Unraveled (19 page)

“You hope,” Kelly retorted, breaking away from the surprise encounter with Steve. This was too much. Two times in one day. Too much aggravation. Way too much.

“Hey, Steve,” Megan said, walking up to him, grinning from ear to ear. “Good to see you. Gonna play with us?”

“Oh, no, he’s gonna play on our side,” Vic demanded, yanking up the net and beckoning Steve under. “We need a good middle blocker, too. Dude, you can play, right?” Vic teased.

Steve grinned. “We’ll find out.” Then he ducked under the net and joined Vic and the other players.

I don’t believe this
. Kelly groaned inwardly.
Right across from me. Damn!
She needed a donut. Where was sugar when you needed it?

“Hey, Dave, where can I play?” A big, hulking guy in long rapper shorts and a faded Ohio State tee shirt lumbered onto the court. Tall and muscle-bound, the guy wasn’t fat, just bulky. Kelly had seen lots of guys like him in gyms and on the field over the years. Some were good athletes. Others used enthusiasm to compensate for their lack of skill. Two hundred pounds or more of uncoordinated muscle mass randomly moving, jerking, and getting in everyone else’s way. Unguided missiles on the court.

“Hey, Bubba, how’re you doing?” Dave said with his ingratiating smile. “Why, don’t you play right here on the front line. See if you can block some shots. Watch Kelly.”

“Got it,” Bubba said, giving a toothy grin to Kelly.

Kelly gave him a wan smile.
Great
. Steve right across from her. Not silent, tongue-tied, hesitating Steve, but the old Steve. Steve who gave back whatever she sent him. Bantering Steve. Stress-free Steve. The Steve she used to know. The one she fell in love with.

And to her right, Bubba. He was probably a great guy, a magnificent human being, good at his job, kind to his mother and animals, but on the court . . . any court . . . a total disaster. Wreaking havoc instead of play.

Fantastic
. A sexy ex-lover right in her face and a gorilla on her flank. Tonight was just getting better and better.

“Hey, Steve, we’re gonna whip your butts,” Megan threatened from the back row.

Steve grinned. “You the setter, Megan?” He turned to his teammates. “We’re in trouble, guys.”

More good-natured bantering followed until a girl came up and volunteered to referee. She tossed a ball to the server on Steve’s side of the net, and the game began. Kelly settled into game mode.

The volleyball arced high over the net, dropping toward the back court. Megan positioned herself right beneath the descending ball.
“Mine!”
she called and passed the ball perfectly for someone to hit it. The guy beside Megan hit the ball and it sailed across the net.

“Got it,” Vic called and whacked the ball into the net.

“No, you don’t,” a guy behind Kelly yelled, and they all laughed.

The front line shifted, and Megan dropped back to serve. The ball flew across the net hard and fast, obviously surprising the other team when it smashed into the floor, inside the line. Point for Dave’s team.

Kelly and her teammates yelled in triumph, while Vic’s team yelled catcalls. Play resumed as the volleyball flew across the net back and forth. Impossible saves kept the ball from touching the court. Back and forth. Kelly got several good hits, which felt good. Steve got three. She couldn’t believe she was keeping count.

“Mine!” Bubba yelled as the ball came flying over the net in Kelly’s direction. Spotting Bubba’s movement from the corner of her eye, Kelly jumped out of the way as Bubba came crashing toward her. Missing the ball, of course. Gorilla ball at its finest.

“Watch it!”
Kelly warned Bubba as he got up off the floor where he’d fallen in his lunge. “You nearly took me out!”

“Sorry. I was going for the ball,” Bubba mumbled, not looking the least bit contrite.

This time it was Kelly’s turn to serve, and she took a deep breath. She hoped she could send up a rocket like Megan. She could knock a baseball outta the park. She oughta be able to knock this one out. Not out, but right inside the line. Like in tennis, too much power could work against you.
Pull it in. pull it in,
Kelly reminded herself.

She tossed the ball up into the air with her left hand as she swung her right arm back and
wham
! The ball shot across the net. Just like one of Megan’s rockets. The other team bobbled it, and the ball hit the floor.

More jubilation and taunts from Dave’s side were greeted with jeers from Vic’s team.

“We gotta step it up, guys,” Vic warned beside Steve.

The volleyball flew back and forth again, Vic, Steve, Dave, Kelly, and Megan digging, setting, and spiking. Wounded birds were shot down.
Wham!
High drooping arcs had a greedy Megan under them like a crocodile waiting with open jaws for a wounded bird to drop inside. Pass, set, over the net. Volleys going back and forth, again and again.

Every now and again, Kelly had to jump out of the way of a lunging Bubba. She’d scowl and warn him, but Bubba seemed oblivious. He’d behave for a couple of returns then, bump into Kelly, or leap in front of her and totally screw up a shot she could have returned easily. Kelly was losing patience.

Bubba’s efforts brought a great deal of hilarity from Vic and Steve’s side of the net. The score was evening up now.

Kelly faced off with Steve once again. He grinned at her. Kelly just stared at him. Did he wink?

The other team’s serve sailed over and was passed back and forth, then Megan sent a hard shot sailing low across the net. Steve’s arms shot up and blocked the shot, sending the ball right into Kelly’s face.
Hard
.

Kelly staggered back. The ball dropped to the floor. Score for the other side, who were all jumping up and down.

Kelly shook her head to clear it, then looked across the net at Steve. He’d stuffed her.
Damn!
She scowled at him. Instead of looking contrite, Steve grinned at her, then winked. Again.

“Oh, no, you didn’t!” Kelly accused, hands on hips.

“Yeah, I did,” Steve teased, grinning wider.

Kelly couldn’t believe it. He was taunting her.

“Careful, Steve,” Megan called from the back of the court. “You don’t want to make her mad. You know what happens.”

“What happens?” Dave asked Megan.

“You don’t wanna know,” Megan said, grinning wide. “Trust me.”

Kelly pointed at Steve. “Coming back at ya,” she warned.

Steve’s grin got as wide as Megan’s. “Bring it,” he said, giving a “come on” gesture with both hands.

Kelly couldn’t believe it. Steve was laughing and teasing her like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t walked out on her six months ago. Like . . . like . . . he hadn’t been a total
jackass
! Her eyes narrowed on Steve, framing him in her sights. That did it. She was taking him out.

Unfortunately, someone else got in her way first. Vic hit the ball, and it flew through the air, low and fast, about two feet above the net. Perfect. Kelly was just about to jump up and spike the ball right in Steve’s grinning face when a moving mass appeared in the corner of her eye.

Bubba
. Lunging toward the ball—and her. Kelly’s quick reflexes sent her jumping backward just in time to avoid being knocked down by the unguided missile. But Bubba’s arm whacked into her shin as he crashed into the floor—once again.

“Yeow!”
Kelly yelled. She rubbed the welt that was forming on her shin already. Right on the bone. A contusion for sure. Bruised bone.

“Take it easy, Bubba,” Dave warned. “You’re gonna hurt someone.”

“Okay, okay,” Bubba said automatically as he pulled himself from the floor and walked back to his position. Clearly, not about to change his behavior, no matter the consequences.

Not so fast,
Kelly thought as she watched Bubba return to her flank. Time to take action. Bubba had made his last lunge.

She walked up to him and grabbed Bubba’s sweat-drenched tee shirt, then yanked him toward her. “Hey,
Godzilla
!” Kelly yelled right in his face. “You get near me one more time, and I swear I’m gonna go to my car, get my Louisville Slugger, and break both your knees!
Got that?
Now, get outta my face and off my flank!” She shoved Bubba back so hard he staggered. Meanwhile, both sides of the court erupted in shouts and laughter.

“Whoa!”

“About time!”

“I warned you not to make her mad!”

“Go, Kelly!”

“Tell him, girlfriend!”

“Careful, Bubba!”

Kelly saw Steve bent over, laughing. She turned to Dave, who was wiping his eyes. “Get him outta my sight, Dave. I meant what I said.”

“I’ll take care of him, Kelly,” Megan said, pointing to a stunned-looking Bubba. “
Yo
,
Bubba!
Get your butt over here with me.” She jerked her thumb toward the back line.

“Okay,” Bubba said and meekly trudged to the back court beside Megan.

Megan pointed at him and—in her loudest on-the-field manager voice—commanded, “I don’t wanta see you move off that back line, you hear? You’re looking at the back of our shirts, got it? If I see you move up, Kelly won’t have to get her bat. I’ll break your knees with my bare hands. Are we clear?”

Bubba just stared back at the shorter version of Kelly, barking orders up at him. He had no response. He looked too stunned to speak.

“Are we clear!”
Megan bellowed as she moved closer, hands on hips.

Kelly had to smile at Megan’s imitation of a famous movie marine general barking the same line of dialogue. Meanwhile, the rest of the players on both sides of the court were trying not to laugh out loud and not succeeding. Steve was bent over again, both hands on his knees this time, he was laughing so hard. Old memories floated back to tease her. Kelly grasped at them, then let them slip away. She had work to do. She had a game to win. And a score to settle.

“All right! All right! We’re
clear
! Damn, Dave! Where’d you find these women? They’re meaner than junkyard dogs!”

Kelly laughed out loud. Steve wiped both his eyes and looked across the net at her. “I got a feeling I’m next on your list.”

“You got that right,” Kelly said, trying not to smile.

“Junkyard dogs. I like it,” Megan called. “Let’s play ball.”

“You got it,” Vic called out, signaling the server at the back of their court.

The volleyball flew back and forth across the net as both teams settled down into the rhythm of play once again. Pass, set, hit, back and forth. Over the net, again and again. Serves smashing into the floor. Shots blocked. Kelly blocked and spiked everything she could reach. Some smashed to the floor in winning shots. Jumping higher and higher. Her shin would throb later. She didn’t care. She’d learned to play with pain years ago.

Another shot sailed toward her side of the net, coming fast. It looked a little too high for her to spike. But just as it approached the break line it started its downward arc, just a little. It was just enough. Enough to encourage Kelly to push off from the floor straight up, higher than before, her arm swinging back and up, then coming down—hammer-like—hard and fast.

Blam!
Steve’s arms went up to block her shot, but it was too late. She spiked the ball right into his face.
Hard
. Steve rocked backward and stumbled.

Kelly’s teammates hooted in laughter, while the other players tried not to, unsuccessfully. Vic came over as Steve regained his balance.

“You okay, buddy?” Vic asked, smiling. “She really rang your bell with that one.”

“Ohhhh, yeah.” Steve said, shaking his head.

Kelly watched Steve shake his head again, then turn to her and smile. His old, familiar, good-natured smile. She couldn’t believe it.

“You enjoyed that, didn’t you?” he called across the net.

Kelly smiled back at him. “Ohhhh, yeah.”

That felt good.
Real
good.

Steve
took the towel Vic handed him and wiped his face as he watched Kelly, Megan, and Jennifer walk toward the gymnasium doorway. Jennifer turned around right before the doorway and waved at him. Megan, however, turned and grinned wide and gave Steve an enthusiastic thumbs-up sign. Kelly never turned around.

Vic clapped Steve on the shoulder. “Man, she’s a wildcat. You sure you want her back?” he teased.

“Ohhhh, yeah,” Steve said, feeling a rush he hadn’t felt in months course through his veins. “If she’ll have me.”

“Well, you’ve got a shot. That spark is still there, dude. You can tell. If it wasn’t, she wouldn’t have gotten so mad.” Vic laughed.

Steve joined in. Vic was right. If Kelly was mad at him, it meant she still cared enough to be mad. Mad, he could deal with. He’d been afraid she’d just written him off as a total jerk. “I hope you’re right.”

“Megan,
I can tell you’re grinning. Stop it now before we get in the car,” Kelly warned, only halfway serious. Her shin throbbed in pain from all the hard impacts. It needed ice, ice, and more ice. Every thirty minutes. And she needed hot water to soak in. Jacuzzi tub. Tiny jets of water massaging away tight muscles and pulled tendons. Aches and pains. Massaging away stress. Massaging away Steve.

“I’ll try, but my face won’t cooperate,” Megan said, still grinning from ear to ear.

“I’ll put a bag over her head, Kelly. You drive. Megan can grin under the bag in the backseat,” Jennifer said.

“I don’t want to hear teasing tonight. My shin hurts like hell, and I want to relax in that Jacuzzi. How about some wine?”

“Oooo, sounds good,” Megan said. “And some food. We can order something. My treat.”

“She’s hungry again. I don’t believe it,” Jennifer said as they entered the women’s locker room. “I’ll order some wine. I’ve noticed the hotel has a nice wine list. How about a Pinot Noir? Pete and I have tasted some good ones lately.”

“Order whatever you want. Let’s get back to the hotel and that Jacuzzi,” Kelly said, inserting the key into the locker that held their warm-up sweats and purses.

“You got it, chief,” Megan gave a salute. “Food, wine, and Jacuzzi coming up. Why don’t you relax in the back, and I’ll drive us home while Jennifer orders room service.”