“Alright, you got me,” Riley admitted.  “I admit defeat.  But we aren’t close to even.  Two of your wins against about a jillion of my wins does not put you ahead.”

Apparently, this watery basketball challenge had been a tradition of Darby’s and Riley’s since they met.  They rematch about once a week, give or take, when neither of them is busy with movie or TV shoots.  Darby’s TV show, where she plays a gritty private detective, was on hiatus for the summer.

Vanessa spent the time watching the two in the pool.  She studied their interactions, like brother and sister.  None of the twinges of anger or jealousy flared, and she found herself enjoying the rather cutthroat game; plus, the added bonus of watching a wet Riley physically active was rather pleasant.

“Dude,” Darby joked, “I am the title holder now.  Therefore, I am the champion.  I have full bragging rights now.  You have to win them back.  Vanessa, back me up here.”

Both Darby and Riley looked at Vanessa.

“Yes, I believe she is right, Tate.  She is the current champion.  And if it were me, I would never let you get the chance to win it back.”  Vanessa smiled sardonically raising one eyebrow.

“Ooooh, now that’s an interesting idea.” Darby sang.  “I think I love that plan.”  Both women laughed.

Riley tried glaring at both of them, but ending up smiling.  “Yeah, whatever.  I’m going to work out now.  Can I trust the two of you to behave while I’m gone?”

“Absolutely not,” Darby answered. 

Vanessa watched Riley’s broad shoulders and toned back walk away in all its glistening glory, remembering how graceful he was in the water. 

“I see that,” Darby said, pulling Vanessa from the beginnings of another undressed-Riley fantasy.

“See what?” Vanessa innocently asked.

“The way you look at him.  You’re smitten, Dr. Taylor.  Trying to hide it, but I see it.”

“Not at all.  It is inappropriate to become attracted to a client.”

Darby looked at Vanessa probingly for a long moment.  “Okay, play it however you want.”  She paused.  “I’m hungry.  You hungry?  Let’s go raid the Chief’s fridge.”

Vanessa followed Darby inside to the kitchen.  Darby motioned for Vanessa to sit down at the table next to the large windows overlooking the beach.  “I’ll make us a sandwich, you need to stay off that ankle.  You need an ice pack?”

“Yes, but I’ll get it.”

“Nonsense, Vanessa.  I’ll get it.  You sit down.  Put your foot up in a chair.  And I’ll bring the sandwich stuff over to the table.”

“I’m really not that hungry,” Vanessa stated.  “Riley made me breakfast not too long ago.  I would love a Dr Pepper, though.  Or a bottle of water.”

“Riley made you breakfast,” Darby repeated.  “Wow.”

“No, he was just being nice.  I think he feels guilty for all that has happened in the last few days.”

Darby set down bread, mustard and mayo, lunch meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese, a jar of pickles and two bottles of water on the table.  “He might feel a little guilt, but I’m betting he feels something else.”

Yeah, pity.  Change the subject, Nessa.  This is going to get uncomfortable, fast.

“Where does he work out?” Vanessa asked, trying to sound breezy, opening the jar of pickles and selecting one.

“He has a room full of free weights and what looks like a couple of medieval torture devices upstairs.”

“More rooms upstairs?  This house is huge!  He only showed me the game room, an extra bedroom, its bathroom and his collection room.”

“He’s shown me that stuff.  I’ve added to his collection for Christmas and birthdays.  It makes him easy to buy for.”

Deciding to get the focus off of Riley, Vanessa asked, “So, where are you from, Darby?”

“San Francisco.  Typical child of two hippies.  My parents actually joined a commune.  They moved out of it once I was born, said it got too cultish, but we still followed the lifestyle.”  She picked up a piece of ham and laid it on her sandwich.  “I was raised a vegan before it was cool, but I quickly reformed that shit once I moved here.”  She popped a piece of ham in her mouth.  “Meat’s too delicious.”

“You mentioned a big brother?”

“Yeah, he broke my parents’ hearts when he joined the Marines.  He died eight years ago in Iraq.”

“Wow, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.  Dying in defense of something you believe in is worth it.  If he didn’t believe he was doing the right thing, he wouldn’t have been there.” A flash of sadness graced Darby’s face.  “I miss him terribly, but I have Riley to make the void not so… voidy.”

“I guess it’s good you and Riley are friends then.”

“Yep, the universe brought him to me.  Something that I didn’t reform was my belief in signs from the spiritual world.  I believe he was sent to save me that day, both from the killer scooter and from my sadness.  It was mutual.  He was sad from his break up with what’s her name.  We helped each other.”

Vanessa tried not to roll her eyes at Darby.  The whole idea of spirits and universes controlling humans was ridiculous to Vanessa, but she would never openly discount a belief of another, at least not in front of that person. 

Darby continued.  “Riley told me I was a nut case when I told him my theory of how we were brought together.  But I wore him down, especially when I told him about my brother.  I think that sealed his tolerance of me.  Eventually, he came to love me.”

Love?  Did she just say love?  Great, his ex is still in his life. 

“So… you two dated?” Vanessa asked hoping she sounded very un-jealous.

“Oh, Goddess, no.”  Darby giggled.  “He’s, how do I put this?  Not my type.”  When Vanessa raised her eyebrows in question, Darby answered.  “Too much testosterone, not enough estrogen.  Plus, I’ve been a relationship now for ten years with Allison.  I’m very much in love.”

Relief flooded Vanessa.  She smiled, thinking that Darby really did fit the San Francisco stereotype quite well.

“Riley’s not my type, either.” Vanessa looked at the jar of pickles, contemplating grabbing another one.  “Not for the same reason.”  Darby giggled.  “I meant that it’s just that I don’t usually go for the meaty variety.  I like my men a little less JJ Watt, a little more Sheldon Cooper.” 

“Uh huh.  How’s that working out for you?” Darby’s eyes twinkled knowingly.  “You know, Riley’s not your typical meathead.”

Vanessa became frustrated.  “Okay, I got it.  He’s a nice, smart guy.  But I was sent here to treat him.”  Not fall for him.

Darby resumed chewing her sandwich.  “What all has he told you?”

“Not much.  But I can’t really reveal what he has told me.”

“He’s not your client, Vanessa.  But I won’t ask you break confidentiality.  He, however, had never been MY client, so I can tell you everything I know about him.  He was born somewhere in Illinois and moved to Texas when he was eleven.  His dad died of a heart attack when he was fifteen, so he was raised mostly by his mother and his grandmother.”

“He’s from Texas?  So that’s how he recognized my accent.  Where in Texas?”

“Yeah, somewhere near Houston.  Attack-something?”

“Atascosita?”  Darby nodded, mouth full.  “Yeah.  It’s north of Houston.”  Vanessa smiled.

“Yeah.  He got a full scholarship to UCSD for some medical-techno thingy.  He tried to explain it once, but it hurt my head to listen.  I never much liked the science stuff.”  Darby took another bite.

“Charles mentioned Riley had some significant blows to his personal life lately.  I can’t get Riley to open up about them.”

“Ugh, Charles.  I wish he would fire that vile excuse for a human being.  He’s a true waste of foreskin.”  Vanessa chuckled, and Darby swallowed, unaffected by her own joke.  “It floors me that he hired you.  There is no way he did this out of the goodness of his black heart.  He has an ulterior motive.”  Darby took a bite.  “Riley’s kind of hard to get to open up.  He doesn’t want to burden others with his problems.”

“Yeah, that kinda doesn’t work in my business.”  Vanessa kept her inner voice from screaming at her to stop this unethical business of grilling Riley’s friend, but she felt time was running short to convince him to let her treat him.  She felt getting Darby to help her was her last hope.  You’re still trying to convince him to let you treat him, Nessa?  I thought the decision was made to let it die.  I think you have your own ulterior motive here, darlin’.  And therapy ain’t it.

“I guess not.  Riley had this whirlwind fling with this aspiring model who used him shamelessly and screwed him over, literally.  Right under his own roof, too.  Fling.  Ha.  I would like to fling her.”

Yeah, me, too.  “He told me about that, just about that.  But I got the feeling there was more than that one slut bag.” Knowing she said that a little harshly, she paused to gain composure.  “What I mean is, I think there is more causing his, what did you call it?  His funk?”

Darby squinted her eyes at Vanessa.  “I think you might be as good as Riley says.”  She looked at Vanessa deep in the eyes.  “So, he didn’t tell you why he was out of town that week when he found Bailey in bed with the pool boy?”

“No.”  The slut-bag bitch has a name.  Bailey.  Humph.  It even sounds like a dog’s name.

“Bailey.”  Darby muttered under her breath.  “Changed the spelling of her name to have two e’s at the end.  Tell-tale sign of a slut.”

Vanessa spit out her water and laughed, thinking of the irony of her revelation to Riley at dinner last night and his reaction.  But before she could explain, Darby continued.

“Anyway, he went to clean out his mother’s house to get it ready to sell.  She died about a month before.  Complications from Lupus.  She was a very special woman.”

“Well, yeah, she was his mother.”

“Yeah, and he was a big time momma’s boy.  She was the whole reason he chose his major in college.  He hoped he could find a cure for her disease, but he had to go chase that dumb-ass actress chick.  I’m glad he did, I mean we wouldn’t have met otherwise, and I kinda think he realized that his aspirations of finding a cure were a little lofty.  He couldn’t find much support in his academic world; they were too busy finding a cure for sleep drooling or hangnails or something.  His momma was so proud of him, though.  Came to all his premiers.  They talked almost every day.  She was strict and tough.  She would kick his ass if he didn’t use his best manners.  Old fashioned, she was. Very Christian. 

“In fact, she made him promise two things.  One, he would not curse on screen.  The one time his character cursed, said ‘damn’ or something equally harmless, she smacked him in the theater.  I just about fell out of my chair laughing.  I’m surprised that didn’t get out to the press.  I mean, can you see the headline?  ‘Big Hollywood Star Gets Spanked by Momma.’ He thinks it didn’t get out because he kept her identity a secret from the press, but I think the reporters were afraid of his momma.

“Anyway, on to the second promise.  She made him swear, without an inkling of a hint he would break it, that he would never do a love scene on screen.”  Darby’s voice changed, as if imitating a much older woman.  “‘You should never show physical love unless you mean it.’ That’s what she taught him.  He has honored it, too. We had a love scene in our movie, and he asked them to change it.  I’m glad, not only would it have been awkward for us, but it would have ruined the credibility of my character.  She was married with kids.  I liked it better when they changed it.  Anyway, he made that promise to his mother.  She made him swear that he would only kiss someone when he had feelings for her.  I respect him so much for keeping that promise.  I feel bad for the female audience, though.  Can you imagine the kind of draw he could be in if he was a romance lead?  I know tons of people who would…”

Darby’s voice became farther and farther away as she prattled on about Riley’s draw as a romantic lead.  Vanessa felt the very familiar pull in her chest from her heart kicking into high gear, the kind that warranted diversionary tactics.  She closed her eyes and leaned back against the chair, breathing deeply.

“Vanessa, is something wrong?”

Yeah, you said Riley doesn’t kiss unless he means it, and he kissed me last night.  That means he WANTED to kiss me?  That means he MEANT it.  No.  No way.  His momma is gone, so he doesn’t feel the need to live up to that promise anymore.  He DOESN’T  like me.  There is NO way.  Just like he said, the nurse thought we were fighting.  That’s all.  Acting.  Dammit.  Acting.  Damn good acting.

Vanessa opened her eyes to find Darby’s concerned look staring her back in the face.  “I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not.  What’s up?”

“Tired.  We were up late.”

“No.  I know a panic attack when I see one.  Allison gets them all the time.”  Darby stopped to allow Vanessa to regain control, then she reached across the table to lay her hand on Vanessa’s forearm.  “Now, tell me, what did I say?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking how I haven’t found a place to stay yet.  I really should get on the phone before it gets too late.”

Darby pulled back her hand.  “You know, Vanessa, I’ve been thinking about that.  You know how I believe in the universe and her signs?  I think the universe is trying to tell you something.  Face it, when you first met Riley, you literally knocked yourself out.  Then, you got kicked out of your apartment.  Then you fell last night.  And what were you trying to do right before that?  Yeah, you were leaving.  I think it’s trying to tell you to stay right here.  And I think you better listen this time before you really get hurt, or worse.”

“I think so, too,” Riley agreed, stepping down from the bottom step.

Shit.