“Keece, if it’s something that’s challenging for you, I would prefer to know. I want to be there for you, even if it’s simply to listen.”
“Oh Pele, I’m so sorry. It’s my father. He’s been having shortness of breath and tires really fast. He went in for a battery of tests, but we still don’t know. He’s a bit difficult and cranky at this point in his life, so my brother and I aren’t entirely sure he’s giving us the full story. I know this isn’t in your specialty, and you were traveling so I didn’t want you to worry about it,” Keece explained, clearly concerned.
“Keece, you can call me anytime. I’m a doctor. Let me help,” Pele replied exasperated. As soon as he said it, he realized it sounded stronger than he intended.
Keece was silent for a moment.
Pele jumped back in, more gently this time, “I’m sorry Keece…”
Pele wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard her sniffling. His heart sank. He could almost feel her misery through the phone.
He said softly, “Keece?”
“Oh Pele, you’re wonderful, and you’re right,” responded Keece, almost like a confession. “I should have called you. I’m just not used to asking for help or depending on anyone. My dad wasn’t really someone I could rely on growing up. After he and Mom split up, he met someone else and they had a child right away. After that, he seemed to pay all his attention to his new family. My mom, my brother, and I were always on our own. As a result, getting help from someone is a little unfamiliar and scary for me.” She paused and took a deep breath, “But I could really use your help. Thank you.”
“Oh Keece, I hope you will count on me for lots of things to come,” he said sincerely, feeling even more in love with her now. “When can I come over?”
He arrived an hour later. Keece greeted him at the door, looking almost sheepish, but her smile was warm and welcoming. She is irresistible, thought Pele, as he wrapped her into his arms, kissing her, gently at first, and then more deeply. He was sure she could feel his desire. He wanted nothing more than to pick her up and carry her off to the nearest bedroom, but he resisted, knowing the short window he had before he was needed back at the hospital. It was difficult enough to get away, better to not push his luck.
She shared all the information she had on her father; the rundown on the doctors he had seen, the test results, and current status. Keece was clearly appreciative of the ease at which Pele could sort through the reports, easily deciphering what had seemed like a mixed bag of conflicting and confusing data to her.
The conclusion was that her father had a heart ailment. His doctors were doing further testing to pinpoint the issue and best treatment. Pele did not personally know the doctor in charge of her father’s treatment, but he knew Cole would know him, so he told Keece he would follow up with Cole that evening.
Hustling back to work, Pele was sorry to leave her, but she was so warm and appreciative when he left, he felt closer than ever to her. I can’t seem to spend enough time with this woman. I’ve certainly never felt like this before, he pondered as he thought of his previous relationships and how he enjoyed the women but was always happy to get his time away.
Chapter 13
A few months later…
Cole doing his best not to nod off, was thankful he was not inclined to get car sick, as Pele artfully dipped and dived through the hairpin turns on the way to Indio in the desert, near Palm Springs. Pele had turned his autopilot off so he could push the car to its limits down the twisting road, enjoying the rush of the car’s responsiveness on the winding road.
Cole was actually much more likely to fall asleep, than get sick, with the rhythmic turning, but he and Pele were discussing Keece’s father’s condition, so he was trying hard to listen and respond.
The two of them were on their way to the desert for a polo clinic. They had been persuaded by Keece and the girls that this would be good for polishing their polo skills, and also a fun weekend getaway. The clinic started on Friday, so Cole and Pele left Thursday. The girls would join them Friday evening.
Keece, Sydney, and Jess were playing at the same club in the Pro Polo, games for newer players with one pro on each team. Cole had persuaded Ava, with Keece’s help, to come along, emphasizing she could enjoy some downtime in the sun, watch a little polo, and spend the evenings with the group. Ava was driving over with the girls.
The clinic was at Eldorado Polo Club. A second polo club, Empire, was right next door, originally established due to a long-dead rivalry between the two clubs’ owners. Field after pristine green field stretched out in sharp contrast to the surrounding stark, snow-dusted mountains. The air was crisp and clear, the warm brilliant sun almost blinding as it highlighted every nook and cranny of the rocky backdrop. The polo fields remained intact thanks to the popularity of the infamous Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals. As soon as the polo season was over, the music concert organizers took over, preparing for the mad rush of fans coming to town for Coachella.
The girls called it “Polo heaven.” With close to twenty fields between the two clubs, it felt like polo was everywhere. Hundreds of ponies and players darted between games and barns. The horses either being readied for a game or taken out on “sets” to keep them “legged up,” a practice where one rider would take 4-5 ponies out at once, all together around a wide track circling four of the fields.
There was a Cantina restaurant overlooking one of the fields, where players, family, and friends dined while the games played out before them, an eager announcer providing background commentary. At the other end, four fields away, were the grandstands for the regular Sunday polo events, attracting large crowds of locals, out to enjoy an afternoon of partying and polo. Games were both low goal and high goal. Players were rated by “goals” from -1 to 10, the best being a 10-goaler. The level of the game was determined by the total number of goals allowed on each team, from 1-goal up to 40-goal. Few of the games were over 12-goal at these clubs, the highest-goal matches typically played Internationally or in Florida.
“So how are things with Ava?” asked Pele.
Cole jolted out of his reverie by Pele’s question, answered cautiously, “I don’t know. She agreed to come on the trip, so I guess that’s a good sign. But I can’t tell if she’s really into it or not.”
“Yah? Keece and I went through something like that. It felt almost as if she wasn’t sure. Like she was checking to see if I would make the cut or something. It wasn’t like she was really testing me, more like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know what I mean?” Pele replied.
Cole clearly evaluating this, “Yah, I guess it feels a bit like that.”
Pele went on, “Maybe it’s because we’ve all dated so much, we’ve had too many times where the other person seems like they’re all that. Then you get to know them, and suddenly the flaws start to show up, and then you’re like, ‘uh oh, I don’t think I can live with that.’”
Before Cole could answer, Pele continued, “I think we’re all a bit cautious when we get into relationships now. Too many false starts.”
Cole, “Yah, you might have a point there. It’s just that from the start, I felt like she was the one. No holdups on my part.”
“Well, as you know, I wasn't sure Keece was the one from the start, despite Radi’s prognosis!” exclaimed Pele.
They both laughed. Cole thought to himself, it’s a good thing you didn’t see what I saw yesterday. You would have been really wigged out! Cole had been over helping Radi rearrange some furniture in his new home where he had moved in with Sophie. Cole saw a file up on Radi’s screen titled “Ava.” When he asked Radi about it, Radi tried to avoid the question, but when Cole insisted, he showed him the file on Ava, showing her qualifications for the experiment, her social connections, and more.
“Dude, how did you get all this?” Cole had not even run Ava through any tests yet. To be honest, he did not really care if she qualified.
Radi acted very nonchalant. “Oh relax, I was just try
ing to help you out. Remember when she tripped on that hike we did a few weeks back? I helped dry off a little blood,” Radi answered with a wink. As if he was very clever.
Cole frowned, “Why do I feel violated?!” It suddenly hit him on what an invasion of privacy, especially for the unsuspecting women, this little experiment really was.
Radi played it off as if Cole was simply being funny. “You know we had to do the test. I was just being opportunistic.”
“What about all this other stuff?” Cole still sounding concerned. It was clear Radi had done some serious sleuthing. Radi tried to make him feel better by showing Cole that he had the same in-depth files on every girl they had dated.
Cole stared, wide-eyed as the enthusiastic scientist side of Radi could not help but brag about his work. He shared everything he had done on the backgrounds and genetics of each of their potential matches. It was creepy at best, but, horrified, Cole did not express his true feelings. He had no idea Radi took the whole CodeY experiment this seriously. Yikes! If anyone ever finds out how far Radi has taken this, we will all for sure end up in jail! And these poor women. If they find out about this, none are ever going to speak to us again!
In the car with Pele, Cole decided it was not the right time to share that discovery.
“Anyhow,” Pele went on, “At some point, I did know Keece was the gal for me, but I don't think she was quite on the same page yet. We had a kind of a breakthrough when her father got ill. Thanks for your help on that, by-the-way. That seemed to bring us a lot closer. It was almost as if she suddenly realized I was a good guy…and that I had her back. It was cool.”
Cole sighed and replied, “Well, hopefully, Ava can get there. I’m not sure how, but maybe someday she’ll think I’m at least a decent guy.”
Pele laughed. “Oh, I don’t know. She may find out your sketchy past.”
Cole frowned at Pele. Pele continued, “You know there was that time you killed a spider at camp…”
Cole couldn’t help, but laugh, shaking his head, he replied sarcastically, “Yah, that is definitely the worst thing I’ve ever done!”
They both chuckled, and Pele added more seriously, “I’m sure she thinks you’re a good guy. She may just need a little more time to believe you’re her good guy.”
“How could she possibly think anyone else is a better guy for her!” Cole replied with his hands out and a cocky grin.
Pele chuckled again, “Exactly!”
Chapter 14
The next day, Pele and Cole jockeyed their mounts into position for the lineup throw-in. It was a stunning desert day. Clear, crisp and dewy in the mornings, warmed over by the afternoon sun. The boys had spent the morning in riding and hitting drills. The afternoons were for strategy and game playing. The instructor, driving around in his jeep shouting instructions through his megaphone, had been playing and coaching the game for years.
Cole was in the one position in the lineup, Pele was three. As the ball rolled in through the first two players, there was a scramble, but Pele managed to get a shot off in the direction of their goal. Cole, already up as instructed, picked up the shot and headed towards goal, an opposing player hot on his tail. He raced forward for the next shot, trying to turn it to angle it towards the goal. As he reached out to swing, he suddenly felt the horse fall away from under him. There was a moment of chaos of horse and hooves, then a resounding thump as Cole hit the ground.
Lying flat, Cole paused, opening his eyes slowly. Pele appeared suddenly overhead.
“Dude, are you okay?” Pele asked anxiously.
Cole doing a mental inventory of his body, answered, “I think so.” He was reaching for Pele’s extended hand to help him up when Ava was suddenly on his chest.
“Are you okay?” she almost wailed, effectively pinning him down on the ground.
Cole grinned broadly at her, happy to see her concern. “I suspect I might I have a few extra aches and pains later tonight, but I think I’ll live.”
Ava, relieved, but still concerned, “Are you sure? Don’t move too quickly,” she added as he sat up slowly.
Cole gave her arm an appreciative squeeze. “Thanks,” he said sincerely to her as he accepted Pele’s hand and eased up to a standing position. He dusted himself off, joking as he noticed the grass stains on his new white polo jeans, “so much for keeping spankin’ white.”
Pele laughed, “If a few grass stains are the worst of it, you’re a lucky man.”
Keece, who was by Pele’s side now, having come over with the other girls to watch Pele and Cole, commented, “That was an impressive roll there, Doc! The horse tripped and fell, but luckily you rolled the opposite direction and stayed clear. Nice move!”
Cole shook his head, “Might have been a little luck involved there. I had no idea what was goin’ on. But I’ll take any credit I can. Helps ease the bruised ego.”
“Well, luck or not, I’m very glad you’re safe,” said Ava.
Cole beamed at her and gave her a warm hug, “Safe and sound, and ready for a beer…or do I actually have to get back on?”
The instructor, who had rushed over with the others, answered, “Normally I would make you, but since we’re almost done, and your horse got up and made a beeline for the barn, I think we’ll call it a day. Glad you’re okay.”
Pele chimed in, teasing Cole, “Well, since you owe us a case of beer for the fall, I’ll go ahead and buy the first round.”
“Thanks man,” said Cole sarcastically, “so generous!”
They all strolled in the direction of the Cantina restaurant. The desert temperature dropping as the sun headed for the horizon, softly highlighting the mountains in muted pinks and purples. Grooms and players wrapped up the day. Trailers pulling back to their barns after the last match, riders finishing up sets on the track, spectators collecting children, dogs, and chairs to head home. Most of the onlookers on Saturdays were other players, their families, friends, and staff. Many zipped between fields and barns on small motorbikes or in golf carts, horses occasionally in tow. It was always a lively scene during the season.
As they strolled, Pele wrapped his arm around Keece and pulled her close, dropping a kiss on to the top of her head. She smiled happily up at him and asked, “How was the clinic today?”
“Great,” answered Pele. “Although I am a little sore. Probably not as sore as Cole is going to be, but still.”
Keece gave him a flirtatious look. “Too sore?” she asked, emphasizing the “too.”
Pele smiled, knowing exactly what she meant, “I may be a little sore, but I’m not dead!” They both laughed.
She added, nodding in the direction of Cole and Ava, who were arm in arm, “You might not be the only one getting lucky tonight…assuming Cole’s not too sore.”
Pele chuckled, “Yes, I think Cole may have answered his question about whether Ava is into him or not.”
Keece grinned, “I think you might be right about that!”
Later, after a boisterous night of dinner, dancing, and much recounting of the highlights and follies of the day, Keece and Pele slipped away to their hotel room. The door barely shut behind them before Pele enveloped Keece into his arms. Her face tipped up, he kissed her slowly, feeling a strong warm passion as her lips melted into his, like soft butter. Her touch both arousing and gentle slid down the muscles of his back and then back up along his shoulders. Snuggling into her always felt so right, like a favorite, warm comfortable blanket, and as if he’d come home to where he always belonged. His kiss deepened as he pressed her against him, her body strong and supple as it molded into his. He paused long enough to pick her up, her arms and legs wrapped around him.
He carried her towards the bed, murmuring as he nuzzled her ear, “I want to make you feel so good tonight.”
She smiled, her face nestled into his neck, and replied in a low, hushed breathy tone, “Hmmm…that is an excellent plan,” then added playfully, “and maybe I’ll return the favor.”
Kissing those irresist
ible lips again, he gently settled her on the bed, lying back together against the plush pillows, both eager for what was to follow.
Chapter 15
On a beautiful day the following fall, under a large canopy set up next to the polo field, a crew of waiters busily prepared tables, place settings, and a dance floor. Inside a small nearby tent, serving as a makeshift dressing room, Cole helped Pele with his bow tie.
Cole impatiently, “You’re a doctor! How can you not know how to tie a bow tie! Haven’t you ever worn one with your tux?”
“My Mom gave me one of my Dad’s beautiful silk cravats, so I’ve always worn that. I can show you how to properly tie a cravat,” admitted Pele guiltily.
Cole rolling his eyes skyward. “Great. I’m sure Keece’ll love that! All of us in matching blue silk bow ties and you in a white silk cravat. You do want to marry this girl, don’t you?”
CodeY Page 11