“Thank you for apologizing.”
She exhales in relief. “I really am sorry. He is my golf hero, and I let that get the best of me.”
“Water under the bridge, okay? Have a great round!” I nod my head, and she walks off, waving goodbye, while I sit in shock at him calling me his wife.His fucking wife.Why does it make my entire body hot?
39
Lou:A brand new year, and here we are—still swinging wildly.
Chuck:Every fresh start feels like a rerun of all their best misfires.
Lou:But maybe this time, the ending will finally be different.
Chuck:One can only hope.
It feels incredible out here. The wind has a chill, but I know it will warm up to the perfect weather in an hour or so. I started on the third with a few players, and we’ve been having a great time.
These guys play well, and they really know their way around the green. Just as I think it, one of the guys hits the ball right past me. “Oh shit. Of course I hit the ball into the water while on Clinton Morrison’s team.”
“We’ve all been there, man. How long has it been since you’ve been on the course?” I ask him.
He gives me a sheepish look. “It’s been a few months actually. My wife gave birth to our beautiful baby girl four months ago, and it hasn’t been a priority.”
I clap my hand on his back, giving it a squeeze. “That’s incredible. Congratulations. Are both your girls healthy?”
“Yeah, man, they are.” A huge smile stretches across his face. “Her mom is at our place getting in some much needed grandma time, and Isent my wife off for a full day of pampering with her best friend.”
“Good man!” I laugh. “She deserves every ounce of pampering.”
The next few holes are quick, each of us talking and getting to know one another. When we make it to the first bonus game, the guys each line up to take a swing at the hole-in-one prize. The goal is to get a hole-in-one on a platform that has been situated far out on the pond at this hole.
“This hole is nuts!” shouts Chris, one of the guys in our group.
“I know. This is going to be great. I have no hope of actually getting it, but why the hell not,” Josh pipes up as he takes his stance, lining his club up with the ball.
Each of us takes a hit; myself and one other guy make it on the green. Not a win, given we didn’t sink the ball in the hole.
“That five-thousand-dollar prize would have been nice though.”
“Hell yeah, it would have been.” They joke as we get into the carts to drive to our next hole. When we make it to the par five, I see the Shaken Tropes cart roll into view and wave Paloma down. “Let’s take a minute and get a drink. We are about two holes up anyway. We have time.”
“The vendor on the cart seems wonderful. Great idea. My wife would love that place. I’ll have to be sure to hand her the drink tickets and gift card.” He smiles as he talks about his wife, and I get it—I’m looking at my future wife right now, and she doesn't even know it.
“She’s mine, the vendor,” I say to the team, and they clap me on the back. “Or she will be. I haven’t proposed yet.” It's funny how close you can get to the people you golf with. One game and we’ve become easy pals. With us in the lead for hole-in-one and closest to the pin challenges, I plan to donate all the winnings to Albatross and to the library.
“Hey, Golf Daddy,” Paloma purrs, and I swear I can feel my cheeks heat. I know the guys are going to poke at me about the nickname themoment she leaves. “What can I get for the team?”
We look over the menu and one of the golfers, Ken pipes up, “The Mulligan sounds good. You guys like bourbon?” We all nod our heads, and I smile at the thought of her naming a drink after us. He looks down at her name tag before ordering. “Paloma, can I order a round of The Mulliganson the rocks for us?”
“Of course. Let me mix those up for you.” She chats with the guys about Shaken Tropes, and they all mention how their wives love reading. She really is magic behind the bar, even when it's in a golf cart.
“The Mulligan, huh?” I tease her, nudging her arm with my elbow.
“Yeah, in case your golf game or love life needs a second chance.” Paloma looks up at me through her lashes and rubs her hand down my arm.
“Meet you at hole nineteen?” This gets a laugh out of her as she pours each of us a drink.
“Here you guys go.” Handing each of us a small plastic cup, she looks back at Ken and says, “You tell your wife to stop by Shaken Tropes, and I will be sure she’s well taken care of. Her first drink is on me.”
