“Yeah, there aren’t many free sand courts in this area.”

“So do you mind if I join you?”

Why not? Maybe she’d push herself into an even longer, more intense workout. That would be great. She’d be in terrific shape for tryouts. “Warm up and get moving.”

They spent an hour doing sprinting, blocking, hitting, and diving drills in the sand. Aiden knew a few new drills he’d picked up at the Stanford Volleyball Clinic, which challenged Lex even more. She felt exhausted but great after they finished.

They sat on the grass bordering the sand court, sucking down water and toweling off the rivers of sweat pouring down their faces. Lex had a new respect for Aiden’s terrific lung capacity – at points, she’d been the one breathing harder. It must be from his running.

“How’s your new job going?” Aiden dusted sand off his bare feet.

A knot tightened at the base of her neck. Aiden had heard about her job when she’d been talking with Kin-Mun. “It’s okay.” It would come any minute now – Can you get me tickets for…?

“Different from engineering, I’ll bet.”

“Yeah.”

Aiden looked her directly in the eyes. “You and I are a few of the lucky ones. Doing exactly what we love doing. Being good at it.”

In the warm, understanding light from his gaze, Lex felt energized and relaxed at the same time. The knot in her neck melted away. “You love physical therapy that much?”

He nodded. “It’s a rush, seeing a knee surgery patient jogging on the treadmill, seeing a carpal tunnel patient up their weight on the gym machines.”

Lex had always thought about the injuries associated with PT, not the healing. “That’s neat.”

“And you get to talk sports all day. It’s as if the job was made for you.”

It was, wasn’t it? For the first time, Lex caught a glimmer of the hand of God in all the crazy turns her life had taken lately. She hadn’t been talking to God much, but He’d still been orchestrating things. It gave her a weird feeling – both comforted at being taken care of, but also antsy that she hadn’t been as independent and in control as she thought she was.

Before she knew it, they’d been talking for over half an hour. Lex left reluctantly to go home and start packing for her move. She had a lot of stuff, so she might as well start early.

It was only as she waved at Aiden and drove away that she realized he’d never mentioned game tickets even once.

Her cell phone chirped. Home phone number. “Hey, Dad.”

“I’m glad I got a hold of you, Lex. I just got off the phone with our real-estate agent.”

“She sold the house already?”

“Even better. We got a huge bid.”

“That’s great, Dad.” She tried to muster more enthusiasm.

“But one thing the buyer stipulated is fast escrow.”

“What do you mean? How fast?”

“I’m sorry, Lexie. We have only three weeks to move out.”

EIGHTEEN

And now for her favorite pastime – dealing with her bridezilla cousin. Lex had left it off as long as possible, but now it was late afternoon on Friday. She closed the door to her office, then sat and dialed Mariko’s number.

“Hello?”

Lex paused. The voice sounded sweet and silky – very un-Mariko.

“Mariko, it’s Lex.”

“What do you want?” Mariko barked in her normal voice.

“I can’t make it to the bridal shower tomorrow.”

“Yes. You. Can.” Each word stabbed like a knife.

Lex sighed. Mariko had gone hormonal. “Look, you and I both know I’m only a bridesmaid because Grandma dictated the bridal party to you. You don’t want me there messing up your fun with your friends.”

The pregnant pause cheered her. She could almost see Mariko waffling: Grandma… fun with friends… Grandma… fun with friends… “No deal.”

“Aw, why not?”

“Grandma will kill me, that’s why.” Mariko’s voice had a pinched tone.

“She won’t be there. How would Grandma ever find out if I didn’t show? Who would tell her?”

“Uh… Grandma will call and ask me how it went.”

That was a lame excuse, even for Mariko. Lex trusted her like she trusted Uncle Howard not to tell bad jokes. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” But her snap lacked genuine annoyance.

Why did Mariko adamantly want Lex to be there? “Did Grandma put you up to something? Did you invite some guy to introduce me to?”

“N-no! Like I’d go through the effort for you.”

“You wouldn’t. But you would for Grandma.”

“You’re so full of yourself. You will show up, and you won’t ruin anything. You’re always ruining things.”

Lex’s throat tightened. She swallowed painfully. “I do not.” She cleared her throat. “I do not.” There, she’d said that a little stronger.

Luckily, Mariko wasn’t listening to her. “Why’d you have to be the next OSFC? Then you wouldn’t be in my bridal party at all. Why couldn’t Venus have been next OSFC – she’d at least look good in the pictures. Or Jennifer – she’s always so easygoing. You are not leaving me to explain to Grandma why you couldn’t come.”

Lex tightened her grip on the phone. “Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?”

“You were born thirteen months after me, that’s what.”

Lex exhaled a hot breath. “Take it up with my dad.”

“You don’t realize how hard I had it all those years, being OSFC.”

“Wah, wah, wah. It’s all about you.” Lex wanted something to smash. “I am not going to your stupid shower just so that you can shove some guy at me.”

“It’s not a stupid shower – ”

“Do you know what kind of a week I’ve had?” Lex started ticking things off on her fingers. “I have to move out in three weeks, I had to divvy up all my stuff so Dad can have a garage sale this weekend, Dad’s moving in with Uncle Howard and they don’t have room for me! How would you like to be homeless and possessionless, all in three days?”

Mariko’s low, menacing voice carried clearly over the phone. “You will be there tomorrow or I’ll call Grandma personally and tell her you didn’t want to meet Burt.”

“Ha! You are shoving some guy at me.”

“You’re so juvenile. Be there at nine.” Click.

Lex collapsed in her chair. Life was so not fair. A bridal shower with Mariko and all her girly-girly friends, laughing and having a good time, excluding tomboy Lex. Laughing at Lex while some totally uninterested guy tried to pretend he was. Then Grandma on the phone as soon as she leaves: “Well? How did he like her?”

This couldn’t come at a worse week. Forget about finding a boyfriend – Lex had to find housing. She felt doubly abandoned because it seemed like Dad couldn’t wait to get rid of her.

No, she shouldn’t think that way. Dad had been distracted lately.

He loved her. He and Uncle Howard would enjoy their bachelor apartment. She shouldn’t resent him for that. She was such a lousy daughter.

What – did she expect Dad to take care of her for her entire life?

May as well look for a few apartments online, since she wouldn’t have Internet access in ten days. She toggled her mouse to take her computer out of sleep mode.

Oh, she had mail. From Russell.

Lex, Congratulations! The SPZ Sponsorship fund has selected your junior high school girls’ club team for funding beginning in September…

What? She had to read it again.

Selected. Not rejected.

She had funding! Lex unleashed a whoop into her silent office.

She read the rest of the email. The SPZ Sponsorship fund committee is enthusiastic about the opportunity to encourage more girls to join next year, to build community, to create opportunities for girls, and to influence other children in the area.

Funding is pending your team’s finishing record in the summer playoffs. This is not to demand perfection from your team, but to evaluate your own coaching skills.

Well, she supposed they wouldn’t want to back a hopelessly losing team. But oh, man. She’d look so bad if the girls’ team got killed during playoffs.