Chapter 28 Liana

Liana had recognized Brock Templeton immediately. She'd last seen him in a TikTok compilation video: Bad Boy Brock's best smirks after winning at tennis .

She almost laughed when she saw Brock walk into the PHCC. Of course this would be Mary Grace's attempt at payback to James, bringing Brock here.

"Hey, brother," said Brock, wrapping James in a bro hug that James noticeably did nothing to return.

Brock turned to Liana, blatantly ogling her body. "This must be the new girl. James, my man, I have to say, you suck at tennis but you have great taste in women. I'll take your sloppy seconds again after you finish with this one."

Liana wrinkled her nose in disgust. She noticed James take a subtle step in front of her, protecting her.

"Nope," James said. "That's not gonna fly, Brock. You talk about my girlfriend again and you'll be a living version of that diaper meme you made of Rafa. Only without any teeth."

"Relax, bro," said Brock, smoothing his blonde hair back. "I'm just joking. About your girlfriend here, I mean. Not about having your sloppy seconds. I've totally hit that." He jerked his head at Mary Grace, and despite Liana's dislike at how Mary Grace had treated her, she felt almost sorry for her.

"You're gross," said Liana to Brock. "Don't talk about her like that."

"It's okay," said Mary Grace, speaking up for the first time. She looked perfectly poised, holding Brock's hand, and Liana wondered if Mary Grace had been affected by Brock's words. It probably wasn't the first time Brock had spoken this way in front of Mary Grace, and Liana suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for her boyfriend's ex.

Mary Grace continued, "Brock has graciously agreed to be here to bring clout and lend his celebrity to your event, James. He has made a sizable donation to your little foundation on top of his pickleball entry fee. He will bring additional gravitas to your event, since he is a household name, as you know."

James mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "the day Brock brings gravitas is the day the apocalypse comes," but then he continued in his normal volume, "Brock, I appreciate your taking the time to drive down here and come to this event, but if you make any more jokes in poor taste, I won't hesitate to kick you out. I don't tolerate people who talk about women in such a degrading way. And I certainly won't tolerate any disrespect of my girlfriend."

"Got it, dude. Chill out. Don't worry. I'm on my best behavior." He raised his hands in mock surrender.

"You two are on court four to start," said James. "I suggest you go out there and start warming up. And Brock, I suggest you think twice before speaking."

"Actually," said Mary Grace, "I was hoping to talk to you for a minute, James. Right now, if you can. Maybe as we walk over to the courts?"

James started to shake his head no, but Liana touched his arm. "It's all right if you want to talk to her, James. It might be good to clear the air so we can all move on."

"You're sure?"

She nodded encouragingly. "If you want to hear what she has to say, I'm all for it. I'm going to get a cup of that iced coffee, and then I'll meet you on the court."

James ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "Fine. Mary Grace, you have two minutes."

Mary Grace glanced over at Liana smugly like she'd won some kind of victory. Liana tried to keep her face devoid of emotion as she watched Mary Grace walk off with James, Brock ambling self-assuredly behind them. Liana told herself she had nothing to worry about as she walked over to the coffee cart.

A couple of minutes later, as Liana approached the pickleball courts, she saw James shout at Mary Grace, turn on his heel, and storm off. Uh oh. Maybe that chat hadn't offered James the closure Liana had envisioned.

Liana sighed and jogged over to her boyfriend. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," said James. "I'm so over her, honestly. It was just typical Mary Grace being petty, trying to get a rise out of me. I'm just going to tune her out for the rest of the day." He pressed a quick kiss to Liana's temple and then held his hand up for a high five. "Okay, partner. Let's play!"