Page 34 of The Other Room

Jenna glanced over and her face lit up with excitement. “Shut up!” she said, tucking the ball under her arm. “Time out!”

Jenna trotted off the court and ran up to us. A coy smile tugged at her lips while her eyes darted between me and Jo, and then I caught Jo impaling her with a warning glare.

Having no idea what had just transpired between the Parker sisters, I took another lick off my cone while I watched their silent showdown.

“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Jo said, ending the standoff.

“Yep. Couple of the groomsmen from the wedding this past weekend wanted to hit up the courts, so I brought the whole bridal party down here for a little after wedding get-together.”

“Sounds like fun.” I eyed up the group making the most of their time-out by sipping on beer.

“And what are you two doing here?” Her eyebrow rose as she and Jo slid back into another sister standoff.

“Nothing, Jenna.” Jo stiffened, and I furrowed my brow, wondering what the hell kind of unspoken conversation they were having. “Just out for a jet ski ride. Matt moved in with me and we’ve made up. We’re friends again.”

“Is that so?” Jenna smirked.

“Yep.” Jo crossed her arms. “Friends.”

“Am I missing something here?” I finally asked.

“Nope.” They mirrored, and I popped the last bite of my cone in my mouth and shrugged.

Sisters. I had three. I knew they had a language of their own, and apparently, I wasn’t invited in on their conversation.

“So anyway,” Jenna said. “We’re just playing some volleyball and having a few well-earned post wedding beers. You guys want in?”

“Hell yeah!” I grinned. “I’m game. Jo?”

“Two-time state high school volleyball champion here. Remember?”

Of course, I remembered. I had been the guy sitting front row at every single one of her games cheering her on. “Yep. I remember. So, you want to resuscitate those mad skills?”

A smug smile lifted her lips. “You know I’m in.”

“Three-time champion for me.” Jenna waggled her brows.

“I only played two years so...” Jo stuck out her tongue and Jenna giggled and returned the playful gesture. Jo pulled her tongue back in her mouth. “Are we going to team up against them, or are we planning on kicking each other’s asses?”

“Well, normally I would say let’s team up and cream them, but since they just paid me a boatload of money to plan that wedding, I don’t want to embarrass them. How about two on two. Me and Blake, the best man who’s pretty good, against you two.”

Mirth danced in Jenna’s eyes again, sparking another one of those silent standoffs. After a few moments of watching the showdown, I tossed an arm around Jo’s neck and put an end to it.

“We’re in. You’re going down.”

“Bring it, Michaelson.” Jenna flexed her muscles and then trotted back to the courts. “Blake! You ready to help me kick my sister’s ass?”

“Hell yeah!” He slammed his beer and crushed the empty can in his hand before tossing it in the trash bag. “It’s on!”

“We got this?” I asked, glancing down at Jo.

When she looked up, I saw the fire burning in her eyes. “Oh, yeah. We got this.”

We bumped fists and then marched over to the court.

Jenna met us at the edge of the sand court with her partner, and I tried not to be intimidated by his size. Though I stood six-foot and was no slouch in the muscles department, this guy looked like he could crush me as easily as he’d smashed that can of beer.

“Jo, Matt, this is Blake. Blake, this is Jo and Matt.”