“Hey, Eddie,” she said as soon as the door opened.
Eddie greeted her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Come on in, sugar. Gabe’s in the kitchen.” He followed Alex through the house. “What is this?” he asked as he spied the gift she’d brought.
“You mentioned taking up tennis last month and I remembered I had this racket. It’s practically brand new.” She handed it to him for inspection. “When I first moved to Houston, I joined a social club to meet people, and tennis was something they did. It didn’t really suit me, but I never got rid of the racket, so it’s yours if you want it. I don’t need it anymore.”
Eddie swung it back and forth. “This is much nicer than the one my sister had.”
Alex shrugged. “I don’t know a lot about tennis gear, but my buddy insisted this is a quality brand. I know the racket wasn’t cheap, so if price correlates to quality, then…” She raised her hands and shrugged her shoulders again.
“What do I owe you?”
Alex waved him away. “Absolutely nothing. It’s been collecting dust in my closet and would have wound up in the donation pile, eventually.” She moved next to Gabe and gave him a side hug. “What smells so good?”
“Hey, Lexi Bear. New recipe. I’m trying a chicken and rice dish with my own special flavoring.”
“Well, it smells yummy. How can I help?”
Gabe nodded toward the wine bottle on the counter. “Pour yourself a glass. We already have ours.”
“Tell us about Finley. You guys seemed so happy. What happened?” Eddie asked as he pulled plates from the cupboard.
Alex groaned as she sat in a chair at the large island in Gabe’s kitchen. “Wasn’t meant to be, I guess. Two separate worlds that don’t mesh well together.” Why did her chest ache when she said that?
“Really? Because in the two weeks that boy was around, you were lighter and freer than I’ve ever seen you.”
“What do you mean?” She leaned back in her chair, unsure if she wanted to know.
“I mean, as long as Gabe and I have known you, you’ve always been such a serious girl. Work, work, work. Even when you are home, you work.”
“That’s not true. I play volleyball—”
Eddie cut her off. “Yes, yes, you play volleyball when it doesn’t conflict with your work schedule.” He eyeballed her, daring her to argue. “And you treat your men the same way. You keep them around as long as they aren’t interfering with your work.”
Alex sensed a theme with her friends and loved ones and was tired of talking about it. She snapped, “What’s wrong with being ambitious? With having strong goals and striving towards them?”
“Nothing, my dear. Absolutely nothing. But you also have to live, or else what’s the point in having those goals? The reporters and photographers concerned us at first, but they seemed to have moved on. And you know the whole ‘no pain, no gain’ mantra you’re always spouting when you’re nagging us to exercise more? Seems to me there’s a parable in there somewhere.”
Gabe chuckled at the stove. “Eddie whines more than a proper Southern lady about messing up his hair or his muscles aching or sweat in his eyes.”
Alex slumped in her seat and gazed out the window. “You know, the last week or so, I’ve gotten tons of never-before-heard feedback from my friends on how they perceive me. I sound like some career-focused, man-eater bitch. Even Melissa said everyone perceives me as cool and aloof, which is completely opposite of how I see myself. I think I’m charming and warm.” Her attempt at humor fell flat.
This time, Gabe spoke. “You are charming and warm. You’re a lovely person. You treat the little guy the same as you treat the big guy, and people love that about you. You’re successful because you radiate warmth outward. The problem is, it’s all one-way.”
“What does that mean?”
“Most people are a two-way street. They project themselves out and let people in. You only do one-way. You project out, but let few people in.” He used the wooden spoon in his hand to point to Eddie and back to himself. “We are a member of an elite club.”
“I have lots of friends,” Alex argued, crossing her arms.
“Name the people who have spent time in your house. And I’m not talking about a ‘come in while I grab my coat’ situation. Really hung out, spent quality time with you in your inner sanctum. Name them.”
Alex scowled. “You guys, Melissa, my mom…” Her voice failed as she tried to come up with names.
“Finley,” Eddie helped.
Alex rolled her eyes at him. “Fin. Um… Oh!” She snapped her fingers and pointed at Gabe. “Grace from work came over once and we worked from here.” Prompted by the look Gabe threw over his shoulder at her, she continued, “I’m counting her because Ineverlet people from work into my sanctuary, so that means she is in the elite group.” She stuck her tongue out at both of them.
“I’ll allow it based on your persuasive argument,” Gabe conceded. “Is that it?”
