by Barbara Gee
I swallowed hard and didn’t wipe away the lone tear that rolled down my cheek. “The whole thing was all my fault. I had to try to fix it.”
He kissed me lightly. “We don’t have to assign blame. It’s behind us, and we’re stronger because of it.”
I gave a relieved sigh and hugged him, my cheek against his shoulder. “I plan to show you every day how glad I am about that. Every single day.”
His low chuckle vibrated through his chest. “That would be easier if I was still living next door with Lulu, but we’ll make it happen somehow.”
“There’s always Facetime,” I murmured, grinning when he chuckled again.
***
The next day I was able to concentrate on Pastor Dan’s sermon for the first time in weeks, with no angst clouding my brain. And the sermon was unbelievably timely—as so often happens.
Pastor Dan spoke about forgiveness, both giving and receiving it, and how important it was to let go of resentment if you truly wanted to heal. He also pointed out how important it was to be able to trust again after being wronged. As I drank in his message, it strengthened my resolve to do whatever I could to prove to Jude that he could trust me, that I wouldn’t shut him out again, no matter what the issue.
After the service, Priscilla—dressed once again in the purple outfit—made a beeline to me, extending an invitation to join them at Country Buffet once again. I accepted, because I didn’t have much in my fridge, and I figured I might as well pass an hour or two with the ladies while I waited to hear more about the day’s plans from Jude.
When I sat down between Priscilla and Rosie with my customary plate of roast beef and mashed potatoes, Priscilla asked me how things were going with my “friend.” The other gals were immediately all ears. It was obvious they already knew I was seeing someone—thank you, Priscilla—but they were hungry for details. Apparently, my being unavailable the last couple weeks had left them hanging way too long.
“Things are going well,” I said, and it felt wonderful to be able to say that after thinking for sure I’d lost him. I couldn’t stop my wide smile, and that got all the women tittering.
“He lives in Maisie’s house, right?” Donna asked.
“Not anymore. He was staying there with his cousin who bought the house from Maisie but that was only while he was renovating his own place in Mountain View. He moved back there about a week ago.”
“What’s his name?” Evvie asked eagerly. “We’ve been dying to find out whether any of us knows him.”
I took a sip of water. “Jude Keller. He works for Owens Construction.”
“Keller?” Donna repeated, frowning. “But isn’t that the young fella Myla was seeing before she left town?” All eyes were suddenly on me, wide and shocked, because these ladies loved Myla dearly and had taken her leaving hard. Me dating my best friend’s ex would not sit well with them.
“That was Jude’s brother,” I said quickly, not wanting to get that rumor started even for a second. “His name is JP. He’s the guy who was hurt in the accident a couple weeks ago.”
“Oh, yes, JP. That’s who it was,” Donna said, and they all relaxed. “And how’s he doing?”
“He’s getting better,” I assured them. “He had a lot of broken bones, but he’ll be up and around again in a few weeks.”
“So…..back to you and your Jude,” Priscilla said, her blue eyes sparkling. “Is it getting serious?”
I told them the truth, not caring if they gossiped far and wide. “For me it is, and Jude seems to be on the same page. It’s still new, of course, and we’ve had a bump or two in the road, but things are really good right now.”
The ladies all had lots of questions and I answered the best I could, while the two husbands in attendance carried on their own conversation at the other end of the table.
“Do you happen to have a picture of your Jude?” Evvie asked sweetly. “I bet he’s just as handsome as he can be.”
“I do, and he is,” I said, grinning as I dug my phone from my purse. As soon as I lit the screen I saw a text from Jude. I looked up and waggled my brows playfully at my friends. “Hang on, ladies, I need to respond to a text.”
They all giggled and nudged each other, and I’m pretty sure I heard a mumbled “ooo-la-la” from across the table. I quickly replied to Jude’s question about whether I could meet him at the rec center at three-thirty, telling him that would be fine. He responded right away, saying he’d text directions on how to find it in a few minutes.
I sent him a thumbs-up emoji, then opened my photo album and brought up the selfie we’d taken that wonderful night in the park—the one I’d used as my phone’s wallpaper ever since. We’d been sitting on the blanket when I’d taken the shot, my head on his shoulder as we looked at the camera. His eyes were vividly blue, his smile the sexy, smoldering one that got me every time. He’d only agreed to take the picture if I promised to send it to him, which I’d done right away. As I looked at it now, I wondered whether he’d stared at it as often as I had over the last few weeks.
I knew the ladies would love the photo, and they didn’t disappoint. When I handed the phone to Evvie her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped.
“Let me see,” Priscilla demanded, reaching across the table and snatching the phone from Evvie’s limp hand.
“Oh. Well. I see,” she said, her perfectly penciled brows rising. “Very nice-looking young man you’ve got there, Ava.”
The others eagerly awaited their turns, and by the time my phone got back to me there was a lot of sighing and swooning going on.
“And here we thought we could tempt you with Pastor Dan’s Devon,” Donna said, chortling as she fanned herself with a napkin.
“But is this Jude a nice boy?” Evvie asked, full of concern. “Is he good enough for our Ava Ann?”
I nodded. “Definitely, Evvie. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that my grandma would approve.”
“Well that’s good enough for me,” Donna stated. “I only wish she was here to give you her blessing in person.”
“Me, too,” I said, “but she’s the reason I moved to Hidden Creek, so in a way, she’s also the reason I’m with Jude right now. She’s still making sure I’m happy.”
“She loved you dearly, Ava Ann,” Priscilla said, pulling a tissue from her purse and wiping her eyes. “We all miss her, and it means a lot that you take time out of your busy schedule for us. You’re very much like her, you know, and being with you keeps her spirit alive for us.”
Hearing those words, especially from the rather pompous and stoic Priscilla, melted my heart.
“Oh goodness, that’s sweet of you to say, and I hope it’s true. I’d be proud to be even a little bit like her.” I looked around the table, smiling at each lady in turn. Priscilla, Donna, Rosie, Sarah Beth, Evvie, Constance, and Liz. Grandma’s friends, who loved me simply because I was her granddaughter. The ladies who had been there for her, and were now here for me.
“I appreciate all of you so much,” I told them sincerely. “I’ll try to introduce you to Jude very soon. But I have to warn you five single ladies,” I said with a grin, “it could be love at first sight for you. He has that effect on people. Just remember, he’s taken and I won’t go down without a fight.”
Evvie and Liz giggled and Liz held up an age-spotted fist. “He might be worth a swing or two,” she said. “My house has been awfully lonely since Howard passed.”
“And if I remember right, you had to fight for him, too,” Sarah Beth teased. Which launched them into a conversation about boyfriends from long ago.
I listened until after we’d all finished dessert, then I excused myself, saying I had to get home to do a few things before leaving again to meet Jude. After hearing much encouragement to invite him to Hidden Creek Methodist for church next Sunday, I made my escape.
I wasn’t sure how eager Jude would be to meet my little posse of seventy-and-eighty-somethings, but I knew the ladies wouldn’t rest until it happened.
***
I got to the rec center a little early after finding it easily, a block off Main Street in the heart of Mountain View. It was a large, well-kept brick building, and a group of five teens was walking in as I parked down the street.
I grabbed my bag, packed with a water bottle, my volleyball shoes, and knee pads, and in my other arm I carried two volleyballs, which I’d brought along in case the rec center didn’t have any good ones. There was nothing like bruised, stinging forearms caused by bad balls to turn a person off the sport.
I went inside the building, happy to find that the inside was also in good shape, even though it was obviously an old building. I had a feeling Owens Construction might have had something to do with the good condition of the place.
I waited in the small lobby for a minute, but when no one came, I made my way down the hallway, following the sound of balls hitting hardwood. The doors leading into the gym area were propped open, and I stood in the doorway and looked around, smiling at all the activity.
A basketball game was going on at the far end, and in the middle, some young adults worked with a group of young children, some jumping rope and others practicing dribbling with junior-sized basketballs. The other end sported a volleyball net that had seen better days, but was still functional. No one was down there yet, but I hoped to change that.
I stepped farther into room, which was easily the size of two high school gyms. I suspected it had been a warehouse of some kind in its first life, but the remodelers had done a stellar job. Hardwood floors, four retractable basketball hoops, and even a nice set of bleachers along half the space. A few parents were seated there, watching over the younger kids, but there were at least twenty teens in attendance, too, either playing basketball or watching the game.
I walked partway down and leaned against the wall, watching the game from a safe distance. I was surprised to recognize Chase when he took a ball out of bounds, and then I realized Jude must be in the mix, too. My breath caught when I spotted him just as he went up for a three-pointer.
Wow. There were no words. He looked mouth-watering in a gray shirt and black basketball shorts, and his form when he took the shot was textbook perfect. When the ball swished through the net his teammates whooped and cheered, slapping high fives as the other team took the ball out and passed it back in, putting Jude and his guys back on defense.
I watched for a good five minutes without looking away. I was mesmerized by Jude, true, but I was also amazed by the camaraderie he and Chase shared with the group of teenaged boys and girls who had come to play basketball instead of any number of other activities they could have chosen. Many of them a lot less healthy and wholesome.
I was glad Jude hadn’t noticed me yet, because I wasn’t anywhere near done watching him do his thing. That is, until someone tapped me on the shoulder, drawing me out of my trance.
“Hey, are you Ava Milton?”
I turned to see a girl a few years younger than me with a welcoming smile on her face. We were both dressed in black athletic shorts, modest tank tops—hers pink and mine powder blue—and colorful sneakers. We also both wore our hair in ponytails.
“Yeah, I’m Ava.”
“I’m Meredith Tomlin.”
She held out her hand and I juggled the balls and bag I still held so I could shake it. “It’s nice to meet you,” I said. “Do you help out here?”
“Yeah. I usually run the art classes, but I played a lot of volleyball in high school, so our director here at the center asked if I could come by and help you out today. Sheri thought maybe you could use an assistant for your session.”
“I’d love an assistant,” I said, following her down to where the net was set up. “Do you think we’ll be able to lure anyone away from the basketball game?”
“I think so,” Meredith said with a confident grin. “Sheri told me you set a school record for kills the last year you played, and it just so happens I was a pretty darn good setter. Let’s do a little warming up, start showing our stuff, and I think we’ll get some attention.”
“So the high school here in Mountain View doesn’t have a team?” I asked.
“Nope, they never have as far as I know, so our kids haven’t been exposed to the sport. There are some really competitive gals who come here, though, and I’m looking forward to showing them what volleyball is all about.”
I returned her grin. “I like the way you think. I saw some good prospects walk in when I got here. Two really tall girls. They’re probably way into basketball, but you never know.”
Meredith tapped the end pole of the net as we walked by. “We got this net donated. A college near here was going to throw it out, but it’ll work just fine for us. They even threw in the poles.”
“It’s way better than I expected,” I said. “How are we set for balls? I recently moved and these are the only two I brought with me.”
“Funny you should ask,” Meredith said, throwing a smile over her shoulder. “I walked into the storage room this morning and found this.”
She swung open a door and pulled out a ball cart, brimming with volleyballs. Good ones, and only slightly used.
“I don’t know for sure where these came from, but I’m guessing from the same college. It’s always nice to have people willing to donate to a good cause.”
I put my own balls to the side, up against the wall, and Meredith shrugged off her backpack. We changed our shoes and put on knee pads, then wheeled the cart out to the net. I glanced down to the other end, where the basketball game was still going strong. I wasn’t as certain about gaining the kids’ interest as Meredith was, but I was going to give it my best shot.
We did a bit of stretching, talking the whole time, then started some warm-ups. Easy hits back and forth. I felt it all coming back, muscle memory taking over. My vertical jumps weren’t as high as they’d been when I was training, but Meredith seemed impressed when I went over to the net and went through the motions of spiking the ball.
“Okay, show me what you’ve got,” she called, getting into position near the net.
I backed up to mid-court, then ran forward as she launched the ball off her fingertips, trying to time my jump to when the ball reached the perfect height for the kill. It took us a few tries, but pretty soon we were in sync. I managed to smash nine good spikes over the net, ones that would’ve been a challenge for an opponent to dig up.
We were in our own little world, almost giddy with joy as we played the sport we’d both loved but given up when real life happened.
“You go, Ava,” she called as I hit number ten.
I landed lightly on my feet and grinned at her. “I could’ve used you as my setter in school. You have a magic touch.”
“This is so fun,” she enthused. “I’m so glad Sheri called me.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but noticed she was looking over my shoulder, a satisfied smile lighting her pretty face.
“Hey, guys,” she said, putting a ball under one arm and placing her free hand on her hip. “Anyone interested in a little volleyball clinic?”
I swung around to see everyone who had been playing basketball now lining the back of our court. My eyes quickly found Jude, who was looking at me with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher. His lips curved up in a smile when our gazes met.
“Okay, everyone, basketball is done for the day,” he said. “Let’s give these ladies a chance to show us their sport.”
A few kids groaned, but most of them looked at least mildly interested.
“Isn’t volleyball just for girls?” one young fellow asked warily.
“Nope,” Jude said, “although it’s tougher to find schools with mens’ teams.”
One of the girls I’d noticed earlier spoke up. “Show us some more of that.”
Jude stepped up and put his hand on my arm. “She will in just a second. I need her to fill out some volunteer paperwork first, then we’ll be right back.” He urged me to a door that led back out into the hallway, then int
o an office on the other side.
He shut the door and stopped a few steps away from me, using the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. In doing so he exposed his perfectly ripped abs, which was a very effective way of increasing my heart rate, and easier than running two miles.
He lowered the shirt and looked at me, his expression no longer unreadable. “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” he ground out, his eyes practically shooting blue flames.
Sparks sizzled between us. It was tempting to launch myself at him, because I could tell he needed me at that moment as much as I did him, but in the end I couldn’t resist a little bit of teasing.
“Huh. Who knew spiking a volleyball would have such an effect on a basketball player,” I drawled.
“Only when you do it,” he countered. “Only you, Ava.” Before I could reply, he closed the distance between us and pulled me into his arms, his mouth coming down hard on mine. He was turned on. Possessive. And I loved it.
But it couldn’t last. Not with a gym full of kids waiting on us. I put my hands on the sides of his head and pulled away, grinning up at him.
“To be continued,” I said softly. “Now where’s the form I need to sign?”
He pressed his forehead to mine and sighed. “I have no idea. Sheri has it somewhere. I just needed an excuse to get my hands on you.”
“Are you serious?”
His smile was a little sheepish. “Totally. Ava the athlete is new to me and completely irresistible.”
I cocked my head. “More so than Ava the geek?”
He groaned. “It’s the combination of the two that does it. Seriously, you’re every fantasy I’ve ever had come to life.”
I burst out laughing. “Whatever, Jude. We have to get back out there, so somehow you’re gonna have to find the strength to resist my irresistibleness.”
His calculating smile made me shiver. “I will. For now. But no promises once the kids leave.”
I pulled open the door and gave him a mock glare. “Thanks for ruining my concentration. Now I’ll probably hit every ball into the net for the rest of the session.”
