Not So Snow White (9 page)

* * * * *

O
nly after hearing the front door shut did Aurora finally turn to Tess. "Well," she said, hoping her smile was appropriately abashed, "that went well."

Tess raised her brows, then burst out laughing. "Oh yeah. I really made friends and influenced people tonight." She picked up Max's glass and downed the final dregs, making a face as the cognac hit her throat. "How do you drink this stuff
?
" She shuddered and carried the glass over to the rolling cart that held an array of crystal decanters and a beautiful sterling-silver ice bucket. Exchanging Max's glass for a clean one, she made herself a gin and tonic, neat. "I'd apologize for losing you a client, by the way, but I figure it just makes us even."

Aurora smiled. There was a slight edge to Tess's otherwise affectionate tone. She knew she deserved far worse. "I'm sorry, dea
r
,'' she began, quite sincerely. "It goes without saying that I owe you an apology. I regret how this all came about. It certainly wasn't how I'd have planned it, given a better chance."

Tess turned and leaned back against the cart, nursing her drink. "How did this come about? What was he doing here so late? And, if you don't mind my asking, when were you going to tell me about big brother? Overprotective much?"

"Speaking from one with experience in such matters."

Tess laughed. "Why do you think I moved three time zones away?" She gave a little shudder. "I can't even imagine dealing with Wade as my brother while on tour, much less my manager."

"The dynamic with the Fontaines is very different. Gaby lost both parents when she was little—she and Max shared the same father, Trenton Fontaine, wealthy international financier. I'm sure your father has heard of him. Way and I had spent time with him through the years, during both of his marriages. Max is largely estranged from his mother and Gaby has no other family, so they are all each other has, for the most part. He has been mother, father, manager, pretty much everything except coach for her, since right after he got out of college."

Tess nodded, sipped her drink, but didn't say anything. Aurora knew she was curious; after all, she'd put on the pretense of knowing all about Aurora's little plan when she'd crashed their party of two earlier. Aurora took that, and the fact that she wasn't reading her the riot act over her highhandedness just now, as a good sign. This wasn't how she'd planned this, but she hadn't really had time to put a plan into place. Max had forced her hand this evening. But she was nothing if not optimistic. She had to be, in her line of work. "He's not a tennis player, but—"

"Gee," Tess said dryly, "I'd have never guessed."

Aurora merely smiled, nodded. Smooth and steady "So you can imagine the obstacles he's had to overcome."

"I'm sure he's of sterling character. Emphasis on character." Tess finished her drink and set her glass back on the serving tray. "So, why don't you tell me what your Machiavellian plan was all about." She crossed the room and, unconcerned about the designer dress she had on, plunked down on the overstuffed settee that had been positioned in the middle of a collection of high-backed chairs and a delicately carved walnut tea table, which were all arranged in a grouping in front of the parlor's main attraction, its beautiful Italian-marble fireplace. She patted the place next to her and smiled.

Aurora knew better than to be fooled by that innocent grin. But she gladly took the seat, quickly deciding how best to play this latest turn of events to her advantage. "Again, allow me to apologize."

Tess waved that away. "Your heart is always in the right place, Aurora. I know that. But why didn't you just come directly to me and ask me to help you out?"

Her own lips curved in a knowing grin. "You haven't been the easiest of butterflies to pin down of late."

Tess had the grace to look abashed. "I've been a thoughtless houseguest, haven't I?" She reached out an
d covered Aurora's hand with her
own. "I'm sorry. You're right, and after you've been so gracious in inviting me here. It's been crazy, what with the wedding preparations and the pretournament social whirl, but that's no excuse."

The smile and the apology were sincere, but Aurora saw past that. Tess was on a fishing expedition here
…
and it wasn't entirely simple curiosity. Aurora resisted the urge to smile. She did so love it when a plan came together. She slid her hand from
Tess's and patted her knee. "No matter, dear. We're here now. As for my plans for Max and his sister, you already understand his reasons for bringing her to Glass Slipper."

Tess nodded. "Have you kept in touch with them over the year
s, knowing his parents and all?
Did you go to him or did he come to you?"

"A little of both. Valerie Wagner, who runs our London location, came up with a rather brilliant idea to run a promotional tie-in with Wimbledon, catering to those who flock here to watch the Championships. It was geared toward providing our more standard spa amenities, with the idea of elevating our presence here, getting the word out, so to speak. She hadn't really expected to grab the attention of any of the players, but a small number of them have discovered us, and decided to avail themselves of some of our more unique amenities. Max heard about it through the tour grapevine and when he realized I was here in London, he rang me up. It was delightful to get the chance to see him again; it's been a few years, I'm afraid, but I've kept track of the two of them, much as I do your family. We got to talking about Gabrielle and he was discussing his concerns about her turning pro, and, well, it just sort of went from there."

"So what's with the late-night meeting?" Tess grinned then. "Of course, despite his less-than-obvious charm, he is quite good-looking." She nudged Aurora gently. "When I saw the extra car in the drive, I was hoping you might have had other plans for the evening."

Aurora found herself blushing. "Oh, you are quite the scamp."

Tess merely laughed. "Vivian would have gone after him in a heartbeat and you know it."

Aurora sniffed. "Which is what sets Vivi and me apart. I conduct myself with at least a bit of class and a modicum of control. Especially where members of the opposite sex are concerned."

"Oh, you don't fool me. I bet you get just as much action as she does. You're just more discreet."

Aurora gamely tried to keep he
r
expression neutral, but Tess's impish smile did her in and she found herself grinning like a woman decades younger. "I don't suffer the lack of an escort if I so desire one," she admitted, "but unlike Vivi, I do prefer my gentleman callers to be somewhere in the vicinity of my own age."

Tess hooted. "You go, Aurora."

She blushed, but they both laughed.

"So," Tess asked, "if you weren't hoping for a moonlit tryst with a hot younger guy, what was he doing here so late?"

"Gabrielle has been out guest this past week, mostly taking advantage of the spa services. I've been trying to set something up fo
r
her, to deal with the other issues Max and I had discussed, but I wasn't happy with the individuals I'd hunted down so far, and you know we have our standards. I wanted it tailored to her specific needs. He and I met up at a charity function this evening, quite serendipitously, and I had this brainstorm! Here I am searching all over London for the right person to talk to Gabrielle and she's right here under my own roof! I was half-hoping you'd be at the party this evening and I could just introduce you both, but when you didn't show, I invited him back here to discuss it privately, an
d, well…
the rest as they say
…
" She merely smiled.

"So you were out reveling in the London nightlife yourself. And here you were giving me a hard time." Tess raised her glass. "Scamp, indeed."

Aurora waved away her teasing, and found herself grinning. She had forgotten just how much she'd enjoyed Tess's company in the past. So much talent, such a wonderful career. And now here she was, embarking on a new path, and Aurora couldn't
help but wonder if Tess was, perhaps, a bit lost as she tried to find her way in this new world of hers. Presumptuous? Possibly.

But when had that stopped her?

"I am sincerely sorry for just winging it, as they say. I know I should have waited until I'd spoken to you. I know you're very busy, and I wouldn't have otherwise impose
d on your time, but
it just seemed too serendipitous not to at least try and see if we could work something out. I'd hoped to talk to you this morning, or at some point during the day, but you must have been up and out early this morning."

Now it was Tess's turn to blush slightly. "Something like that.
I'm sorry I've been so scarce. It really was rude of me." She took Aurora's hand again. "You've been really wonderful, and trust me, I'm very grateful for your hospitality. I'm sorry if I screwed things up with the Fontaines."

"I don't think anything of the sort. Despite her brother's misgivings, I
do think you'd have been quite
good for Gabrielle."

"I'll admit that when I first overheard his comments, although I was a bit put off by the intensity of his dislike for someone he didn't even know, I thought he had a valid point."

"You handled it quite smoothly." She patted Tess's knee, smiled. "You were quite convincing. I appreciate that."

Tess snorted. "I just wanted to make him reconsider talking out of his ass without consulting his head first. Sorry," she added.

"No worries, dear. Now, I realize I have no right to ask this of you, considering everything, but would you seriously consider talking with Gabrielle?"

"Were you sipping something other than cognac?" Tess teased. "Because I'm pretty sure when Max left here, he wasn't planning on leaving his siste
r
at Glass Slipper another day, much less agreeing to let me within restraining order distance of her."

Aurora waved a dismissive hand. "I'll handle that." She took both of Tess's hands now. "I know it's a lot to ask, and of course you'll be handsomely recompensed for your time—"

"I can't let you pay me. I've freeloaded already.''

"Trust me, Sir Robin was thrilled to hear he had you as a guest of Wexley House. You owe me nothing. Glass Slipper is quite capable of providing you with adequate compensation for your valuable time, as we do anyone who works for us."

"I tell you what, why don't we consider this my charitable contribution for the year? Dad's been hounding me to get more involved in giving back to the community, so you'll give me the chance to surprise him. Trust me, that's payment enough."

Well, this wasn't at all how Aurora had hoped this would go. Newly retired and, if what Aurora had overheard at Bobby's engagement party was true, possibly not as financially secure as one would assume. What Tess needed was a new niche to fill. A life makeover was in order. And, after all, that was Aurora's specialty, was it not?

Chapter 7

T
ess paced the length of the parking lot, then back again. The gravel lot was tiny, wedged at the end of an alley that ran behind two houses on the outskirts of the village of Wimbledon. It backed up to a set of private grass courts that Glass Slipper had reserved for Gabrielle to train on during her stay. Tess had tried to get Aurora to finagle her first meeting with Gaby at a teahouse or restaurant or even Glass Slipper's London headquarters. Anywhere but on court.

She'd heard the suggestion Aurora had made to Max that night, of her possibly giving Gabrielle coaching tips in addition to all the mad life-on-tour skills she was here to impart. She'd given it some thought and frankly, she wasn't all that keen on the idea. The idea of coaching had passed through her mind when her money problems surfaced, but she'd rejected it out of hand. Sure, former players retired and became coaches to the stars of tomorrow all the time. Mostly lower ranked players. Rarely someone with her track record.

Largely due to the fact that someone with her reputation, and the accompanying income that accorded, didn't need to slave away on the courts, imparting their hard-earned wisdom to someone else, doing all the exhausting travel
…
only to sit in the stands on game day and watch someone else hit the ball. Not to mention the fact that the press would have had a field day when they found out she'd resorted to coaching. She could almost hear the endless speculation by the announcers, not to mention all the whispers and tittering chatter echoing through tournament locker rooms around the world, as everyone speculated on the whys and wherefores of Tess Hamilton's swift financial downfall.

There had to be a better way back to financial security, one that was more fitting to her stature as a former superstar of the tennis world. And definitely less potentially humiliating. But, if she were honest with herself, that wasn't the only reason she wasn't seriously considering coaching as an alternative source of income. She stared through the link fence and mesh screen at the bright green grass courts that awaited her. No, it went well beyond that.

She wasn't playing. At all. Hadn't so much as swung at a ball since announcing her retirement.

She leaned her forehead against the fence, breathed in the scent of the freshly trimmed greens, and sighed. In all the ways she'd imagined immersing herself back into the game, finding a way to enjoy it again while no longer competing, this would have never even made the list. Not that she'd had a specific plan in mind, but she'd always sort of imagined being alone when she did it, just hitting balls from the machine, finding her rhythm. It wasn't going to be a fun day.

She could still hit the ball, dammit. Just not like she used to. Her shoulder couldn't withstand any kind of constant punishment. She knew that. Had grudgingly accepted it. Enough to
know retirement had been her only option. But that didn't mean she had to like it.

Every time she'd looked at her courts back home, knowing if was time to head out there and get something back of the g
ame she'd devoted her life to…
she'd found something else to do, promising herself that tomorrow she'd go out and hit a few. Find he
r
way back to enjoying, on whatever level possible, the game she loved. She closed her eyes against the brilliant green of the grass court in front of her, beckoning her even as it terrified her. "This was not how it was supposed to go."

The sound of crunching gravel prompted her to turn around, The same dark sedan she'd spied in Aurora's drive the other night pulled in and parked beside the low-slung Jag that Sir Robin had insisted she use while in town. Maybe Sir Robin needed a personal assistant or s
omething, she mused, as she watc
hed the Fontaine duo emerge. She could just sell off what little she had left, drop out of sight permanently, and live in the lap of luxury in London while running errands for a wealthy, titled Brit.

She was just warming up to her little fantasy when Max emerged from the car and slid off his sunglasses. Hmm. Dark hair, rangy build, brown eyes, casual stance. He really was quite attractive, in an earnest, boy-next-door kind of way. She usually went for guys who were more obvious with their alpha traits. Jocks, mostly. Max didn't appear to be overtly athletic, but he was hardly soft. He appeared comfortable in his own skin, but not the type who liked to draw attention to himself, either. He looked
…
sincere.

He glanced at he
r
car, or what he presumed was her car, and seemed to barely refrain from rolling his eyes. She debated telling him it was Sir Robin's ride, but it could just as easily have been hers. She'd had one almost just like it when she stayed in
Paris. Besides, she knew he'd inherited his dad's fortune, so it wasn't like he had to ride around in that boring old sedan. The man obviously didn't know what he was missing.

She most definitely did.

"I see you found the courts okay," he finally said.

Much to
your
dismay,
she thought. "I know the village pretty well. I used to stay in a place close by every summer for grass-court season. You should consider renting or leasing out here next time, for the fortnight. It's nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city. Helps keep the focus and concentration."

"Funny, I seem to recall you enjoying the London nightlife."

She added "determined" to his list of traits. Determined to keep her out of his sister's immediate circle. Determined to think the worst of her.

Obviously, he still wasn't keen on this little idea, but somehow Aurora had persuaded him to let the two of them meet for a few minutes before Gaby's practice session. She'd half-hoped the whole event was a sparkling disaster so she could be done with this charade and get back to the matter at hand, namely finding herself new endorsements. But one look at the stubborn set to Max's chin brought her rebellious, competitive nature right back to the fore. What it was about him that pushed her buttons, she really didn't know. But now she was determined, too. Determined to make this brief meeting with his sister nothing short of the Second Coming. If only so he'd be forced to admit that she really did have something of value to offer his sister. Whether he liked admitting it or not.

And then she forgot all about Max as she got her first look at Gabrielle, who was presently climbing out of the passenger side of their car. "Max, where is my other gear bag? Please don't tell me you forgot to put it in the car. I told you I needed it." This was followed by a dramatic sigh, followed by an equally dramatic
petulant pose against the open doorframe of the car. "What am I going to do without my other rackets?" she whined. And not very prettily.

A shame, because she was otherwise a strikingly beautiful girl, Tess noted. Even more so in person than the photos Tess had seen of her after her loss to Serena in Paris. Quite tall, with long legs and arms, but not at all bony. Nicely muscled, strong frame, but still feminine. She had Max's dark hair, thick and luxuriant from the looks of the long ponytail that cascaded over her shoulder. She had his brown eyes, too, only hers slanted just a bit, and her skin tone was mo
r
e olive in complexion. Maybe after her mother. Nice cheekbones and a full, wide mouth rounded out the picture. A mouth that was presently pulled down in the corners. Something told Tess this was not an unusual expression for the teenager.

"I needed those rackets. We had them strung with the tension
I
wanted, not Sven's way. I really needed to use those today. What am I going to do?''

"Gee, Gab," Max said, teeth gritted into a fake smile, "I don't know. Maybe use one of the other ten that are in the trunk."

"Boot."

"Excuse me?"

"In England, it's called a boot," she said, as if anyone who was even remotely cool would obviously know this.

"I can think of another boot we can discuss," Max replied, "starting with the one I'm going to plant up your—"

"Hello," Tess said as she stepped out from the shadow cast by the court fence, smiling, though not exactly sure why. Gabrielle appeared to be something of a typical teenage snot, and Tess already knew her brother was a narrow-minded prig. Maybe it was something in their byplay, reminiscent of the many verbal altercations she'd experienced with Wade in their
formative years. Well, okay, even their later adult years. Or just yesterday on the phone, discussing Bobby's wedding.

Tess thought the ceremony had been a lovely, poignant, perfect affair between two people so obviously in love it even made her yearn a little, if briefly, for the ideal of matrimonial bliss. Wade, on the other hand, had thought it far too understated for someone of Hamilton stature and couldn't understand why there had been no press invited. Men. Thank God he and her dad were already winging their way back across the Atlantic. Now she could settle down to the real business at hand.

Just as soon as she got this little event over with.

Gaby's expression went slack as she noticed Tess for the first time. "Oh, Jesus," she gasped. "You're Tess Hamilton!"

Well, well. When she wasn't pouting, and with her eyes all wide like that, Gabrielle Fontaine suddenly looked like nothing more than a naive young girl. Tess already knew better, of course, but it was nice to see the teenager had some depth. She'd need it.

"Last I checked," Tess responded with a laugh. She walked over to Gaby and stuck her hand out. "Pleasure to meet you."

The teenager didn't move. She just kept staring at Tess, mouth hanging open.

Tess glanced at Max. "She seems a bit shocked to see me here." She left the remark dangling.

Max's scowl deepened as he shifted his weight a little.

Gabrielle whipped her head to Max. "You knew she was going to be here? And you didn't tell me?" That last part ended on a high squeak. She turned back to Tess. "Oh, my God, it's such an honor to meet you! I've only been a huge fan of yours since forever. I remember watching you play Steffi when I was maybe five or six and I'd just started taking lessons. You were new to the tour, like I am now, and Steffi was about a year away from retiring
and you just smoked her! I can't believe you won your first grand slam during your rookie year. That's what I want more than anything in the world. But it's so much harder than playing juniors. I mean, I knew it would be, duh, but even then, it's so much harder, you know s
'
I mean, of course you know. I want it really badly, though. Especially here. This is my favorite slam and I
know it was yours, too, right?
I mean, I knew when I saw you win here against Steffi that I wanted to play tennis like that, like you. Maybe have the chance to play you someday, like you played Steffi. I always dreamed of beating you. I was so upset when you retired last year and I'd never get my chance." She blushed quite prettily. "God, I'm sorry, that didn't come out right. I'm not usually such a dork, I swear."

Tess couldn't help but grin. She was anything but dorky. Gabrielle was talking a mile a minute without so much as taking a breath. Her excitement was palpable and the sheer energy she exuded was off the charts. She was a beautiful young woman with the kind of spark that w
ould make her perfect magazine-
cover fodder, even without the talent she apparently possessed. The combination of swaggering confidence and teenage innocence probably had editors and paparazzi everywhere just salivating while waiting for her to do something newsworthy.

Max definitely had his hands full. Poor older brother. Probably had zero idea what to do with his not-so-little sister these days. For a brief moment, Tess thought about her mom and dad and wondered how hard it must have been for them, watching her grow from the juniors to the main draw at such a young age. Especially her mom, who knew what lay ahead for her, but was completely ineffective in telling her headstrong daughter anything she wasn't convinced she already knew.

The world was truly Gabrielle's oyste
r
and she knew damn well she was a very fine pearl. Tess understood that. Taking that slam off of Steffi her first year out had only cemented Tess's willful attitude. Confidence bordering on arrogance. But she'd worked damn hard at her game, and every win only made her work ethic grow stronger. And as the titles racked up, she knew she'd earned every damn one of them. So what if she was a little cocky? Okay, a lot cocky. She could back it up, couldn't she?

Only now, looking at Gabrielle, did she see what she must have looked like to her parents at that age. At sixteen, Gaby's princess-of-tennis attitude was a surefire recipe for sleepless nights and daily headaches. Good thing Tess was only here to talk with her for an hour or two and give her some advice. No way did she want to step into the middle of this family-tempest-in-the-making.

Tess could feel the almost physical pull of the courts behind her, and admitted that there might have been a little part of her that wanted to see if Gaby had the goods to back up
the attitude. She'd meant to do
a little more research on the girl's junior career before meeting her, but with Bobby's wedding and all, she hadn't been able to. And maybe, just maybe, there was a tiny part of her that wanted to step on that court and teach this young lady a thing or two. The little rush of competitiveness felt surprisingly good. She glanced at Gaby's gear bags and found herself wondering if she could still take her after all her time off.