"Like you said, you're the one that has to live with him, buddy, not me. Just remind him of his commission if it gets out of hand. The smallest one alone should get him that new sports car he wants along with a new wardrobe to go with it." Parker wiggled her eyebrows at him and laughed when Gary scowled at her. Nick and the flight attendant they had just met, Willy, could compete on the flamboyancy scale in Parker's opinion.
The two men were Parker's role models when it came to a loving relationship having been together for fifteen years. They had built their home close to her on Press Cove, a mostly deserted stretch of beach near Clearwater Florida. Her house had everything she needed to train for upcoming tournaments while giving her the solitude she needed to prepare for the weeks on the road. Gary looked forward to these trips home as much as Parker did in that it gave he and Nick the time they needed to strengthen Parker's mental state as well as her body. Having every vice imaginable at your fingertips would have ruined her career had it not been for their influence along with that of Parker's two sisters.
Parker seldom complained about the schedules, knowing her career wouldn't last forever. There was a small window of opportunity to get all her goals accomplished before she either retired to her house, or to the commentator's chair. At twenty-two she had plenty of time to contemplate her future barring any injury. What happened to her coach was always with her, driving her to train harder in case her time on center court was fleeting.
"You know how much he loves to watch you play, so cut my boy some slack," said Gary. They moved onto the gate where their connection was boarding both anxious to get home. The woman that followed them on board couldn't believe her luck when she saw the two tall athletes go on ahead of her.
Don't tennis superstars live in New York or something? Emily asked herself as she slowed her pace not wanting to be noticed. The pilot had been looking forward to her own first class leather seat for a quick nap before meeting Gail. The thought of having to share the space with Parker King made her veer into the cockpit in search of an empty seat. Emily would settle for some mindless conversation with the crew instead of her nap.
Parker had apologized but something about her still rubbed the pilot the wrong way. Maybe it was the way she apologized. Emily couldn't help but think that Parker was one of those people not used to being wrong in any situation, or at least admitting she was wrong.
The young woman's assumption of her position on the earlier flight had just hit a raw nerve with the pilot negating the instant attraction Emily had felt when Parker had turned the corner. Emily was used to the cracks from men, but when it came from successful women it was even worse to her. No, Parker King could keep her wise cracks and good looks to impress someone else she wasn't interested. What she needed now was some time in the sun with Gail, but with out permission, Emily's brain drifted back to the sleeping tennis player on the other side of the cockpit door.
Chapter 2
"Over here, guys," said Nick. The tall Greek stood at the gate with two dozen roses in his arms. After kissing them both hello and taking their bags, he handed a dozen to Gary and one to Parker. "Come on, I have the car parked outside and the Terminator down waiting for your bags."
"Kimmie's here?" asked Parker. She hadn't seen her sisters in six months due to conflicting schedules. While Parker dominated women's tennis, her sisters Kimmie and Gray did the same in the sand playing volleyball.
"Yeah she and Gray are here for today. They are heading out in the morning for a tournament in Palm Beach, so they're cooking you dinner and crashing in your guest rooms tonight." Nick pointed them toward the exit knowing that he and the King sisters had more than exceeded their welcome outside, then again they didn't call Gray the Viper for nothing. One look had sent the young security guard back to his booth for the hour they had been waiting.
"Remember workout first, then family reunion," said Gary knowing the reprimand was unnecessary but he said it anyway.
"Yes, master, I remember."
By the Suburban outside stood two women that looked almost exactly like the tennis pro except for the hair. Kimmie and Gray both kept theirs cut short for easier maintenance when they played, but all of them had the same powerful build. They where all two years apart with Parker being the baby of the family and Gray being the oldest. For each, sports had been an escape from overly conservative parents that wanted prim ladies and lots of grandchildren to show off. Instead they had gotten three of the most famous lesbians in sports, which had been more than enough for their parents to disown them. With Nick's careful management all three had no more money concerns, just the heartache that came from their parents' rejection.
"Is that the Wimbledon champion we see?" asked Gray as she stepped out of the driver's seat. The surprise for Parker was cutting two days off their training schedule but had been worth it to see the smile on her little sister's face. It killed the older two not to be there for any of the matches Parker had played in, but hopefully in September they would be in the stands for the entire Open.
The family caught up on the happenings in their lives since they had seen each other last, having Gary write down some dates when Parker could go and watch her sisters play. From inside the airport Emily arrived at the exit in time to see Parker get into the vehicle right before it drove away. Gail as usual was running late and Emily waited inside in the air-conditioning not wanting to brave the heat until she was wearing a bathing suit.
Emily ended up leaning against the glass wall by the entrance for forty minutes before she saw Gail get out of a rented car outside. By the way she was walking, Emily could tell where she had been since she had arrived. When the broker made it inside and bent to kiss her, the scotch on her breath only confirmed it for her. The blonde got behind the driver's side while Gail loaded her luggage and wondered if the dent in the front fender she had seen was there when Gail picked up the car. The passenger door slamming shut made Emily look at the woman she had spent three years with as she closed her eyes and fell asleep instead of talking. If it hadn't been so sad, Emily would've found it humorous that they'd been away from each other for almost a month but neither of them could find anything to talk about as Emily pointed the car in the direction of the place they had rented.
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The three sisters made the circuit of the workout room as the older two gave Parker a hard time about Alicia. The two tormentors had mentioned every tabloid headline before Parker changed into her running clothes and hit the beach. This stretch of paradise was what she missed most grueling tournament play kept them away for months at a time. The pristine white sand and blue green waters were like a blanket of calm in an otherwise busy life. Coming back here, Parker was convinced she could walk away from tennis and not miss the crowds or the action.