Page 90 of The Sweet Spot

He gestures broadly toward the range. “Look around. Who's beating us?”

I follow his gaze. Austin is a threat. He's always a threat. A few others could get hot, and then my gaze lands on Jess and her new partner, Dalton. I take him in, studying his beard, wondering if it will give me any hints of his performance.

“We're just lucky Max isn't playing today,” I say.

“Oh, I didn't tell you. I heard from Grayson this morning,” he says, lining up his next shot.

“You did?”

“Yeah.” He sets up, takes his swing, and watches the ball fly through the air.

Another good shot.

“Something happened with Max and Sienna. He said it was huge.”

“Are you gonna tell me or just leave me hanging?”

He shrugs. “I don't know either. Grayson says he needs to confirm facts before he spreads this around. Apparently it's messy.”

“Oh. Did they finally admit their attraction to one another by getting married in Vegas before the All-Star game?”

JB's eyes widen. His mouth opens and he thinks about it for a second. “Wait, do you think he'd do that?” Then he shakes his head. “Nah. He wouldn't do that to me. I'm too important to him.”

“Well, either way, it's not our business until he makes it our business.”

“I think not being invited to one of my bestie’s weddings makes it my business, don't you think, Coach?”

I laugh. “Stop. You don't know what's happened.”

“You're right. Max has the All-Star game. He's fine. He hasn't gotten married.”

“Good. Let's focus.”

I watch JB set up again.

“You know,” he says mid-waggle, “this time last year I was watching you try to murder a baseball with your wrist.”

“I did not murder it.”

“It bounced, Whit.”

“The release point was compromised.”

“It rolled.” He grins at the fairway, not even looking at me, and I feel the corner of my mouth move against my will. “I caught it though.”

“You did.”

“And then I walked all the way across the field to give it back to you.”

“All I remember is you laughing at me.”

“I was not laughing at you.”

“You were trying not to laugh at me, which is worse.” He finally looks at me, and the grin has softened into something else. Something that still catches me off guard no matter how many times I see it. “I was trying not to make it obvious that I was completely gone for you in about thirty seconds flat.”

I hold his gaze for a moment.

“You were not gone for me in thirty seconds.”