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  Pele shoving him back, “Hey!” Then, “Actually, I had my doubts at first. She is blonde.”

  Cole rolled his eyes, then added, “You do always focus on the important details!”

  Pele laughed, but ignored the jab and continued, “I am intrigued. And she is definitely attractive.”

  It was an exciting match. Cole and Pele were even more hooked on the sport after watching. Pele couldn’t take his eyes off Keece. Watching her race after the ball, stop, turn, yell to her teammates where to hit, or who to defend. She was clearly strategic and a good defender, but none of the girls were afraid to get in the mix, they were all tough players. Yes, blonde, or not, he was definitely interested.

  After the lesson, Cole and Pele wandered back to the barn to compliment the girls on their playing skills. They were all sweaty, dirty, and glowing. You could see none were concerned about their appearances. Keece’s hair was matted down with sweat as she removed her helmet and gloves.

  “Nice look, huh?” she laughed as she pretended to coif her drenched locks.

  “What did you think? Did you have fun? Are you going to try it again?”

  “Love it!” replied Cole.

  “It is a bit more challenging than the VR version,” added Pele sarcastically. “But I can see why you’re all hooked. It’s tremendous.”

  “Oh, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it.” Keece started to walk towards the barn with her pony, then turned back. “We help put the horses away, but then we’ll probably head to brunch. Join us?”

  “Sure,” replied Pele, pleasantly surprised. “Anything we can do to help?”

  Keece put them both to work, showing them how to undue wraps on the horse’s legs and untie tails. Pretty quickly they were all done and on the way to the Brig, a local eatery, for brunch and mimosas.

  The place was bustling with locals and tourists. It was a hit with both. Good food, priced affordably, and a killer view. It looked over the Del Mar Fairgrounds and Racetrack in one direction and the beach to the other. The county fair was in full swing, its glittering rides spinning in the distance. Dog beach on the other side, typically a furry frenzy of pups in the winter, conceded to beachgoers during the summer, who were out in full force today, soaking up rays and splashing in the waves, a colorful melee of happy swimmers and surfers.

  Pele followed the girls in. Keece saved a seat next to her for Luca, who was a few minutes behind. Pele sat next to Sidney, who took the seat on the other side of Keece. Sidney got up for a moment for the restroom. Keece immediately turned to Pele and asked, “So what’s your story? I know you’re a doctor, but what type? Single? Married? Kids?”

  Well, she didn’t exactly beat around the bush, thought Pele, who appreciated straight shooters.

  “Orthopedic surgeon. I had a grand plan to play pro soccer, but a bad hamstring sidelined that plan. I decided there wasn’t much job security in soccer. So, I started college instead,” answered Pele.

  “Ah, that explains the name,” said Keece. She had heard of the world-famous former soccer pro, Pele. “I thought they said you were in the military. Or maybe “said” is the wrong term. “Harrassed” you about your military work might be a better description. Is that true?” asked Keece, giggling a little about the banter between Pele and his pals.

  There was that smile again, thought Pele, totally disarming.

  Pele grinned in return. “I’m not really ‘in’ the military. They asked me to work with them on a special assignment. My friends love to razz me about my ‘spy duties’ because I can’t discuss the project, but it’s really just a research gig.”

  “Hmmm…so you might just be that undercover double O seven?” said Keece.

  Pele leaned in conspiratorially. “O double seven, but please, only in private.”

  Keece laughed in delight and with a big wink replied, “Okay, O double-sevens. That sounds very lucky. Should I just call you ‘Lucky’ for short, or maybe ‘Seven Squared,’ or, I know, ’49’ Kind of like ‘99’ from Get Smart…but not.”

  “49? Isn’t that a cleaning solution? Let’s maybe NOT go with that one,” replied Pele wryly.

  “Okay, I’ll just stick with Lucky sevens for now then,” she answered.

  Pele gestured down with his hands. “Okay. But keep that on the down-low.”

  Smiling and rolling her eyes, Keece continued, “Does your family know?”

  “Oh, only on a need-to-know basis, of course!” A woman who can banter? Wow. He always enjoyed someone who had enough brains for some witty repartee. Could it really be possible that he might like her?

  Then he continued on a bit more serious note, “Actually my family consists of my Mom, brother and a couple of cousins back east. None ventured west like I did.”

  “Ah, they don’t know what they’re missing. I tried East Coast living for a while, but I love it here,” Keece responded.

  “Can’t argue with that!” said Pele emphatically.

  Sidney returned and joined in, “And what is it you can’t argue with?”

  “We were both self-congratulating ourselves on our choice to live in such an awesome place,” answered Keece.

  “Ain’t it the truth!” Sidney replied with enthusiasm. She had always lived in San Diego but often traveled with her job, so she appreciated her hometown.

  Keece continued, giving Pele that mischievous smile again, “Actually, we were just getting to the interesting stuff. Pele’s dating status.”

  Pele took a deep breath, “I’m not sure that’s so interesting. Single, and a little particular, as my friends might say.”

  Cole, who had tuned in at this point, “Oh my God, for sure! The man has had many a fine catch slip through his fingers for such major flaws as hair color or the wrong toenail polish.”

  Keece, giving an embellished gasp, “Oh my.”

  “That might be a slight exaggeration,” replied Pele with a withering glance at Cole. He hardly needed that kind of help if he was going to win her over. “And you Cole? You’re single because…?”

  Cole with a slightly guilty grin, “I prefer to think I’m just busy, not fussy.”

  They all laughed, knowing this was also a stretch of the truth.

  “I think we all could be a little guilty of that issue. But I can assure you gentlemen, there are some mighty fine young ladies in the polo circles. You might just get ‘Lucky’ if you hang around a bit.” Keece said, emphasizing the word “lucky” with a side wink in Pele’s direction. Pele grinned back, in full appreciation of the play on his new nickname. You might just get “Lucky” thought Pele to himself.

  Chapter 6

  Pele and Cole continued taking polo lessons throughout the summer. Each improved significantly, both on a pony and in the VR game. Meeting up again at Another World, they were all engrossed in a Patron Polo game, when Radi exclaimed, “I hate playing with you guys now! How does riding a pony make you so much better at this game!”

  Pele and Cole exchanged grins. Both their teams had soundly trounced Radi’s.

  Pele trying to look innocent, “I don’t know. Maybe you should try it.”

  Radi, after grimacing at the thought of getting on a horse and playing in a dusty arena, retorted, “I, at least, might get the girl if I spent that much time with her!”

  The three always enjoyed a friendly game, but there was also often an underlying competitive tension between Radi and Pele. Radi was arguably as smart and, in many ways, as talented as Pele, but Pele had an engaging charm and charisma that Radi lacked. Everyone, especially the ladies, wanted Pele’s attention, which often frustrated Radi, who could achieve the same high academic marks, but still not get the same recognition. Radi was annoyed that Pele was taking so long with Keece, but part of him was also enjoying the fact that Pele was struggling to win her over.

  “Yah,” Pele replied on a more somber note, “It's a bit complicated.”

  “I think it’s more complicated cause you actually like her,” said Radi sarcastically. “There is a first for
everything.”

  Pele contemplated this but then responded quickly, “Yah, a bigger issue might be that her boyfriend, Luca, is actually pretty cool. Not the right guy for her, of course, but it’s still hard to swoop on a guy you consider a friend.”

  Cole chimed in supportively, “Yah. He is pretty cool. You know, that sexy, macho, nice guy everyone wants to hate, but can’t, cause he’s a good dude.”

  Radi rolled his eye. “Oh God, you two make him sound like he’s the Most Interesting Man in the World. Remember that campaign? Great ads.”

  “Of course! ‘I don’t drink often, but when I do, it’s Dos Equis,’ ” quoted Cole. “But I think that guy died a few years ago. Maybe that interesting life got the best of him.”

  They all chuckled.

  Pele continued, only partially joking, “Oh God, Luca could be a younger version of that dude.”

  “He’s twenty-eight! How can he be that interesting!” Radi exclaimed.

  Cole, without missing a beat, “Hmmm…He’s played polo all over the world, won the Junior World Championship a couple years in a row.”

  Pele added, “Yah, and his current sponsor is one of the wealthiest hotelier’s around, so he gets tickets to every cool event in town.”

  Cole again, “He’s played for the Prince of Dubai, the Royal family, Hermes…”

  “His family owns the largest dairy farm in Argentina,” Pele continued.

  Radi exasperated now, “Oh, jeez, stop. The guy must have flaws.”

  Pele looked at Cole and joking now, “Yah, yah, of course he does. Just none we’ve seen.” They laughed. Then Pele added on a more serious note, “Keece does complain about him being somewhat of a drama king, a typical Latin. She says she gets in these heated arguments with him sometimes about stupid stuff, like whether his sister called him back fast enough, or whether Argentinian potatoes are better than French fries. Drives her nuts. She also thinks he gets high too often.”

  Radi looked concerned, “Does she not like getting high.” None of them got high very often, but they all enjoyed it occasionally, Radi probably the most frequently.

  Pele responded, shaking his head, “She doesn’t seem particularly into it, but I think it has more to do with the amount. I think it’s an everyday kind of thing. She has a whole theory on it. I’m not sure I’ll do it justice, but something like she thinks getting high all the time is just a way of buffering reality and not dealing with your emotions. She might have a point. But I think she also knows she’s not going to change him.”

  Radi, a bit more relaxed knowing she wasn’t totally against it, “Well, regardless, when are you going to make your move? Time’s a wastin’, my friend.”

  Cole chimed in, “You certainly chat her up enough.”

  Their group of polo students had fallen into a rhythm of meeting up every week after polo on Saturdays. They also socialized at other times for the occasional happy hour or movie, now that they had gotten to know each other better. It was clear Pele and Keece had developed a close bond, often speaking one-on-one outside of the group when they could find an excuse. Keece frequently called Pele for orthopedic advice related to her virtual reality workouts. Pele would call to ask her about how to talk to a colleague on a work issue, or a gift idea for his mother, or really anything he could think of without disrespecting her relationship with Luca.

  Pele replied sincerely to Cole. “I do enjoy her company. I’m not usually the type to talk feelings with a chick, but I can talk with her about anything. We get into these great discussions. She’s almost like the sister I never had. And such a good wit. We’re always giggling about something.”

  Cole stared at Pele in mock alarm. “Uhh, newsflash to Pele. That sounds like what a good relationship is supposed to be. Good communication.” He emphasized the last word as if Pele had never heard it.

  Pele looked a bit sheepish. “Oh, shut up. I know. I guess I just never thought it would feel this easy. I more focused on the attraction and that sexual tension. I've never known a woman who was so easy to talk to and who I actually want her opinions.”

  Cole rolled his eyes. “OMG! Have you ever talked to someone in a good relationship? That sexual tension? Rumor has it that goes away. Ya might not want to count on that. Maybe consider finding someone you can actually talk to. And, by-the-way, seems like you just might have that chemistry with Keece anyhow. Seems like that box is already checked.”

  You’ve got a point there!” agreed Pele eagerly. “I definitely think she’s hot. And she gets hotter every time I see her. That smile, her laugh, the way she moves. Definitely into that.”

  Radi added sarcastically. “Great. Maybe you could do something about that?!” Then he went on, “I am convinced our genetic matches will be easy to fall in love with cause we’ll have so much in common. Certainly seems to be the case for you…even though she is older and a blonde!” he teased Pele.

  Pele replied, still contemplating his relationship, “I’m not sure my relationship with Keece really has anything to do with the experiment.”

  Radi didn’t respond to this, but looked annoyed, as if he thought Pele was simply trying to piss him off.

  “Can she dance?” asked Cole with a mischievous smirk in Radi’s direction, all of them remembering the many coordination tests for Pele’s past dates.

  Pele looked surprised. “Wow, I don’t actually know. I didn’t think about it because she’s obviously so coordinated, but that might be a fun outing. See if she’s got the rhythm,” he said with a little shimmy to the background music.

  They paused as a waitress delivered their favorite microbrews.

  Pele continued, changing the subject away from him and Keece. Time for someone else to be in the hot seat. “By-the-way, how is the lovely Sophie?” he asked Radi.

  Radi brightened at this. “You know, I think I’ve put her through all the tests. I can’t believe it, but she actually qualifies. Loosening up the standards has really helped. She’s a little on the nerdy scientist side, but I kinda like that.”

  Pele and Cole exchanged looks. They had discussed how Sophie was a bit quiet and, to be honest, kind of dull unless you got her talking about her Nano-science projects. She was definitely passionate about her work. Once she started on the topic, she lit up like a starburst and went into enthusiastic detailed explanations. But they both still worried that Radi had too much of a scientific approach to his relationship with her. Was she really a good match for him emotionally or simply a fit for the experiment?

  Pele trying to be supportive despite his concerns. “Yah, she can be a bit quiet, but she’s so passionate about her work, it’s inspiring. I talked to her about it last week and ended up looking up stuff later, just because it sounded so cool.”

  “She is passionate,” stated Cole sincerely, ever the peacemaker, “Hope it works for you, man.”

  “For all of us!” Radi raised his glass. They cheered, clanging their glasses and taking a good sip.

  Radi turned to Cole. “And what about you, Casanova? Any good candidates on the horizon?”

  Cole, a little uncomfortable with the focus on him. “Maybe…I met this one girl. Smart, nice, totally hot.”

  Pele, raising an eyebrow in curiosity, “So what's the holdup?”

  Cole rarely admitted to an interest in a woman, let alone describe her as “totally hot.”

  Cole looked a little deflated for a moment, but then perked up and added with a cheeky grin, “I know it’s hard to imagine, but she just doesn’t seem that into me.”

  “What?! How can that be?” scoffed Pele playfully.

  “Well, she is the lawyer on a case where I'm the expert witness…for the opposing side. A slight complication,” confessed Cole.

  Pele laughed. “Yah, I’d call that a slight complication alright! Since you know there's no way she can fraternize with you!”

  “Right?” Cole agreed. “I asked if she wanted to grab a coffee on the way out last time, but she even shut me down for that. We were walking out
at the same time, so it seemed pretty innocent, but I got a definite brush off.”

  Pele shook his head, “Well, you can't really blame her. Hanging with you could only blow her whole case!” He knew, based on Cole’s past, that Cole was likely underestimating her interest in him.

  Cole still sounding dejected. “Yah, still, seemed pretty harmless to me.”

  “When is the case over?” asked Pele.

  “Oh man, it could be months,” answered Cole, clearly disheartened by the prospect of waiting that long. “I should blow it off, but there is something about her…I can’t seem to get her off my mind.” He paused, then continued with more of a cheeky attitude again, “Although she is an attorney and we all know what that’s like! They’ll die, or kill you before they’ll lose an argument.”