Love Match by Texican1830,Texican1830

This is an entry in the Summer Lovin’ Story Contest 2022 contest, so it must be a complete story. That means it is long – 61 pages in MS Word! If you don’t like tennis you may not enjoy some of the story, although tennis is meant to build insight into the characters, and to provide a setting for the ancient tussle between good and evil.

There is no sex among under characters who are under 21 years of age.

Love Match

Breakfast bar and protein shake consumed, Scott picked up his tennis bag, opened the door of the quaint little B&B, and stepped out into the heat. It was only 7 am, but his car told him it was 91 degrees outside when he started it. He smiled.

Texas summers are brutal, even in the middle of the Hill Country, but the summer of ’22 was particularly nasty. Austin was reporting 57 days over 100 so far, but was celebrating the end of the 21-day streak of over-100 temperatures had ended with a high of only 99 on Thursday. That “respite” was due to coastal clouds and humidity slipping up beside the big H that had been parked over the state since early May.

Yeah, it was only 99, but the humidity was up from 30% to 70%, and the heat index was 106! The high humidity make his early morning run along Lady Bird Lake unusually vicious, but he was committed to his runs, his weight work, his daily boxing workout, and the two tennis leagues he played in.

His packed daily schedule made acquaintances tell him to ‘get a life’, but he was happy with his life and schedule. Well, maybe not ‘happy’, but being busy from before dawn ’til after dark kept him from slipping back into depression and rage.

This ‘dog day of July’ tournament was known across the state as a test of endurance, but he knew no one entered was in better condition than he: three, four, even five matches per day – no problem! Even when he was playing collegiately, he hadn’t been in better condition.

Scott was very confident that if it came down to a mid-day three setter, he would win the war of attrition, even if he wasn’t the better player.

As he pulled away from the B&B, Scott considered his recent life with a mixture of dark humor and angst. Being a December 2020 college grad, he had plenty of experience in home-based courses and part-time jobs even before he took the home-based Information Technology (IT) Security job he held now.

Living alone since April 16, 2020, he had learned the necessity of strict discipline in the mental, emotional, and physical realms in order to balance competing elements successfully.

With strict self-discipline, he was highly productive in his job and in his personal and professional development, while pushing himself to new levels of strength, agility, flexibility, and conditioning. If only he had driven himself this hard in high school and the first five semesters of college!

But, he recollected as he drove through the small town to the beautiful tennis center his university would have gladly traded for, he hadn’t always had his shit together like he did now. His first two years in his small but prestigious and expensive alma mater, his tuition, fees, room and board, had been paid in part by a tennis scholarship, with the remainder paid by academic scholarships. It turned out that was mixed blessing.

His parents had saved up money for college, and he had earned some money while in high school, so when he got the scholarships he had some money to spend, and he spent a good bit of it before enrolling.

His first purchase was a year-old, barely-used Jeep Cherokee purchased from a wealthy friend of his parents. The friend’s spoiled daughter decided she wanted a BMW convertible for her senior year in high school, so Scott bought the Jeep for a song – if about 30% of NADA value is a song.

Next Scott went clothes shopping with his favorite cousin, who relentlessly kept up with fashions for women and men. She picked clothes that would help him fit in with all the rich kids on campus, and be noticed by the girls. She required that he model each ‘set’ before pronouncing him ready for college, and made him wear one set out of the store to take her out for a late lunch. After said lunch, she told him was a hottie and bestowed a smoldering kiss on him.

“Go get ’em Tiger! And if those rich girls are too self-absorbed to see you for what you are, come see your kissin’ cousin – I’ll take good care of you! Remember, we’re only third cousins, so it’s all legal!”

They might only third cousins, but they were unusually close after that.

Excited about college and anxious to get away from his boring high school friends, he left early for rush. His tennis coach told him joining a fraternity was a bad idea, but an older male cousin had convinced him that was the easy way to score chicks, so he did it anyway.

It turned out that the demands of fraternity life, playing college tennis, and keeping an academic scholarship were not mutually compatible, so he only made one semester as an active frat rat. But a glorious semester it was, and the sorority contacts he made kept him warm at night for another year.

Well, the sorority girls and the “tennis groupies” who showed up to support the tennis players after the campus paper and radio station made a big deal about them winning a major tournament held on campus. Scott wasn’t particular about the pedigree of the girls he was dating, or simply having sex with, so he scored often enough to become more expert in pleasing young women, and in choosing girls to date.

But that all came to an end in April 2019 when he met Amelia Anderson. They were magnetically attracted from the start – so attracted they married in August, just before classes resumed! They lived in bliss and harmony for seven months, until the world went nuts during the Ides of March, 2020.

Distracted by his memories, Scott made the last turn to the tennis center parking lot, and almost wrecked! Directly in his path was a white Jeep Compass with the tailgate up, and leaning into the back were the longest, most gorgeous legs he’d ever seen emerging from a tennis skirt!

She was leaning into the back of the small SUV, so the rest of her body was obscured. He had no idea what the other parts or her face looked like, but he was instantly lost in fantasy.

They say you subconsciously steer toward whatever you’re looking at, and he was transfixed by the splendid legs and what he could see of her undershorts-covered butt. Maybe 10 yards before he ran over her, he hit his brakes, took a hard left, and parked directly across the small lot. His heart was racing for several reasons, including having almost killed his dream girl – or at least his dream legs. But also because he was hoping and praying the rest of her was even close to being as dazzling as what he could see.

He stepped out, pretended to stretch his back while staring at her, and nonchalantly made his way to the back. He raised the tailgate, reached inside, and pulled the tennis bag toward him – all without taking his eyes off her backside.

Her long, dirty-blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail. She was long and lean, with a small waist and a flaring butt that kept the short skirt elevated and her undershorts exposed.

So far, so good!

She found whatever she had been searching for, stuffed it in her bag, took the strap in hand, and spun around – catching Scott staring at her.

He wanted to stop; he tried to stop… but the rest of her was as magnificent as her legs! She was tall – maybe 5’8″ to his 5’10”- and slender. Even her face was slender, and from fifteen yards away, seemed perfectly proportioned. Narrow nose, light-colored eyes (probably green, he thought), with high cheekbones, and pouty lips. He was mesmerized.

She blinked, smiled, and began walking toward him. His trance held him in place until she was a single yard away. She stuck out her hand. “Hi! You look kind of familiar, but I can’t come up with your name, so If we’ve met before, excuse my poor memory.

“I’m Sabrina… Sabrina Rychtar. I was raised here, but I’ve been off in college – in fact, I just graduated in May!”

He was right – she was in the 2% of the world population with green eyes! Recovering after seeing her up close and hearing her voice, he responded, “Well, congratulations on that achievement!

“I’m Scott Carr, and I apologize for staring, and for what I’m about to say – that I couldn’t help myself because you have the most beautiful legs I’ve ever seen!”

She blushed prettily, but rolled her eyes, and demurred. “Sure, you say that, but in junior high and high school they called me ‘the giraffe’ and ‘stick woman’ because my legs – and body – were so skinny! I filled out some in college, but I still think of myself as ‘stick woman’. It’s nice to have someone tell me different, but I’m not convinced of your sincerity.”

Scott stared again, shook his head, and asked, “Do they not have mirrors where you live? Are all the men blind? You are absolutely beautiful! From head to toe!”

She gave him a dazzling smile, took his arm, and laughingly replied, “Come with me! I need to check in and find a partner, maybe two, but I want you to stay close so you can help rebuild my fragile ego!”

Scott dropped his racquet bag in the grass, shut the tailgate, picked up the bag, and let her lead him toward the tournament office.

“By the way, Sabrina Rychtar, we haven’t met before. I’m absolutely certain I’d remember if we had, even if you were in your ‘runway model’ phase, before you became a ‘swimsuit model!’

She giggled and shook her head, “Shameless flirt!”

“Sabrina! You made it!” cried the pretty blonde at the desk.

“I did! Are you still planning to be my doubles partner, even though we haven’t practiced together all summer?”

“Of course! Maybe we can win it this year! I’ve been practicing, whenever my hubby will take care of the kids, and playing in a local league on Wednesday night, so maybe this year I won’t double fault and hit easy volleys into the net – at least not so often!”

The muscular blonde man stringing a racquet in the back corner was smiling at the exchange. He loudly said, “Hey, Sabrina! Good to see you – Sarah was worried you weren’t going to get back from Colorado in time!”

“Hey, Ken, you good lookin’ hunk you! Did you find me a mixed doubles partner yet, since you’re playing with your wife this year?”

“That fella right beside you is looking for a mixed partner, and he’s fair to middlin’. See if he’s willing to carry you this tournament like I’ve been doing.”

Scott had stood quietly listening to the easy exchanges. Although he and Ken were college rivals, they were also close friends and were playing doubles in the open division. He was also good friends with Ken’s sister, Sarah, who was giving him a pleading look.

Sabrina tilted her head and gave him a questioning look. He quickly put his hands up facing her, and said, “I would truly love to be your partner in any endeavor, Sabrina Fair, but I have to warn you right now that it may not turn out well if I have to serve with you at net! Would you be willing to stay on the baseline me when I’m serving? Play two back?”

Sarah laughed at the puzzled look on Sabrina’s face. “Ignore him – he’s a jackass, and the world’s biggest flirt – or at least he used to be! Ken brought him home from college several times a year, so I know all his tricks! But he is a decent partner – he and I won this tournament four years ago.”

“Okaaaayyyy… play two back on your serve… but why…?”

“I already told you that you have the most beautiful legs I’ve ever seen; how can I serve with those legs exposed right in front of me!”

Sarah yelled, “See!”

Ken laughing interjected, “That was awful, Carr! You’ve completely lost your gift of gab with pretty women!”

Sabrina rolled her head and her eyes, looked at him, and replied, “Okay, Mr. Carr – are you through with the sophomoric lines now? If so, I’d like to go warm up together on court 10 before the crowd arrives. If your tennis game is as lame as your pickup game, I’ll need a better partner!”

She grabbed her bag and headed for the court; Scott picked his up and looked toward his friends. Their smiles were gone. Ken’s voice was solemn this time. “Hey, brother, it’s good to see you here! We wondered if you’d really show up. Thanks for coming, and I’m looking forward to playing doubles with you.”

“Thanks, Ken. It’s good to be here – I think I need this.”

Sarah had watery eyes and a catch in her voice. “Big brother, you don’t need this, you DESERVE this! I don’t know where you’re staying, but Grampa Ray is going to be mad if you aren’t staying at his house. You can expect our parents to insist you come over to eat every night after the tourney. We’ll all be there, and you CAN NOT decline!”

“Thanks, Sarah. I could use one of your mom’s delicious meals, and being around good friends.”

The moisture in her eyes turned to tears, and there was sorrow in her voice. “Scott, we’re so sorry we couldn’t come to…”

He quickly cut her off. “I know, Sarah – no one could. We had a private service with only her parents and me present, and even then, we had to social distance! God damn Covid anyway!”

From a distance he heard Sabrina asking if he was coming, so he took a big breath, forced a smile, and turned to go. Sarah quickly added, “Scott! She’s a great girl, and the best friend I’ve ever had. She recently got out of a bad relationship, so please be gentle!”

He sighed. “Sarah, I haven’t even looked at a woman since April, 2020. I have no idea why I find her so attractive, but believe me when I promise those days you remember ended when I got married in 2019.”

“Well, as you said,” Ken laconically explained, “she does have the most beautiful legs in four counties, and the rest of her ain’t far behind. You being a leg and ass man, she’s pretty close to your perfect woman! And like Sarah says, she’s a great gal – take a chance and get to know her, and remember she’s been wounded too.”

Scott plastered a smile on his face and walked toward the gate to the court, watching Sabrina impatiently bounce a ball on her racquet strings. She was lean and athletic, but every single part of her was exactly the dimensions he would order if he could.

As soon as he laid his bag down and took a racquet out, she went to the far baseline and challenged, “Let’s see what you’ve got, Pretty Boy!”

He broke stride and almost dropped his racquet: that’s what his wife called him the day they first met! His eyes misted, but he continued to the baseline. ‘How could …?’ he asked himself before he turned, only to find her facing him with a grin.

She hit a soft forehand to his, he hit it back on autopilot, and so their warmup began. It took a few minutes, but he came around with a little movement and the need to focus on the ball, and the overwhelming sadness dissipated. Ten minutes into their warmup, he was teasing her again, and enjoying their time on the court.

She was most confident from the baseline, with a heavy topspin forehand and a flat two-handed backhand she placed wherever she wanted. Her net play was strong, she hit overheads with confidence, and her serve was consistently well paced and well placed.

The area around the office was crowded with players now, and Sarah was beginning to make court assignments over the loudspeaker. They put their racquets in their bags, dried off with their towels, and sipped water from their bottles.

“Assuming I passed the audition, it looks like you can play either side in doubles; how do you feel about playing the deuce court? I can play either, but my backhand is a little better from the ad court.”

“Perfect! I can play either, but I prefer the deuce court! And yes, I think you’ll do! As a doubles partner,” she added with another teasing grin.

“But you still have to play two back on my serve; nothing about my opinion has changed,” he flirted back. She slapped him on his sweaty arm, picked up her bag, and said, “Come on! We need to go get our singles assignments!”

One of the great things about a tournament in this small community is that, for the first three rounds, only the Open Division matches were held at the tennis center. The age group matches were scattered at “the country courts”, some of which were in or around town, and some of which were twenty miles out in the country.

As a youth playing in this tournament, he loved the country courts! The sponsors had bottled water and Dr. Pepper in ice chests at each site, and the owners provided snacks, chairs, shade trees and sunshades, and some had swimming pools they could use between matches! It would be ten years before he could play in 35s, but he could see himself out in the country, sitting in the shade wearing a bathing suit and drinking beer with his hosts, their friends, and fellow competitors.

Tennis here was a social occasion, even if fiercely competitive! As it should be.

Feeling all groovy and sanguine walking back to the office with his delectable new partner, he almost ran over her when she suddenly stopped in front of him. He managed to only lightly bump her, and then looked over her shoulder to see what caused her to freeze up. And just like that, his sanguinity evaporated.

Darian fuckin’ Huxley! Right here, right in front of him! His blood pressure and heart rate shot up, and then spiked when his archrival smirked at the two of them. “Well, well! I’m not surprised you two found each other. Birds of a feather.”

Scott started around Sabrina – might as well kill the MF right now and get it over with! But Sabrina shocked him by raising her middle finger and saying, in a menacing voice, “Here’s ‘birds of a feather’ for you, Darian! Now get out of my sight before I let my boyfriend kick your butt!”

Darian continued to smirk, but the look of death on Scott’s face was intimidating even to the much larger Darian. He took the arm of the pretty brunette by his side, mumbled “See you around, losers,” and guided her toward the bleachers for court one.

The brunette looked shocked and appalled, but went with him.

Scott exhaled and turned to Sabrina. “How do you know that asshole?”

She looked shocked. “How do you?”

“It’s a long story, and one I’ll probably never tell unless I’m falling-down drunk. Your turn.”

There was fire in her voice. “I’m ashamed to admit that I not only dated the sorry SOB, I was actually considering accepting his proposal and becoming engaged to him! Until my girlfriends let me know that I was only one of a half-dozen girls he was screwing, and he only asked so I’d let him get in my pants!

“He is UNDOUBTABLY the sorriest excuse for a human…”

“I’m well aware! Let’s leave it at that, go get our assignments, and try to calm down before our matches. I’ll be in the consolation bracket for the second round if we don’t, and I suspect you will too.”

Sarah had viewed the confrontation, and had a sheepish look. When Sabrina approached and glared at her, she quickly declared her innocence. “He entered as DB Huxley from Midland! We had no idea it was Darian, I swear!”

The hardness of Sabrina’s pretty face dissolved as she faced her BFF. She sighed and replied, “I’ll be okay; it was just such a shock to see him here, in my hometown!”

Scott was giving Ken such a hard look he stopped stringing and came to the window. “Sarah’s right. Counting the kids division that ended yesterday, we had so many entries in so many divisions, maybe we weren’t paying attention. But, if I think he used Midland as his home address, and I remember him being from Dallas. It never crossed my mind or I’d have given you a heads up!

“Now, with that said, our local doctors are playing in the tournament – do I need to keep one of them around at all times? I do remember your vow.”

“Is he in my half in anything?”

Ken and Sarah skimmed the singles and both doubles brackets before Ken answered, “No! You’d both have to make the finals to meet. Whew!”

“Fair warning – I’ll be there. Do you think he will be?”

“He sent shit for seeding info, so he’s not seeded. He’ll have to get past the fourth seed in the second round, and the first seed in the semis to get to you in singles. We seeded you second because the number one is a former satellite player, and he won this tournament last year, so he’s got a tough row to hoe.

“We didn’t even know his doubles partner – he’s from Midland too, so it’s a similar situation there. You and I are second seeds, and they are in the top bracket with the top seed.”

Sarah excitedly interjected, “And we’re just seeding the mixed! Since we now have everyone partnered up, I can promise you he and the brunette bombshell will be in the opposite bracket from you guys!”

Scott nodded. “About the best it could be, I guess. But you might want to keep the doctors close by if we do meet in any of the finals. One fuckin’ word, one fuckin’ smirk…!

“And if you see him approach me and start talking shit before then, call 911!”

****

There were ten courts and sixteen singles matches in both the women’s and men’s divisions, beginning with the top halves of each bracket, so Sabrina and Scott had an hour or more to kill before they played. They used the time to get to know each other better while watching the top seeds, and then other matches from the top half of the draw.

They studiously ignored Huxley, who was on court 8 in the far corner, but it was impossible to not notice that he was playing really well and dominating his opponent… mostly because he celebrated every point he won.

Sabrina was the third seed in women’s open singles; the second seed was a recent high school graduate with three 6A state championships, and the top seed was the number one player for a Big 12 college, but not one of the powerhouses like Texas or Baylor. There were other top high school players and two other collegiate players in the draw, as well as a number of club players with good tennis skills, so she had her work cut out for her.

On the other hand, she was at the top of her game, coming off a senior season playing number two singles and one doubles for a team that made it to the Division II national tournament. She deserved her seed, but so did the others.

Scott was almost two years past his final season and should have been on a downhill slide. But after the untimely and unfortunate death of his wife, he had filled his nonworking hours with tennis and conditioning. He felt he was significantly better than he had been in college now. Not that playing number two singles and number one doubles for a team that won the American Athletic Conference Championship before bowing in the quarters to the team that won the natty meant he wasn’t a pretty good college player.

Huxley, though, had beaten him in straight sets in 2019, mainly because Scott let him get in his head. He had gotten revenge in doubles, but he was still mad about the shit Huxley said to trigger him, and about his foolish overreaction. And that anger was piddling compared to… ‘NO!’ he told himself – ‘I’m not going there!’

He was in that confused and angry state of mind when his name was called. He picked up the balls and was assigned to court two. His first round opponent was a pretty good club player from Lubbock, but he looked like a Japanese actor who had met up with Godzilla by the end of the first set. Scott had begun to calm down a bit by the break before the second set, and his opponent chided him in a teasing voice.

“I don’t know who you’re pissed off at, but believe me, I’m not him! Let me win a couple of points this set so my girlfriend won’t think I’m lying about being able to play a decent game of tennis.”

Scott was normally a level headed and compassionate player. He wouldn’t give anyone a win they didn’t deserve, but he did normally back off his game enough to give an overwhelmed opponent an opportunity to get and keep the ball in play, and he often engaged them in lighthearted conversation.

Not today; he smashed everything from both sides, crushed the overheads, and was ruthless when “Huxley” tried to approach the net. He had lost count of the aces he served, and his net play was relentless. The number one seed dropped by to watch, and walked away shaking his head.

Suddenly embarrassed and contrite, he apologized before they returned to the court, and the second set was much more competitive. It ended 6-1, but his friendly opponent was buoyed by the number of points he was in, and the several he won. When it ended, his girlfriend petted him up and told him he played great the second set! Then she glared at Scott, who slunk away while promising himself he would henceforth enjoy each match, make new friends, and forget about his nemesis.

Sabrina was on the court at the same time, so she missed his match but he got to watch the last few games of hers. Her opponent was an accomplished high school girl from Odessa, but Sabrina handled her easily, 6-2, 6-2.

She was an even better player than he thought, and she was as quick and graceful as a jungle cat. He had to sit down in the bleachers to hide his reaction under his towel.

Sarah wandered up, looked at the scorekeeper, and said, “No trouble at all, I see. Carrie is pretty good – she won 16s – but she not quite ready for the championship flight in open. We matched them so Carrie could go into the consolation bracket, where she should do pretty well.

“Ken and I took turns watching your match from a distance; you were brutal that first set!”

“Sorry – he’s really a nice guy. His only mistake was being the first match after I saw Huxley.”

“Ken and I talked about that. It goes way beyond your tennis rivalry, doesn’t it?”

Scott took a deep breath, exhaled, and quietly replied, “The tennis rivalry is a tiny molehill next to the mountain that is the other reason. But we’re not going to talk about it here, so let it ride, Sarah.”

“Okay, but Mom and Dad found out you’re here, and are demanding you join us for supper tonight. Your matches should be over by 7… unless you treat all of them like you did poor Eddie; then you’ll be through by 6.”

“Win or lose, I’m going to enjoy the rest of my matches… unless I meet you-know-who in the finals. For today, though, expect to see the fun-loving Carr kid on the court.”

He and Sabrina joined the siblings in the office to visit, drink water, and catch up with their good friends. Scott’s next match was on court three, which also had bleachers, against a club pro from Houston named Curtis. He was wonderfully consistent, but didn’t have any real weapons beyond keeping the ball in play and waiting for his opponent to make a mistake.

That gave Scott an opportunity to work on his baseline strokes, approach shots, half volleys, and net play. Curtis was going to make him work, but he wasn’t going to beat a player with Scott’s consistency and weapons, so Scott felt confident in using the match to work on refining his game.

First serves that drew ohs and ahs, one-handed backhands that whistled off the racquet, and overheads that were harder than the serves, combined to draw quite a crowd, including a good number of local high school players that came out to watch. Sarah sat with Sabrina for a while, and then she traded off with Ken and returned to the tournament desk.

Everyone knew the 6-1, 6-2 score was largely irrelevant, but Scott’s play impressed Curtis enough that he invited Scott to play in the fall invitational at the country club where he was the teaching pro. The best players from Houston and the surrounding area would be there, and he promised Scott he would face some good competition. It was an honor to be asked by the pro himself, so Scott agreed. Maybe his parents would even come watch – it had been several years since they had seen him play.

Sabrina’s match was later because her opponent had a long first match and needed her full hour of break time. Scott was already leaving the court after his match when her court was called.

He wandered over to court 5, got a seat in the bleachers, and watched – as she had watched him. Her opponent was probably wishing she had lost that first round third set tiebreaker, as Sabrina used Scott’s strategy of working to elevate her game against an outmanned opponent. A 1-1 score quickly resulted, and Scott saw just how good Sabrina could be if she used her size and weapons effectively, especially at net.

Roy and Anita Jones brought sandwiches on sourdough bread for their four ‘sons and daughters’, and stayed to visit. There was an awkward moment when Anita Jones expressed their regret at missing the memorial service, but Scott handled it well, acknowledging that Covid restrictions in place at the time kept anyone but the immediate family from attending, and thanking them for the potted plant he now kept in his living room.

Sabrina watched the exchange with a furrowed brow, and turned to Sarah with a questioning look. She subtly shook her head and mouthed, “Later.” Sabrina nodded and returned to her sandwich.

Another great thing about this tourney, everyone was guaranteed three matches. If you lost in the first two rounds you moved into a consolation bracket, and those matches began at 1:30. That meant Sabrina’s quarterfinals match wouldn’t begin until five and Scott’s until 5:30. With several hours to waste, Sabrina offered to take Scott on a tour of her hometown and county, an offer he quickly accepted – even though he had been here several times with Ken.

The little town with its combination of German and Scottish influences was fascinating to a boy from the northern suburbs of Houston anyway. “Downtown” consisted of mostly two- and three-story sandstone buildings erected around the four sides of the ‘square’ – which was really a rectangle – surrounding the historic courthouse.

The square offered several restaurants, two with bars; a good number of antique/collectibles stores, two clothing stores, two ‘gift shops’, and nine ‘wine bars’, by Scott’s count. He teased Sabrina about her hometown being heavy on places to booze, and asked about the number of winos, what with all the wine bars.

She was not amused, and defensively informed him that this had all sprung up in the last decade after numerous vineyards in the county had begun producing quality grapes, and the town finally authorized on premise consumption of alcoholic beverages. “We even have a package store now, for the first time in my parents’ lifetimes!”

One restaurant with a bar was advertising live music on Saturday night; Scott made a mental note to see if Sabrina would be interested in going with him. As graceful as she was on the court, he feared she would be embarrassed by his ‘white boy’ dance moves, but the chance to hold her in his arms made that an acceptable risk.

Sabrina surprised him by stopping by “Daddy’s shop”, where her mother was office manager. She explained they fabricated custom oil field equipment there, and also built custom gates and decorative fences for ranches and homes. He was surprised that the market was large enough in a small community, but Sabrina laughed and informed him most of their gate and fence sales were internet based.

Scott again froze and got tongue-tied when Briana Rychtar came around her desk to greet him; she was Sabrina’s twin, separated by 20 years, and was every bit as hot as her daughter. She appeared amused at his discomfiture and turned to her smiling daughter.

“I wondered!” Sabrina said with a grin. “He was bad with me, so I wanted to see his reaction to ‘my older sister’. It was everything I expected.”

She turned to Scott. “Okay, you can stop blushing and holding your breath, and introduce yourself to Mom! But fair warning; she’s a hugger!”

Scott shook his surprise and fascination, took her hand, and, rather than shaking, bowed over it. “Scott Carr at your service, Ms. Rychtar; I’m very pleased to meet you.”

It was her turn to be surprised, and pleased. “So, you brought home a gentleman? I can’t say I’m displeased, even if he is easily rattled. How long have you…”

“Since about 7 this morning, Mom! I met him when I got to the courts, and Ken put us together for mixed doubles. I’m just showing him around, so don’t start looking at bridal magazines quite yet!”

She winked at Scott, smiled at Sabrina, and said, “I might – you two look pretty smitten with each other!”

“Who is smitten with whom, Darling?” asked the tall and muscular man who walked into the office.

“Doug, this is Scott Carr. Scott, this is my husband and Sabrina’s dad, Doug Rychtar.”

Scott stepped forward, hand extended, and said, “It’s very nice to meet your Mr. Rychtar. I met your daughter this morning at the tournament, and she’s been showing me around town.”

The big man looked down at Scott, shook his hand without trying to crush it, winked at Scott, turned to his daughter, and asked, “Another tennis bum? Don’t you know any hard working All-American boys?”

Sabrina was aghast at the rudeness of the question; she bowed up, her temper flared, and she got ready to let Daddy have it!

Just before she let go, her dad took a long stride to her, gathered her in his arms, hugged her to him, and spun her around with her feet well off the ground. “Teasing, Honey! I was teasing! Besides, he said y’all just met, so you didn’t really ‘bring him home,’ did you?”

Sabrina still looked miffed when he set her down, but he promptly turned to Scott and asked, “Would you like to see the shop? I’ll have to keep you away from the welding, but we can take a look. We’re the fourth largest employer in the county, and…” he continued as he led Scott through the door from which he had entered.

Mom perched on her desk, long legs dangling, head tilted inquiringly, and addressed her daughter. “So…?”

“Mom, seriously – we just met!”

“And yet I see something, and there is not use denying it! So tell me about him. And by the way – HE’S CUTE!”

Sabrina blushed. “Yes, I’ll admit he is, and he seems like a really nice guy. But, he does have some issues that I don’t know anything about, including that he’s been married before. I think his wife died -maybe of Covid – but there is a story behind that I need to get Sarah to tell me.

“Also… we ran into Darian Huxley at the courts, and I think Scott may hate him more than I do! What are the odds?”

“If nothing else, that shows he has good taste, but I can’t believe you haven’t pursued that ‘coincidence’. That’s just so unlikely! You have to find out! Or I will…”

“No, Nosey, you stay out of it! We’re eating with the Jones tonight after our last matches; I’m confident Sarah will fill me in on what she knows. I don’t know if I’ll tell you or not, given your propensity to talk too much, but we’ll see.”

Briana gave her daughter a grin and a wink. “Oh, you don’t have to tell me, Honey. I’m confident I can get it out of him after about five minutes alone. I saw the way he looked at me – he’ll be putty in my hands!”

Sabrina began a fierce response, “Keep your hands off my…” that died out when her mother’s grin turned into a smirk and she cried, “I knew it!”

Doug and Scott returned seconds later, and Doug loudly proclaimed, “Bri, guess what I just hired us? A real internet security expert! Maybe he can teach us how to stop all the phishing, and keep our clients from getting scammed with fake invoices like happened to one of our friends!”

Briana’s smirk turned into a genuine smile as she turned her attention to Scott. “Really? You understand computer security? Oh my God, do we need you! When can you start?”

“Mom!” Sabrina interjected, “We’re playing in the tournament until Sunday night, hopefully, and then he will need to go home… won’t you, Scott?”

“Actually, there are tests I can set up to run at night that won’t affect your operations, and I’m sure I’ll have time between matches I can use to stop by and check on the results. Are you open tomorrow?”

“Yes and no, Doug answered, “the shop is open until noon because we have to finish a rush order for an important client, but the office will be closed. One of us could open the office for you after you finish your matches tomorrow, and again Sunday after you finish. I’ll gladly pay extra to make sure none of my customers get fleeced!”

Scott smiled. “Let’s not worry about cost – you’re getting the ‘close friends and family’ discount, so I’m sure it will find it affordable.

“I can go get my car, come back, and install a program that will work in the background, but won’t affect your productivity, Ms. Rychtar.”

Sabrina took him back, parked, and got in his Jeep. “I want to see you at work!” she explained when he looked puzzled.

“Okay, but my work is boring even to me. Are you sure?”

She nodded in the affirmative, and he drove back to the shop. It took no more than fifteen minutes to upload the initial diagnostics, so they enjoyed another conversation with her parents before resuming their tour of the community. Sabrina directed him back to the high school, but then instructed him to continue south on the Farm to Market road, past the courts.

Outside town, they passed a tennis court with a dozen or so older players sitting under shade trees. They were gathered together, watching the match between two older men, and having drinks in large insulated cups. Sabrina laughingly told him the drinks were probably something stronger than Dr. Pepper, as they were prone to having a toddy when they were through for the day. They loved tennis and were quite good, she assured him, but for them it was mainly a social event.

The river crossing ten miles out featured clear water bubbling over limestone ledges and rocks, forming pools and eddies, and then bubbling on. She showed him where to park, and they walked along the river, around a bend, and to a shady spot where the water was deeper.

“We used to swim here. The owners are really nice, and as long as there was no alcohol and we cleaned up before we left, we could use it anytime. You can see the fire rings from decades of wiener roasts and fire gazing.”

She sounded wistful, so he stepped closer, put his hand on her shoulder, and asked, “Do you miss it?”

She sighed, and replied, “Sometimes I miss the innocence of youth. The swimming hole and the swing are still here, but I guess I’m not a teenager anymore.”

“Oh, of course! You’re already, what, 21? Too old to have fun!”

“You know what I mean. ‘Fun’ now has a more adult connotation.”

“Does it? Swimming here and doing tricks off the swing sounds like fun to me! Wanna give it a try?”

Sabrina whipped her head to him, saw the teasing eyes, blushed, and replied, “I will if you will, but you have to go first!”

He pulled his shirt off and hung it off a dead branch, kicked his tennis shoes off, and reached for the drawstring on his shorts before she panicked. “I didn’t mean it! People come here all the time, and you can see this place from the road across the river!”

“I guess you are too old,” he said with a sigh. Then he grinned: “Or would you if it was dark?”

He could see she was considering it before she blushed a deeper red and responded, “It’s mid-afternoon, so I guess you’ll never know!”

The ride back had been even more fun. Now that the first sexual thoughts had been weathered with minimal embarrassment, they were more relaxed. He knew how attracted he was to Sabrina, and she seemed at least somewhat attracted to him, so let the courting begin!

Maybe his return to the living, in the form of playing in a tennis tournament with friends, was going to be more momentous than he’d expected!

He was surprised by that thought – it had been so long since he had positive thoughts about other people, and he never expected to care about a woman again. There was just something about the striking blonde…

****

Sabrina’s quarterfinal opponent was a former player at Texas Tech, and she was very good. They were tied at five in the first set when Scott was called to his match, so he didn’t get to watch the outcome of the set. His opponent was similarly accomplished, but a bit older – maybe 35 or so.

Scott was playing confidently but not too seriously, until he got his serve broken to bring the count to 4-4, and was looking at being down 4-5 if his opponent held. Then he got serious. He broke and held, to win the first set 6-4, and then cruised through the second 6-2.

He had seen Sabrina briefly watching from a distance during his second set, and she didn’t look happy. He hoped she hadn’t lost, but it was certainly possible against a quality opponent like the girl from Tech.

He turned the score and the balls in, and looked at Ken. “They split sets; go cheer her on.”

Sarah was watching the match; he stood by her and she quietly said, “She lost the first 7-5, won the second by the same score, and they are tied at 4 in this one, with Sabrina serving. Big game, because she’s had a hard time holding serve.”

“What are the rules on coaching?” he asked.

“There are no rules, other than being polite; why?”

“If what I saw in the first set holds true, she needs to be serving at her opponent’s left hip, either flat or using slice. She covers wide well, but doesn’t like to be jammed on the backhand side.”

“Well, it won’t look good for the tournament director to say that, but if her boyfriend told her that through the windscreen on the other side…”

“Boyfriend? I wish! Sure, I’ll do it; can I get there without walking all the way around?”

She showed him a way to cross between courts four & five. At fifteen-all, her opponent went back to pick up her towel, and Scott told Sabrina’s back what he had told Sarah. She barely nodded, and then set up to serve standing a few inches closer to the T. Her slice serve was deep and about a foot inside the T; it bounced straight at her hip, and her opponent could only block it back with her backhand.

The return was high and slow; Sabrina’s approach put her at the service line with the ball floating to her forehand side.

She paused, hit a swinging forehand down the line to her opponent’s backhand, and came to net. The return was well hit but just far enough above the net for Sabrina to drop it softly on the other side. Her opponent didn’t make the effort – she just clapped her hand against the racquet strings and said, “Nice point.”

The next two serves accomplished the same result, and it was game point; Sabrina hit a hard flat serve right at the Red Raider, who barely fended it off from her body. The ball bounced into the net, and now a service break would win the set and match.

They took sips of water, and switched sides. Bouncing on her toes with a look of determination on her pretty face, Sabrina took the wide serve to her forehand down the line for a winner (‘What was that woman thinking’ he asked himself. Sabrina’s forehand is a weapon!).

The next serve was also wide, this time to her backhand, and her opponent came to net behind it; Sabrina threw up a defensive lob that the older woman had to chase back to the baseline. She threw up a short lob that Sabrina put away with an overhead down the line: 0-30.

The next serve was a good one, but Sabrina blocked it back deep enough to give herself time to reset for the return, which was deep to the middle of the court. Sabrina hit a massive inside-out forehand to her opponent’s backhand; it flew into the fence. 40-love, match point.

The final point was anticlimactic; the first serve was in the net, the second too tight and far too soft to be hit to Sabrina’s forehand. She crushed it at her opponent’s feet, and followed it to net. Her opponent tried to pass her down the line, but Sabrina reached out to hit a cross-court one-handed backhand winner.

She stood there for a moment, shoulders slumped, before she straightened up, and moved to the center of the net to shake hands. Scott wandered back between the now-empty courts and back to the office. There were still a number of matches remaining to be played, but a tennis association officer was there to take over as director for the night, Sarah and Ken could go home to clean up and change clothes.

The Jones’ house was not the one Scott had visited in the past, but Ken gave good directions to the new place. It was very nice, but he felt it lacked the character of the old German blockhouse they owned before.

Hugs were exchanged with Ken and Sarah’s spouses, and with their hosts, Anita and Roy. Sabrina entered at that moment, and it seemed natural to hug her too – although her hug begat a very different reaction from his body.

The meal was “Mexican Pile On”, with the dishes and condiments spread across the stove and kitchen counters. Cheese enchiladas, crispy beef or chicken tacos, beans, rice, tortillas, and large bowls of lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados, with tea or water to drink. They insisted Ken and Sarah go first, so he followed her.

The plates were platters and he was hungry. Without thinking, he piled the fragrant food on his plate, only to be embarrassed by the harassment and cries of ‘save us something!’

He took a seat across from Sabrina on one side of the ten-person table; Ken and Melissa sat beside him, Sarah and husband Cody beside Sabrina, and their hosts sat on the ends. It was an excellent meal with convivial conversation, and Scott couldn’t remember the last time he was this content. He actually felt happy!

They adjourned to the man-cave/den, with its 72″ TV mounted on the wall, and moved chairs and sofas around to create a conversation pit. ‘Papa Roy’ offered them a beer out of his den refrigerator. It was filled with light or regular domestic beers, and everyone took one – and later a second and third.

Scott did his best to keep the focus of the conversation on his friends’ families, and was able to catch up on much that had transpired since the advent of Coronavirus in 2020. When asked by Roy, Sabrina chimed in about her senior year and graduation ceremony, but Scott remained quiet until Anita asked him directly.

“What about you, Scott? What have you been doing since the last time we saw you, during spring break in 2020?”

With a smile etched on his face, Scott answered, “Spent the rest of 2020 fall finishing school. We didn’t have much of a graduation ceremony in December, which was fine with me because I already had a job lined up in Austin.

“I moved down to ATX before Christmas, which I spent with my parents, and then went back and got settled in. Started work from home on January 3, and since then I’ve pretty much worked, worked out, and played tennis!”

“What about your social life?” Anita asked with obvious concern.

“I’m friendly with the people I play in leagues with, and with some of the people at the gym. We go out from time to time, but my job is demanding, so I’m mostly a home body.

“By the way, I live in a really nice apartment – anyone want to see some pictures?” he teased, trying to end his inquisition.

Everyone but Sabrina passed, but she took his phone and commented favorably on his apartment, the view of downtown Austin, and his black Lab. “What a beautiful dog! He’s so big, but his coat just gleams! Where is he?”

“My parents are dog and house sitting this weekend. They will be there through Wednesday, and then they’re going on their annual trip to Rockport. I could access the security system and you would be able to see them, but it might not be PG rated. They’re old but not dead, if you know what I mean.”

Sabrina blushed and handed his phone back, as if his naked parents would suddenly appear on the screen. Anita cried, “Old! Your parents are younger than we are, and we’re young! Are they even in their mid-forties?”

“They could both play in 45s, but neither could play in 50s,” he replied with a grin. “See! They are young!” Anita exclaimed.

Her kids began teasing that 45 isn’t really that young, Mom, and Scott relaxed, knowing he had directed the conversation away from his personal life and the question he knew everyone at the table wanted to ask but he didn’t want to answer.

They joked around for a few more minutes, and then Ken and Melissa declared they needed to go rescue the babysitter. Sarah and Cody said they needed to go rescue Cody’s mom, and the four of them got up. Sabrina and Scott rose with them, and everyone began hugging and thanking the elder Jones for the fantastic meal.

Roy shook Scott’s hand, gave him a quick hug, and warned, “Watch out for deer on the way out to Dad’s.”

He immediately spotted the look on Scott’s face and asked, “You are staying at Dad’s River Cabin, aren’t you?” Everyone paused.

“Uh, I didn’t want to impose, so I got a B&B.”

“Oh, shit!” Roy said, and turned to his son. “Does Dad know he’s here?” Ken shrugged, and Roy turned back to Scott.

“You better hope he doesn’t find out you’re here and not staying at the River Cabin! You know what he told you last time you were here!”

“That’s been three years… I didn’t know if it would still be available since I entered the tournament so late…”

“Maybe you got lucky and he let someone else stay there. I’ll check tonight, but you check out and bring your stuff to the courts tomorrow – you are not paying for a room in our hometown, young man!”

Scott humbly agreed to do that, and slipped away with the others, who stopped at his Jeep. “Sorry, I should have taken care of you when I got your entry,” Ken said. “It slipped my mind, to be honest, but he’s right – Grampa is gonna kill us both if he finds out you’re here and not staying with him. He’s asked the last two years, but somehow didn’t this year. I’ll let you know, but bring your gear tomorrow – Mom and Dad will put you up, even if the cabin is taken.

“Of course, if you do get the cabin, we’re having a drunk swimming party Sunday night after this is all over! The four of us need the relief, even if you don’t, so don’t plan to go home before Monday!”

As he drove back to the little B&B, Scott made excuses to himself for his omissions in answering Mrs. Jones’ question. The omissions weren’t small: his “destination wedding in the Caribbean in August 2020, and the memorial service for his wife a short seven months and ten days later. But that could be excused, he told himself; she asked what HE had been up to since the first week of March, 2020. She hadn’t mentioned Amelia.

****

Sabrina was again bending over getting her bag out when Scott turned the corner. She was wearing a pale blue tennis skirt with matching undershorts and a white top, and her tennis shoes had light blue trim. He smiled. She might be tall and lanky, but she was a girlie girl, and he liked that.

They walked to the courts side by side, and stopped by the bulletin board to look at the draw for the semis. Darian was playing the number one seed, but neither knew their opponent, so they walked over to ask Sarah and Ken.

They learned Scott’s opponent is a local boy currently playing for UTSA; Sabrina’s is Barbara Benedict from Midland – Darian’s brunette bombshell! Sabrina was not pleased – she hadn’t even scouted her, and knew nothing about her game.

“All I can tell you is that her seeding information says she played for West Texas A&M, but it didn’t provide anything more, like she played #1 or #8,” Ken told her. “She was unseeded and made it past Ali, the number three seed, so she’s pretty good.”

The set of Sabrina’s jawline said all that needed to be said about that, but she dryly stated, “Mom and Dad are coming to watch; I hope they don’t see me get my butt kicked!”

Sarah said, “So are our parents, just in case you need more pressure, but you need to calm down and get focused. You have beaten some excellent college players, Sabrina! You’ve got this!”

“Thanks, Sis. I’ll give it my best shot! Now, what court?”

“Court two. The other women’s singles is on court one,” Sarah replied sheepishly. “Perfect!” Sabrina replied with a head roll. “That should ensure the biggest possible crowd for my humiliation!”

“What about me? What court?” Scott asked.

“You’ll be on two, as soon as their match ends.”

“Cool! I’ll get to watch you. Shall I keep my mouth shut this time or offer something if I see it?”

Sabrina turned grateful eyes to him. “Help me if you can, but don’t make me think too much. I’m not smart enough to think and play!”

He rolled his eyes and shook his head: “You’re gonna do great, Tiger!”

The singles semis started at eight; by 7:45, the bleachers for courts 1 and 2 were filled, and people were setting lawn chairs up. Sabrina’s bravado was severely challenged as she took the court to warm up, and drew a bunch of well wishes.

She was obviously nervous during warmups, and it only got worse when the match got underway. Scott didn’t offer coaching because she couldn’t do anything right anyway, so he and her fans just clapped on the rare occasions when she did something well.

Darian was watching in glee, but from the bleachers beside court one – apparently, he was taking Scott’s visual warning seriously.

When she moved to the north side of the courts after going down 0-5, Sabrina stood by the fence, obviously embarrassed and frustrated. Scott sauntered down the sidewalk behind her and hissed, “Settle the fuck down, Girl! You can still beat her, but you need to get your shit together right now and show her you can play! You have to win two sets to advance, and you can win the next two – but you need to make a statement in this game. So, again, get your shit together and play!”

He ambled on to the concession stand and bought a bottle of water, even though he had plenty in his bag, and wandered back – ignoring Darian the whole time.

He heard the cheering from the fans around court 2, and got there in time to hear Sabrina call the count before she served, “40-love.” She then tossed the ball high and reached up on tiptoes to unleash a serve to the T that Benedict didn’t even try to get to. Sabrina stroked the second ball to her opponent and stood at the baseline to receive.

The timid girl who stood there to open the match had morphed into an angry dragon. She slapped her thigh a few times with her left hand, and exhorted herself, “Come on!”

After taking his seat, Scott sat in awe as Sabrina played like Serena Williams! She hit every shot with pace, seemed to know exactly what to do with the ball, and did it. She ran Benedict all over the court, and put away every mistake she made. It was awesome to watch!

Twelve games later, Sabrina had a 7-5, 6-0 win and was on her way to the finals! She quickly shook her dazed opponent’s hand, propped her racquet against the fence, opened the gate, and attacked Scott. “Thank you! You are the greatest coach in history! You knew just what to say! Thank you sooo much!”

He just stood and let her hug him for another minute, before her parents, the Jones, and a bunch of young men and women surrounded her. He dad finally got to Scott and excitedly asked, “What did you tell her!”

Scott shrugged and said, “I told her to get her shit together…?”

Roy had joined them and heard what Scott said. He and Doug broke out in rollicking laughter and couldn’t quit! When their laughter died down, Doug proclaimed, “All that money I spent lessons and coaching, and all it took was…” and they laughed more.

Scott shrugged again, picked up his bag, and walked onto the court, where his opponent was waiting.

Young Terry was good, he was game, and he came to play for his home crowd! He hung in as long as he could, but by the sixth game of the set, the older, wiser, stronger, and more experienced player had begun to exploit every weakness and every mental error.

Scott won 6-3, 6-1, and a humbled Terry told him he was the best he’d ever played. Most of Sabrina’s fans had stayed to watch the local boy, but they were quick to acknowledge the ‘incredible match’ they had the pleasure to watch.

Roy and Anita, Doug and Briana, and Sabrina congratulated Terry on his play, and then turned to Scott. “We were prepared to give you some heartfelt words of wisdom,” Roy said in a serious voice, “but you had your shit together from the very start!”

That set off another round of laughter that included the two wives. Sabrina shook her head, hugged Scott’s sweaty body, and told the others, “He said a lot more than that! Y’all leave me alone!”

She started to turn and move away as if angry, but Scott caught her arm, pulled her around to face him, and earnestly told her, “Sabrina, that was the greatest display of focus, concentration, and skill I’ve ever seen! Seriously! It took a few game, but you were magnificent from that point on!”

The look she gave him was hotter than the Texas sun, but she merely placed her forehead on his chin and quietly said, “Thank you. I owe you.”

On the court next to them, Darian had overcome the number one seed 6-4, 6-2, setting up the finals Scott dreaded. Oh, he wasn’t afraid of playing Darian – he was a much better player than he had been a when they played in 2019.

He WAS afraid he’d lose his cool and end up in jail, and then prison. Upon reflection, he wondered if it wouldn’t be worth it.

The singles finals were set for 12:30, with the men’s championship on court 1 and the women’s on court 2. The temperature was already 95, and the hourly forecast for noon was 100, with an afternoon high of 106! Scott applauded himself for his demanding conditioning workouts, and plotted the demise of his… nemesis. As much as he didn’t want to acknowledge it, that’s what Darian had been.

Today, he vowed, that would change on the tennis court. He couldn’t fix the other thing on the court, but he would extract his vengeance if given the chance!

Seventy minutes later, they picked up the balls and walked to their respective courts. Sabrina’s opponent was a full-grown woman, about 5’11”, 185 pounds, and she knocked the hell out of every ball, even in warmups. Sabrina looked intimidated.

At 6’2′, 210ish, Darian was 4 inches and more than 30 pounds heavier than Scott. He smirked at his smaller opponent, knowing he could get inside his head anytime he wanted. Last time he had gotten personal about a girl they had both dated; this time he had a lot more ammunition, and he intended to fuck with Scott from start to finish, then laugh him down when he was humiliated.

Being a natural bully, Darian smashed everything back during the fifteen-minute warmup, giving Scott little chance to get in a groove, since most were out of bounds or hit right at him. When the announcement came to start the matches, Darian walked to the net and put his hands on it; he intended to start the intimidation and harassment right now!

Scott stopped at the service line, brusquely said, “Call it,” and spun his racquet on the court. Darian won, took service, and Scott took the side he was on. They returned to their respective baselines without other words being spoken.

Darian crushed his first serve; Scott blocked it back deep and set up in the middle of the court. Darian smashed a top spin forehand to Scott’s backhand side; he sliced it back to the deep middle of the court, and Darian ran around his backhand to hit a cross-court forehand with heavy top spin.

It was short, just beyond the service line, so Scott raced up, took it shoulder high, sent it down the line, and came to net. Darian smashed a backhand down the line; Scott attacked the ball, got position, and angled it across court for a winner.

Darian won the next point with a hard, well-placed serve, and the next with a rush to the net after pinning Scott beyond the baseline with a deep top spin forehand. He went on to hold serve at ad, but Scott held serve at love, and that’s the way the first set went through the first eight games.

At 4-4, with Darian serving, Scott saw the first slow step by his opponent. He smiled as he waited for the big serve he knew was coming. There was no finesse in Darian’s game now; he was trying to overpower Scott from either side, and when serving. The big serve came wide, to his forehand; he blocked it back down the line, forcing Darian to run across the court to hit a backhand.

It came back too high and too slow, but Scott stayed back instead of closing on the net, as he had earlier. He hit the ball down the forehand alley, but Darian ran it down and hit a decent topspin right at Scott, who sliced it low to the backhand alley. Darian ran that down too, and tried to lob; it was short, and Scott put it away.

Darian stayed with the booming serve, and Scott stayed with the well-placed returns that caused the big man to chase the ball from side to side. Scott broke to go up 5-4.

They switched sides, with Scott letting Darian go to his bag, where he flopped down on the bench and wolfed down his water. Scott carried his towel and water bottle with him; he stood beyond the baseline, dried his forehead, took a sip of water, and then set up to serve. While he waited, he bounced the ball on the frame of the racquet, whistled, and watched Sabrina trying to sit back on the baseline and hit power with the big girl. He shook his head: what could she be thinking?

Darian was malingering long enough that a ball on the other court made its way to the fence behind court one. Scott walked over, picked it up with his racquet, seemingly fumbled it, and followed the slowly bouncing ball toward court two, and Sabrina.

With a big smile covering his words, he asked, “Why would you get in a slugfest with an amazon? Run her big, thick ass all over the court for a while and see if she can still hit it that hard!”

Sabrina looked taken aback, but then she smiled. He tossed the ball, she caught it on her racquet, and said thanks. Scott smiled and turned back to his court, looking impatiently at Huxley. He walked closer, but not so close that whatever Huxley said wouldn’t be heard by the people in the packed bleachers, or by the SRO crowd standing two and three deep along the fence.

In a conversational, not confrontational, tone of voice, he said, “Breaks are between sets; it’s only 5-4.” Darian glared, started to say something, thought of the crowd, and reluctantly walked back to receive.

Darian had already seen his hard flat serve, his slice, and his American Twist, but what he got now was a derivation of a twist serve with extra spin. The ball jumped off the court when it hit and climbed, forcing Darian to hit the forehand return above his shoulder; it sailed wide.

Darian got the next one back, but his return had nothing on it; Scott easily put it away with a top spin forehand. 40-0 – set point.

Darian backed up beyond the baseline and prepared for the twist; instead, Scott hit a quick little slice to his backhand and followed it to the net. Darian barely got it before it bounced the second time, but Scott was waiting at the net and drove it the other direction: game, set.

During the break between sets, Scott stood at the baseline and watched Sabrina artfully placing the ball, forcing the big girl not only from side to side, but also luring her to net with drop shots and then hitting lobs over her. Her big butt was beginning to drag, and it was only getting hotter.

While Darian sat on the bench drinking water, wiping himself with a towel, and mumbling, Scott moved about, bounced around a bit, and then stood impatiently at the baseline waiting for his opponent to go serve.

The second set, Darian ran from side to side, back to front and front to back until he was wobbling. Scott was no longer hitting anything with pace; he was hitting soft stuff that was very well placed, and Darian was getting hotter and weaker. When he pulled up with a cramp while charging to the net, Scott put the ball away, chuckled, and smiled at the big man.

“Fuck you, Cuck! Quit playing like a girl and hit the damn ball!”

That was heard by everyone in the bleachers, and picked up by the myriad phones filming the match. Scott smiled and went back to serve.

Davian was tired and slow, but he was game. He dug in, swaying from side to side, ready to pounce on the serve. Scott hit the hard flat serve right at him, and was on top of the net when the attempted slice lob hung fat and juicy in the sky. Darian had moved forward after the return, thinking he hit a great lob. When he saw Scott uncoil, he backpedaled, but the overhead smash hit right in front of him, bounced up, and hit him in the groin area. He toppled to the court, covering his balls with his hands, so it was clear exactly what part of the groin area was hit.

There were loud exclamations of “Owww” from the crowd, and the men squeezed their legs together in sympathy. Scott walked to the net and compassionately asked, “You all right?”

Everyone heard his bitter reply: “Fuck you, Bitch!”

He might be hurting, but he could still cuss and he could still act the ass. Like a spoiled thirteen year-old, he pulled juvenile stunts like picking up a ball after a lost point and slamming it toward Scott, or hitting it away from him so he would have to go chase it down along the fence. He called “Time!” twice when Scott was into his service motion, and walked away from a ball he had netted, leaving it to Scott to walk to the net to retrieve the ball.

Scott grinned and shook his head at Huxley’s antics, retrieved the balls, and played on. He won the crowd with his class; Huxley drew their ire with petulance, juvenile stunts, and failure to abide by tennis etiquette.

In spite of the poor sportsmanship and shenanigans, Scott won the second set with little opposition, and the men’s singles championship with it, 6-4, 6-0. Neither made the effort to go shake hands. They gathered their bags and left in different directions, Scott with the match balls and most of Darian’s.

It took Sabrina longer, but she prevailed 1-6, 6-4, 6-1. They met up at the tennis office, took pictures with their trophies, parents, and friends, put the trophies in their cars, and waited for the call for doubles. There were only sixteen in the doubles draws, so they were playing three doubles matches today and the finals at eight am Sunday.

The mixed draw only had twelve teams, so Scott and Sabrina, Sarah and Cody, and Ken and Melissa had first round byes, and only two matches to get to the championship match.

Ken called Scott and Sabrina, said their doubles opponents were ready when they were, and they went to the courts with their partners. The tennis association was running the tournament the rest of today and tomorrow, so Ken and Sarah could play, meaning their official duties were finished after the singles finals.

Ken clapped Scott on the shoulder and chirped, “You kicked his ass and made him like it, Dude! That was brutal!”

“Ha! If we play them in doubles, you’ll get to see me try to kill him with a tennis ball. Or at least make him talk in a high squeaky voice for the rest of his life!” Ken wrapped his arm around Scott’s shoulder, laughed, and they walked onto their court.

“That only happens if we make the finals, Badass, so let’s play some doubles so we get there!”

The first round was against a couple of young hotshots from San Angelo; the second was a doubles team from Howard Payne University in Brownwood, and their third was a doubles team from Trinity University in San Antonio that had qualified for the Division III national tournament.

They all went down in straight sets, even though Ken and Scott joked and laughed with their opponents, and tried trick shots from time to time. They were competitive but enjoyable matches – fun and games!

The men’s doubles finals on Sunday morning would be Carr/Jones v Huxley/Adams.

That one would not be fun and games.

Sarah and Sabrina were also having fun – they knew at least one member of each team they faced – and winning. It was social tennis played with fiercely competitive spirits.

Ken insisted they scout the other semi-finals; they watched each match for fifteen minutes and were impressed. Sarah and Sabrina would face Benedict/Adams in the Sunday finals. Benedict and Adams appeared to be close friends, while Huxley and Adams acted more like recent acquaintances. Perhaps Darian’s sparkling personality wasn’t something his partner appreciated.

“Grampa grilled hamburgers and Nana made potato salad; we’ve been ordered to be there within the hour and it’s a fifteen minute drive, so let’s get home and get ready!” Sarah exclaimed. “Oh, and our spouses and children are already there, Ken!”

Scott had checked out of the B&B, so he and Ken cleaned up and changed at Ken’s house, and they rode out to “The River Place” in the Jeep. Melissa was waiting at the fence with their eighteen-month-old daughter and three-year-old son, who climbed all over Daddy as soon as he got out of the SUV.

Scott was welcomed with hugs and a kiss from Nana, and got a minor chewing from Grampa Ray, who warned him never to pay for lodging again in his county! He contritely apologized and promised.

Sarah rode with Sabrina, and she received the same climbing-all-over-Mommy greeting that Ken got. She looked far too sexy for a woman with two and four year-olds, and Cody let her know how much he appreciated her little shorts.

Sabrina’s little red shorts left a mile of smooth shapely leg uncovered, and the white tank top only accented her assets up top; when she appeared in front of her Jeep, she became the center of attention, and Scott froze, gawking.

Melissa’s teasing warning broke his trance. “Girl, didn’t I tell you at my birthday party that I never wanted to see you in short shorts again? It’s hard for us matronly married ladies to hold our husbands’ attention with you prancing around like that!”

It sounded challenging, but everyone laughed because the two “matronly married ladies” were just as hot or hotter, depending on whether you preferred Sarah’s light blonde hair, trim, athletic body, and girl-next-door looks, Melissa’s built-like-a-brick-shithouse brunette-goddess looks, or Sabrina’s taller, lithe, swimsuit-model body and looks.

Scott knew, and he was certain the other males felt the same, if they were all single he wouldn’t say no to any of the three. But if he had to choose one, he’d be able to make the pick fairly easily, and he suspected the husbands could too. The heart likes what the heart likes.

Sabrina was smiling at him as she entered, and he felt compelled to hug her like the other women had been hugged. She felt a lot too good, she smelled heavenly, and the soft kiss she planted on his cheek made his face flush.

They enjoyed a great meal, played with the kids until they were exhausted, put them into their respective beds in Nana’s house, and then accompanied Scott to the River Cabin to help him put his things away. The AC was running and thermostat was set on 67; someone remembered his preference for sleeping cool!

They each took a beer out of the well-stocked refrigerator and walked down to the riverbank. The full moon displayed the comfortable chairs arranged along the bank, and reflected off the gurgling water as it ran past. It was still warm – if you count 92 as warm – but a light breeze made it pleasant.

They sat and talked for a while before Ken suggested it was time to take the kids home and get some sleep – it was after ten and the doubles finals were at eight the next morning! Sabrina looked both disappointed and wistful, but perked up a bit when Scott walked back to the house beside her.

The young parents were inside getting their treasures when Scott stepped in front of Sabrina, took her hands in his, and said, “Stop me if you feel differently.” He then leaned forward and gently kissed her. Her response was to press her body against his and flick her tongue against his lips; he opened his mouth and greedily sucked her in.

A tiny moan escaped from her throat; she released his hands, wrapped her arms around his firm, muscular body, and molded herself to him. His hands locked on her hips and pulled her groin tight against his hardness; she opened her mouth and tried to devour his.

Scott’s didn’t intend to, but somehow his hands were holding and squeezing her high, tight ass, and she moaned louder.

They heard “Ahem” repeated twice through their passion before it sunk in that they had an audience. “Oh!” Sabrina exclaimed to the four smiling faces standing just outside the gate as they disengaged.

“I’d tell you to go get a room,” Sarah said with a giggle, “but I’m afraid you’d go to the cabin and neither of you would be able to play tomorrow’s matches! Can you wait until the tournament is over tomorrow evening?”

Since they were both dazed by their steamy first kiss, it took a few seconds for her words to sink in. Their blushes turned their faces orange in the moonlight, and they made it worse by suddenly separating as if the other was on fire. Ken started laughing at their discomfort, and that set off the other three.

By the time they stopped laughing and buckled the kids in their seats, Sabrina and Scott had recovered enough to hold hands again, and for Scott to give her a chaste goodbye kiss

Their first kiss had ended far too soon, but it lingered on their minds and mouths well into the night.

****

Once again, the finals were played on the stadium courts – those with the biggest bleachers. This time the women were on Court 1, the men on Court 2, but both sets of bleachers were full of early-arising tennis fans. Lawn chairs had been set up along the east side of the first court and the west side of the second, and blankets laid outside the north fence so the fans could see under the windscreens.

With local favorites Sarah, Ken, and Sabrina playing, that wasn’t unexpected, nor was it unexpected that her parents and Sarah’s parents and grandparents were front and center in the bleachers.

What was unexpected was Scott’s parents sitting between the Rychtars and the Jones family beside Court 1! They hadn’t been to a match since the fall season of his senior year, they generally avoided crowds even though they were fully vaccinated, and he had no idea they knew either family!

Ken had come home with him a few times, but that was the extent of it. He wanted to go ask them where his Black Lab, Duke, was, since they were supposed to be dog sitting, but instead he waved and they waved back.

He was distracted for a moment, but Huxley walking past and quietly saying, “I’m going to clean your clock again, Cuck!” immediately refocused him and reinforced his resolve.

The women’s match got underway first, after a quick warmup. Pleasant words were exchanged among all four players; they sat and chatted at the changeovers, and congratulated each other on good shots. Very civil, and yet they were competing at a very high level.

On Court 2, they met at the net after the full 15 minute warmup, spun the racquet, and then Darian’s partner took pains to properly introduce himself.

Darian’s greetings amounted to saying “Hey” to Ken, and ignoring Scott. When his partner, Al Adams, shook Scott’s hand, he looked over at Darian, and then straight into Scott’s eyes. “I don’t know what the problem between you two is, but I’ve already warned my partner that if he engages in the kind of childish conduct or cussing we all saw and heard in your singles match, I’ll walk off the court and forfeit.

“Conduct like that doesn’t belong on a tennis court, regardless of personal issues between opponents!”

He turned back to Darian and asked, “Are we all in agreement?” Darian snarled something and turned away. Scott smiled, nodded, and took his position on the ad court service line while Ken walked back to receive Darian’s first serve.

He couldn’t decide if Al’s pious warning was for his own benefit, or Scott’s. Most likely his own, Scott decided; who would want to be associated with the actions of a vulgar buffoon?

Ken settled in, expecting exactly what he got: a booming serve hit wide. It was meant to be an ace, but since Darian was predictable, Ken was in position to hit a topspin forehand that dropped at Darian’s feet as he charged the net. Instead of stopping, bending, and getting in position, the big man reached down and tried to hit a touch lob over Scott, who was on top of the net.

It was too soft and too short; Scott stepped back, leaped into the air with his racquet cocked, in perfect position to smash the overhead into Darian’s wide body. Darian saw his mistake, hunched over expecting to be hit, and tried to shuffle into the alley. Scott hit the overhead right down the middle, nowhere near Darian, and turned toward the baseline. The polite crowd softly clapped, but he also heard a few chuckles; Darian’s face was red with embarrassment and anger as he set up to serve.

The service was again wide, to Scott’s backhand, and was hit with all the strength Darian’s anger could muster. He lumbered toward the net, sure he had served an ace; the ball came off Scott’s racquet at an impossible angle, landing in the alley well in front of Darian. Out of position and off balance, he jumped toward the ball and got his racquet under it, popping it into the alley. Ken was waiting at the net; he pounced on it, punching it into the open space between Huxley and Adams for a winner.

Adams nodded to Scott and said, “Great return.” Darian hit his racquet head on the court and glared at Scott, then at Ken. They grinned in return.

Darian again hit his serve as hard as he could, but Ken was in perfect position for the return; he sliced it back low over the net. Darian reached down without bending his knees and popped it over Scott’s head. He hurried back, got behind the ball, and lofted a defensive lob over Al’s head. It was Darian’s ball to chase down, but he just watched it hit, murmured something under his breath, and returned to the service line.

Ken looked at Scott and winked. Had they already broken the big man?

Another monster serve, a slice backhand lob over Al, a half-hearted effort to run it down by Darian, and the first break of the match came in the first game, at love. Not the way you want to open a men’s doubles match, where service breaks should be few and far between.

Scott held at 15; Al held with excellent service placement and deft net play, and then Ken held behind Scott’s aggressive net play.

Al talked to Darian before his began serving, but the hardhead refused to accept good advice and again tried to power the ball past Ken, who stroked it across court toward the alley. Darian got to it in time to make a good, looping shot down the alley that passed just beyond Scott’s racquet.

Darian actually gave himself a fist pump for what was a normal doubles play; but it was somewhat warranted, being his first positive contribution to his team.

It went quickly downhill from there, however; Ken caught Al leaning inside and punched his return down the alley for a winner, and Scott hit a hard flat backhand right at Darian as he hustled to the net. He fended it off, right to Ken, who put it away. 15-30, and the red was again creeping up Darian’s neck.

The next point was the best of the match so far. Ken got the big serve back in play, followed it to the net, and they volleyed back and forth intensively until Darian reached instead of getting his feet in position, and Ken put his weak return away.

“Fuck!”

“Hey, man, calm down. It’s just one point.”

“You take care of your own half of the damn court, and protect the fuckin’ alley!” Al shook his head and moved back into position at the net.

Darian yelled “Arraaggghhhh!” as he hit his service with every bit of muscle he had. The monster serve hit deep in the service court… but it was poorly placed.

Correctly reading the way Darian set up to serve, Scott had anticipated accurately. He was just beyond the baseline, feet and hips set for a forehand, and that’s exactly where the ball came. The serve was probably over 110 mph, but he had seen faster than that from guys now on the satellite tour.

When the ball rose to waist height, Scott unleashed a wicked topspin that ducked just over the net and spun forward toward Darian, who was trying to plant his feet and get set for the volley he didn’t expect to have to make.

He was off balance, and his volley went into the net.

That was the final straw, and he blew up. He hurled a tirade of curses at everyone on the court and watching, but quickly settled on Scott as his target. He stood a foot away from the net, brandishing his racquet at Scott. “You fuckin’ CUCK!” he screamed. “You think you’re hot shit, but your wife loved my big cock so much she died for it! And that slut you’re with now? I tossed her away a few months ago for better pussy! What’s the matter, Cuck? Can’t get it up unless you think about my big cock fuckin’ your women first?”

Al proclaimed, “That’s it! I’m not playing with trash like you!” and started walking off. Ken yelled, “You’re disqualified, Huxley! Get your bag and get off this property – you’re permanently banned from every tournament here!”

Darian yelled, “Fuck you too, bitch! I think I’ll fuck you wife and sister both before I leave!”

“Darian,” Scott said quietly, “if you aren’t out of my sight in 10 seconds, I’m going to jump this net and give you the beating you have earned.”

“Ten seconds? I don’t need ten seconds to kick your scrawny ass!” Darian jumped toward the net and swung his racquet at Scott’s head. Scott quickly hopped back and the racquet swished the air in front of him. Before he could re-cock his racquet, Ken stepped forward and knocked it out of his hands with the head of his racquet.

Darian’s racquet tumbled to the ground, and Scott held up his hand with three fingers bent back against his palm. He lowered another. “Six…five”

Darian leaped across the net and swung his right fist at Scott’s head, missing by several inches. He was off balance and an easy target, but Scott just smiled and began bouncing on his toes, hands up in a boxing stance. He want to give Huxley a beating, not end the fight with his first punch. He smirked at his foe, knowing Huxley was about to receive a dose of payback.

Darian’s second roundhouse right was thrown while he was still off balance. It was easily blocked by Scott’s left arm, and he hit the bigger man in the liver with an uppercut right. Darian froze in place as the fist embedded itself in his soft abdomen. “Oooff” escaped from his throat, and he bent over and grabbed his belly in pain.

Scott opened his fists and slapped Darian’s face with his left hand and then his right. His head flew back and forth, and blood flew from his mouth. Before he could shake it off, Scott clubbed his left cheek with a closed fist, using the ulnar (pinky) side of his hand, and then did the same to the other side.

Huxley was clearly dazed. For the crowd, Scott loudly asked, “Had enough?” He then hissed, “If you come at me again, Fuck Face, I’m going to mess your sissy ass up!”

That challenge revived Huxley. He lunged at Scott in a surprise attack, throwing a knockout punch at his chin… it caught only air. Stretched out and off balance, he received a punishing left hook to the ribs on his left side, and a right jab to the nose when he backed away to hold his ribs.

Darian was big, he was a bully, and he was a brawler; he screamed and rushed at his foe, blood squirting from his nose.

Scott was smaller, but he was a well-trained boxer and a decent street fighter; he stepped aside and tripped Huxley as he staggered by. Huxley pushed himself back up, with court rash on his arms, cheek, and belly, and stupidly tried again.

The result was as ugly as Darian’s face after Scott finally let him fall to the court and curl up, whimpering and whining.

Scott turned away from the bloody form on the court and surveyed the hushed crowd; every eye in the crowds around courts 1 & 2 was locked on him.

He took a breath and loudly addressed them. “I’m sorry you had to hear and see that – none of that belongs on a tennis court, and I apologize for my part in it. I hope you saw Ken and Al Adams doing their best to keep this man under control before he started swinging, saw me try to avoid a confrontation, and saw me offer him multiple chances to back off.

“I know you saw what happened, in spite of our efforts.

“Huxley brought a personal vendetta to the court, but too much has already been said, so I’m not going to add anything. I’d appreciate not having to answer questions about this. Thank you.”

Both of the local doctors walked out onto the court and knelt beside the fallen figure, which was lying in the fetal position. Ken picked up Darian’s racquet and carried it to his bag. A buzz began in the crowd that grew louder and louder. Scott put his racquet in this bag, picked it up, and turned toward the gate.

“Scott! Stop!” cried Sarah’s insistent voice. She was flanked by her partner and both opponents. “I want to check your hands and they want to talk to you!”

“I’m fine,” he answered without turning to face her, but she grabbed him by the arm, pulled his racquet bag free, examined his hands, and aggressively led him to the gate between the courts and across the parking lot; the other three women followed.

He was having trouble keeping his emotions under control, and the last thing he wanted was four emotional women hovering over him – but that’s exactly what he got. Sarah stood beside him, wrapped her arm around his back, held him tightly, and said, “Go ahead, Barbara and Amy.”

Barbara stepped close, looked him directly in the eyes, and said, “I’ve never regretted anything more than letting Darian talk me into bringing him to this tournament! I’m embarrassed and humiliated by his conduct, and, honestly, I wish you had beat him even worse!

“I was mortified at what he yelled at you, at what he said about your wife and Sabrina! He deserved the beating you gave him!

“He’s an ass, and he can figure out how to get back to Midland – he’s not riding with us!”

Graining a little better control, Scott said, “I appreciate you saying that, but you have nothing to be ashamed of; as far as I could see, your conduct has been impeccable. As you say, Darian is an ass, and he proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt today – but his conduct does not reflect on you, in any form, shape, or fashion.”

Amy Adams stepped up beside her and interjected, “You’re being kind! All three of us – Barbara, Al, and I – had misgivings about bringing him along, but we gave in to his pleading and promises. We’ve already apologized to Sabrina, and regardless of what you say, we owe you an apology!

“We love this tournament, but I doubt we’ll ever have the guts to show our faces here again, after this debacle! We’re so very sorry this happened, and hope you will forgive us for bringing that sorry bastard with us!”

Scott chuckled. He looked down at his “sister” and then at Sabrina. “Did I miss something? They seemed to be very friendly and proper whenever I watched them. What kind of bitches did they morph into on the court while I wasn’t watching?”

Sabrina blinked and furrowed her brow; Sarah pinched the skin on his side and commanded, “Stop that! Just be gracious and accept their apologies, even if you don’t think they’re needed!”

Sabrina, Barbara, and Amy caught on; they smiled, and all three joined Sarah in hugging him. He let it go for a longer time than was proper, because they felt so dang good; then he acquiesced verbally. “Okay! Okay! You. Are. Forgiven! Now stop squashing me!”

He felt several more pinches before Barbara said, “I would have pinched you harder, but I can’t find a place! You don’t have any fat on your body – just hard muscles!”

“Hey, if you guys going to feel me up, I get to feel you guys up!”

He began tickling the ultra-ticklish Sarah with his left hand, and Sabrina with his right. They shrieked and squirmed away, giggling; he started toward Barbara and Amy with his fingers extended; they broke and ran several steps, before Barbara stopped and said, “No tickling! Now if you really want to ‘feel me up’, I’m ready and willing!”

Then she winked at Sabrina.

Scott chuckled again and told them, “Thanks for cheering me up! There’s nothing like four deliciously delectable women to distract a guy from his woes!

“Now, I believe you guys have a match to complete. Let me escort you back to the court, by way of the gate by the bleachers. I want everyone to know you two are blameless, so smile and let your outer and inner beauty shine!”

It was partly heartfelt, partly affected, but the girls made a show of laughing and giggling as they walked to the gate with Scott, and retook the court. He walked behind their court to retrieve his racquet bag from the other court, and exited through the north gate, between the courts.

He almost made it to his car before he heard his Dad’s voice and turned to face not only his parents, but also Sabrina’s. “Son… listen. I… we… we understand! We’ve always counseled you to avoid violence, but we’re 100 percent behind you on this – you were pushed beyond human tolerance by that asshole!

“Don’t worry about the law either; the sheriff was sitting behind us, and he went down and arrested Darian after the doctors got him sitting up. They took him to the hospital in a nearby town, but the sheriff said he would be jailed for assault after he gets released.”

“Are you alright, Honey?” his mom asked, while taking his hand, “And I don’t mean physically. I saw you recoil at the terrible things he said – it must have hurt you badly to have your wife’s death thrown at you like that!”

“I’m not gonna lie, Mom: it hurt. I doubt I’ll ever get over what she did, because it cost her life! And I know I’ll never forgive him for tempting her like he did, knowing what he knew!

“I’m trying to put it behind me and move on. Thanks to my friends here, I have been feeling better every day, but now… I feel sick and empty again!”

Doug stepped up. “Son, this ain’t really my business, but I’m butting in anyway. We hardly know you, but we already think the world of you, and our daughter thinks you hung the moon! Put your bag in your car and come back with us. Watch your friend Sarah and her friend Sabrina play against y’alls’ new friends, and then go win that mixed doubles championship with our daughter!

“You’re the better man in every way – don’t let some piece of crap like that pull you down!”

He had been looking deeply into Doug’s eyes, and Scott recognized the feelings he saw. After Doug stopped speaking, Scott looked at Sabrina’s mom, and saw love in her eyes too.

He nodded, let a smile cross his face, said, “Thank you!” to all four, and put his bag in his Jeep. Then he turned and walked back to the bleachers, a set of parents on each side, and his mom’s and Briana’s arms looped through his.

Sarah played to the crowd, loudly teasing herself and Sabrina when a mistake was made, with her sparkling smile allaying the sting of her words. Barbara and Amy were obviously having a great time, even though they were losing rather badly.

Al, however, was standing away from the court, off to the side, looking miserable.

Scott got up and ambled over to him. They talked briefly, and then Al walked back to the bleaches with him. They sat together and cheered the women on, applauding every good shot regardless of who made it. If anyone was attributing blame to Al, it was now clear he was without fault in Scott’s mind.

Sabrina and Sarah won the match, hugged their opponents, and the four walked off the court together.

Mixed doubles was the only event left, and a replacement partner for the beautiful Barbara was easily found. A recently divorced friend of Ken’s named Charlie quickly volunteered, and the mixed doubles teams began play as soon as the Championship, Runner-up, and Consolation awards were presented. Some award go to the trash a year later, but not the large, medium, and small Yeti ice chests they won. They were real trophies, embossed with the tennis association logo!

Other than Barbara/Charlie and Sabrina/Scott, the partners in this draw were couples – either married or dating. You could hear the genuine laughter and the joking on each court, regardless of matchups, as each couple competed to the best of their abilities while enjoying the sport, comradery, and competition.

The morning and afternoon flew by as the players moved from one match to another with nothing more than restroom breaks and water. The players in the consolation bracket was having as much fun as those in the championship bracket, which was perfectly attuned with the “friendly competition” reputation of this tournament.

It was getting late in the afternoon, they had eaten little, and Ken kept reminding everyone that his parents and grandparents were having a barbeque for everyone after the tournament ended, with free beer!

The pace of play was fast, but Sarah and Cody went three sets before losing to her brother and Melissa, while Sabrina and Scott cooled their heels waiting for Barbara and Charlie to beat Al and Amy in another three-setter.

When that match was over, Sabrina and Scott made short work of Charlie and Barbara. The finals were next, but it was after seven, they were hungry, and the barbeque was calling!

Sabrina and Scott quickly made their ways to court one , where they waited impatiently for the finals to begin. Ken and Melissa walked up hand in hand, and Melissa loudly proclaimed, “We forfeit! I’ve got blisters, and our babysitters have to leave at one am, so we’re ready to go PARTAY! Meet y’all at the river!”

With that announcement, she made sweeping gestures with her arms, including all the remaining contestants and bystander in her invitation. “If you don’t know how to get there, Ken will send you directions – cell service out there is questionable, so your map program may not work!

“Now, go get cleaned up, grab a swimsuit – unless you prefer to use your birthday suit – and get rolling! We have BBQ with all the fixin’s waitin’, so all you need to bring is you!”

Scott turned to Sabrina, who smiled and said, “My clothes are in your Jeep. We’ll shower at the Cabin!”

****

There was a herd of people, but Roy and Grampa Ray had two pits full of brisket and venison sausage ready, and Anita and Nana had tables laden with beans, potato salad, cole slaw, and homemade bread. Folding chairs were stacked about, so you got your chair and set it up before you got in line to eat.

Sabrina and Scott decided to wait until after the meal to clean up, giving them a chance to talk to those already there. Pretty much everyone there had seen his tussle with Huxley, but no comments were made and no questions were asked, as he had requested.

They were wondering aloud whether the Midland bunch was coming when Al’s Tahoe drove up.

“You almost missed the meal!” a man hollered, and both women pointed at Al. “Someone doesn’t know how to follow directions!” Amy loudly proclaimed.

Al hung his head in mock shame but then tried to blame the navigators, who vehemently denied they were at fault.

After having foregone meals all day in an effort to speed things up, the twenty-four open division players and the twelve others from the age-based groupings were famished. They did an honorable job of consuming copious amounts of the delicious food and cold beer, but fell well short of finishing the bounty.

Plastic bags and food containers appeared, and the hosts prepared the remains for storage while their guests cleaned up and put tables and chairs back in the storeroom.

When things had been cleaned up and put away, the elders made their excuses and went into the house to have a toddy and visit some more.

When they were gone, Ken yelled for the men to pick up the ice chests full of beer and carry them to the riverbank. Sarah told the women to carry lawn chairs or blankets down and “get set up in the grass beside the granite outcropping.”

Melissa went ahead to show everyone where to set up, and then pulled out her iPad. She arranged two small Bluetooth speakers on the granite, and began playing her favorites list. It was an eclectic mix of country, rock, southern rock, and Americana, with a majority of slow, romantic songs that fit the setting perfectly.

Some couples set their chair side by side; other laid out blankets on the grass, and those best prepared – like Melissa, Sarah, and Sabrina, set out ground blankets and covered them with comfy sleeping bags. Some began whispering and kissing, but most of the couples were chatting with neighbors and drinking cold beer.

The waning gibbous moon was at 95%, casting a bright glow over the river and the people beside it. Scott was enchanted by the glowing aura that lit Sabrina’s head, and by the beautiful face it illuminated. His rapt attention kept him from noticing or caring about anything but the pretty girl who had broken down his formidable barriers in three short days.

The object of his rapture was so engaged in conversation with Al, Amy, Barbara, and Charlie, who were sitting on nearby blankets, that she had no idea he was watching her.

Barbara saw it though; she winked at Sabrina and subtly nodded toward Scott. Sabrina shifted slightly, as if getting more comfortable, and caught the enthralled look on Scott’s face with her peripheral vision. Amy was carrying on about their tennis club in Midland, which allowed Sabrina to surreptitiously watch her watcher without losing track of the conversation.

That first kiss has been earth shaking – to her, at least – but his exchanges with her since had been nothing more than friendly, as if it hadn’t happened. The look he was giving her now, however, was definitely not ‘friendly’; it was the awed look of love she had seen on her Daddy’s face when looking at her Mom, and on her grandfather’s face when he looked at his late wife’s picture.

Without speaking, she shifted again, moving her butt to a spot directly in front of him. She scooted back until she was between his spread legs with her butt against his groin, and leaned her body back until it was against him. He obediently brought his arms around to encompass her, and rested his hands on her forearms. She snuggled in, rested the back of her head on his broad shoulder, and exhaled a tiny sigh.

He slid his hands under her arms and rested them on either side of her taut tummy. That felt so good she put her hands over his, pulled them to the middle, and pressed them against her lower belly. They were still covered in dry sweat and a bit smelly, but she found their combined odor exciting rather than repulsive.

‘Strange’, she thought. ‘Normally I can’t stand being dirty and smelly, much less the smell of a dirty, sweaty man!’

The fire she had kept banked since the kiss last night began to spread as she maintained contact with him. It first consumed her groin, and then spread throughout her body. Her nestling inflamed Scott, whose swollen appendage was soon pushing against her tight little ass, magnifying the effect for both.

Amy, Al, Barbara, and Charlie had quit talking and were watching the mutual seductions, which were beginning to affect them as well.

“Alright, that’s enough talking! I’ve been hot and sweaty all day long, and I hear the river calling! Ken and I are naturalists when we’re in the river at night, so if nudity bothers you, turn your head!”

Ken chimed in, “And anyone not in the water in five minutes, clothed or unclothed, is gonna get pulled in and stripped! And, in case you don’t know or have forgotten…”

“What happens on the river stays on the river!” the experienced members of the party chorused.

Scott was shocked as he watched Ken and his gorgeous wife lose all their clothes in the bright moonlight, and then hurry down to the river and dive in. He knew Melissa had a great body, but he had badly underestimated just how great!

Barbara, Al, Amy, and Scott were still sitting there staring at the nudists when people all around and in front of them got up and started stripping – including Charlie and Sabrina!

Sabrina tossed her tennis skirt in Scott’s lap and began pulling her top over her head. Mesmerized, he watched with his mouth open, until she dropped the sweaty top on the skirt. “Better hurry,” she warned, “If you aren’t in the water in four minutes, we’ll all come strip you and drag you in! It’s the price of playing mixed doubles in this tournament!”

Scott still looked stunned, but Amy and Al popped up and started undressing. Barbara watched for a few seconds and then announced, “Fuck it! We’re all friend now!” and took off the blouse she had put on after cleaning up.

Scott watched Barbara’s skirt drop, and felt something dangling off his head. He looked up, and the most incredibly luscious C-cup titties he’d ever seen were outlined by moonlight. A grinning Sabrina was looking down at him; she hooked her thumbs in her undershorts, paused, and asked, “Wanna help?”

He did. He removed her bra from his head and tossed it on the pile. His trembling fingers slid inside the elastic at her waist, and he slowly pulled the shorts down. Inch by inch he exposed the flat tummy, and then her hips, and finally the prize of all prizes, her bare pussy.

His fingertips caused goosebumps to rise on the soft skin on her muscular legs as he slowly lowered the shorts to her ankles. He stared at her feet as she kicked the garment to the pile, and then raised his eyes inch by inch: from her feet to her ankles, up those long, long legs to the incredible sight at their junction, and stared with open mouthed wonder at the perfection he saw.

The teasing look he had seen on her face when she began stripping had been replaced with pure, unadulterated lust by the time his eyes locked with hers. His fingertips and his eyes had evoked feelings she’d never before felt.

“Scott…” she whimpered quietly as his hand worked their ways back up the outside of her legs, and over the round cheeks of her butt. He leaned forward and lightly blew on her wet vagina; she grasped his hair with both hands and quietly cried, “Oh my god, Scott…”

The scramble to get undressed and get in the water before Ken’s deadline had ceased. People in all stages of undress and the naked alike were standing still, watching the lovers on the grassy hill.

“That’s the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen!” Melissa whispered to Ken, just before she reached down and grabbed him by his rapidly inflating cock.

“Your best friend is a fucking GODDESS,” Cody whispered to Sarah, whose tight ass was rubbing on his fully inflated cock. “God yes she is!” Sarah answered

Sabrina’s head was thrown back and, though no one could see, Scott’s fingers were between the cheeks of her ass. He squeezed hard, and pulled her hips closer. She took a halting half step to spread her legs. Her wet pussy was bare inches from his mouth, and her engorged clit was within tongue’s distance. He blew on her engorged clit, and she shuddered with the beginning of a climax. If he touched her, she would cum, and she so wanted to cum for him!

Suddenly his hands were gone and her hands were unwrapped from his hair. She looked down in confusion and saw tennis shoes rolling on the grass. Socks, shorts, and a shirt followed, while she was trying to process what happened.

Suddenly she was picked up in a bridal hold, carried into the water until they were chest deep, and set her down feet first.

The action broke the spell the others were under; laughter and applause rang out, and phrases like, “Damn that was hot!” and “Honey, there will be no need for foreplay tonight!” were bandied about.

Maybe Sabrina heard it, maybe she didn’t, but she gazed into Scott’s eyes for ten or fifteen seconds before she put her hand behind his head and pulled his mouth to hers. The passion of the kiss in which they engaged brought conversation to a standstill again, and couples held each other tightly and familiarly as they watched.

Barbara writhed in Charlie’s arms, his big cock pressing against her butt; she whispered, “Charlie, I’m not a slut, and I never fuck on the fifth date, much less the first, but you are going to get very lucky tonight!”

“I’ll send flowers to Scott and Sabrina tomorrow,” he quietly replied. “I think a lot of people will.”

Scott reluctantly but firmly broke the kiss. His lips only inches from hers, he looked into her glazed eyes and whispered, “Spend the night with me!”

“My clothes are in the cabin; I never intended to go home, Darling, and our parents all know that. I didn’t know if you were ever going to ask, so I decided I wouldn’t give you a choice. You’re mine tonight!”

“Tonight?” he asked, still looking deep into her eyes.

“Perhaps longer… we’ll have to see if you do other things as well as you kiss and tease!”

****

Scott’s phone rang in the early hours of the next morning, about 11:30 am. He was still dazed and confused, but managed to say hello, and immediately recognized the enticing voice of Sabrina’s mom. That jarred him awake.

“Are you two going to sleep the day away?” she chastised. “We’re ready for lunch, and you haven’t even begun to finish the security stuff you promised! When are you going to get that done?” she asked impatiently.

Sabrina heard her mom’s voice and panicked. She searched desperately for a sheet to cover up with, as if her mom could see over the phone. The sheet was lying beside the bed, where it had been kicked during some particularly frantic episode last night – or maybe this morning.

Scott watched her leaning over the side reaching for the sheet, saw the best ass in the world exposed, and couldn’t resist popping that perfect butt with his hand; she yelped in surprise.

“Sorry, Momma Briana, but it may be a day or two before I can get around to that installation. I’m involved in something here that requires my complete concentration, and it’s kind of sapping my energy. Maybe tomorrow?”

She laughed, but Scott’s mom grabbed the phone. “You listen to your mother, young man! We expect you to meet us at the nice café on the corner of the square in an hour, and if you don’t, we’re coming out there to get you!”

He heard Doug’s deep voice in the background. “And my precious daughter better be all right! I learned what a ruffian you really are yesterday at the courts!”

He heard loud laughter, and then the line went dead.

Sabrina had begun to recover, although her face was still flushed. He pulled the sheet out of her hands, uncovering her luscious body. He stared for a few seconds and then reached for her, “They said we have an hour…”

She shrieked, rolled away, ran to the bathroom, and locked the door. He rattled the handle and told her to let him in; she replied, “No way in hell am I letting you in! They’ll come out here an hour and a half from now and find me bent over in the shower! I understand you now!”

He sincerely proclaimed, “But Honey, I need to shower too. We can save water and…”

“Ha! We’ll use twice as much water! Go bathe in the river – you assured me last night that it’s clean!”

He went about straightening the room, making the bed, getting clothes out of their bags, and laying them out on the bed.

Sabrina, wrapped in a towel, cautiously opened the bathroom door, saw him on their bed, and scurried into the other bedroom. She held the door partially closed and said, “You can get your shower now.”

Still naked, he nonchalantly walked toward the bathroom before suddenly veering to the bedroom door she was holding and grabbing it. She squealed and tried to push it shut, but he was too strong, and the strenuous pushing match caused her towel to unwrap and fall to the ground.

She yelped, and tried to pick it up with one hand while holding the door with the other, but he was past the door and reaching for her! She was as naked as he, and she knew he was too strong… and too hard to resist.

He wrapped her in his arms, grabbed the ass she knew he loved, and pulled her tightly against him. Her poor sore nipples were super sensitive, and they felt too good poking his muscled chest. She surrendered to his passion, offering her lips to his and pushing the wetness between her legs against his always swollen hardness. They kissed while his hands roamed, and then her hands began to roam over his body in return.

She was ready to blow off their parents and lunch, although she was seriously starving; he made her not care about anything but carnal pleasure!

Just when she was beginning to whimper in desire, he suddenly stopped, pulled away, and said, “I guess we better get ready.”

“Nooo,” she wailed. “I don’t care anymore! Take me back to bed, or do me on the table again, or take me back into the shower! I need you!”

He leaped away, dashed into the bathroom, and locked the door. She heard the shower start, so she squished her way into the kitchen and used paper towels to wipe the juices from between and on her legs. She wondered if she needed to wear a pad to keep the smell and the squishing under control, but she didn’t have one in her purse, so she wiped until she was dry and returned to the bedroom.

Her sweet Scotty had laid out clothes for her! She rolled her eyes and began laughing – if she wore THAT to the cafe, her daddy would spank her butt and ground her for life! Even if she did have a teaching job and an apartment across town lined up for the new school year.

She found a short but much more appropriate skirt and blouse combination to wear over the too-sexy bra and panties she had packed while trying to find the right combination of clothes to seduce Scott. As it turned out, the right combination was no clothes at all!

‘I need to send flowers to Melissa and Ken after we eat lunch!

Scott faked disappointment that she wasn’t wearing the clothes he laid out, but she promised she would put them on when they got back to the cabin, which mollified him.

He wore ‘gentleman’ shorts with a belt and all, and a polo shirt that went well with her blouse. She was pleased by that, and then embarrassed that she was thinking like some 80 year old with a 60 year marriage! Still, he looked good, and they matched…

Scott ordered the custom 60-40 front bench seat for his Jeep because he never used consoles for anything but holding junk, and he liked to keep his briefcase and tech handy when traveling. That Sabrina would be snuggled up as close as possible wasn’t an advantage he had anticipated, but it was one he appreciated. Especially with her hand gently stroking his appendage while he drove the twelve miles to town.

Their parents had a table near the plate glass windows looking out over the square, and they all smiled when the Jeep parked right in front. The lunch rush was over, so they had plenty of room and sufficient privacy, which was a good thing when the parents gave them a good going over with their eyes before they could sit down.

Doug couldn’t resist starting it. “Honey, are you all right? You have circles under your eyes and look tired, like you haven’t been getting enough sleep.”

She knew what he was doing, but could not keep from blushing when his question evoked memories of why she looked tired. She looked down and started her answer. “Daddy, it’s not nice to tell your daughter she looks bad…”

She didn’t get to finish, because all four parents began laughing.

The waitress chose that moment to come take their order, which only made it worse. Sabrina was flushed and red faced, causing the waitress to ask, “Are you all right, Sugar?”

That caused another round of laughter, which only ended when Scott told her, “We haven’t seen a menu, yet; give us a moment, please.”

“There are menus on the table; look them over, and I’ll be right back!” she replied, before hurrying off.

Briana reached across the corner of the table, petted her daughter on the shoulder, and said, “That’s all right, Sweetie. We know all about last night’s party, and all! We’ll let you be for a minute while you order…. And then we’ll probably start in on you again!”

****

The cease-fire lasted through lunch, as there were lots of other things to talk about while the two families were getting to know one another. As they were finishing up, Sabrina quietly asked her mother, “What did you mean, ‘we know all about the party, and all’? There were only a few of us that stayed after the barbeque, and …”

The table grew silent, and the other three grinning parents looked at Briana. “Well, Babygirl, about ten this morning the van from the flower shop stopped at the house and brought three vases and two potted plants to the door. I was so surprised when I saw they were all addressed to you and Scott, and were from other couples, that I called Sarah.

“She sounded pretty groggy herself, but I told her what we had received, and that we couldn’t get you on your cell phone. I heard her giggle, say something quietly, and then heard Cody say, ‘We need to send some too – they started an awesome night!’ I asked her what that meant, and she giggled again, like she was thirteen years old!

“She said, ‘Mamma Bri, you probably don’t want to know, but if you do you’ll have to ask your daughter – what happens on the river stays on the river!’ Then they started laughing and hung up!

“So, Momma’s Sweet Baby, what happened on the river that you and Scott got all these flowers?”

Sabrina looked her straight in the eyes and said, “Sarah was right twice – ‘what happens on the river stays on the river’, and you probably don’t want to know anyway!

“Now, let me use your phone. I need to order flowers for Melissa and Ken, and my phone is charging in the Jeep – the battery went dead.”

Briana looked confused, but she handed her phone to her daughter.

Doug gave Scott an evil eye, but he smiled and said, “What happens…” before the others laughingly joined in.

Twenty minutes later they were at the shop, and Scott was reviewing the results of the diagnostics. He then installed and began running all the programs needed to clean the common spyware off the shop’s PC and laptop. The next round of diagnostics would dig deeper, looking for more insidious, hidden files, worms, and viruses.

He insisted they take him to their home so he could scan their laptops and tablets. After listening to his warnings to her parents, Sabrina wanted her laptop and tablet included.

As soon as they got there, Sabrina led Scott through the house so he could have a back porch reunion with his big boy, Duke, whose greeting was filled with whines, licks, and rubs against his favorite person.

She looked over all the flowers and the potted plants while Scott worked, and took her fully charged phone into her bedroom. She returned twenty minutes later with a smile on her face and announced, “If you enjoy leftover barbeque and beer, we’re all invited to the River Place! Grampa Ray and Papa Roy say they have more than they can eat.

“Oh, and bring your swimsuits; after we eat we’re going tubing!”

“Sabrina, Dear, did you say bring swimsuits? I didn’t thank they were requiirred down on the rivah.”

In an equally catty manner, Sabrina replied, “Mommy Dearest, you can go nekkid in the afternoon sun if you want to. I’m sure you’ll be a big hit with the good ol’ boys at the Castell General Store when we beach our tubes there at the bridge.”

Scott’s mom, Helen, whooped and covered her mouth; then she said, “Bri darling, I think I’ll let you do that on your own! I don’t know how long I’d be able to elude all those boys!”

It was Bri’s turn to be harassed, but Doug and Dan ended it by saying they thought nekkid was a good idea, and promising to protect their ‘darling wives’ if men started chasing them nekkid!

Scott and Sabrina had swimsuits at the River Cabin, so they went ahead in the Jeep. Everyone waved when they drove past the house, and Ken yelled, “Ready to eat in thirty minutes – don’t be late.” Sabrina grinned. “That’s YOUR warning – he knows you too well.”

He wanted to throw her on the bed and have his way with her, but he let her go into the other room and get dressed. Scott donned his ‘shorties’, the new men’s trunks that end at mid-thigh rather than at the knee, and waited.

Sabrina returned in less than five minutes with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a cover up and flip-flops. “Can I see what’s under all those layers of mesh?” he cajoled. “No, it’s a surprise! Let’s go – they’re waiting for us before they eat!”

They strolled up to the main house and joined the others, who were sitting under the shade trees and covered area near the pits. The men had cooked more sausage and reheated the brisket and beans; the ladies had made new batches of potato salad and cole slaw, and the ice chests had been replenished with adult beverages. If anything, the brisket was tastier for having been slowly reheated over coals, and the smoked venison and pork sausage drew rave reviews.

“This batch is my personal recipe!” Grampa Ray claimed. “I mix up the seasonings, tell the processors the exact percentages of each meat, and how long I want the links smoked! Used ta do it myself, but the boys at the processing plant do a good job now!”

A great meal, apple or blackberry cobbler for dessert, a quick cleanup, and it was time to hit the river! It would be dark in about 3.5 hours, and it was a good 2 hours to the Castell Bridge with the current water flow.

The ladies all shucked their cover-ups and laid them on the granite outcropping; the men shucked their shirts and stared. Scott and Ken were standing side by side about 20 steps away when the covers came off, and the first thing Ken said was, “Damn! I’ve never seen your mom or Momma Bri in a bikini before, but I’d have to say both are definitely MILFs!”

Scott punched him on the arm and said, “Yeah? Well, you can add Anita to that list too, Big Boy!” Ken punched him back, before pointing at the younger women.

“More seriously, I’m not into incest or anything, but you’ve got to admit that trio right there is freakin’ smokin’ HOT! I’d do any of the three, if one wasn’t my sister.”

“So, one’s your sister and one’s your wife; does that mean who you really want is to do my girlfriend? We might be able to work something out, if I get to do your sister, your wife, and your mother.”

Cody had walked up in time to hear their exchange. He interjected, “I’ll get in on that, but I want to do Ken’s wife and mother, Scott’s girlfriend and her mother, and Scott’s mother!”

“Well, then I get your wife, your mother and sister…”

“Shutthefuckup, Asshole!” they exclaimed in chorus, pointing at each other and laughing, before retrieving tubes for themselves and their respective women.

“If you see a periscope poking above my tube, don’t worry about it,” Scott told Sabrina in a serious voice. She wrinkled her brow and thought for a few seconds before getting it.

She giggled. “So I assume you DO like my new bikini?”

“Oh, I definitely do! I never knew maybe 12 square inches of bright yellow cloth and strings could look so good on tan skin, and I’m confident the ‘good ol’ boys’ at Castell will enjoy it as well!”

“Sarah, Melissa, and I are planning to walk up and have a beer with them? Are you going with me?”

He sighed dramatically. “Dang! Why didn’t you tell me this before we left so I could have brought my pistol!”

“Pistol?” she laughed. “That won’t be much help against all their AR 15s with bump stocks!”

“Well, then I guess you’re on your own,” he replied, and pushed her tube into a current. The current sent her off in one direction, while he swirled around in an eddy before finding another current off to the right. He saw her floating sideways so she could keep an eye on him, and the concerned look on her gorgeous face.