Page 33 of The Pickleball Girl Finds Her Match

“Seriously? How was that?”

“It was okay, mostly. A little tough being the new kid in the middle of a school year, that’s for sure. But in the schools I went to, all the other kids were in the same position I was. We all were often the new kid,” replied Sebastian. “But if anything, friendships formed super quickly, because we never knew how long it would be until someone’s dad got transferred and they’d have to move again.”

They rounded a curve in the trail and came upon an area where the vegetation was less dry, with green leaves stark against the usual browns. The air was cooler and carried a subtle moisture, a change from the start of the trail, and the rhythmic babbling of a distant creek sounded near.

Endy lifted the hem of her tank top and mopped at the sweat across her cheeks. “So you said you moved around a lot before middle school. What’d you do then?”

Sebastian swept his hand through the air, mimicking a tennis stroke. “Have you ever heard of sports academies?” He slid a glance at Endy. “One called IMG Academy?”

“In Florida? Yeah, a bunch of tennis pros trained there when they were young.”

“Well, me too.”

Endy gasped. “Oh my gosh, Sebastian. How did that—”

“My parents realized when I was around ten or so that I was more than decent at tennis. I’d been taking lessons pretty much my entire life, even when we lived in all those different countries.” Sebastian shrugged. “But when I was going into middle school, my dad got this promotion that had him doing three-month stints all over the world for a few years, and my parents knew it was going to be hard on me. So we applied to IMG, and I was accepted to the boarding school and tennis program.” Sebastian paused, then said with a half smile, “I was about eleven when I moved there.”

“And how long …”

“Until I was eighteen and graduated from high school,” Sebastian said. “It was the longest I’d ever lived in one place.”

“That’s a really big deal,” replied Endy, her eyes wide with wonder. “Youmust have been a big deal.” She stopped and looked up at Sebastian.

“Yes, Endy, I was a big deal. A very, very, very big deal.” He grinned and pulled her close, grabbing and tickling her. “Very …”

Endy slapped at Sebastian’s hands, her laughter ringing off the tight canyon walls. Sebastian leaned closer and kissed her lips, then pulled her tight and kissed down her neck.

“Oh, Sebastian,” murmured Endy. She reached up and with one hand, cupped his face, while she stared deep into his sky-blue eyes. Her thumb brushed across his lips, and she said, “I can’t wait for you to see it. We’re not far.”

Sebastian smiled and brushed back a strand of hair from Endy’s forehead. “Alright,” he agreed. “Let’s keep going.”

They continued hiking, with the trail tilting steeper and the gurgling of a stream growing louder. The scent of damp earth and the cool mist carried by a slight breeze lifted Endy’s hair off her sweaty neck. The trail rounded a huge granite boulder, sticking out from the wall of the canyon.

Endy jogged ahead of Sebastian and stopped in her tracks, an enormous smile on her face. She shrugged her backpack from her shoulders, dropping it to the ground.

“Ta-da! We’re here.”

Endy spread her arms wide and turned to face a majestic waterfall framed by towering rocks, thundering down from thirty feet above them. The powerful water poured through an opening between two boulders, forming a sheet that splashed violently in the basin beneath it, loud and fierce. Radiant sunbeams flared across the wall of granite, the bright reflection warming a small beach surrounding a crystal-clear pool.

“Wow, Endy,” exclaimed Sebastian, his face filled with awe. “This is amazing!” He grabbed hold of Endy’s hand and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head, both of them gazing out to the waterfall. He turned her face to his and brushed his lips against hers, then pulled her all the way around and pressed closer to her, kissing her more deeply.

Endy brushed her lips down Sebastian’s neck and nibbled behind his ear, getting a response from him that sounded like a cross between a sigh and a moan. She reached up and brushed a long strand of chocolate-brown hair from his forehead, and she ran her fingers down his cheek.

Endy grinned. “Come on! No one’s around; let’s go in.” She twisted away from Sebastian, pulling her tank top over her head. She stepped out of her hiking shoes and shorts and ran into the water. “Gah!” she shrieked. “Cold!”

Sebastian laughed as he lowered to the ground, untying his boots. By the time he’d tossed his shirt on the rock next to the basin and waded into the pool, he’d lost sight of Endy.

“Hey!” he yelled. “You okay? Where are you?” Sebastian moved smoothly toward the waterfall, taking long strides. “Endy?”

The water deepened so Sebastian had to tread while he searched the area beyond the falls. The water bounced up and sprayed his face as he swam. He gnawed at his lip, turning circles, searching for Endy.

And then he saw her.

In a shallow hollow, hidden from view behind the waterfall, Endy stood naked, glistening in a bright beam of golden sunlight.

Her long, dark hair cascaded, dripping over her shoulders, and she pulled it back with her arms upraised, her breasts shimmering wet, her nipples dark pink. She’d tossed her sports bra and panties onto a rock at the edge of the pool and stood waiting for him. Sebastian felt his breath quicken.

She looked at Sebastian from under her eyelashes.

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