Page 23 of Serve
“Chip, I want you to be happy, you know that. But why the hell are you rushing into this?” Her tone of voice wasn’t so much as angry as it was resigned.
Tyler had asked him to go to Europe, to be there for him. He’d provide the cover, make him his personal assistant. He would have a salary. No one would find out about them, and he needed Chip, couldn’t stand the thought of being without him for so long. Work had been hard recently, nothing like he’d expected for such a small town.
“I couldn’t say no.” He mumbled into his glass.
“Now I owe Sania ten bucks. I told her it wouldn’t happen until after Monte Carlo. Shit.” She laughed and shook her head at his amazed expression.
“Sugar, you think I haven’t seen this before? How do you think Emm and Tina first hooked up? This happens all the time. The tennis star declares their love, can’t win a match without them by their side. So the object of their affection drops everything in their life in order to be with them. Honey, just make sure you feel right about it. You’re the one giving up everything, not him.” She patted his hand, then asked a hard question.
“Have you exchanged the magical three words that will forever join you spiritually, emotionally, physically, and make observers either wretch or clutch their hearts?”
Chip had no idea what she was talking about at first, then it dawned on him. I love you. He’d thought it, and he was pretty sure he felt it, but he had no other experience with it. Whenever he looked into Tyler’s dark, soulful eyes, his heart raced and he forgot what they were talking about. His body yearned to hold him, to never have him gone from his side. If that was love, then yes, he was in love with him. But he was afraid to say the words, and had no idea why.
“No,” he said. “We haven’t said the um, three magic words yet.”
Her mouth dropped open, then she spoke. “I can’t tell you what to do, but you need to listen to every word I say. Before you start gallivanting all over the world on the arm of your knight in shining armor, you’d best own up to how you feel about him.” She said. Her face scrunched up, anger washing over her features. Chip said nothing.
“Do I need to have this talk with him too? Shit, if he messes with my nephew he’s going to have to deal with a mean old lady first.” She hit her tiny fist on the table, nearly knocking his glass over.
“Aunt Dixie, chill out. It’s okay, it’s not just him making decisions, it’s me. We want…” Both Chip and his aunt’s phone buzzed at the same time. Dixie was faster grabbing hers.
“Hot dog! He’s in the final!” She said, then asked Chip. “You wanna take this mean old lady to Houston tomorrow?”
“What the hell is wrong with them?” Aunt Dixie bitched about the seating arrangements.
Tournaments almost always sat both player’s teams next to one another, but nobody thought it would happen this time. Tyler’s former coach Scott was loathed by both Dixie and Sania for the way he'd left Tyler in the lurch. Having to sit next to him was torture, and the entire tennis world knew about the bad blood. His player, Travis Johnson, had made the finals too. Now they were stuck sitting next to Scott, who kept giving Chip questioning looks.
“Is everything happening the way it should?” Chip overheard his Aunt whispering to Sania. He turned in her direction, and saw her nod and frown.
Tyler won the coin toss, and elected to serve. It was the last easy thing he’d win that day.
Chip’s heart raced as he watched Tyler hit balls everywhere but over the net. He double-faulted on his first serve, and barely managed to hold. His opponent, Travis, was pumped up, bouncing, filled with energy.
In the players’ box the atmosphere was less than cordial. Scott never looked at them without a smirk plastered on his face. Aunt Dixie’s little fists were clenched, and Sania’s normally serene face was grim. Emm looked like she had the flu. Her reputation was on the line since Tyler was the first top player she’d worked with as a coach.
The first set went back and forth, both men breaking the other’s serve, but Travis was always ahead. It ended in a tie-break, and Travis came out on top. During the changeover Tyler looked up to his box and grimaced. For a brief moment, Chip held Tyler’s eyes to his, and he worried about the shadows lurking underneath them.
There’s something wrong. Chip could tell by his slumped shoulders, and the lackluster way he jogged to the back of the court. Chip smiled, gave him a thumb’s up, and sent mental messages of hope. Telepathy probably didn’t work, but right now he’d try anything to see Tyler win. When Tyler turned his attention back to the match, Chip’s smile faded, along with his hope.
“What the hell is this?”
Chip turned at the sound of a man’s voice. It was Scott, Tyler’s former coach. He was staring at his phone, his mouth open. He turned to Sania and spoke through clenched teeth.
“Empty threats.” His face flushed red.
“You signed it. Violate it, and we will take you to court. It’s that simple. Best of luck to your player.” Sania smiled sweetly, slid her sunglasses on, then turned back to the court. Seconds later Tyler looked up again, a frantic look in his eyes. Sania lifted her sunglasses half an inch and smiled at him, then gave him a thumbs up.
“You can’t prove anything!” Scott said, his voice carrying just enough to arouse the attention of those in nearby seats.
“Now, now, Scott, just remember, neither can you.” She took her sunglasses off. “Not only will you violate the agreement, you’ll be accused of libel. If you want to spend years in court defending yourself, knock yourself out. Just realize we will drag you through the mud, and our pockets are much deeper than yours.”
“But…” Scott spluttered, then Sania shut him down.
“Rise above this Scott, and let the players decide who the real champion is.”
Chip was enthralled, not by the match, but by the lethal force Sania radiated toward Tyler’s ex-coach. Dixie elbowed him, hard.
“Pay that no mind, sweet pea.” She nodded her head toward the court, and Chip turned his attention back to the match.
