Page 34 of The Perfect Putt

The guys join us in the kitchen and I can feel the eyes of everyone on me, probably deciphering my every word, but I don’t care. I want Ellie to be comfortable.

“I like cold pizza, almost better than hot.” She pulls out a cardboard box from the fridge.

“Me too!” Jada says as Ellie sets the box on the counter. “There’s nothing like a 3 AM slice of pizza.”

“Three in the morning?” I question, raising my brows.

“I stay up late painting,” Jada says with a shrug. Fitz leans down and whispers something in her ear. She shoves him, looking flustered, but he just laughs. I’m certain I don’t want to know what he just told her.

“Speaking of late nights,” Sutton says. “We should probably get down to the beach before we have one. Our flight leaves insanely early tomorrow.”

Ellie frowns. “I just remembered no one told me flight information. Do you need me to take them tomorrow?” she asks me.

“No, I figured I could take them since it’s so early. Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure? You’ve got training–”

I interrupt her. “No work talk. You’re off the clock tonight, Red.” Once again, I feel the weight of my friends’ stares. I shouldn’t have used her nickname in front of them. The hole I’m digging for myself keeps getting deeper and deeper.

“Says the man with a putting green in his living room.”

“That’s different.”

“How so?”

“Because I said so and I’m the boss.” I grin, and even though she rolls her eyes I can tell she’s fighting a smile.

A throat clears. I look in the direction of the sound to find Shaw looking all too happy about our exchange.

I quickly end our conversation. “We should get to the beach.”

Ellie pulls out a slice of pizza, Sutton grabs the charcuterie board, and everyone else gets drinks while I grab the fire starter and lighter. We head outside, then down the stairs and boardwalk to where I’ve set up a pit on the beach and surrounded it with chairs as well as a small table to put supplies on.

The sky is painted in shades of dusty rose and orange, with streaks of turquoise. Everything from the water to the sand to my house looks as if it’s been washed in gold. A soft breeze blows, cooling my skin. I kneel and light the starter. It takes a minute for it to catch because of the wind. Once it does, I place it below the wood, then stand and brush the sand off my legs.

“It’s beautiful out here,” Sutton says with a sigh that turns into a squeal as Shaw pulls her into his lap. “When you retire, we should move here.”

Shaw kisses her shoulder. “Whatever makes you happy, Jones.”

I look away from their sickening display of love, only to land on a different one. Fitz feeds Jada a piece of chocolate before pulling her in for a kiss. Does no one have boundaries anymore? I resist the urge to say something and turn toward the ocean. Ellie must have snuck off while I was lighting the fire, because she’s got her feet in the water. It’s not hard to choose her over being around my overly romantic friends.

I grab two water bottles, then walk down to where Ellie stands. Her hair has shifted to a soft burgundy in the fading sun. The freckles across the bridge of her nose are more pronounced, and there’s a soft pink tint to her skin that makes me think she got a touch of sunburn yesterday.

“Did you get enough to eat?” I ask her as I hold out the water bottle for her. She takes it with a faint smile.

“I did, thanks.”

We both look back out at the golden horizon. The sea tickles the tops of my feet as the tide rolls in. All of the worries that have plagued me as of late begin to fade away. I’ve always thought there was some truth to those cheesy signs that say salt water cures everything. It has for me many times over the years. Whenever my parents were fighting, I’d head to the beach, the course, or the diner. The ocean is where I came to be alone though. It always soothed me. The sound of the waves was like a lullaby that chased away the nightmare that was my parents’ relationship.

“This is my favorite place in the world,” Ellie says after a moment of silence.

“Mine too.” I watch as a seagull flies overhead. “I’ve been to many places, but nothing beats Coastal Cove.”

“I haven’t traveled much,” she confesses. “But I know this is my home.”

We go quiet once more, but it’s comfortable. I don’t know when I became so relaxed around her. She’s become a steady presence in such a short amount of time. I know I’d miss her if I didn’t get to see her every day, which is bad. I should have refused when Sutton asked to have her join us. I should create distance between us. But I couldn’t, and I can’t.

The group starts yelling for us, saying that the fire is ready now. Ellie gives me a soft smile before starting back toward the circle of chairs. I walk a step or two behind her, fighting the budding ache in my chest. Everything I’ve ever known is screaming at me to push her away, but there’s this small voice inside of me telling me to do the opposite. To pull her close and not let go.

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