Page 22 of A New Chapter in Rosewood Beach

“I’m so sorry again,” Vivian said, gesturing to Terrence’s head. “I’m so glad you didn’t get hit.”

“Were you trying to give me the same sense of what a near-death experience feels like, same as what you had?” he teased good-naturedly.

Vivian laughed. “Heavens, no. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Although, I suppose it did lead me here.”

Terrence cocked his head to one side, feeling confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, a positive side of my near-death experience was that it opened my eyes to the fact that my life is far from over. It made me want to live my life to the fullest, starting with playing tennis like I’ve always wanted to.”

Terrence felt impressed. “That’s an excellent attitude to have, Vivian. I’m glad you’ve decided to take up a new hobby. How do you like it so far?”

“Very much.” Vivian was still slightly out of breath, but she was smiling now and didn’t seem embarrassed anymore. “Hazel is a great teacher.”

Terrence turned to Hazel, who had been watching Vivian and Terrence interact with unconcealed interest. “That’s great. You play tennis, Hazel?”

She shook her head, laughing. “I do today! I played it some when I was a kid. Mom was right, though, it’s much easier to pick it back up than I thought it would be.”

“It’s so much fun,” Vivian said. “Pretty tiring, but I expect that will get easier as soon as I’m more in shape, and tennis will definitely help with that.”

“Yes,” Terrence said, nodding. “I believe physical activity usually results in more energy and improved stamina.”

For a few moments, he blinked at Vivian and she blinked back at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hazel looking back and forth between them.

“Well,” he said finally, completely at a loss for words, “I guess I’d better get going.”

“Do you like tennis?” Vivian blurted, as if she was trying to keep the conversation going longer.

“I’ve never been one for sports,” Terrence admitted honestly. “But it does look like fun. I was watching some of the tennis matches from the restaurant earlier, but I had no idea that both of you were down there.”

“If you’d known what we were wearing, we would have been impossible to miss,” Hazel joked. “Isn’t Mom’s outfit fabulous?”

Vivian blushed again, and Terrence nodded. “Yes,” he agreed. “She looks wonderful.”

Vivian blushed even harder. “Do you like watching sports, then, even if you don’t enjoy playing them?”

Terrence wasn’t sure if she was trying to change the subject, or simply trying to keep the conversation going still. He certainly didn’t object to speaking with her longer, but he felt a bit confused about where the conversation was going.

“I don’t typically watch sports, but I tend to enjoy spectating whenever I do,” he said, stammering slightly. It was a topic he’d never given much thought to, and he felt preoccupied by the way Vivian was smiling at him with more warmth than she usually did.

There were another few moments of electrically charged silence, and then Hazel spoke up. “Terrence, I wanted to thank you for coming to Mom’s rescue that day she was coming back from Providence. We all really appreciated the way you were willing to hurry out to her so quickly.”

“Of course.” Terrence nodded earnestly. “I didn’t have anything going on at the time, but even if I had, I would have left right away. No matter what, I would have—well, anyway it was no problem.” Terrence felt the tips of his ears turn pink as he cleared his throat.

He and Vivian locked gazes for a moment. Beside them, Hazel cleared her throat gently and then scooped up the offending tennis ball.

“I’ll see you back at the court, Mom,” she said hurriedly. “Bye, Terrence! Good to see you.”

“Bye, Hazel!” Terrence called, but he didn’t look away from Vivian. They continued to blink at each other for a few more heartbeats, and he wondered what she was thinking.

“I guess I’d better be going,” he said finally.

“Of course.” Her cheeks looked slightly flushed as she smiled at him. “I shouldn’t keep you any longer, I’m sure you have places to be. Good to see you.”

She was about to turn away, but he reached out and gently touched her arm.

“Vivian.”

She turned back to him, her eyes slightly wide.

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