Final Play (Matchplay Series) (3 page)

He pointed a finger at me and his expression turned serious. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I swallowed. He made it sound so ominous. As if I’d asked him for the contact information for a hitman.

“Ella doesn’t have a cell
phone because she thinks it blocks her psychic energy, or some crap like that. And she doesn’t have a house phone because she rarely manages to pay the bill. And it’s not like she doesn’t have the money. She’s got a substantial trust fund. She just forgets. I think the phone company may have banned her for life. If you want to find her, she’s usually at Arts² downtown. And that’s squared with the tiny two not spelled out.”

I frowned. “I’m an engineer. I know what squared means.”

Evan laughed. “An engineer wants to bang my sister. That’s a first.”

“I never said I wanted to
bang her
,” the words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. “I just want to get to know her better.”

“Whatever, dude. Every guy who has gotten into my sister’s pants has lived to regret it. You’ve been warned.
Again
.”

A stunning girl with gorgeous black hair and amazing features grabbed hold of Evan’s arm. It was
Keira. She could have been the coldest and meanest person on the planet until she started dating Evan. He seemed to smooth out all of her sharp edges.

“Lucas,” she said as she gave me
the once-over. “Always a pleasure to see you.”

Evan gave
Keira a kiss on the forehead then he said, “You’re never going to believe this. Luke wants to bang Ella.” He made it sound like it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

“I didn’t say I wanted to
bang her
,” I clarified for Keira’s benefit.

I could see her stifle a grin. “It would probably be good for both of them.”

“I told him she was crazy but he still seems to want a piece,” Evan said. I found it odd that he was talking so explicitly about his sister.

“Arts²,”
Keira stated. “If you want to see her again, that’s where you’ll find her.” 

“Thanks for your help,” I muttered although my mind was already working overtime trying to figure out how someone like me, a rather geek
y engineer, could make an appearance at what I could only assume was some kind of artist hangout. I would undoubtedly stand out like a turkey among peacocks. My presence also had to appear to be fated apparently. The task already seemed daunting.

Evan laughed. “Tell me in a few weeks if you really think I helped you.”

Keira playfully nudged his elbow. “Come on. Ella isn’t that bad. She’s really matured in the last few years.”

Evan shook his head. “She may be a little more mature but she’s also a little crazier, so I think the two cancel each other out.”

Keira leaned over to me and whispered, “I think Ella will loosen you up a bit. I say go for it.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence—I think.”

Keira just snickered as she and Evan made their way over to the chocolate-covered strawberries and Champagne.

When I finally caught sight of Rainy and Aaron, I made my way over to them. I hadn’t had a chance to formally congratulate them since they said their vows.

Rainy Dey Donovan made the most stunning bride. Her porcelain doll face and small features were the perfect fit for the ballet style wedding dress she selected. Aaron always joked that Rainy looked like she had just stepped out of a Mary Cassatt painting. He even made her a miniature Mary Cassatt museum when they had an art history class together Rainy’s freshman year. But today, on her wedding day, in her graceful and elegant dress, she looked more like one of the dancers in an Edgar Degas painting.

Ella was right. I had been completely and totally in love with Rainy. I don’t know a guy who spent any time with her who wasn’t. It may sound like a cliché but she was truly a beautiful person inside and out. She was strong, courageous and smart. Aaron was the luckiest guy on the planet and he definitely knew it. He gave his heart and soul to Rainy and even went against his wealthy, powerful and influential parents to be with the girl he loved.

Rainy deserved the very best and she definitely got it with Aaron. He was arguably the most popular guy on campus, and I often heard girls refer to him as
swoon-worthy
. I can only assume it’s because he looks like he just stepped out of the pages of GQ.

I knew from the moment I met Rainy that she was far out of my league. She was definitely a 10 on the attractiveness scale and I was maybe a 4.5 on a really good day in optimal lighting for my red hair and fair complexion.

“Lucas,” Rainy practically yelled when she spotted me. She hurried over and embraced me in one of her famous hugs. For such a small person, she had a strong and powerful hug. It was the type of hug that had a way of letting you know that no matter what, everything was going to be all right. It was one of the many things I loved about Rainy.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Rainy said as she looked into my eyes. I never told Rainy how I felt about her and I always wo
ndered if she suspected. If so, she never let on. Rainy didn’t have any siblings and she always called me her brother. I wondered now if she did that so I would know that her feelings for me would always be brotherly and nothing more.

Aaron shook my hand. “Good to see you, Lucas.”

“I’m so happy for both of you,” I said and I couldn’t help but smile. It had been a long road for both of them to get to this point. There was a three year age difference between them and they met when Rainy was a freshman and Aaron was a senior. Aaron’s family initially displayed a lot of hostility towards Rainy. They had a difficult time accepting her because they’re super-rich and well-connected while Rainy’s background was steadfastly middle-class. I even heard through the grapevine that Aaron’s parents went as far as to try and get Evan’s fiancé, Keira, to break Aaron and Rainy up. Aaron’s parents apparently had to finally accept the fact that nothing was going to come between Aaron and Rainy. I heard they rather reluctantly accepted Rainy into the fold. At least they paid for their lavish wedding, which as a start.

Rainy had an odd expression on her face, like she was holding something back. I could always tell when something was bothe
ring her. She kind of wrinkled her nose and furrowed her brow at the same time, like she was really giving the matter some deep thought. “I heard that you were talking to Evan’s sister,” she said finally.

“That was fast,” I said. I wondered how in the world she had heard that bit of gossip so quickly.

As her eyes softened, I got the distinct feeling I was going to get an infamous Rainy lecture. She always managed to say the most relevant and even biting things yet still managed to couch them in sunshine and love. It was not even ironic that her name was Rainy and Aaron’s nickname for her was Sunshine. That’s exactly how Rainy was.

When she swallowed before speaking I knew I was in trouble. She was definitely about to say something I already knew I didn’t want to hear.

“Ella is beautiful, funny and free-spirited. I can certainly understand why you find her attractive.” Rainy gave me one of her brightest smiles and I knew she was getting ready to drop the bombshell. “But she’s also mentally ill. Before you pursue a relationship with her, I want you to give some serious consideration to what that means. You’re a brilliant guy. Do some research on bipolar disorder. I just want you to know what you’re getting into before you fall too hard and it’s too late.”

I had a strong urge to tell her it was already too late but that sounded completely ridiculous. I had just met Ella. I talked to her for less than an hour in total. How could I already have fallen for her? The very idea was beyond all rationality.

But I still felt that way. And it frightened me to my core.

“Okay,” I muttered but it didn’t even sound like my voice. I was suddenly overcome with the urge to find every piece of research ever written about bipolar disorder.

“I really care about you, Lucas,” Rainy said. “And I want you to be happy.”

I nodded although it seemed at that moment the only thing that was going to make me truly happy was seeing Ella again.

“Good luck, man,” Aaron said as he patted my shoulder.

“I hope you have a wonderful time in Tahiti,” I said.

“I know we will,” Rainy replied. When she glanced at her new husband, he winked at her.

“I’m sure my sister and
Marney are wondering where I am. I think they’re ready to get going.”

Rainy gave me another hug. “We have to get together when I get back into town. No excuses.”

“No excuses,” I assured her.

***

After the bride and groom made their official exit and the party started winding down, I gathered my sister and Marney from the dance floor and we hopped into my Prius for the ride back to the city.

As soon as my sister inhaled, I knew she was going to ask the inevitable question: why was I so keen to find Evan? I beat her to the punch. “I know you’re wondering why I wanted to talk to Evan.”

“Wondering is not the word I would use,” my sister said dramatically. She had a flair for the dramatic, which made her so good at speech and debate. “More like my head was getting ready to explode in anticipation of the very moment when you would finally enlighten us.”

“You’re so funny,” I teased. “Did anyone ever tell you that?”

“Everyone always tells me that,” she boasted.

If I wasn’t driving, I would have glared at her. 

“I met someone at the wedding, a girl, who I’m very interested in.”

“Did I hear this correctly?”
Marney piped up from the back seat. “Did Lucas actually say he was getting ready to pursue a woman?”

“I’ve dated plenty of women,” I stated in my defense.

“And by plenty, you actually mean a few, like one or two,” Marney teased.

“I’ve dated more than two people.”

Marney stuck her head in between me and my sister. I could feel her breath on the back of my neck. “And just how many of those few women did you actually pursue? I have a feeling most of them pursued you.”

She wasn’t wrong but I also wasn’t going to give her the be
nefit of knowing so. “Can I just finish my story please?”

“Yeah, okay, as long as you admit that you’ve only dated a few women.”
Marney was tough and I knew she wasn’t going to let it go.

“Fine, I’ve dated four girls. Are you happy? I believe that constitutes use of the word
plenty
but I’m willing to concede that I could be wrong on that point.”

“Would you just finish your story,” Olivia pressed. “At this rate, we’ll be back in the city before you even get to the point.”

I could hear Marney plop back into her seat and I continued. “Ella is Evan’s sister.”

My sister threw up her hand. “Wait! Evan has a sister? How did we not know this?”

“I guess he doesn’t talk about her very much. I got the impression that they don’t get along very well.”

“Considering Evan is kind of an asshole, that might not be a bad thing,” my sister so aptly pointed out.

“Well,” I hesitated before I continued. “There is a specific reason Evan doesn’t get along with his sister and why he doesn’t talk about her.”

“Don’t keep us in suspense,” my sister prompted.

I decided the direct approach would be the best course of action. If Ella and I did end up in a relationship, my sister would have to know about her issues.

“Evan thinks his sister is crazy. That’s his word. She has been diagnosed with a mental illness—bipolar disorder.”

“Wow,” Marney declared as she stuck her head between me and my sister again. “That’s some heavy shit.”

“You’re actually kind of scaring me,” Olivia admitted and the fact that she was
scared, scared me. My sister was rarely scared by anything.

“Why?” I asked.

My sister continued. “First of all, you don’t pursue women. You’re the most passive guy I’ve ever met in my life and unless a girl completely throws herself at you, she usually doesn’t stand a chance. You actively pursuing someone, or even thinking about it, says something. Second, I don’t know too much about bipolar disorder but from what I do know, it’s some serious stuff. Do you know what you’re getting into with Ella?”

“I have no idea what I’m getting into,” I admitted. I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t care. I was going to go after her anyway. But I knew if I told my sister that it would scare her even more. 

“Is she hot?” Marney threw in.

I wasn’t sure how to describe Ella
or how I felt about her. I had never felt that way about another person before. I felt a deep connection that I didn’t understand because I really didn’t know her. I felt overwhelmingly attracted to her but not just physically, although there was certainly a physical dimension. I was attracted to her very being. I knew it sounded completely ludicrous, like I had just stepped out of some kind of New Age convention, or something equally unscientific and completely irrational. So I just said, “She’s intriguing,” and hoped it would suffice.