The place is big, clean, and way too competitive for a senior center. These guys have latched onto the pickleball phenomenon like it’s their job, and it’s been both heartwarming and hilarious to watch. They’regood.
“Rhodes!” Carl Beady’s voice booms across the court as soon as we walk in. His eyes immediately land on Monroe. “And who’s this beauty?” He slides me a look, thenwinksat her.
“This is Monroe,” I say, grinning. “She’s off-limits, Carl.”
I lean toward Monroe and whisper, “Watch out for him. He’s handsy.” She lets out a small laugh, andfuck me,I want to hear that again.
“I want her on my team,” Carl declares, pointing at Monroe. “I’m tired of your ass always making us lose.”
I bark out a laugh. “You’re on, old man.”
Paulie Hammond, another regular, strolls up, eyeing Carl like he just lost a poker bet.
“Carl, why the hell do I have to be stuck with Rhodes while you get the pretty lady?” He’s cranky a good ninety percent of the time.
Monroe isactually laughing now, and I feel it in my chest.
“You snooze, you lose, Paulie,” Carl yells back.
Across the net, Monroe catches my eye. I grin at her.
Andshe grins back.
It’s quick. Effortless. And dangerous as hell. I can’t keep my eyes off her.
“Rhodes!” Paulie snaps his fingers in my face. “Quit making eyes at your girl and get your ass in the game.”
Heat creeps up my neck.Busted.
Monroe smirks from across the court. “Yeah, Rhodes,” she teases, tilting her head. Auburn waves fall around her face, the rest of it pulled up into a ponytail. “Get your head in the game.”
Oh, it’son.
We play for the next two hours, and Monroe absolutely wipes the floor with me. She and Carl have developed their own handshake by the end, whooping and hollering at the end of each win. I don’t know if it’s more infuriating or attractive. I land onattractive,though I hide it so I don’t get smacked by Paulie.
He and I glare across the net at the two fast friends. “I’m never playing on your team again, McKnight,” Paulie gripes. “I want to be on her team next time.”
“Yeah, buddy,” I say, clapping him on the shoulder. “I want to be on her team, too.”
By the time we finish, we’re sweaty, laughing, and I’m already scheming a way to get her back here with me in a few weeks for a rematch. The old guys are gonna have to fight me for the spot on the court next to her.
I pinch her arm lightly as we walk back to the car. “What the hell?” I tease. “You didn’t think to mention you’re a world-class pickleball player before humiliating me in front of Connecticut’s senior elite?”
“Nah.” She grins, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. “It was so much more fun letting that be a little surprise.”
I scrub a hand over my jaw, shaking my head as I unlock the car.
“You,” I murmur, watching her slide into the passenger seat, “are full of surprises, Abrams.”
There is a comfortable silence the rest of the way back.
Once we get to her place, I park and jog around to open her door, walking her up the short steps to her apartment.
She leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching me.
“All right, Rhodes.” The way she says my name is somewhere between exasperation and amusement.
I raise a brow. “That’s all I get?”