Page 35 of The Perfect Game

“They were short on servers, so I had to dust off my skills.” The joking tone in his voice made me smile.

“At least you didn’t have to be a model for your mom.” I rolled my eyes to emphasize how much I disliked it.

He reached forward and touched my arm, sending tingles shooting throughout it. “At least she asked you to, though, right?”

I hadn’t thought of it like that. Maybe it was a small peace offering because she’d been busy so much lately. But then I remembered she’d leveraged coming to my volleyball games with it and the feeling disappeared.

I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his middle and resting my head on his chest. He hugged me back, and I hadn’t felt that comfortable in a long time. All the irritation melted away, and I wanted to stay like that forever.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Serena?” I heard from behind me.

I pulled back and looked up at Ben. “Sorry, I’ve got to go help gather up all the clothes. Good luck with serving. Stay away from knives, and hooks.” I chuckled.

It took him a few seconds to make the connection. “Again, about last night, I’m so sorry I ruined everything. I feel—”

Placing my pointer finger over his lips, I shook my head. “It was an accident. I’m surprised it didn’t happen to me, to be honest, since I’m the graceful one between the two of us.” I laughed, and Ben joined in, although there was still a hesitancy in his expression that made me wonder what he was thinking.

“We should do something again this week. We have another tournament this weekend, but I can hang out Thursday if you’re free.”

I nodded, liking the hope in his face as it seemed to relax all the worry out of him. I glanced at his lips and then back up to his eyes. “I’d like that.”

He paused for a moment and bent down, brushing his lips across mine. He broke away before I was ready and gave me another hug. “I’ve got to get back too. Go clean up and I’ll call you later.” Jogging back to the other room across from where my mom’s fashion show had taken place, he waved before disappearing through the door.

I walked back into the dressing room, surprised at how much quieter it was now that everyone had left. The other designers had all disappeared as well, and as we collected the clothing, I was curious as to whether we’d actually worn all of it.

“We’ve got to run this over to the warehouse before we head home.” My mom sounded and looked exhausted, something I’d never noticed before.

“Are you happy, Mom?”

Her head snapped up, and her eyes searched my face, trying to figure out what my question meant. “Of course I’m happy. Why do you ask?” She pushed the cart with all the garments hanging on them. Most of the shoes were on the bottom of the cart, and the ones that didn’t fit were in one of the two large totes with all the other extra things needed for the show.

I shrugged. “It just seems like you’re always working. Is this all worth it?”

The muscle in her jaw flexed, and I knew I’d touched a nerve. For the first time in years, I hadn’t meant to.

We made it out to the van in silence, and she loaded up the cart and all the other things before shutting the doors and turning toward me. “I used to think it was worth it. But now I don’t really know.” She bit her bottom lip, and I could tell the wheels were turning in her mind.

“Then why do it? Why put yourself through all this? Dad makes plenty of money right now to take care of us.”

“Maybe I don’t want to just be the trophy wife of an NFL linebacker. Maybe I like the idea of creating clothes people can feel comfortable in.” Tears were pouring down her face, and I wished I could go back and unask those questions.

“I think you could make it, Mom. You just need to find your thing, the thing that people will buy without you killing yourself by forty.”

We got into the van, and she used her fingertips to wipe underneath her eyes. “And give up everything I’ve been working on for the past five years? I can’t do that.”

“I’m not saying give it up, just find one thing you’re really good at, like hair products or shoes. The full wardrobe thing isn’t working.” I stared at the road, not wanting to see the tears fall again.

The cab fell silent, and I wished I was anywhere but there. My stomach growled long and loud, breaking up the tension somewhat.

“We should probably get you some food. I know how you are when you’re hungry.”

At least she knew that much about me.

“Rena?”

“Yeah?”

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