Hailey’s brows furrowed. “Why did you? I knew years ago that you had feelings for Lydia. I could see it in the way you looked at her.”
“She’s your best friend, Hailey. I didn’t want to come between that. If something bad were to happen between us . . .”
“Then, it would be between you and her. It would have nothing to do with me. Lydia will always be my best friend, no matter if she’s with you or someone else. She deserves to be happy, and so do you.” She reached over and touched my arm. “Don’t let me be the one holding you back. You have so many people in your corner. You even have Lydia’s grandmother. Didn’t she tell you the other day that she always thought you and Lydia would get married?”
I rubbed a hand over my chest as memories from my past played through my mind. Lydia’s grandfather and I had just finished a golf lesson, and we were sitting where Hailey and I were now. He loved to give me advice and bits of wisdom every chance he got. It was a brisk, fall day and the leaves had all turned to autumn colors. I had just started my senior year of college at Appalachian State.
“It wasn’t just Lydia’s grandmother who said it. Even before he died, her grandfather told me to make sure I took care of her. He knew before I realized it.”
“So,” Hailey said, drawing out the word, “what are you going to do?”
I turned to her. “Nothing. Everything I’ve done hasn’t changed a thing. Lydia doesn’t see me as anything other than a friend.”
“You sure about that?” She huffed impatiently. “You already admitted you haven’t told her how you feel.”
“She’s with Max now.”
She scoffed. “They’re nottogetheryet. The relationship isn’t exclusive. You have time to let her know before things progress with him and it becomes too late.”
A part of me felt as if it already was too late. I’d heard the phone calls between Lydia and Max this week. He checked up on her multiple times a day. I didn’t know how to compete with him.
Hailey patted my arm and stood. “How can you be so confident during your tournaments and in TV interviews, but you freeze up with Lydia?”
I knew the answer to that.
I peered up at her and sighed. “I have so much more to lose with her.”
A look of sadness passed across Hailey’s face. “I get that. But you have to take the risk, big brother. If you don’t, you’ll wish you had.” She started down the porch stairs to Oliver’s truck and turned to face me again. “That regret is something you don’t want. Please do something about it before it’s too late. I promise you’ll get the results you want. You’re not the only one I’ve paid attention to over the years.” She opened the door and smiled. “I’ve seen the way Lydia looks at you. The feelings are there.”
I watched her leave, then remained sitting in the rocking chair to clear my head. Unfortunately, no amount of soul-searching was going to help me. I didn’t know the right thing to do, but I knew I had to do something.
18
JAKE
Isat outside for another hour, but no magical solution came to mind. However, I had found the perfect Christmas gift for Lydia. If things didn’t work out between us, I could at least give her something she’d wanted for a very long time.
When I walked inside, the house was quiet, and the last thing I wanted to do was wake Lydia up. I left her a short note on the counter, saying I was going out for a while, and I’d be back soon.
I hopped in my car and drove the twenty minutes journey to Boone. Driving through the Appalachian State campus brought back a lot of memories, many of them involving Lydia and my sister. There was a time when the roads were covered in ice, and we thought it’d be fun to be pulled on a float behind my friend’s Jeep. Lydia held on tight with me while Patrick sped through the vacant grocery store parking lot, dragging us this way and that. I’d never laughed so hard in my life. Of course, the cops busted us after about ten minutes.
It was memories like those that I thought more about, rather than my time playing pro golf. Granted, I had millions of dollars in my bank account, went to hundreds of high-profile partieswith celebrities, but those things could only give you so much happiness.
Downtown Boone was always busy with college students and people filtering in to experience Christmas in a small mountain town, just like they did with Blowing Rock. Luckily, there was a parking spot right outside of the place I needed to go. I walked inside and, on every wall, hung an expensive painting.
Lydia loved art; her passion astounded me.
She wanted a certain painting, and I was going to make sure she got it. The gallery owner knew I was coming, so he was ready for me. All I had to do was pay the money, and he planned to have it shipped once he procured it from the artist. The painting was going to arrive on Lydia’s doorstep by Christmas Eve.
There were only two things I needed to do today, and that was one of them. The other was to call my realtor. People were all around, going in and out of the shops, so I stepped out of the way.
I scrolled through my phone and tapped on Janet’s name.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite golfer,” she greeted.
“Hi, Janet.”
“What can I do for you, Jake Reynolds? Did you decide on one of the houses I sent?”
