behind George, shaking her head sympathetically at her dad.
“George, kindly step away from the grill,” Gary said, swiping at his face to make sure it was still there. “And while you’re at it, don’t handle anything flammable ever again. Okay, buddy?”
George’s face flooded bright red. Uncle Gary began scraping the burgers off the grate onto a platter, then disappeared inside. Kelsi immediately stepped in to take over with the survivors, expertly sliding the spatula under each raw patty, one at a time.
Ella couldn’t help but laugh. She just loved a commotion. Sheturned to look at Peter, who stood aimlessly between the grill and the net. He slouched on one hip and cast his gaze over the grass slowly. He was trying hard to conceal a huge grin, which Ella imagined was directed at the near-fatal barbecue. The fact that they were the only two people laughing made her feel as if they were in on some private joke that nobody else was a part of. It was like a sign that Ella couldn’t ignore. She just had to make a move.
As she stood up and sauntered toward him, she adjusted her top to show a little more skin.
“You up for a game of one-on-one?” she asked, boldly grabbing one of the two badminton rackets dangling from Peter’s hands and started back toward the net.
“Is that some sort of challenge?” he asked, glancing back at Kelsi.
“For you, maybe. I’m a badminton expert.”
She wasn’t lying. After years of coming to Pebble Beach, badminton had become her sport (if you could even call it that). And besides, she looked good playing it. She was wearing a tiny white FCUK tennis skirt below her bikini top to show off her newly tanned arms, legs, and stomach.
Knowing how delicate boys’ egos could be, she intentionally missed the birdie on Peter’s first serve. She laughed and bent to pick it up, giving him a close-up view of her backside before handing over the birdie to him.
“Lucky serve,” she said slyly while arching one eyebrow.
“Are you kidding? That was one hundred percent pure skill,” he replied. His eyes met Ella’s for a second with the slight yet oh-dear-God-how-sexy smile still playing on his lips. She tried not to be rendered to pure mush at the sight of it.
As long as she’d been noticing boys, Ella had known she could cast a spell on them if she wanted. All she had to do to get a guy to like her was focus completely on him, and soon he would be under her control. But Peter was proving to be something of a challenge.
The next time he served, she missed completely by accident, and the birdie sailed right past her.
“Expert, did you say? You’re a badminton expert?” Peter asked teasingly.
“Listen, I just didn’t want to take away your dignity so quickly,”Ella said through her giggles. “But now that you’re mocking me, I’ll just have to whip you.”
They snapped back and forth, both getting more and more competitive. Toward the end of the match, with Ella up by a couple of points, the birdie landed on the edge of some trees and Ella ran over to retrieve it. Her heart was thrumming. Beating the brush with her fingers, she grasped the birdie and stood up, turning around with her racket poised to serve, her cheeks flushed. Only Peter wasn’t waiting for her eagerly, as she had hoped. His racket was on the grass underneath the net.
Ella looked toward the grill and saw that he was standing behind Kelsi, holding out a plate for the new batch of burgers. Every time she passed a burger to Peter, Kelsi’s entire face lit up like a Christmas tree.
Across the lawn, Ella swiped at the perspiration on her cheeks. She was still trying to regain her breath. She hadn’t noticed before how giddy her sister looked when Peter was close by. It was unbelievable but undeniable. She looked the same way Ellahad felt a few seconds before, when she and Peter were volleying back and forth.
She looked like a girl who was falling in love.
Ella forced herself to accept the situation.
“George, kindly step away from the grill,” Gary said, swiping at his face to make sure it was still there. “And while you’re at it, don’t handle anything flammable ever again. Okay, buddy?”
George’s face flooded bright red. Uncle Gary began scraping the burgers off the grate onto a platter, then disappeared inside. Kelsi immediately stepped in to take over with the survivors, expertly sliding the spatula under each raw patty, one at a time.
Ella couldn’t help but laugh. She just loved a commotion. Sheturned to look at Peter, who stood aimlessly between the grill and the net. He slouched on one hip and cast his gaze over the grass slowly. He was trying hard to conceal a huge grin, which Ella imagined was directed at the near-fatal barbecue. The fact that they were the only two people laughing made her feel as if they were in on some private joke that nobody else was a part of. It was like a sign that Ella couldn’t ignore. She just had to make a move.
As she stood up and sauntered toward him, she adjusted her top to show a little more skin.
“You up for a game of one-on-one?” she asked, boldly grabbing one of the two badminton rackets dangling from Peter’s hands and started back toward the net.
“Is that some sort of challenge?” he asked, glancing back at Kelsi.
“For you, maybe. I’m a badminton expert.”
She wasn’t lying. After years of coming to Pebble Beach, badminton had become her sport (if you could even call it that). And besides, she looked good playing it. She was wearing a tiny white FCUK tennis skirt below her bikini top to show off her newly tanned arms, legs, and stomach.
Knowing how delicate boys’ egos could be, she intentionally missed the birdie on Peter’s first serve. She laughed and bent to pick it up, giving him a close-up view of her backside before handing over the birdie to him.
“Lucky serve,” she said slyly while arching one eyebrow.
“Are you kidding? That was one hundred percent pure skill,” he replied. His eyes met Ella’s for a second with the slight yet oh-dear-God-how-sexy smile still playing on his lips. She tried not to be rendered to pure mush at the sight of it.
As long as she’d been noticing boys, Ella had known she could cast a spell on them if she wanted. All she had to do to get a guy to like her was focus completely on him, and soon he would be under her control. But Peter was proving to be something of a challenge.
The next time he served, she missed completely by accident, and the birdie sailed right past her.
“Expert, did you say? You’re a badminton expert?” Peter asked teasingly.
“Listen, I just didn’t want to take away your dignity so quickly,”Ella said through her giggles. “But now that you’re mocking me, I’ll just have to whip you.”
They snapped back and forth, both getting more and more competitive. Toward the end of the match, with Ella up by a couple of points, the birdie landed on the edge of some trees and Ella ran over to retrieve it. Her heart was thrumming. Beating the brush with her fingers, she grasped the birdie and stood up, turning around with her racket poised to serve, her cheeks flushed. Only Peter wasn’t waiting for her eagerly, as she had hoped. His racket was on the grass underneath the net.
Ella looked toward the grill and saw that he was standing behind Kelsi, holding out a plate for the new batch of burgers. Every time she passed a burger to Peter, Kelsi’s entire face lit up like a Christmas tree.
Across the lawn, Ella swiped at the perspiration on her cheeks. She was still trying to regain her breath. She hadn’t noticed before how giddy her sister looked when Peter was close by. It was unbelievable but undeniable. She looked the same way Ellahad felt a few seconds before, when she and Peter were volleying back and forth.
She looked like a girl who was falling in love.
Ella forced herself to accept the situation.
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