by Elle Rush
Use this. Use Sydney’s friend. No wonder karma kept kicking him in the balls. “I’m an asshole,” Chris muttered as he dropped his head into his hands.
“What, buddy?” Nick asked.
“I’m an asshole. Sydney did nothing but help me out today, and I screwed her over.”
Nick pulled his attention from his phone, which he dropped back into his pocket. “No, you didn’t. You promised to get her here on time and support her fundraising. She’s here. You’re here. We’re here. And we definitely helped them raise some money. You did your share. She can’t expect anything more. It’s not like you’re dating.”
Chris said nothing.
Nick leaned closer to his ear. “You didn’t do something stupid like ask her out, did you?”
“Not exactly. I flirted though.”
“She’s a big girl. She had to know it was for show.”
“I flirted with intent. After I told her she couldn’t flirt with me because of the sweepstakes’ rule. Then I hinted I’d take her to her gala tonight.”
“And then you vanished on her? You are an asshole.”
“I meant it!”
Nick leaned in. “Tell me you didn’t stop flirting when you found out she was a burn victim. Because these guys will rip you to pieces, and you’d have it coming. In case you haven’t noticed, they think the sun shines out of her ass.”
After spending six great hours with her, Chris wasn’t sure it didn’t. “Of course not. The flirting was just for fun at first. When I realized it was getting a bit out of control, I backed off.” He was such a liar. When it got serious, Sydney hesitated. He’d started hinting for a date.
“So why did you disappear for so long? Clancy?” Nick asked.
Chris nodded. It hadn’t been because of a scar, that was for damned sure. He’d disappeared with no explanation to further his career and then got caught up in the details. That didn’t sound any better so he held his tongue. At least his friend waited for the lame explanation he had.
Nick had to let him go when they were pulled to their feet. The tournament was over. The women traded hugs as Team Scar was declared victorious. Chris let himself be swept along with the wave that assembled on the court to congratulate the players.
The losing team was excited to meet the stars of Olympus. They were pulled into several shots with their security team standing by. Chris smirked when he saw Sean catch Trent Vaughn’s glare, and then move from having an arm wrapped around each woman to standing beside Nick, not touching either of them.
It was different when they posed with Team Scar. Chris hadn’t arrived that late, but it was late enough that Sydney would have had a chance to catch her girlfriend up on his behavior. Nick and Sean got all the love from the duo. Benny insisted he stand beside Sydney for pictures “for the sweepstakes page”. Chris got as close as he could, but Ashleigh’s arm was wrapped around her friend’s shoulder tightly with Sydney’s arm looped around her waist. It took him a minute to realize that their casual hug actually protected Sydney’s back from the photographer even though it was covered. When Benny was done, Chris got two sets of cool but genuine words of thanks, but it was obvious Sydney considered their agreement fulfilled. He’d been dismissed. Screw that.
He cornered her as she finished congratulating the gift basket winners who had waited until after the game to pick up their prizes. The efficiency of her crew impressed him; most signs of their event were already removed. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure. What can I do for you?” The “now” was silent.
“Can I apologize?”
“Absolutely.” Sydney crossed her arms and waited.
Had he really expected this to go easy? “I didn’t feel anything under your dress when we were horsing around with Nicky. I had no idea you’d been hurt until I saw you in your tank top here. Whatever else you think of me, I didn’t know you had a burn scar, and I don’t care. Cover it, don’t cover it, do whatever makes you feel comfortable but never think it makes a difference to me. I have fucked things up from the second we met, but none of it had anything to do with how you look.”
It was honest. Horribly phrased but all true. Something flickered in Sydney’s eyes but vanished before he could identify it.
“Thank you,” she said. It was obvious it cost her, but she said it.
“About me disappearing on the set. Robert Clancy wanted to talk to me…”
Sydney cut him off. “Chris, I think I’ve hit my limit for apologies and explanations. We should quit while things are relatively decent between us.”
“I don’t want us to quit.”
She dropped her head back and stared at the sky, probably either praying for patience or a lightning bolt to strike him down. When she looked at him again, he guessed lightning bolt. “Your producer guy talked to you so I’m assuming you either got the role or know you’re in the running. I’ve more than done my part. What else do you want from me?”
“I want to make it up to you,” was what he settled on. He wanted so much more.
“Why?” she exploded. “What did I do to deserve this today? Seriously? Who did I piss off?”
Her outburst caught Ashleigh’s attention. Her friend stomped across the court in their direction. He was running out of time.
“Why? I expected today to be an absolute disaster, and then I met you. You’re sarcastic and funny and generous and beautiful, and you give me shit when I screw up and, fuck me, but I like it. I like you, Sydney. A lot,” Chris said in a rush. “Arguments aside, and we had a lot, this was the best time I’ve had in ages. Didn’t you think so?”
“Of course you had a good time. You got everything you wanted.”
“One more chance, Syd. Please. Three will be the charm, I promise.”
Ashleigh stepped between them. “You okay, Syd? Is he causing problems?”
“He apologized,” Sydney told her.
He refused to flinch under Ashleigh’s inspection. So much had been given to him for so long that he’d almost forgotten what it was like to earn something worthwhile. This was worthwhile.
“What are we going to do with his apology?” Ashleigh asked.
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Does he want something?”
He could answer that. “I want to make it up to her. Me almost kidnapping her and leaving her at the studio and being late here. All of it.”
“And you’d get what out of it?” Ashleigh pressed.
Best friend wrath. Nothing like it. “Nothing. I’ve taken way too much from Sydney today. All I want is to spend a little time with her on her terms.” He’d burned Ashleigh as well when he broke his promise. He’d gotten, well, Sydney had gotten herself to the beach on time, but Chris had promised he’d show up to help fundraise and he hadn’t. Money, fame, the power of being the ruler of Olympus—none of it helped him now.
“Well, you can’t have her right now,” Ashleigh told them. “We need you back on the court, Syd.”
The comment shook Sydney out of her funk. “Why? What’s wrong?”
A small smile broke through Ashleigh’s anger. “His guys”—she nodded at Chris—“challenged our guys to a grudge match.”
Chris looked back to the bleachers. Sean had pulled his shirt off and was basking in the glow of fans on the sidelines while he and Nick stretched. The veterans in the bleachers were amped up; trash talk between the actors and the people in the stands floated over to them.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Ash.”
“Too late,” Ashleigh chirped. “It’s a done deal. Our VIPs ponied up five hundred dollars for the girls’ side. The Olympus guys each pledged to match it.”
“Who’s playing?” Chris asked.
“Sydney and Caitlin.”
“They volunteered me?” Sydney squeaked.
“And Caitlin. Well, Trent volunteered Caitlin because apparently Sean Glenn was talking about her and she picked you as her partner.”
“Do people not realize that I’m busy
today?” Sydney asked the universe.
Chris understood her point. It made him feel worse. He wasn’t the only one who’d taken advantage of her. The hits kept coming, and Sydney stayed standing. She impressed the hell out of him. He’d been lucky he got to her first. But maybe he could help her now, if only a little bit. “I’ll put five hundred on you and Caitlin.”
“In exchange for what?”
That burned. “As a thank you for hearing me out. Nothing more. What do you say, Syd?”
The redhead in front of him pulled out her ponytail, re-gathered her hair, and tied it back again. Then she shrugged. “I don’t know, Chris.” Sydney started to lope across the sand.
It wasn’t a no. He’d take it.
Chapter 18
Sydney wasn’t much for swearing, but an Internet acronym crossed her mind that was perfect for this situation: FML. Fuck my life. An apologetic Greek god on one side, wounded warriors screaming for victory on the other, exposing her scars to the world behind her, and a vital gala she had to get ready for looming this evening. FML fit her perfectly.
Suck it up, buttercup. This would all be over by dawn, and she wouldn’t have to worry about fundraising for another nine months. Today was important; she knew firsthand how worthwhile it was. This challenge match was one more thing on her never-ending list, but it was doable. Volleyball first, then gala. She’d decide about Chris when and if she wanted to.
She was halfway across the court when she stopped dead. Then she ran back to Chris, who was making his way around the court to the bleachers. “Did you get it?”
“Get what?”
“The part. From that Clancy guy.”
“Unofficially, yes.”
She didn’t know what to do with that answer now that she had it so she left him on the sidelines and raced over to Caitlin, Nick, and Sean.
Her fellow sake victim and good friend shot her a worried look. Sydney shook it off. Caitlin pulled her in and lifted her chin at Sean. “Mr. Glenn has challenged us to a match. But I know you have the gala tonight to get ready for.”
Nick’s face fell. “I didn’t realize you had something on after this. We thought it would help. We don’t want to cause problems.”
Sydney laughed. Not a ha-ha funny one but a “what the hell” one. “Honestly, it’s been that kind of day since Chris showed up on my doorstep. It’s a nice idea, thank you. What do you say to one set, points to fifteen, two-point spread?”
Sean stuck his hand out to Caitlin. “Deal, Ms. Kelly.”
The four of them shook on it and headed to their respective sides of the net. Sydney snagged Caitlin’s arm and pulled her over to the boxes she’d stood on earlier. “They wanted to help me out? I think the god of love wanted to help you out. Of your panties,” she said, tilting her head toward Sean.
“He may want to, but I’m not that easy. The guy is a man-whore. A stud, but a man-whore. I’ll beat him and take his money, but that’s it,” Caitlin said. Her friend helped her onto the overturned boxes and held her hand to keep her steady while Sydney addressed the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I thought we were done for the day, but it seems we have a couple of last minute challengers who have proposed a sudden death game to wrap up the Curse the Darkness Beach Volleyball Tournament. The lovely Miss Caitlin Kelly, formerly of Team Veggie Delight, and I will be facing off, mano a mano, with Team Greek, consisting of Nick ‘Ares’ Thurston and Sean ‘Eros’ Glenn, for a winner-takes-all-the-glory fifteen-point set.” Wow, this public speaking thing is getting easier. Or she was just numb from fear by this point. Sydney continued, “Each side has pledged a thousand dollars for the chance of bragging rights because gambling on the game would be illegal and thus frowned upon since we didn’t get a license for that. Hint, hint.”
Supportive “boos” floated up from the bleachers.
“Yeah, yeah,” Sydney shouted back. “Do we have a ref?”
The volunteer referee from the game earlier waved from his position on the sidelines.
“All righty then. Players to your positions.”
Caitlin helped her off the box, and they shook hands with the actors before ducking under the net to their own side of the court.
The black-haired Caitlin pulled her hair through the loop at the back of her baseball cap. “Um, Syd?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you notice that the crowd’s gotten bigger since the tournament ended, not smaller?”
She hadn’t until Caitlin had pointed it out. But her friend was right. Most of the tournament and raffle workers were gone, but there were more people on the sidelines than there had been at the earlier game. The few volunteer workers that were left were scrawling receipts as fast as they could write them.
There was more security around the court as well. Sydney motioned for the ref not to start the clock and jogged back to the net. She waved the men over.
“Problem?” Nick asked.
“I’m not sure. Caitlin just pointed out that we have more people now than we did earlier, and then I saw there were more security guys than before. Did you do that or should I be concerned?” she asked.
“No worries. We did that. Sean and I spoke to Martine during your game, and she sent them down just in case.”
Sydney frowned. “You knew you were going to be playing?”
“Not until we got here,” Sean broke in. “The idea presented itself, and we ran with it. Don’t worry, you’re in the clear. We have this covered. They were precautionary in case you said yes. We’ll be done before the crowds get much bigger. And we took care of transportation home. You and Chris will get the limo back.”
“It’s all right, Sydney,” Nick assured her.
She nodded slowly. “Okay.” Then she tossed Sean the ball. “Instead of a coin toss, we’ve decided to let the challengers serve.” Sean’s eyes lit up.
As she returned to her partner, Sydney leaned and whispered into Caitlin’s ear. “His cousin plays pro. I think he knows what he’s doing. Show no mercy.” Caitlin bumped her outstretched hand, and they gave the nod to the referee.
The whistle blew, and the carnage started. It was a good thing Caitlin had taken her warning to heart because Sean started with a sneaky serve they barely managed to return. The ball went back and forth a few times before Sydney got in a lucky shot and won the point and control of the ball. Nick was an okay player. Sean was good. Their level of good, maybe better since he was also compensating for his partner.
She’d expected a fun match, but the guys were playing for real. She and Caitlin returned the compliment and went full out. They managed to stay a point ahead until they hit double digits, and then Sean spiked back a serve at the net. Caitlin didn’t have time to get out of the way. She managed to twist and take the shot on her upper arm instead of in her face. The force of it knocked her off her feet.
Sean was under the net and crouched by her partner before Sydney had the chance to move. “Oh, shit. Sorry,” he said. Nick also beat her to Caitlin, and the men were helping her to her feet by the time Sydney reached her.
“You okay?” Sydney asked.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Caitlin answered. She looked up at Sean. “Nice spike.”
“I am so sorry,” the actor apologized again.
Caitlin shrugged their hands off gently. “I’m okay, honestly.” She gave them a reassuring wink, then turned to face the crowd. “I’ve seen better hits come from PBS,” she shouted.
Sean hesitated, and she winked at him again. “Nick, I do believe we’ve been dissed,” he replied loudly. “Let’s finish this.”
“Yeah, Caitlin, let’s finish this,” Sydney echoed.
The crowd ate it up. The guys scored another point, and then they were leading by one. Sydney set the ball to Caitlin, who was waiting at the corner of the net. She spiked it to a piece of open sand and tied the game at thirteen points each. Sydney prepared to receive her high-five when Caitlin sat in the middle of the court.
“Syd, gotta prob
lem,” Caitlin said, her voice flat. She bent one knee and crossed her other ankle over it, holding the arch of her foot with one hand. It took Sydney a minute to see the blood dripping from between Caitlin’s fingers.
Sydney snapped her fingers and pointed at the referee. “First aid kit. Now!” She knelt carefully beside Caitlin. “What did you step on?”
Caitlin nudged a piece of brown metal lying on top of the sand. Sydney picked up the rusted beer bottle cap. “When did you get your last tetanus shot?” she asked her friend.
Caitlin groaned. “I’m probably due. I hate those things. They make food taste funny for days.”
The referee dropped a plastic case beside them. Sydney pulled out a couple gauze packets and began unwrapping them. She pointed to a roll of medical tape with her elbow. “Will one of you guys get that going for me? I need a couple of four-inch pieces.” She brushed the sand off the bottom of Caitlin’s foot and gave the oozing wound a swipe with an alcohol wipe. “You’re going to need stitches.”
“Oh, hurray,” Caitlin groaned.
Sean ripped two strips of tape off the roll and handed them to Sydney, who slapped them and the gauze pads onto the sole of Caitlin’s foot. “She’s done. Call it a draw?”
“Absolutely,” Nick agreed. “Rematch next year?”
Sydney felt her face contort in disbelief. Like she’d ever see any of these guys again. “We’ll see.”
The crowd was surprisingly good with their announcement. As everyone dispersed, the comments coming back to her explained that the reaction was because the game had been fast and furious but mostly because it had been real. Their fans, both of the foundation and the series, appreciated the fact the players played; they hadn’t been putting on a show. She and Caitlin and Sean and Nick had fought each other for every point, and everyone knew it.
If they got lucky, the appreciation would have a monetary impact on their bottom line.
Nick and Sean offered to drive Caitlin to a nearby clinic for stitches and shots while Russ called for the car. Security left with them. The tournament volunteer team cleaned up the rest of the site, and the final straggling spectators faded away.
