Not a 'shining example of behavior modification'?" She shrugged.
He winced.
"I get quoted wrong all the time, but I think it was something like that. If you'll pardon my being so bold," she went on, "I think I could probably find one or two pieces of wisdom to impart to Gabrielle." Her grin widened. "I understand we have a lot in common. Good for her."
Okay, so maybe she was a little brash. More than a little. This was more in line with what he'd expected. And a sudden resurgence of confidence rushed in—okay, crept in—as he regained his footing. "I appreciate the offer, I do. And I hope you won't take this the wrong way," he said, fighting the urge to down the rest of his cognac in one swallow. The woman had presence. In spades. It was like the room had been suddenly amped up in some way, air particles more electrified or something. He'd all but forgotten there was anyone else in the room. "Gaby idolizes you, and it's because of that, that I have some concerns. As impressive a career as you've had, actually because it's so incredible, I'm afraid that you giving her any advice would come across to her as some kind of tacit approval of the temperamental way she behaves. As a dominant junior player, she's already been the subject of some fairly intense scrutiny. Now is the time to step in and give her the tools she needs to handle that kind of pressure off court so it doesn't affect her game on court."
Aurora stepped clos er . "Given the way Gabrielle pushed Serena to that third set in Paris last month, I understand your concern. She could do well here. Even without her coach ," she added pointedly, not for a second giving up the battle. She laid her hand on Tess's arm and squeezed. "Of course, no one knows better than Tess how fast things can happen on tour in terms of that sudden avalanche of interest from the media. The British press can be rather intense."
Max kept his attention on Tess. It wasn't all that difficult. "I appreciate that you have a wealth of experience in that area and probably some very good advice on how to handle it. But I'd rather encourage her to find a way to cut down on the histrionics on court, focus on her game, so she can stay out of the spotlight off court. I don't want her to need your advice on how to handle the paparazzi. I'd rather steer her completely away from that kind of distraction."
Tess paused for a moment and he was half-afraid he'd seriously offended her. Then a split second later she tilted her head back and laughed. It was a full-bodied, deep-from-the-belly kind of laugh, which was as surprisingly infectious as the rest of her. She was a lot to take in. And even more to take on. It exhausted him just thinking about it.
"You can't be that naive," she said, when she finally caught her breath.
He noted from the co rn er of his eye that Aurora's smile had broadened and her eyes were bright as she watched the byplay between the two. Well, of course she was pleased. She was watching Tess play him like a fiddle, which meant she suspected she'd ultimately get her way. He wished he could say with any amount of confidence that she was wrong. But as he was standing there, stupidly saying absolutely nothing in the face of Tess's mocking laughter, he was beginning to feel both outnumbered and outplayed. Naive, indeed.
"Don't you realize that you can't switch off your sister's temperament on court like some kind of lightbulb ? I'll admit, I haven't seen her play; I missed her match in Paris, but I've heard about her, about her game. If she's truly anything like I was, it's that ve r y fire and determination that will keep her head in the game. Turn that off and she'll be useless out there." She laid her hand on his arm now and it was like an electrical current shot straight up to his shoulder. Any chance he'd had of regrouping and regaining the upper hand was, at the very least, temporarily derailed. And he was probably being somewhat kind to himself with that assessment.
"You're
He winced.
"I get quoted wrong all the time, but I think it was something like that. If you'll pardon my being so bold," she went on, "I think I could probably find one or two pieces of wisdom to impart to Gabrielle." Her grin widened. "I understand we have a lot in common. Good for her."
Okay, so maybe she was a little brash. More than a little. This was more in line with what he'd expected. And a sudden resurgence of confidence rushed in—okay, crept in—as he regained his footing. "I appreciate the offer, I do. And I hope you won't take this the wrong way," he said, fighting the urge to down the rest of his cognac in one swallow. The woman had presence. In spades. It was like the room had been suddenly amped up in some way, air particles more electrified or something. He'd all but forgotten there was anyone else in the room. "Gaby idolizes you, and it's because of that, that I have some concerns. As impressive a career as you've had, actually because it's so incredible, I'm afraid that you giving her any advice would come across to her as some kind of tacit approval of the temperamental way she behaves. As a dominant junior player, she's already been the subject of some fairly intense scrutiny. Now is the time to step in and give her the tools she needs to handle that kind of pressure off court so it doesn't affect her game on court."
Aurora stepped clos er . "Given the way Gabrielle pushed Serena to that third set in Paris last month, I understand your concern. She could do well here. Even without her coach ," she added pointedly, not for a second giving up the battle. She laid her hand on Tess's arm and squeezed. "Of course, no one knows better than Tess how fast things can happen on tour in terms of that sudden avalanche of interest from the media. The British press can be rather intense."
Max kept his attention on Tess. It wasn't all that difficult. "I appreciate that you have a wealth of experience in that area and probably some very good advice on how to handle it. But I'd rather encourage her to find a way to cut down on the histrionics on court, focus on her game, so she can stay out of the spotlight off court. I don't want her to need your advice on how to handle the paparazzi. I'd rather steer her completely away from that kind of distraction."
Tess paused for a moment and he was half-afraid he'd seriously offended her. Then a split second later she tilted her head back and laughed. It was a full-bodied, deep-from-the-belly kind of laugh, which was as surprisingly infectious as the rest of her. She was a lot to take in. And even more to take on. It exhausted him just thinking about it.
"You can't be that naive," she said, when she finally caught her breath.
He noted from the co rn er of his eye that Aurora's smile had broadened and her eyes were bright as she watched the byplay between the two. Well, of course she was pleased. She was watching Tess play him like a fiddle, which meant she suspected she'd ultimately get her way. He wished he could say with any amount of confidence that she was wrong. But as he was standing there, stupidly saying absolutely nothing in the face of Tess's mocking laughter, he was beginning to feel both outnumbered and outplayed. Naive, indeed.
"Don't you realize that you can't switch off your sister's temperament on court like some kind of lightbulb ? I'll admit, I haven't seen her play; I missed her match in Paris, but I've heard about her, about her game. If she's truly anything like I was, it's that ve r y fire and determination that will keep her head in the game. Turn that off and she'll be useless out there." She laid her hand on his arm now and it was like an electrical current shot straight up to his shoulder. Any chance he'd had of regrouping and regaining the upper hand was, at the very least, temporarily derailed. And he was probably being somewhat kind to himself with that assessment.
"You're
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