Page 81 of Anyone But Her

"Then why are you doing it?"

"Because your dad's making me."

"What do you mean?"

"He told me I'm playing whether I want to or not. He said he's letting me stay at his house so I can continue following my dream to be a pro golfer and that if I skip a tournament I'm not following through on my end of the bargain."

"But if you're not ready to play then maybe you shouldn't."

"I told your dad that. I told him my head wouldn't be in the game so soon after Albert died."

"And what'd he say?"

"That I should play for Albert. That I should go out on the course and pretend Albert's watching and play for him and not me. I thought about it and he's right. Albert would've been pissed if I'd skipped a tournament because of him. I know he's gone but I still feel like skipping the tournament would be letting him down. That's why I'm playing next week."

"Are you nervous?"

"It's odd but I'm not. Not even a little, and yet I've got a lot riding on this. If I don't play well next week WaveField may not sign me on to do more commercials and I really need that kind of exposure to get my name out there so I can get sponsors when I go pro."

"You're going to be on TV, Luke!" she says, a huge smile on her face. "You're going to be a star!"

I laugh. "Not quite. It's just one commercial and it's regional."

"Yeah, but still, like you said, it could lead to other stuff. Look how many companies my dad does commercials for."

"That's because he's a golf legend. He's one of the greatest golfers of all time."

"That could be you someday."

"Or it could be you. Or Cal."

She leads me over to a bench and we sit down.

"Don't tell anyone I told you this but..."

"But what?"

She glances around to check that we're alone. "I don't think Cal will go back to pro golfing. I think he's done."

"He's not done. He's just taking time off."

She shakes her head. "He's done. I overheard my dad telling my mom Cal doesn't have what it takes to make it."

"Why would he say that? Just yesterday, Cal beat me on the course. Only by one stroke, but still."

"He's inconsistent, and he can't handle the pressure. He does great when he's golfing for fun but when he's in a tournament, he chokes."

"He just wasn't ready to go pro. Give him a year or two, or maybe three, and he'll be fine."

"He also has a shoulder injury. He went to the doctor yesterday and they said he might need surgery."

"No shit? Why didn't he tell me?"

"He's in denial. He's trying to pretend it's not happening. He doesn't know what he'll do if he can't golf anymore."

Leaning back on the bench I rub my hand over my jaw. "I had no idea any of this was going on. I can't believe he didn't tell me."

"I don't think he wants you to know. Between you and me, I think he's jealous of you. He doesn't want to be. He wants you to do well. He just wishes he could be more like you."

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