Page 41 of An Irish Hope

“Ready when you are,” Andy called.

And as Rory tossed the first ball in the air, she was reminded how much fun it was to be with others, to be active and actively participating in life again. It was too easy to let embarrassment shuffle her to the sidelines, when really she was supposed to be starring in the main event. So she switched off the distractions and focused on the game.

“Fault,” Andy called.

She gritted her teeth as the ball went out. “Come on, girl, you’ve got this,” she muttered to herself.

Far from crushing the opposition, she and Rory had been receiving an education in the art of playing doubles. And while Andy had been kind, there had been no mistaking who was the real expert here. Still, he’d been nice enough to encourage them. Even though they’d both grown up with a tennis court at hand, and had been playing for years.

She threw up the ball and swung, then missed. “Man. Sorry about that.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Rory said. “It’s only a game.”

And while that might be technically true, this playing tennis against Andy made it feel like it was more than a simple tennis match. She couldn’t help but notice the way his arms and legs seemed carved in oak. The man might be lean, but his muscles were defined, as if he’d never even dared breathe the same air in the vicinity of a chocolate bar.

“I really think that we’re at a disadvantage,” she grumbled.

“You think?” Rory said, pushing a lock of damp red hair from out of her eyes. “I don’t know why you thought this was a good idea.”

She knew why. Because playing opposite Andy had to be easier than playing beside him. Catching the occasional whiffs of his scent. Having him smile at her, or pat her on the shoulder like he did with Aidan. “I don’t want to play on his team,” she muttered.

She couldn’t do that because she couldn’t trust herself not to say something dumb. Again.

Eventually the first set concluded, six games to four, in the men’s favour. “Want another round?” Aidan asked.

“Only if I’m playing with you,” Rory crooned.

What? Aisling glanced at her sister quickly. Hadn’t she already told her that she didn’t want to play on Andy’s team? No way did she want the man to think this tennis match was some set up orchestrated by her sister and herself.

But as Rory looked at Aidan with lovey-dovey eyes it seemed she had forgotten. And when Aidan immediately agreed, well, what was a good sister to do but let the two lovebirds play on the same side? “Fine.” She glanced at Andy. “If it’s okay with you.”

“Sure.”

“I didn’t set this up,” she muttered, going to join him.

“I didn’t think you had.”

Ouch. But now she’d said it out loud, it totally sounded like it was something she’d been thinking of. Which didn’t look dodgy at all.

She sighed, and did her best. But it was probably just as well that Andy was as good as he was, saving her from numerous unforced errors. Because she couldn’t help but be distracted, just as she’d expected. By his scent. By the lean muscles in his legs. By the way he encouraged and consoled. By the way he showed patience when she made a mistake.

“Thank you for playing with me,” she said, when her service meant they lost the game. “I’m sorry I’m not a better player.”

“For someone who was feeling rather poorly yesterday, I think it’s amazing just how much you’ve turned around. The fact you can play tennis at all is remarkable.”

She snickered. “That actually sounds a little rude when you think about it.”

His head tilted, then his eyes glinted. “You know I didn’t intend to sound rude.”

“I’m just grateful you’re not so competitive that you get angry with me.”

“It’s just a game, isn’t it?”

She nodded. Just a game.

* * *

Maybe Andy had been out of this dating scene too long, but he couldn’t help wondering just what she was thinking about. Because this match hadn’t felt like a game. Maybe he was going crazy, but it almost felt like an opportunity from God. To build friendships. To relax. To laugh. And while he hadn’t exactly complained about feeling lonely yesterday, it felt like God was answering an unprayed-prayer with the chance to get to know these three people. Like He was knitting them closer through activity and conversation.