Page 125 of Courtside

She couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she walked toward the front door of the hotel. They had a few hours before her mom, Brinley, and Rohan were heading to the airport, and they were planning on all going for a walk around King Street.

Sage hung back, slinging an arm over her mom’s bony shoulder and taking a deep breath of her patchouli scent.

Her mom looked up at her with a sad smile. “You’re not coming home, are you?”

“No, Mom.” Sage let out a slow exhale, looking ahead to where David walked beside Brinley and Rohan. “But I promise I’ll visit.”

Her mom’s smile brightened, and it seemed that all she needed was a small moment of sadness to mourn Sage’s moving on. “You’re happy here,” she said, nodding at their surroundings, like somehow the brightly painted pink exterior wall and white trim around the windows encapsulated Charleston as a whole. “I can see it in your eyes. And that’s all that I ever wanted for you, Sagey.”

“Love you, Mom,” Sage whispered, pressing a kiss to her mom’s sun-warmed hair.

When they reached the street and started down the sidewalk, Sage found herself threading her fingers through David’s, the skin of her palm meeting the skin of his. He leaned down and kissed her temple, the coarse hair of his beard tickling her skin.

Beside them, Brinley and Rohan walked hand in hand. “So what are your plans for the summer?” Brinley asked.

Sage squinted against the bright sun. “Bartending. Reading whatever the fuck I want.” She bumped her shoulder against David’s. “Hopefully dragging this one out to California for a visit.”

She glanced up at him, catching the pleased smile on his face.

Brinley squealed. “Ooo yes! You guys have to come out. I’ll get us a house on the beach.”

“I always forget how rich you are,” Sage said, kicking out a leg to knock against her sister’s knee.

Snorting, Brinley nodded her chin toward Rohan. “You should see how much he makes.”

“Most of it goes to student loans,” her boyfriend protested.

“Meanwhile, I’ll be here melting away in the humidity and working on my tan,” Sage said. “Ah, I love to see my college degree hard at work.”

“Don’t forget about working on your teaching certificate,” David added, squeezing her hand. “And running a few basketball camps.”

Sage felt her cheeks flush. She should have been immune to David’s compliments by now, but apparently her blush response was still as enthusiastic as ever. Glancing over at her sister, she saw Brinley smiling at her in that knowing, older sister ‘I know better than you’ way that drove her crazy.

“What,” Sage asked.

Brinley just shrugged, her expression almost smug. “I just never would have guessed that you’d be the one to stay in Charleston.”

Sage subconsciously leaned into the solid body of the man who stood by her side. She thought of all of the things that Charleston had: Maggie and all of David’s friends who at some point had become her own.

She thought about nachos and tots at The Grove and about the Southeastern gym. About magnolia trees and the long drive to Lake Murray.

And she thought about David. About mornings with him in the gym, about the flowers she found waiting on her table, about the apartment keys they’d exchanged a few weeks ago. She thought about Irish Spring and navy sheets and the fact that he refused to give back her t-shirt.

She thought about the way he had come to know her and she’d come to know him. And how that knowing had sunk in deep, leaving a warmth and contentment so full that sometimes it felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest.

Sage inhaled deeply, the heat of the air gentle in her throat. “I never thought I’d have a reason to stay.”

EPILOGUE

DAVID

“Alright guys. Wrap up with free-throws and then we’re done.”

The guys split up between the baskets, talking among themselves as they finished out practice. Jordan, now standing on the sideline with a whistle around his neck, walked with Monty, talking with him about an adjustment to his shot. To his credit, Monty listened as attentively to his old teammate and captain as he would have if it were David or Tim coaching him.

David took a deep breath, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, relishing the return to the gym after a long summer off from practicing and playing.

Beside him, Tim adjusted his glasses. “Today’s the day?”

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