For the Record (Record #3)(53)

“I . . .” Liz paused. What exactly did she do? Before she would have said she was a reporter or a journalist. Now she didn’t really have an occupation, so she went with the closest thing. “I’m a freelance writer.”

“Ah,” Mollie said, averting her eyes.

“She’s very talented,” Brady said, “and has been writing very sought-after pieces online.”

“Oh really?” she asked. “Where?”

“The Washington Post recently quoted me regarding a piece I wrote on education policy,” Liz said.

“Well, that’s brilliant,” Mollie said, seeming more enthusiastic at hearing the Post mentioned. “Doesn’t Brady work in education policy? Wasn’t that what you were telling me, Chris?”

“Oh, hmm?” Chris asked, oblivious. “Yeah . . . on some committee in Congress.”

“The education committee,” Brady offered.

“That’s the one.”

“You two complement each other,” Mollie said. “That’s good long-term.” She placed her hand on Chris’s arm.

Liz leaned into Brady with a sigh. At least she wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Shortly afterward the waiter came to take their orders. The conversation shifted back to the guys’ basketball addiction, since they had played in college. Mollie seemed to tune out as much as Liz did. Liz caught her eye and they both started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Brady asked, pinching her leg under the table.

“You two and basketball.” Liz rolled her eyes. “You could talk all day about it.”

“What would you prefer we talk about? Tennis?”

“Do you play tennis?” Mollie asked, her eyes wide.

“Yeah, I do,” Liz said.

“That’s exciting. I picked it up this year and I love it. So much fun and a great workout. I’ve been trying to convince Chris to play doubles with me, but he refuses.”

“It’s so boring,” Chris complained.

“It is not!” Mollie and Liz said at the same time.

“You’re probably just not good,” Liz told him.

“Hey! I’m good!” Chris said. She had bruised his ego.

“Then it’s set,” Mollie said. “We’ll play doubles tomorrow. I’m so excited.”

“Brady and I will kick your ass. Guaranteed,” Chris boasted.

Mollie put her head in her hand and sighed. “You don’t even want to be my pair?”

“Guys versus girls, Mols. We’ll show you how it’s done.”

“Oh, I’m sure. When was the last time you even picked up a racket?” she teased.

“It’s like riding a bike.”

“This should be interesting,” Liz mused.

“Don’t worry,” Brady said, nudging her. “We’ll go easy on you.”

She narrowed her eyes. He knew that she played, but he had never seen her in action. He was in for a rude awakening. “Bring it, Maxwell.”

All of those extra practice sessions with Easton were going to pay off. If she had done this before working out with him two or three times a week, she would have been winded after half a match. Now she could play for over an hour straight. These guys were going to need more than good luck on their side.

Chris quickly found out that playing tennis was not like riding a bike.

After having a few drinks last night, they had called it a night relatively early and gone back to Chris’s house. Liz and Brady spent the night wrapped up together on the guest bedroom’s queen-size bed. The next morning they had risen relatively early and taken the town car to the gym where Mollie worked out. They had indoor tennis courts, which really worked to Liz’s favor, since she was used to playing outside in the North Carolina heat.

“How long have you been playing?” Mollie asked as she watched Liz warming up.

“Since I was seven,” Liz told her.

“This is going to be great.” A slow, ruthless smile spread across her face. “Let’s crush them.”

The guys let the girls have the first serve. Liz happily obliged them with an impressive serve that took Chris completely off guard. Her next serve Brady took and volleyed back to Mollie. Liz could tell that Brady had more experience than Chris, so he was her real opponent. Plus, he looked really hot in gym shorts, a Dri-Fit T-shirt, and tennis shoes.

Mollie’s return serve showed Liz that she did have training, but nothing compared to Liz. Chris did start to get the hang of it again about halfway through the game, but by then the girls were already up by two sets. They volleyed back and forth for the next set, which went to the guys after Brady delivered a powerful stroke that neither of them could return.

He seemed triumphant about that, but strangely silent throughout the rest. She knew that Brady was incredibly competitive. He wouldn’t be into politics if he weren’t. But this was her sport. He could kick her ass at basketball and probably everything else, but not tennis. And she was going to prove it.

They played by official rules, where the winner needed to win six sets and beat the other team by at least two sets. Liz was playing on adrenaline and barely even noticed the time pass, but by the time they were down to the wire it was clear everyone was tiring. If they won the next point then that would be the game.