“He doesn’t want to spend time with his fiancée and his family?” She gives me a disapproving look, like it’s my fault he’s not around.
“He said he’ll be down. He’s just got something big going on at work right now that he’s been trying to focus on,” I tell her, then take a sip of wine.
Okay, not a sip, a gulp. And it’s not really wine—it’s some concoction that Janelle and Eva made. Whatever it is, it’s delicious, and I’m already a little tipsy. Not that I’m complaining. Since Jace and I got back this afternoon, he’s been MIA. I want to be annoyed with him for ditching me to work, but this is what I signed up for, so I’m sucking it up and making the best of it. And honestly it could be worse.
Hearing people laughing, I look toward the beach and see that Sammy, Mel, Ian, his brother Troy—who looks almost like his twin but is a year younger than him—and Ryan—who isn’t related to anyone but a friend of Troy’s—are all starting up a game of volleyball.
“Penny, come join us,” Sammy yells when she catches my eye.
“Oh no, it’s okay.” I wave her offer off.
“You should go join them,” Janelle urges, and damn but if one look from her doesn’t have me giving in.
“All right.” I place my cup on the ground next to my chair and get up. “I should warn you guys that I probably won’t be any help. I was the kid in high school who was in band and theater, not in sports,” I say as I walk toward the volleyball net, and everyone laughs.
“That’s okay.” Sammy grins at me as I take up a spot in the back behind her and Mel.
“You’re up first.” Ian tosses the ball to Ryan, and he serves it over the net toward Sammy, who sends it right back over, and Troy just barely keeps it off the ground. It heads for Mel, and she jumps up with her arm in the air and knocks it down over the net, right between both guys, where it lands at their feet.
“Zero to one.” Sammy dances and claps, making me laugh.
“No more taking it easy on them, guys,” Ian says, and I roll my eyes, because that is such a dude thing to say.
Sammy serves next, and Ryan keeps it off the ground with ease, sending it over and I realize as it’s in the air that it’s coming right to me. Holding my hands together, I start to go for it, but before I can, Mel steps back in my space, bodily moving me out of the way, and sends it flying back over the net.
“Sorry,” she chirps without looking at me, which doesn’t do her any good, because Troy power-hits it down over the net at her feet. I want to laugh, but since that’s a point for them, I don’t.
As the game carries on, I start to feel like I did when I was nine and my mom signed me up for softball and I got put in the outfield, where I spent every game picking flowers out of boredom.
“Mel, you could at least let Penny try to get it,” Troy bites out when Mel goes for the ball in front of me again but fails and lands on her hands and knees.
“She said she’s not good at this game,” she huffs, dusting herself off. “I’m trying to help her.”
“Or you’re showing off.” Ryan shakes his head, and her cheeks turn red.
“Okay, lets switch up teams,” Troy suggests when the guys win, then his eyes come to me. “Penny, you come over here. Ian, you take her spot.”
I want to say no, that I’m going to sit this game out, but Ian is under the net, pushing Sammy to the back, before I can. I walk around the net and start to take up the same spot I was in on the other side, but Ryan shakes his head at me. “No, you’re up front.”
“So you want to lose?” I ask, and he chuckles.
“You’re up first,” Troy says, placing the ball in my hands, and my eyes widen. “You’ve got this babe. Just get it over the net.”
I doubt I’ve got this. Still, I step back and hold the ball up with one hand and hit it with the other. It shockingly goes over the net, and Ian sends it back toward Troy, who blocks it and sends it crashing to the ground on their side of the net, giving us one point. Troy serves, and when it goes to Mel, she looks at me, and I know that she no longer cares that I said I suck at this game.
She sends it flying toward me, and I thankfully block it before it can take me out, and it heads toward Ian. Like she did to me, she steps in front of him to get it, but with his bulk, she’s unable to move him out of the way. And so he doesn’t accidentally punch her in the face, he lets the ball fall, and it lands on the ground, giving me a point. Okay, it’s a point for our team, but it feels like a victory for me, so I jump up and down.
“Good job, Penny!” Sammy cheers, and Mel glares at her. “What? She did good.” She shrugs and laughs.
“You’re up, babe.” Troy tosses me the ball, and now high off victory, I do exactly what I did before, but this time the ball hits the net and flies back at me. I fumble to catch it but don’t, and it rolls under the net.
“My turn.” Mel picks up the ball and tosses it in the air before punting it in my direction with so much force that the sound of her hitting it ricochets through the air. I don’t stand a chance as the ball flies at me, and I don’t have time to cover my face before it’s smashing into my forehead and the bridge of my nose.
“Oh no,” I breathe when a gush of warm liquid seeps between my fingers and my eyes start to water.
“Shit.” Troy rushes over, pulling off his T-shirt and shoving it against my face.
“I think I’m done playing,” I tell him, holding the fabric against my bloody nose, and he chuckles.
“Let’s go get you some ice.”
“Penny, are you okay?” Sammy jogs up to me, followed by Ryan and Ian, as Troy ushers me toward the bonfire.
“Yeah.”
“Does it feel broken?” Janelle asks worriedly with Eva at her side wringing her hands together.
“I don’t think so.” I assure her even though I have no idea what a broken nose actually feels like.
“Sit and I’ll bring you some ice,” Troy says gently, and I take a seat in the chair I left behind earlier.
“You stay with her I got the ice.” Ian pats his brother’s shoulder and jogs off.
“Sorry about that,” Mel says, coming up to stand next to Sammy.
“It’s okay.”
“Tip your head back,” Janet orders hovering over me at my side, and I do, then almost gag when I feel blood slide down the back of my throat.
“Let me see.” Troy squats down in front of me grabbing my wrist. Slowly he pulls the shirt away, and his eyes roam over my nose and the rest of my face. “It’s slowing down.”
“That’s good, right?” I ask pressing the fabric back against my nose.
“Yeah babe that’s good.” He grins.
“What the fuck happened?” Jace barks, and I peek around Troy’s shoulder and find him storming in our direction.
“Mel smashed her in the face with the volleyball,” Troy says, standing, and Jace turns his head her way and gives her a look that has me panicking even though it’s not directed at me.
“It was an accident,” I tell him quickly, then add, “And totally my fault.”
“Right.” He takes Troy’s spot in front of me and bends down so his face is in mine. “Let me see,” he demands, and I slowly pull the cloth away and watch his jaw twitch.