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I go back to my spot on the court, and she serves again. My mother huffs and puffs as the second serve goes into the net, but I don’t care.

Clara and Blair are standing at the side of the court, and they come running over as we swap sides with my parents.

“You’re doing great, Rosie,” Clara says.

“Don’t mind our mom,” Blair says.

“Thanks. I feel like a failure.” Rosie wrinkles her nose.

I watch as Clara and Blair pull her into a group hug and whisper something. I can’t hear exactly what they’re saying, but I’m glad they’re supporting her.

“This is not the time for a break,” my mother says. “Come on now, girls. This is not acceptable.”

“Yes, Mom.” Clara and Blair step back. “Good luck,” they say to Rosie, and then they look over at me.

“Your girlfriend really deserves a special treat after this match,” Blair says, winking at me.

“Yeah, she’ll get one,” I say, staring back at them. “You don’t have to tell me to treat my girlfriend well.”

“Just reminding you that women like Rosie don’t fall into your lap every day of the year,” Clara says, and they head off the court.

“Are you ready?” my mother screams, and Rosie and I both nod.

She hits a perfect serve, and Rosie misses.

“Yes!” my mother says aggressively, and Rosie looks at me with a small smile on her face.

“I love you,” I call out to her.

Her head tilts to the side as her eyes widen in surprise. I’m not sure why I said it just then. Maybe because I want her to feel supported.

“I love you too, Brett,” she says, and we both laugh as my mother groans loudly.

Chapter Fifteen

ROSIE

“What are you doing, Rosie?”

Clara and Blair come and sit next to me on the pool loungers as I wait for Brett to come downstairs.

“Oh, I’m waiting on your brother. We’re going to go for a walk and look for shells,” I say. “We figured it would be a nice night to get away from your parents after the drama that was tennis today.” I giggle, and they nod as they take the seats next to me.

“We’re so sorry about our mom,” Blair says. “I wish I could say this was something new in her personality and we don’t know why she’s like this, but she’s always been like this. So, don’t worry; it’s not your fault.”

“I’m really glad you’re both so nice and sweet to me.”

“Oh my gosh, it’s easy to be,” Clara says as she sips her coconut water. “I just wanted to say, I know you and Brett aren’t really together, but both of us wish you were.”

My heart races at her words. “That’s so sweet. Thank you. But you know your brother isn’t interested in a relationship.”

“He’s dumb.” Blair rolls her eyes. “But we understand why he finds it hard to be in a relationship.”

“He wasn’t always like this, you know,” Clara says. “When he was a teenager, he used to date a lot. He was never in love or anything, but he let people in. But Mom and Dad were so hard on him, and then he joined the military and became friends with Charlie.”

“And Charlie was awesome,” Blair says. “He was such a nice guy.”

“But, yeah, after he died …” Clara lowers her voice. “Well, he hardened his heart, and he hasn’t really let anyone in since.”