I’d tried to be semi-fashionable tonight with a jean jacket and maxi dress. The decision couldn’t have been more ill-timed. It looked like our group would spend most of the night outside.
“A little.” I shrugged. “Is everything okay?”
Dakota removed his sweatshirt. I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could get a word out, he handed it to me. Underneath, he wore his trademark long-sleeve black shirt.
“Everything’s great,” he assured and combed through his hair with his free hand, trying to make some sense of the mess. “Put this on. You’re shaking.”
“Thanks.”
I accepted the sweatshirt. Dakota held my jacket as I pulled on the new layer of clothing. Instantly, I was surrounded by his scent. It took everything in me to resist pressing the collar to my nose. Being engulfed in Dakota’s smell made my body warm. I thought about what happened the last time I was wearing his clothes.
He draped my jacket over my shoulder for another layer of warmth. As he tugged on the jacket, he used it as an excuse to pull me closer.
“You sure everything’s good?” I tried again, willing myself to not get caught up in his eyes. “You two looked worried.”
“Yeah, David’s going through some stuff.” He gave me a one-shoulder shrug. I nodded and decided to let it go. We’d only just crossed the threshold of friends. I didn’t deserve to push him into sharing even though I wished he felt like he could.
Someone from our group shouted, “Hole in one!” and the others cheered. I glanced over my shoulder to see Ari, Olivia, and Yara doing a victory dance.
“Come on.” Dakota nudged his chin towards the others. “I still need to help you perfect your swing.”
I smiled and followed him. For now, I’d push down my worry. Tonight was supposed to be fun. I wasn’t going to stand in my own way.
At the next hole, Dakota went first and surprised us all by getting the second ‘hole in one’ tonight. This time was a little more impressive because he had to tackle two hills to do it.
Kai scribbled down the score and compared notes with Yara. Her mouth turned down when she realized our team was in the lead. Much like my brother, she didn’t want to be the captain of a losing team. She called her teammates in for an impromptu huddle as I went up for my turn.
“No pressure, Emmy,” David said from the sidelines, voice rich with sarcasm. He seemed to recover from whatever had been bothering him before. “But we are in the lead so, make this one count.”
“No pressure,” I repeated with a roll of my eyes. “Right.”
“You got this.” Dakota came to my side. “Let’s see the stance.”
I teed up like I’d been doing all night: casually. I knew nothing about how to hold a club or aim a ball. So far, I’d been doing mediocre when compared to everyone else. But was by far the weak link of the team and being carried on the backs of my brother, Dakota, Kevin, and Abbie.
“Here.” Dakota reached out to reposition my hands. Interestingly, he didn’t seem like he was making an excuse to touch me. He moved my hands and twisted my upper body like he knew what he was talking about.
“You a golfer, too?” I gave him a curious look.
“Nah, I just like the game,” he said as he analyzed my stance for a little longer.
“Actually, he comes from a family of golfers,” Kevin informed. His voice was a bit teasing when he added, “Kota’s very modest when it comes to flirting with the ladies. He needs a designated wingman at all times.”
David snorted at the comment, and I could feel my brother’s eyes pinging between Dakota and me. Kai would never tell me who I couldn’t date, but he’d definitely be unsure about me falling for another one of his teammates. I didn’t blame him in the slightest.
“My dad was in the PGA tour back in the nineties,” Dakota shared in a hurry, like he’d rather not expand on the tidbit. “So, for this hole, you’re going to want to not put too much force behind your swing.”
“Is that so?” David joked with a crooked grin. Kevin hid his smile behind his hand.
“That’s so,” Dakota confirmed, tone flat as he glanced at his friend.
“Very interesting approach.” David nodded like he was intrigued. “I always thought you looked like a ‘give it all’ kind of guy.”
Abbie’s eyes widened. I could already tell she was more like my brother, no-nonsense, so the teasing was making her blush. Kevin shook his head, not able to hide the grin on his face anymore.
“Why would you say that?” Dakota asked. He tried to sound serious, but I could hear a bit of a smile in his voice. A guy who could laugh at himself? I liked it. I glanced at him, impressed at the amused look on his face. I liked it a lot.
David shrugged, pretending like he didn’t mean anything by it. “It was a simple observation.”
