Page 71 of All Bets Are Off

“Ah, you’re going golfing.” Rex looked delighted as he rubbed his hands together like an Austin Powers villain. “This is going to be epic.”

It wasn’t an overt dig at me, but I wasn’t an idiot. “I bet I’m a natural,” I said before thinking about what was going to escape from my mouth.

Rex burst out laughing. “Remember when you were going to be a cheerleader but couldn’t do a cartwheel?”

I was the only one in the building who could get away with pinching Rex—he was head of security after all—but I was vicious when grabbing his flank and twisting. “Remember when you thought that thirty seconds was something to strive for with a woman?” I growled.

“Ow! Livvie!” Rex jerked away from me, his nostrils flaring. “You’re mean now that you’re married,” he complained as herubbed his side. “You need to feed her some cake to soften her up or something,” he said to Zach. “It’s going to be a long eleven months if she’s going to continue being this mean.”

“I happen to like her mean.” Zach winked at me. “She’s going to need that mean streak to put up with the people at the tournament. Those society wenches are going to be all over her.”

“Yeah.” Rex straightened, his hand moving over his jaw. “I’ve been thinking about that. I don’t particularly like the idea of my sister being thrown to the wolves.”

“I don’t like it either,” Zach agreed. “Do you have an idea for getting us out of it?”

Rex worked his jaw. “No.”

“Just make sure you sell the idea that Livvie has never been on a golf course when you see my dad later,” Zach insisted. “Maybe if you stress how uncoordinated she is, he’ll change his mind.”

Rex bobbed his head. “I’m on it. I’ll tell him about the time she tripped over her own feet walking up the stairs to get her diploma.”

I split my glare between the both of them. “You guys suck. I’m not that bad.”

Rex looked smug. Zach at least had the grace to loom sympathetic.

“It’s going to be an interesting day,” Zach said finally. “We should probably get going, though. The course gets really hot after noon, so I would rather get this over with now.”

“I’m ready.” I beamed at him and tried to strike what I thought looked like a golf pose. Instead, I looked as if I was holding an invisible penis. “I’ve got this.”

Zach didn’t look convinced. “Yeah, it’s going to be a long day.”

I’D NEVER BEEN TO CANYON GATECountry Club, which meant I was surprised at the lush scenery that somehow didn’t manage to seem out of place in a desert. Sure, there were sandy spits with palm trees here and there, but there was grass, too. My favorite part were the water features. It seemed everywhere I turned there was a little waterfall.

“I love this,” I breathed as I changed back into my golf shoes.

Surprise registered on Zach’s face as he cast me a sidelong look. “We haven’t even hit the course yet.”

“It’s beautiful, though. I mean … when do you get to see stuff like this? We live in a desert.”

“Huh,” he said.

“That sounds like a loaded ‘huh.’”

He smirked. “It’s not. I just … you make me see my privilege sometimes, and it’s not a comfortable view.”

I turned to study his pensive features. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”

“I know. It’s just … you’re so excited about a water feature, and I can’t remember the last time I even noticed it. My father used to bring me here when I was a kid. Not to golf or spend time with me,” he hastily added. “I played with the other members’ kids. I remember it being fun. Somewhere along the way I forgot the fun, though.”

“You do realize you can be a responsible adultandstill have a good laugh, right?” I challenged.

His answer was automatic. “Of course.”

I frowned. “You don’t have to be your father, Zach. In fact, I would be disappointed if you turned into him.”

“I don’t want to be him,” he admitted. “I just don’t know if I want to be anything else.”

“You mentioned feeling lost the day you found me at the Purple Zebra to ask for my hand in marriage.”

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