Page 40 of Forgettable in Every Way

Simon

“ARE YOU POSITIVE ABOUT HER tee time?” Simon asked Sandra over the phone while staring out the car window at the country club he’d just had to join. Not to mention the new golf clubs he’d had to purchase, since he’d left his old set in Berkshire. Chasing Jules was costing him a bloody fortune, but it was the best money he’d ever spent. At least he knew how to golf and wouldn’t look like an imbecile, like he had the previous day mountain biking.

He smiled to himself, thinking of their ride yesterday. Well, partial ride. The bee sting had cut it short. Which was unfortunate, but admittedly, he was grateful not to have gone the full length of the trail. He’d been woefully unprepared, but the cost of the bike and the sore muscles were worth the time with Jules. To see her powerfully and gracefully traverse the trail was a sight to behold. Saving her arse wasn’t half-bad either, though he probably wouldn’t mention it for a while. And as painful as it was to hear how he’d hurt her, at least she’d finally opened up to him. Hate was better than indifference. It meant she still had deep feelings for him.

Now he needed to prove to her he was interested in being more than her friend. He knew she didn’t believe him, but he was going to leave no doubt in her mind.

“She should be there any minute,” Sandra whispered like she was running special ops. “What happened yesterday? She’s all scraped up and moans every time she sits,” Sandra demanded to know in her quiet, but deadly, tone.

Simon kept his chuckling to himself. “She had a minor mishap and fell off her bike.” Simon didn’t think Jules would appreciate him telling Sandra or anyone about the bee sting.

“Oh. Well, she’s also been sighing a lot, and she keeps singing ‘So This Is Love’ and “I Hate Myself for Loving You’ on repeat as she wanders aimlessly around the house. Do you know what that’s all about? I thought you said things went well yesterday?”

Simon wasn’t exactly sure about the singing. Although he hoped Jules was leaning more toward the first song. He would feel awful if Jules hated herself for loving him. On the bright side, perhaps she was still in love with him. “Things went as well as expected. It’s a work in progress.”

“Well, work harder.” Sandra hung up without another word.

Simon stared at his mobile, put off by Sandra’s curtness. It wasn’t like she was a world-class mum to Jules. While he appreciated the inside information she supplied, he didn’t need her lectures. He was well aware he’d screwed up.

Simon lowered his phone just in time to see Jules pull into the parking lot. He hoped she hadn’t seen him yet. His plan was to meet Jules in the pro shop while she was checking in. Little did she know the course had added him to her tee time. He had Sandra to thank for that. Golf courses didn’t typically allow for single bookings. Somehow, Sandra convinced Jules she would handle it all. Simon was sure Jules’s family had plenty of money to throw around, so it probably wasn’t a stretch for Jules to believe she was going solo on her tee time.

“Well, hello, Jules,” Simon said to himself while he lowered his shades and peeked at the beautiful creature before him wearing a pink, form-fitting shirt and a tiny, gray, golf skirt that showed off her magnificent shape. Simon watched her lift her clubs out of the trunk, enjoying the way the sun shone upon her and how graceful she was. She truly was lovely. The woman was killing him in the best sort of way.

Jules easily swung the golf bag on her shoulder and walked into the pro shop.

It was showtime. Simon hustled out of the car and hurried to his trunk to grab his brand-new set of clubs. He’d remembered to remove the price tags this time. While he sauntered casually across the parking lot, his heart was pounding. It had been a long time since he’d been so attracted to someone. Last time he’d felt this way was with Penelope, but this was different. Something more was at play here. It went beyond attraction. He couldn’t put words to it. All he knew was he wanted Jules in his life. Perhaps even needed her.

A soft chime went off as he entered the pro shop, bustling with people buying apparel and equipment. Through the crowd, he spotted Jules at the check-in counter, biting her lip. His guess was she’d just found out that her solo gig was going to be a duo.

Simon strutted over, ready for another afternoon with Jules. More like days and weeks with her. “Hello, love.”

“Great, your partner is here,” the pro at the counter said.

A spluttering and blinking Jules held up her finger. “Just a minute, please.” She grabbed Simon and pulled him to the side. “What are you doing here?”

“Golfing.” Simon grinned.

“Did you know I was going to be here?”

“Let’s just call it a happy accident, shall we? Besides, this makes it much easier to chase you.”

Her tanned cheeks blushed furiously.

“You still don’t believe me, do you?” Simon guessed the reason for the heat in her cheeks.

“I don’t know what to think or believe right now.”

“I’d like to help you sort that out. Besides, I brought with me over four thousand random facts to share with you, to make up for every day I didn’t send you one over the last twelve years.”

“So you did know I was going to be here? How?”

Simon coughed, not wanting to lie to her, but he didn’t want to give up his secret either. He needed Sandra to keep feeding him info until Jules was 100 percent convinced Simon wanted a romantic relationship with her. And he didn’t want to cause more tension between mum and daughter. However, it disappointed him Jules wasn’t impressed he’d spent hours the night before compiling thousands of facts for her. “Like I said, a very happy accident.”

She tilted her head, not believing him, but an internal debate raged in her eyes about whether she should stay or go.

Simon desperately wished for her to stay. “Please, Jules, let me try.” He could tell those words touched her, but she still had to mull it over. While she thought, Simon couldn’t help but say, “You should know, I brought a bee sting kit with me. I’m ready to save your arse again if need be.”

She rolled her eyes and marched back to the counter.

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