“But you don’t?”
“No, I don’t.”
“He’s quite a nice guy,” Kendall said.
“I think so,” she said, smiling.
“Why so secretive then?” Kendall asked.
“Women…well, people would be here lined up, hands out, and you know it. They are anyway. I’ve seen plenty of people show up at the pub, hoping to reel that one in. That will be hard to do, though. Cooper has some serious trust issues,” she said.
Kendall laughed, and spotting Destiny standing at the door, waved her over. She turned to face Portia, who suddenly had a huge grin on her face, like she had a secret.
“What?” Kendall asked.
“You do know that the women in this town are pulling for you in the tournament.”
“I’m just an amateur who loves to play.”
“Same as Cooper,” Portia said.
“You like him?”
“Love him, and if I played for the other side, I’d give you a run for your money.”
Kendall laughed. “I’m just here for the summer,” she said.
“You keep on believing that, girlfriend,” Portia responded, smiling as she walked over to the checkout counter, where a couple stood waiting to pay.
#
Friday night
“Kendall, your sister and your father are here,” Myra called out over her shoulder as she made her way to the front door. The door stood open, and she could see them through the screen door.
“Oh, you are just a pretty as your older sister,” Myra said, opening the screen door before pulling Lark into a hug. She caught Butch’s eyes and smiled. He looked the same, and had aged gracefully. She extended her hand out to him. He squeezed it and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“This is a wonderful surprise! I’m so glad you made it.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Butch said, stepping into the house.
“Hey, sis,” Kendall said, pulling Lark in for a hug. Lark was the same height as Kendall, slimmer—really, more like skinny—and she wore her hair shorn short. She said it came in handy when working with cars.
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, responding to all the attention, but there was a smile on her face.
“Come in. Have you all eaten?” Myra asked.
“No, not yet, but we thought we’d go by the pub and get something there.”
“You’ll do no such thing. I’m going to put together something for us, it won’t take but a minute. Come on into the kitchen,” Myra said, leading them down the hall.
“Butch, how was the drive?” she asked, looking over shoulder at him. He was handsome, with his short Afro, almost completely grey now. He was tall, like Vivian, model tall, and he’d managed to stay in shape, she thought.
“It was fine,” he said.
“What can I do to help?” Kendall asked, and Myra smiled before setting the sisters to work, while Butch took a seat at the kitchen table and looked on, talking and laughing, getting reacquainted with his former sister-in-law.
#
“You ready?” Butch asked the following morning from the passenger seat of Kendall’s SUV. They were on their way to the golf course. It was about six fifteen. She’d left home early, wanting to get in a few practice putts before the play got started, needing something to calm herself. Her nerves had been all over the place when she’d awakened this morning.
“I am,” she said, meeting her father’s eyes. She smiled in pleasure, happy to have him here, eager to see what the day would bring. She’d gotten up to find Aunt Myra and Butch sitting in the kitchen, a carafe of coffee between them, talking. Her dad was dressed in a pink polo shirt that matched the outfit that Myra had ordered for her. The dress was a perfect fit. It clung to her like a second skin, and she felt great in it. She smiled, picturing what she hoped Barnabus’s reaction would be.
Today would be a win-win, she’d decided. She was happy. Happy to be here, spending time with her family, playing in this crazy tournament. And regardless of the outcome, she’d spend the summer getting to know Cooper, at least in the biblical sense, and maybe a good friend would be the outcome. She could always use those.
“Do you feel comfortable with the course? Do you feel like you’ve gotten enough practice?” Butch asked.
“I do.”
“Mind if your old man caddies for you?” he asked.
“I would love that. Thanks again for coming down. It’s crazy that Aunt Myra has gotten so into this, that the town has gotten so into it, and I can’t help but get caught up in the drama of today too.”
“Lark says you’re a pretty good golfer.”
“I’m not bad, depending on the day,” Kendall said, chuckling.
“Well, this is the most fun I’ve had in years. It’s how I would have spent my time if I’d had access to you girls growing up. And Myra and George were never able to have children of their own, so I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to Myra to have you here. Meeting Lark was icing on the cake.”
“She told you that?” Kendall asked as she glanced over at him.
“She did.”
Kendall pulled into the parking lot, surprised again to see it was semi-filled with cars and trucks this early. She spotted Cooper’s truck parked near the clubhouse, and he stood outside of it, talking to the group of men that surrounded him. She recognized more than a few in the crowd of men, marveling at how at far she’d come since arriving in town a few weeks ago.
Cooper was decked out in a green polo shirt this morning, paired with darker, almost black shorts. He had those old beat-up golf shoes on his feet. Most of the men were wearing the same type of green shirt. A show of support, she guessed; and okay, maybe this whole thing was going to be fun.
She parked in the second row of cars since the spaces closest to the front had been taken. She glanced over at her father, who smiled at her. She was so happy he’d come.
“Is that the young man you’re playing against this morning?” he asked, eyeing Cooper, who was looking in their direction now.
“That’s him,” she said. He looked great, smiling all cocky. He even had the nerve to wink at her. Be careful, she thought to herself. It was a silent warning to protect her heart.
“Let’s go kick some ass, baby girl,” Butch said, holding his fist out to her. She smiled and knocked her fist to his.
Someone knocked on Kendall’s door window. It was Briana, the little girl golfer who loved her some Cooper. Kendall lowered her window.
“Hi, Briana,” she said.
“I thought you might need a caddie,” the girl said, smiling shyly. “I’m a pretty good caddie. I’ve looped for Cooper lots of times. We all have. I know the greens here better than anyone, almost as well as Cooper. I could help you beat him,” she said, serious as an attorney laying out his case to the jury.
Kendall smiled and glanced over at her father.
“That’s a great idea,” Butch said, smiling at the little girl.
“We women have to stick together,” Briana said, serious again, and pointing to her shirt. “Your aunt told my mom you were wearing pink, so I wore this to match you, and I’ve already checked out a cart for us. Do you need me to get one for you, sir?” Briana asked, looking past Kendall to her father.
“No, I have time. I’ll get my own. I’m Butch,” he said, extending his hand across for Briana to shake. “Kendall’s father.” Then he stepped out of the car.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Briana said.
“Think you can grab my bag from the back?” Kendall asked.
“Sure, I’ll put it in the cart for you,” Briana said.
“Thank you. I’m going to go check in first, and then I’ll meet you and the cart near the door. Will that work?” Kendall said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Briana said.
Kendall smiled, pleased to see a little girl so sincere and maybe even innocent. Kids like that were hard to come by these days.
Kendall met her dad at the front of her car
. “I wish I could have had you when you were Briana’s age,” he said. “I would have loved to have introduced you to the game.”
“Me too. But we’ll make the best of what we have now,” she said.
“Agreed,” he said, and leaned over to place a kiss on her forehead.
She looked around at the sky, the sun starting to break through the clouds. It would be a gorgeous summer day. Could life get any better than this? she thought. Her dad stood beside her, his ever-present grin on his face, and her new caddie would be waiting for her in the cart in a minute.
“He won’t stand a chance against you in that outfit. You look so much like your mother,” Butch said before he looked away. “The prettiest girl around, she was.” He turned and started toward the clubhouse, Kendall by his side.
#
Cooper stood still, watching her make her way to them, to him. He’d been in the process of sipping his coffee when she’d stepped out of the car, and he’d almost choked. It was a crime to look that good, smooth brown skin against the pink of a dress that hugged her body liked he wanted to, as he would as soon as this was over. He wiped his mouth, almost laughing; one of the men near him had choked too, and a few others had cleared their throats. Luis turned to look at him, lifting his eyebrows in question.
“Would you take a look at that,” his friend said, smiling, eyes glued to Cooper, judging his reaction.
Cooper had pulled it together by the time Kendall stood in front of him. Seeing her here, dressed as she was, made winning this thing so much more compelling. If he succeeded, he’d have her for the entire summer, and that thought felt like a balm, soothing and surprisingly hopeful.
“Professor,” he said.
“Barnabus,” she replied, and smiled.
“You ready?”
“I am.”
“I see you have one of the best caddying for you today.”
“Hey, Coop,” Briana said, waving. She’d driven the cart over and sat waiting in it.
“Hey,” Cooper said, smiling at her. “You’d better check in,” he said to Kendall, stepping aside.
“Barnabus, this is my father, Butch Edwards,” Kendall said.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Edwards. Feel free to call me Cooper. I prefer it, actually,” Cooper said, and winked at Kendall.
“Nice to meet you, son,” Butch said, shaking Cooper’s hand.
“These are all friends of mine, citizens of Coopersville,” Cooper said, introducing the men who were standing around him, calling out each of their names. They were all on his side today, his support. She shook her head at that, and when she caught Cooper’s face, she thought she caught a similar expression there. An ain’t-this-a-funny-story look.
“See you at hole one in about forty-five minutes,” he said. She nodded. A few of the gathered men wished her luck, and then she and Butch made their way up the steps of the clubhouse.
#
Where have all these people come from? Kendall thought, looking at the gallery that had noticeably grown in size as the match and the morning progressed. They’d started out with about ten people at the first hole. Aunt Myra had arrived with her buddies, all on her side, dressed in pink. A shirt, a pink ribbon tied around a hat, something that identified their allegiance to her to balance out the men who had come out to support Cooper. She had just shaken her head and teed off.
This was it, though, they were closing in on the end. They were at the final hole, number eighteen. Cooper was winning, even with the two asides he’d given her, which she’d needed and hadn’t been ashamed to take. Seems like Barnabus had been holding back when he’d played her that one time. Today, he hadn’t held back a thing.
She’d lost her nerves after the first round, and she was as focused as her opponent. She was down three shots, and while anything could happen, she knew that it wouldn’t. Cooper had brought his A game today.
She stepped out of her cart, looked out at the gallery; ten people had turned into forty or fifty—they were a mix of all ages, wearing either pink or green, divided along gender lines with a few exceptions. She’d never played in front of a group like this before and had no idea whether Cooper had or not.
Kendall took the driver from Briana’s hand and made her way to the tee box, where she stood for a few seconds, taking a couple of practice swings before she made the hit.
“You da woman,” someone screamed out just as she got her shot off. They’d been screaming it all morning. She posed at the end after her shot.
#
The professor and her poses, Cooper thought, smiling. It had been a nice shot, though. The sound of a ball when it was struck correctly…well, there was something about that sound. He loved this game. Golf, beer, and living here among his friends, and now the professor here to satisfy another need. Life was so good.
“Nice,” Briana said, smiling with pride in her eyes at the woman she’d be like when she grew up. She took Kendall’s driver from her hand. They stepped aside, waiting for Cooper to hit.
His was a beautiful shot. The kind he’d been making all morning.
#
She caught his gaze. This has been fun, she thought she read in his eyes, and she smiled. Really, what did she care who won? Either way, they’d both be getting a prize.
Sixteen
“There’s nothing like a good party!” Cooper said later on that night.
“So it seems,” Kendall said, looking around the building. It was some kind of crowded in here.
He stood next to her, near the door to the Brewpub’s kitchen, just outside the door leading from the back. There was a bit of an alcove over here, and it was a tad darker than the rest of the place. It was approaching midnight. The front door was locked. The pub had officially closed an hour ago, and someone had turned up the music, pushed the chairs out the way, and started dancing. It was all unofficial partying time now.
Lark had decided to skip the festivities, tired from getting up early. Kendall watched Butch and Myra move about on the dance floor. Butch was dancing in that relaxed way of people who are approaching their drinking limit.
“I enjoyed playing with you today,” Cooper said, his mouth close to her ear, as he stood next to her, playing havoc with her senses. “We’ll have to do it again, without all the fans next time,” he said, chuckling.
“Funny, wasn’t it? All those people showing up,” she said, laughing. “You’re a good player.”
“So are you.”
“You really were holding back the first time I played with you. You could have given me more than those two asides this time and still beaten me,” she said.
“Maybe. I didn’t know what you were holding back, and I really wanted to win,” he said.
“You have a bit of a ruthless streak running through your veins,” she said.
“When I decide that what I’m playing for is worth it, then yeah, I do.”
“I’ll be sure to remember that,” she said, and took a sip of her beer. “What is this again?” she asked, holding up her glass, which was filled with a golden-yellow liquid, an orange slice floating around in it.
“It’s a hefeweizen, a German-style beer from a local brewery up the road in Austin. You like?”
“Surprisingly I do.”
“Well, don’t drink too much—it’s potent, more potent than what you’re probably used to.”
“Not like Myra, who can hold her own. I’ve been watching her all evening.”
“She’s been drinking for a lot longer than you have,” he said. They both stood watching Myra and Butch as they danced.
“Myra and George used to be here all the time. They were the ones who encouraged me the most when I decided to start the pub. And he’s the one that helped me get it off the ground before he passed,” he said.
She looked over at him. “You miss him?”
“He was like a father to me, more so than my own.”
“Your father was still alive then?”
“Yes, but George was the one responsible
for getting me started in the business of beer. He used to brew it in his garage, and he put me to work helping him. I wasn’t old enough to buy it, but I could learn to make my own. It was an effective way of channeling my anger,” he said, smiling at the memory, his eyes fixed on Myra and Butch, who were gently swaying to the music.
“You were angry?”
“Yep,” he said, scanning the room again.
“You looking to cash in on your winnings anytime soon?” she asked, deciding to let it go. There was so much more to him she’d come to know, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. She watched his smile widen.
There were others standing around them, eyeing the impromptu dancing. He leaned in close to her, putting his lips to her ear again. “You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this. Your ass left one giant impression on me,” he said, and kissed her just under her ear, sending little tingles down her spine. He pulled away and looked down into her eyes. “I don’t want this to be just some mercy mission, though. I want what I had in the trailer,” he said.
“I don’t go back on my word, and I’ve been thinking about our wager too. I’d like to expand upon it, if you don’t mind.”
“I’m listening,” he said.
“Okay,” she said nervously. “Let’s forget that we even made a bet. We both won, and I am pleased with the outcome, just as much as you are, right? You made an impression on me too.”
He looked into her eyes, surprised again by her honesty.
“I love how direct and forthright you are,” he said.
“Just like you, I don’t like to play games, but let’s get back to what I was about to say. I’d like to really get to know you as a friend. I mean, you’re like a son to Myra, and I’ve been here long enough to see that you genuinely care what happens to her—you’re looking out for her. I would like for us to be friends too.”
“I can do friends, as long as you’re not backing out of the other.”
“Not at all. If I said I was up for it, then I am,” she said.
“For the summer?”
“Unless I get to be too much for you,” she said, and smiled.
Games We Play Page 21
