Page 29 of The Pickleball Girl Finds Her Match

He gave a low chuckle, a warm sound that made Endy shiver. Reaching out, he grasped her hand, his thumb caressing her palm. A beam of moonlight played across them, and Sebastian tucked a loose strand from her high ponytail behind her ear. He gazed at her, a crooked grin playing at his full lips.

“Enchanting Endy.” Their eyes locked and Endy felt like she was floating on a cloud. Sebastian collected her other hand, and he pulled them both up to their feet. He towered above her and wrapped his arms around her as Endy reached her arms around his neck. They fit together perfectly.

Mmmmm,thought Endy.This feels so good, so right.She tilted her face up to Sebastian’s, their eyes still locked. He lowered his face to hers, his luscious lips parted.

Endy closed her eyes and leaned into Sebastian, her heart pounding … just as a cold blast of water hit them. Thesssssssh-chk-chk-chkof the water sprinklers rang out as they started on their automatic timers.

“Gah!” shrieked Endy, as she pulled away from Sebastian.

Water shot left to right, catching them across their heads, backs, and thighs while Endy held on to Sebastian’s arm, helping him limp off the lawn.

Laughing hysterically, they made it out of the range of the sprinklers. Her shirt was wet and clinging, water dripped down her legs, and Endy slipped on the drenched turf, falling into Sebastian.

He steadied her, then twirled her toward him, wrapping her in his arms again.

And then he deeply kissed her like she’d never been kissed before.

18

Sebastian walked behind Endy as she entered the dining room. A spray-painted outline of a gorilla wearing headphones encompassed the entire wall in front of them, and palm fronds decorated the ceiling.

When Endy agreed to have dinner with him, Sebastian was ecstatic. This woman was gorgeous, funny, and completely unpretentious.

And completely different from his ex-girlfriend, Sloane.

The last restaurant that he and Sloane had gone to was the well-known sushi place that opened up in Indian Wells Tennis Garden, overlooking Stadium Court Two. The food was delicious, of course, and the staff had treated them well since Sloane was somewhat of a regular there. They’d even had her favorite chilled bottle of sake waiting at their table when they’d arrived. That dinner had cost Sebastian over $300.

When he’d asked Endy where she wanted to go out for dinner, she’d chosen the place with the gorilla graffiti on the walls. The hamburgers were considered the best in the Coachella Valley, with the most expensive thing on the menu being the triple patty, triple cheese, triple bacon, loaded burger—and that was barely over twenty dollars.

Waiters rushed around them, carrying trays laden with juicy burgers and fresh green salads. One stopped at the table next to them with a frosty stainless steel carafe from which he poured a thick milkshake into a tall glass. The door to the restaurant opened, and a family of seven crowded at the entrance. The busboys cleared a table and then pushed two together.

Sebastian looked over his menu, then closed it almost immediately. “Do you know what you’re going to get?” he asked Endy.

“I do,” she replied and immediately closed her menu too. “I really recommend the fries here. They’re legendary … and they’re bottomless.”

Sebastian raised his eyebrows. “Bottomless?”

Endy nodded and rubbed her hands together. “All you can eat, baby.”

Sebastian chuckled and looked over Endy’s slender but muscular arms. “You don’t look like you take advantage of bottomless fries.”

“They’re my downfall,” Endy said. “In fact, you’ve got to do me a favor and stop me from going overboard. When I look like I’ve had enough, please stop me. Not one more fry goes into my pie hole when I get the look.”

Sebastian laughed. “You have alookwhen you’ve eaten too many fries? How will I know?”

“Oh, believe me … you’ll know.”

The waiter placed their burgers in front of them, followed by a large red plastic basket of french fries that he set in the middle of the table. Endy immediately snatched one up and popped it in her mouth.

“Holy smokes,” she exclaimed, waving her hand in front of her open mouth. “Hot!”

Sebastian selected a fry, blew on it, then took a bite. “You’re right. These are good.”

Endy nodded through her steaming mouthful, then grabbed another from the basket.

Sebastian sipped his beer and leaned back in his chair. “So how long have you been the pickleball expert?”

Endy smiled. “Oh, I’m not an expert. And I do other things at the pro shop, too, not just pickleball.”

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