Robin Alexander - Pitifully Ugly

casual ones, are never wrinkled, so you obviously fold everything

and put it away, instead of living out of a clothes basket. And the

kindness part is just something I sense about you.”

0

Pitifully Ugly

I was taken aback by her observations. I’d always taken

fleeting glances at people, afraid that they might see me looking

too closely. I noticed obvious things like hair color or body type,

but not much more. Even with Hailey, I always looked at her with

sideways glances. Now as I looked at her, I could see she was

watching intently as I fiddled with my napkin. Her inquisitive

gaze moved to my leg that was bouncing nonstop.

“Your turn,” she said almost hesitantly. “What do you see in

me?”I felt nervous as I openly appraised her for the first time.

Something in her eyes made me feel like she truly wanted me to

see her, to know who she was. I couldn’t look at them for very

long because I knew she was analyzing me as I studied her. There

were faint laugh lines around her eyes and mouth, a tiny almost

imperceptible scar at the corner of her top lip. Her hands looked

soft with clear polished short nails that twitched slightly as my

gaze flittered over them.

Her sweatshirt was creased in the center of her chest. I looked

down at her jeans that were slightly creased below the knee. Her

hiking boots looked like they’d never seen a trail, though there

was a bit of grass clinging to the heel of one. I looked back up at

her hair that was held back off her face by her sunglasses.

When I first saw her, I thought she was attractive, but now

as I looked at her, she was stunning. I averted my gaze, unable

to look at her any longer. She stirred something within me that I

knew I would always have to deny.

“I think it was easy for you to see what I do with my clothes

because you do the same thing,” I said with a smile that she

returned. “I believe you have to dress up for work and truly enjoy

being casual when you can. You don’t hike, though you’re wearing

the boots for it, and I think maybe you took Fuzzy somewhere

grassy recently.”

“Very good,” Hailey said. “You really—”

“You’re hiding something that you’re not ready to talk about,”

I blurted out, unable to stop myself. It was the twitch thing she did

with her lips. Kalen always opened her eyes very wide when she

didn’t want to be forthcoming.

1

Robin Alexander

Hailey’s leg started to bounce like mine was still doing. “You

pay closer attention than I thought you did.”

“That kind of surprised me, too,” I admitted. “I won’t ask you

what your secret is because when you’re ready, I think you’ll tell

me.”Hailey’s lips twitched again before she laughed nervously.

“Okay.”

2

Pitifully Ugly

Chapter 7

What the hell does love have to do with tennis?

The next morning, I had a tennis date. I couldn’t think of a

better way to start the day, although I’d be working late hours to

make up for the playtime. For a straight woman, Hailey had no

problem with standing close behind me as she showed me how to

swing the racket for a serve. With her hand on mine, we swung

the racket as a machine hurled balls at us with startling speed. We

thwacked what seemed like a hundred balls before we took to the

court to play.

“We’re not going to try to keep score today,” Hailey reassured

me. “Just get used to the volley for now.”

I watched her saunter off in a pair of white shorts pulled tight

across her ass with her front pockets full of balls. Many jokes

came to mind, but I kept them to myself. Within minutes, Hailey

was dripping with sweat, and she pulled off her sweatshirt as she

chased down the balls I managed to lob across the net. Her damp

T-shirt clung to her body, distracting me, and my returns only

became more erratic.

We took a break to collect all the balls that were lying around

the court. I bent over to pick up the first and heard that familiar

thwack, then felt a sting in my ass. When I turned around, Hailey

was busy picking up balls and didn’t look my way. I picked up

two more and a ball sailed over my right shoulder. It was war.

Serious tennis players with their multiple rackets and carts

of balls stopped to watch us hit balls at each other. I failed to hit

Robin Alexander

Hailey once, but she nailed me more times than I could count.

We were laughing so hard that neither of us was able to catch our

breath. Winded and exhausted, we sat on a bench and watched

people who actually knew what they were doing play for a

while.

“I’m going to hate it when I have to go back to work on

Monday. I won’t be able to play during the day anymore,” Hailey

said as she wiped sweat from her brow.

“We could come out after you get off work if you want.”

“Really? You’d want to do this again?” she asked with a warm

smile.

“Only if we can hit balls at each other after my lessons.”

“You’ve got a deal,” she said, thrusting out her hand.

I shook her hand briefly, and sadness washed over me. Why

couldn’t I meet someone like Hailey? Why did I always end up

with women like psycho Jackie or anal Stacy?

“I guess I need to get home. I’m sure Grease is finished

playing, and Fuzzy will need a potty break.”

After a shower, I tried to delve into my work, but I found

myself checking my messages from the Rainbow Room in hopes

that Newbie had sent me a message. It wasn’t out of the realm of

possibility that she’d met someone who she was already dating.

Her rejection, kind as it was, still stung and intensified more with

her silence.

I could write her, I thought as I stared at the screen. Just to let

her know I was interested. And then I thought of Stacy and how

badly that’d gone, and I let the idea drop. I was on my way down

the self-pity highway when I heard a knock at the door. I opened

it to Fuzzy standing in the hall with her ball, which she wiped on

the front of my pants.

“Are you inviting me to play ball with you?” She growled and

walked in place for a second.

Hailey peeped around the corner and smiled. “She’s very

jealous that she wasn’t invited to play today. I know you’re

working, but she’s been bitching about it all morning, and I

thought you might like to take a break.”

4

Pitifully Ugly

“I was going to agree as long as she didn’t hit me with the

ball, but she’s already done that.” I pointed at the slobber stain on

my pants leg. “Wanna come in while I get my coat?”

Fuzzy and Hailey stepped in at the same time, and both

looked around, surveying my place. “Yours is bigger, I think,”

Hailey said as she walked farther into the room.

“I could make a few jokes with that statement, but I’ll spare

you my sick humor,” I said with a wicked grin.

“Yes, please,” Hailey said with a laugh. “While I’m here, you

should give me the nickel tour.”

As we walked from room to room, Fuzzy’s claws tapped

lightly on the hardwood floor. She followed, surveying everything

with a sniff, but shied away from the bathroom when we walked

in. “She doesn’t like the bathroom, it has a tub,” Hailey said in

a whisper.

“I’ve never washed a dog in here.” I looked at Fuzzy in the