Page 47 of The Perfect Putt

She shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. Then she’d only be nice to me because you said so. I’d rather she just be mean.”

“Interesting perspective, but okay. Let me know if you change your mind.” I pause near the door that leads outside. “Here, you can take the keys and head to the left where the carts are. I need to change into my shoes.”

She looks down at my feet. I’m currently wearing tennis shoes. “What’s wrong with the shoes you have on?”

I smile down at her. “They aren’t golf shoes.” I hand her the keys. “I’ll be quick.”

I walk toward the locker room as fast as I can with my bag on my back. If the people around here haven’t been nice to Ellie, I don’t want to leave her alone for long. I wanted to spend time alone with her today, or else I would have had Fitz with me and he could have sat with her.

I get my shoes and glove on, then head back out to the carts where Ellie is. I set my bag in the back and her food on the seat between us.

“Ready for your first day of golf?” I ask her.

“As I’ll ever be.” Her enthusiasm is hesitant at best, but hopefully, that will change.

I start the cart and head toward the first tee box. She stays quiet, and when I glance over at her I can tell she’s taking everything in with her beautiful brown eyes.

“I do love how pretty it is out here,” Ellie comments when I stop the cart.

I get out and grab my driver from the bag, sliding off the protective cover. I need to make it in four strokes to hit par, and the hole is 445 yards from here. There’s some wind coming against me, so I need to hit it harder to account for that. I take a ball and tee out of the side of my golf bag.

“It’s a beautiful course, but my favorite is probably Augusta.”

I set my ball on a tee and step to the side to do a couple of practice swings.

“Where’s that at? It’s hard to believe there’s a course nicer than this one.”

I smile at her Coastal Cove loyalty. She hates golf but is defending the course because it’s here. “It’s in Georgia. That’s where they hold the Masters. Though some people say Pebble Beach in California is even prettier. You might like that one since it’s right on the ocean.”

I position myself in front of the tee, then glance over my shoulder at Ellie. “First rule of golf, you don’t talk while someone is getting ready to swing. There has to be silence. That’s how it will be at the tournament, so it’s important for you to remember.”

“Got it.” She nods. “You know, this is only confirming my idea that golf is boring. The best part of sports–aside from the food–is the yelling.”

I look back down at the ball, trying to keep my focus. It’s already difficult enough because she’s here looking unbelievably gorgeous. Her commentary is throwing me for a loop.

“You can yell after the golfer hits, but not a second before.”

I take in a breath, pull back my club, then swing. The ball arches through the air. I grin. Yes. That was a perfect first shot. I hit it about three hundred yards out. All I’ll need to do is chip it up onto the green with my 9-iron, then I can putt it and maybe manage a birdie on my first hole of the day.

“Where did it go?” Ellie asks.

Confusion is all over her face when I turn around. Her hand is lifted above her brow as she searches the sky.

“You’ll see,” I say with a laugh as I slide my driver back in the bag and hop in the cart.

The wind is cool against my skin as I drive down to where my ball landed. I take a deep breath of ocean air and smile big. It’s going to be a good day of golf, I can feel it. Ellie might not be such a distraction after all.

We come up on some other golfers driving, so I slow down.

“There’s no way you hit it this far,” Ellie says, awe in her voice.

I chuckle. “No, I hit it further.”

Her head whips over to me. Those brown eyes of hers are wide. “You’re lying.”

“How could I lie? The ball will either be there when we pull up or not.”

I stop the cart when I see my ball a few feet away.

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