Three Volleys to Love (Friends to lovers, double date, curvy heroine, vacation romance): Novella 3 of Heartened by Sport by Renée Gendron

Author:Renée Gendron [Gendron, Renée]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Henry willed his friend to shut up. He stared at him, frowned, then settled on glaring. There was no way he was going to let Chris tell a story about explosive vomiting at dinner. Especially at a nice restaurant where people within four tables could hear. And most certainly not when he used that absurd story to try to impress his date.

Chris drew his eyebrows together. “What?”

Henry wanted to kick Chris, but he might end up kicking Mélodie instead. “We’re eating.”

Chris inclined his head slowly. “I’ll save the story for breakfast.”

“That won’t make it better.”

Was there ever a good time for a story of explosive vomiting? Yes. Chris’s birthday. Chris’s bachelor party. Maybe even part of a wedding speech, but it had to come from the grandmother. If it came from Henry, it would appear cruel.

Mélodie and Chris slipped back into their world of private jokes and secret laughs.

The server removed their plates and served the main course of chicken breast with grilled vegetables. “Smells delicious.” Valérie smoothed her napkin over her lap. “When you’re not on vacation, what takes up most of your time?”

He chuckled. “I spend most of my waking hours project managing software rollouts for a telecommunications company. The only way to stay alive is to bob on my toes and duck and dive under this undoable deadline or away from that bad boss.”

“Battleaxe or bully?”

“Can my boss be both?”

Valérie’s eyes softened. “Let me guess. Horrible manager and HR couldn’t—or wouldn’t—do anything about it. You tried mediation, but that made things worse. Out of options, everyone in the department worked really hard to exceed targets and help get the manager promoted so they would leave you alone.”

An arrow of truth right to his heart. “You know my manager then?”

“I’ve known too many of them.”

Across the table, Chris and Mélodie were offering each other tastes of their meals. Henry smiled. To see Chris this happy was nice and nauseating at the same time.

He loosened the button on his collar. The reality that waited for him back home deflated his vacation mode. “And what do you do?” “I’m a database administrator.”

The touch of sunburn on the back of Henry’s neck itched, but he didn’t scratch it. “How many battleaxes have you worked for?”

“Four and counting.” Valérie pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze. Shadows played on her face, and for the first time, she looked exhausted. “Actually, I’m looking for other work, but there aren’t many openings.”

“Send me your CV. I’ll send it around.”

Light-brown eyes with swirls of dark brown and gold met his. “Not to the company you’re trying to get out of?”

He chuckled. “I’d never inflict that on anyone.”

She laughed. “Must be pretty bad.”

“I think it’s taking years off my life.”

“I’ve added too many grey hairs to count.” Valérie smoothed her hair, and the motion brought out the loveliness of her features.

“Where do we go from here?” His heart wanted we. His mind screamed at him to run away.

Her appraising gaze met his for a brief instant.

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