“I think we’ll need to see a doctor for this one, Charlie,” his mom says softly.

His shoulders slump and ‌he looks way more vulnerable than I’ve seen him since we started playing.

“I’m so, so sorry,” I say, hoping the wound won’t leave a scar. I mean, the guy is classically attractive. It wouldn’t be great to have that on my conscience to screw up his future life because of a hit to the eyebrow.

“He’ll be fine,” Tina says, giving me more of a regular smile at this point. “He’s not a huge fan of needles, but we’ll see how that works out now.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t like the sight of blood,” I blurt out. Charlie turns to give me a glare and then walks off the court with the bandana pressed against his wound.

He stops next to a nicer car, and my concern suddenly evaporates. If anything, Charlie probably has the money to get some kind of plastic surgery if needed. I try to remember if Gran told me what he does for work, but nothing comes to mind.

“Do you want to keep playing?” Paul asks from a few feet away.

I give him a quick smile and say, “I’ve already injured one man today. I would hate to do that to you.”

I turn on my heel and grab my water bottle from the bench before hurrying to my car. I’m going to need some serious regrouping time to come back after this. Maybe I’ll get lucky and not see Charlie and Tina for a few months.

Chances of me coming back to play pickleball soon are slim. Instead of meeting someone dateable at the courts, I found Charlie, of all people. That about sums up my life right now.

2

CHARLIE

Meeting a woman at the pickleball court under the age of fifty was not something I had on my bucket list bingo. Reuniting with Bobby’s younger sister Ava wasn’t even remotely a possibility. The last I’d heard from her, she’d gone to college.

Was I surprised by how much older she is? Yes, but not in a bad way.

The last time I saw her, she was probably fifteen. The annoying sister of my best friend and kind of cute until she opened her mouth and started chirping about skills and stats.

Her parents had dropped her off at her Gran’s house when she was thirteen before they took off to see the world. Since Bobby and I had already graduated and Mr. Hooper sold off his company for a high price, they decided they were done being parents. At least that’s what I’d heard. I never really got the full story from Bobby.

The girl with the flat chest and the big dimple in her right cheek is now taller and has several more curves than before. But there’s a fierceness in her eyes that I didn’t see before. She’s probably had to fight through a lot over the years.

Time definitely flies.

Was there a moment of attraction there as I saw her walk onto the court? For sure, until I realized she’s Ava, the girl who terrorized us every time I came over to hang out. She also sent me to the hospital, so that should be a sign of how things would go for us.

“You’ll be all right,” Mom says as she waits for me in the lobby of the local doctor’s office.

“I know I will be. I’m a grown man, Mom. You should probably go find Emily.” My mom has always been the classic helicopter mom. She got a lot better when my sister and I were teenagers, but ever since my father’s death and sister’s cancer, I think it’s her way of coping.

She nods, as if just remembering about my fourteen-year-old niece. The two of them arrived here yesterday, but the house I’d purchased once I knew they were moving in with me was still being painted, so we’ve all been at a hotel.

We were going to get a game of pickleball in and go unpack everything, but it seems we had to make a detour to get stitches. Which is not something I’m looking forward to.

“What about the car?” my mom asks as she gets up from the chair to leave.

“I’ll find a way back. Maybe take an Uber or something.”

My mother shakes her head. “That makes me sound heartless.”

“No, that makes you a wonderful grandmother. I know Emily is probably hungry. Take her to get some lunch and I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

She gives me a kiss on the opposite side of the injury and says, “Okay, call me and we’ll come pick you up. You said you were going to find her a lacrosse team, too. Maybe look into that while you’re waiting?”

Nodding, I say, “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll do what I can on that.”

Moving my mom back from Michigan, where she’d lived while my sister had been going through chemo had been easy to negotiate. She hadn’t had time to meet too many people, aside from her weekly pickleball game. After already seeing some friends at the store, my mother looks relieved to be back.