Page 13 of In a Pickle

“But I’ve changed things up this year. I’m trying to make it more inclusive. It’s been at the Pine Heights Country Club every year, and it still will be this year, but instead of black tie, it’s going to be a pickleball tournament.”

“Really?” Liana was genuinely interested. James clearly cared a lot about his passions, which, she was discovering, included charity work and pickleball. “You really like pickleball, don’t you?”

“I mean, I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but pickleball is kind of a big dill.” He smirked. “It’s one of the fastest-growing sports in America, not to mention its appeal across Latin America and the world. Some pickleball franchises are being treated like tech companies, with the money to match. One group just raised a series B funding round, like a startup, at an almost $60 million valuation, and there are dozens of other franchises opening locations each month. Florida is a particular hotspot; we do love our outdoor sports. There are dozens of locations here, and most started post-pandemic.”

“Well, if everyone had you as their teacher, I can imagine that even more people would take up pickleball.” She realized what she just said and turned a bright shade of scarlet. “I mean… you’re a really good teacher.”

“Thanks.” His smile looked genuine, and if he could see her beet-red ears, he didn’t comment.

“And I think it’s smart to have your charity event centered around pickleball,” she continued, desperate to move on from her mortifying comment. “I’ve found it relatively easy to pick up and learn the rules, and I found I could play, even though I’m not in the best of health. I can imagine that older adults could manage to play, too.”

“That’s the idea.”

She couldn’t resist asking, “How much does it cost to enter?” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I mean, I’m sorry if that was rude. We don’t have to talk about money.”

“It’s a good question. $250 per person or $400 per couple. I know that’s a pretty chunk of change, but believe it or not, I’ve lowered the price over the last couple of years compared to what it was. I want as many people as possible to be able to participate. Much to my dad’s chagrin.” He smiled.

“I mean, I personally couldn’t afford it, but $250 is not as crazy as I was expecting for a fancy Pine Heights charity event. It's nice that you’re trying to make it semi-accessible. For the 2% instead of just the 1%.” She stuck out her tongue teasingly.

“Oh,” he said with a half smile, “you should see the cars some of these people drive up in. While some people are out here pickling for a living, people drive up to the gala in Rolls Royces. But hey, if it helps this shelter house and feed more people,that’s all I care about. I’m really proud of the event. I’m a very detail-oriented person, and I actually love event planning. I love thinking about how to make the event the best it can be, giving people the best experience possible.”

“That’s admirable of you. I assume you’re playing doubles pickleball?” He nodded. “How do you choose who’s going to partner with whom?”

“So far, most people are signing up to play with their significant other as their doubles partner. People signing up as singles can let me know if they’d like to be matched with someone in particular, and if not, we’ll find a match. We’re trying to make different brackets for particular age ranges, although a couple of parents have asked if they could play with their kids, which I think is so fun. So I think we’ll have one bracket for players ages 18-50, a different bracket for over 50 years old, another for over 65 — which is the majority of participants; I’m sure you’re not surprised. Then we’ll have an open bracket for any age, and I’m seeing if there’s interest in adding a wheelchair-based group, as well.”

“Is it mixed doubles?” she asked, hoping he wouldn’t ask her why she wanted to know, so she wouldn’t have to admit to wondering if he were playing with a woman. Possibly his significant other. Not that Liana cared.

“Most of the teams signed up so far have one man and one woman, but of course we’re happy to have any and all teams and will try to make the brackets as fair as possible. I’m trying to make sure everyone feels welcome, most especially same-sex couples and non-binary folks, who may not have felt super welcome at black-tie country club galas in the past.”

“And who are you playing with?” Liana tried to make the question sound innocent, trying not to reveal any hint that she was dying to know whether he’d be playing with Mary Grace.Not that it’s any of your business,she scolded herself.

“Actually, my past doubles partner recently decided to play with someone else.” He looked her straight in the eye as he said it. Was he telling her that he and Mary Grace had recently broken up?

“Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I’m not,” he said. “It was a long time coming, actually. So I’m in need of a doubles partner. Or, I suppose, I could just see who needs a partner on the day of the event, if anyone shows up alone or someone gives us a last-minute cancellation.”

“Oh,” she repeated, dumbly. Why did it feel like he was asking her to be his doubles partner?

He paused and eyed her shrewdly but said nothing. He wasn’t going to ask her, she realized. He’d promised her he wouldn’t ask her out again, and he was trying to keep his promise. Why did it make her sad that he wasn’t going to ask her? She was the one who’d said no.

She needed to be the one to make the move now. The proverbial pickleball was in her court. Why not go for it and see if James was truly interested in her as more than a friend? She tried to gather her courage and hoped he didn’t notice the pounding of her heartbeat in her temples.

“James,” she exhaled a long breath. “It’s not that I don’t want to be - I mean.” She squared her shoulders, deciding to give him the truth. “I turned you down when you asked me to dinner, not because I don’t like you that way. It’s just — this is embarrassing,but I didn’t want to eat dinner in front of you.” Unable to look him in the eye, she focused on spreading jelly across a piece of bread. “I live with a chronic disease that sometimes makes eating… difficult. I can only eat really specific foods. And I didn’t want you to think I was weird, or… I don’t know, some sort of Gwyneth Paltrow high-maintenance girl who only eats gluten-free charcoal, or one of those girls who never eats more than a bite of salad in front of anyone. I mean, I know I could have just suggested we get coffee, but I kind of panicked. And I didn’t want to try to explain my health challenges to you.”

“Why not?” He asked, genuinely surprised. “I’d never dismiss your health challenges. You can tell me anything. I mean, I know we don’t know each other that well, but you can trust me.”

“I feel that. I really do. I just didn’t want you to pity me, or… I don’t know. You were always the popular one in school, and I wasn’t, and I just figured you wouldn’t want to hang out with me, or if you thought you did, you wouldn’t once you realized that I am just not a fun person.”

“Did someone tell you that?” he asked, his voice suddenly deathly calm. “That you are not a fun person?

“Sort of,” she shrugged. “Yeah, they did. It doesn’t matter.”

“Someone said that to you,” he repeated. It wasn’t a question anymore. “Someone fucking told you that, as a result of a restricted diet due to a fucking medical condition, you are not a fun person.”

She nodded, her throat suddenly dry. “My ex. I mean — to be fair, it wasn’t just because of what I can and can’t eat. I have an autoimmune disease that’s kind of decimated my life as a whole. Especially my social life. I have a very specific diet that I haveto eat at specific times of the day, but beyond that, I can’t drink alcohol. I go to bed really early. At the time my ex told me I wasn’t fun, my health was very poor. Much worse than it is now. I was tired all the time. I couldn’t really go out at night. I usually just wanted to stay home. I couldn’t do much of anything. We used to take walks in the hills together, and I suddenly couldn’t do that. I don’t blame him, really. I’m truly not a fun date.”

“Fuck that guy,” James said, and she was surprised at the venom behind his words. “Is it someone I know? Actually, don’t tell me. I don’t condone physical violence and I’d have a hard time holding back around him.”

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