They lost by five points.

Lex went to slap hands under the net with the other team, then dropped to the floor next to her bag. She sagged against the far wall as she sucked down her Gatorade.

When she closed her eyes, she saw all the dropped balls, the blocked hits, the shanked passes. Half of those had been hers. She couldn’t believe how badly she’d played. Those two guys and their creepy staring had rattled her game so much. Where were they?

Gone. Figures. She’d probably have walked up and slugged one of them. Yeah, the taller one. He’d go down harder.

“Lex, what happened? You disappointed me.” Kin-Mun dropped next to her.

She moaned into her hand. “Let me wallow in peace.”

Kin-Mun nudged her. “I have some news that will perk you up.”

Lex shifted away. “Nothing you can say would make me feel better.”

“Sure about that?”

His mischievous voice piqued her interest despite herself.

“What?”

“There’s an opening in Wassamattayu.”

Lex jolted. “No way! Are you sure?” The wait list for the prestigious sports club was years long. Lex had been on it for at least five.

Kin-Mun shrugged, but his smile said it all.

“Their volleyball team never has openings.”

“A woman dropped. The menisci in her knees are almost gone, so she can’t play anymore.”

Lex’s mind whirled. For a recreational player like herself, Wassa-mattayu was the pinnacle of her volleyball career. The club belonged to a national organization of other elite clubs, all with stringent athletic requirements for their various sports teams, so that tournaments between clubs were highly competitive. “I need to find out where I am on the waiting list.”

“Sorry, can’t help you there.”

“And I need to train for tryouts. How many women are they going to invite for tryouts?”

“Usually ten.” Kin-Mun glanced over at the court.

“I have to get picked.”

“My team’s reffing. Catch you later.” He hurried to get onto the court.

Not only had she always dreamed of getting into Wassamattayu sports club, it might solve all her problems. Membership wasn’t cheap,so all the members were not only stellar athletes, but the majority of them were quite solvent.

She’d be able to meet tons of wealthy, young players who might be open to sponsoring a girls’ volleyball team. Or she’d find her handsome, sensitive, Christian soulmate who would match her sports ability.

If she got invited to tryouts. If she was picked. And if she got the money for the membership deposit, due before tryouts and reimbursed if she wasn’t chosen.

It hadn’t been something she worried about when she’d been a moderately well-paid engineer at Pear. Lex had received her offer letter from SPZ, but it hadn’t shed any more light on the requirements of her position. While not paying minimum wage, it didn’t come close to her previous pay range.

Too many ifs.

The thought of Grandma’s ultimatum made her head ache. Lex couldn’t ask most of her Asian volleyball friends to sponsor her team – Grandma had gotten to them. But maybe she could try for the primary purpose of the ultimatum – a date.

Her gaze roved around the gym. Who could she ask to pose as a boyfriend?

No, she couldn’t do that. It had to be long-term or Grandma could pull funding if she and her date suddenly “broke up” after Mariko’s wedding.

Okay, who could Lex go on a date with? Her eyes went down the line of players lounging against the wall. Married, dating, married, married, dating, just broke up, just divorced, married, dating.

Who was single?

Jim, Steve, and Neal.

Jim still had that weird girl stalking him.

Steve was a little obsessed with his Star Wars figurine collection.

Neal complained too much about his volleyball injuries.

The volleyball community was too small. Lex knew pretty much everyone. She needed new blood.

SPZ would be new blood. And Wassamattayu, if she got in. Until then…

There were a few guys she didn’t know very well. As she went down the line, she realized they were all Caucasian.

Really?

She scanned the crowd again. Yup. The ones she didn’t know were mostly Caucasian or Hispanic men.

Am I racist? How awful. Is it because -?

He had been Caucasian.

She shuddered. She shoved the dark memory aside. These guys were probably all really nice. She should get to know them.

Sweat trickled down her neck. She discreetly sniffed.

Maybe later, when she smelled better.

FIFTEEN

First day on the job. Don’t mess it up.

Lex entered the SPZ lobby on Monday, and this time a perky twentysomething sat behind the receptionist’s desk. “Alexis Sakai.”

The girl typed in the name. “S-a-k-a-i?”

Lex blinked. “Yes.”

The girl exchanged a conspiratorial smile. “I’m a quarter Japanese.” She studied the screen, then picked up the phone. “Mr. Davis, Miss Sakai is here in the lobby.” She listened, then hung up. “He’s off to a meeting, but he’ll talk to you later. Grey Meyers will be meeting you here.” She printed out a name tag for Lex. “This is just temporary until you get your security badge.”

“How much are you getting paid?” Aiyaaaah. Lex and her big mouth. “I’m sorry – ”

The girl’s face had gone politely blank, but then she twinkled with impishness. “I’m in the high end for corporate receptionists. I demanded as much as some of these engineers.”

Lex gave a weak smile, but her knees started to shake. What had Russell seen in her? How could she be qualified to be a liaison “anything”? She gripped the edge of the receptionist’s desk and dug her fingers into the unyielding surface, welcoming the pain from her nails.

“Alexis?” A tall, thin young man rounded the corner of the receptionist’s desk. His pale eyes surveyed her impassively, as if he were shopping for toilet bowl cleaner.

“Call me Lex.” Eeewww, his handshake was like squeezing a wad of wet tissue paper.

“I’m Grey. We’re in the same group.”

Great. Her first coworker already gave her Run away! Run away! vibes.

He gave her a sly look from beneath half-lowered lids. “So, what’s your previous experience as an Alumni Association Liaison?”

What is this, another interview? She clamped her jaw shut before the thought shot out of her mouth. Lex glanced at the receptionist, who discreetly rolled her eyes. It gave her courage. “Russell thought the superior aspects of my background would help me do a good job.”

There, she’d been nice and tactful.

Grey led the way to the stairway behind the desk. “I was just curious.”

Curious, my foot.

They ascended the stairs together. “The last AAL was Judy Baloney. She quit after her maternity leave ran out.”

“You must have been sad to lose her.”

Grey shrugged. “Not really.”

Lex stumbled on the steps. He gave her a sardonic look.

“You didn’t like her?” Lex wondered if God would consider this gossip. But she needed to know Judy’s mistakes so she wouldn’t repeat them.

Grey shrugged again. “She was eye candy.”

“Say what? ” Lex’s tact crumbled, since Grey obviously had none.

“She didn’t know much about sports, and the alumni associations didn’t respect her all that much.” A fierce expression zapped onto his face, then disappeared. He turned a carefully insipid look on her.

“Several men within the company jostled for a transfer to her spot.”

Aaaaahh. Lex was beginning to understand. Except she wasn’t another Judy Baloney. “Then Russell certainly picked the right person when he hired me.”

Grey’s eyes hardened. “Tigh Anders was surprised Russell hired you.”

Tigh? Mr. Hands from the club? “How strange. I never interviewed with Tigh or gave him my résumé. Does he hire by how well someone dances or something?” She bared her teeth at him. She almost growled and barked.