grant went into the family business, but Reese wanted to chart her own path in the world. Stanford undergrad and business school, co-founder of her own app—with funding—by the time she earned her MBA and set up shop in San Francisco.”
Not rolling her eyes was one of the hardest things Reese had ever done. She was almost impressed, as low as the bar was, that her father could repeat those factoids about her last decade of life considering the lack of interest he’d shown in the milestones as they’d been happening.
Stan slapped Tripp on the back, clearly drunk with love for his wife and daughter. “Women. Marvelous.”
The never-ending champagne flutes circling the party probably didn’t hurt either.
“And you,” Stan said, turning his attention to Sydney.
Reese stiffened, ready to place herself between them depending on the next words out of Stan’s mouth.
“I watched you play at the US Open last year. Brilliant performance. I was sorry to hear about your retirement, but it sounds like you’ve landed on your feet,” Stan said as he looked happily between Reese and Sydney. “You two make a striking pair.”
Reese lifted an eyebrow even as she said, “Thank you,” as gracefully as she could manage.
She let the disappointment roll off of her. She’d really liked Stan until two seconds ago.
Stan waved his hand, realizing he may have been misunderstood. “You’re like the new Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian. A professional athlete and a tech founder. And the fact that it’s two women carving their way in this world together… brilliant.”
Apparently, Grant had somehow found himself in the most feminist-forward home in all of New England. She smiled, knowing how much he probably hated that.
“Only, Sydney is retired and I’m not currently a founder,” she batted back, curious what Stan’s response would be.
Mr. Fitzpatrick didn’t miss a beat. He was positively gleeful when he said, “And look at what you’ve both accomplished before meeting—and so young! Imagine what you’ll be able to do together.”
It was a sweet sentiment, but Reese didn’t let herself get lost in thinking about it like it was reality. They’d survive the summer, and then they’d go their separate ways.
She felt Sydney’s hand encircle her own, and she looked over at Sydney’s green eyes, which were already on her. “My future trajectory is different than I ever expected, but I can honestly say that I’m a changed—and better—person by having the chance to be with Reese.”
“Beautiful,” Stan said, and Reese honestly wondered if that was a tear she saw in his eye. All six-plus-feet of this man, with hisclosely shorn salt-and-pepper hair and linebacker shoulders, were very in touch with his emotions.
Reese smiled back at Sydney, catching the soft smirk on her face as she disentangled their fingers so that she could run her thumb gently along the corner of Sydney’s lips. “We’re very excited about whatever comes next.”
“Money, prestige, power, those things all come and go. It’s family that’s important. That’s all we’ve ever wanted for Brynn.”
Reese pulled her attention back to the conversation as Tripp added, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
It took a lot not for her to roll her eyes. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if she had succeeded, judging by the way Sydney’s fingers began tapping into her back like she was trying to communicate in Morse code.
“My wife and I play doubles at the club occasionally. Nothing like having my favorite partner in life as my partner on the court, too. Sydney and Reese, do you play doubles?”
Reese clocked Grant bristling, and she wondered what Sydney would say. More time with the Fitzpatricks, especially one-on-one, had definitely not been on the agenda today.
“You know, I’ve been taking it easy with my knee recovery, but we’ve gotten on the court a few times,” Sydney fibbed, shooting Reese a grin. “I much prefer having Reese as a teammate than as an opponent.”
Sydney slid her hand flush against Reese’s back again and pulled her close.
It was like Sydney had been born to play this role.
