Page 75 of All Bets Are Off

I expected Dad to be stiff with his greeting, but instead he offered Olivia a warm smile as he took her hand and squeezed. “You look like you’re having fun.”

“We were just screwing around,” Olivia replied. It was obvious my father made her nervous. I wished for a way to make it better, but since he made me nervous, I had nothing to offer. “It’s nice to see you again Mr. and Mrs. Stone.”

I put my hand to her back to offer support.

“Oh, you can call us Ryder and Cora,” Mom said. “I mean … we are family.”

“Maybe call them Mom and Dad,” I suggested without thinking.

“Ryder and Cora will be fine,” Dad countered, shaking his head. His eyes snagged on Olivia’s visor for a moment, then theyslowly traveled to my visor. “Interesting hat choices,” was all he said.

“Thank you,” I replied, not missing a beat. “Livvie wanted a visor, and I know how much you want couples to match.”

“Yes, well…” Dad touched his tongue to his top lip. It was obvious he wanted to say something—and it wouldn’t be good—but he didn’t delve into the darkness and instead stayed in the light. “I understand you’ve never golfed before,” he said to Olivia.

“Yeah.” She scratched her cheek. “I’m not very good.”

That was an understatement. Olivia was actually terrible. She tried hard, though, which was the only thing that mattered.

“We’re not here to win,” I said. “That’s my father’s department.”

“Oh, are you good?” Olivia was guileless when asking the question.

Dad was smug. “I can hold my own.”

“He’ll win,” I said to Olivia. “He always wins.”

She gave me an odd look. “There are different types of winning,” she said finally.

Looking at her, in that moment, I could believe that. Of course, my father ruined it when he laughed.

“Beauty might be in the eye of the beholder, but victory isn’t,” Dad said. “Have you been practicing?” he asked me.

The only golf I liked was of the miniature variety. Some of my fondest memories were of Rex and me hitting the various hotel putt-putt establishments when we were teenagers. The only reason I could golf as an adult was because it was expected of me.

“Not really,” I replied. There was no sense lying. I wasn’t miraculously going to turn into a pro when I got out there. “I’ve had other things on my mind.”

“Yes, he’s a newlywed, Ryder.” Mom elbowed Dad in the side and gave him a significant look. “I know it’s been a long time, but I’m sure you remember what that was like.”

Rather than offering up a smile in return, Dad merely shook his head. “I hope you guys have fun.” His eyes lingered on Olivia. “Good luck today.” It almost sounded like a challenge, which was something I couldn’t wrap my head around. Why was he being antagonistic with her?

“Thank you.” Olivia’s smile was blinding. “I’m more interested in the party after, though. Zach says there will be prime rib.”

Mom chuckled. “You won’t be disappointed. It’s the party of the year. Everybody says so.”

“I’m sure it will be great.” Olivia slipped her hand in mine. “We just have to get through the pesky golf first.”

“The golf is the best part,” Dad argued.

Olivia wrinkled her nose. “I’m convinced golf was thought of by a guy who couldn’t play baseball. His fix for not being able to hit a fastball was to make sure the ball wasn’t moving. If you ask me, that’s cheating.”

Dad blinked. Then he blinked again. “Golf is a gentleman’s sport,” he said finally.

Olivia didn’t look convinced. “I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”

OLIVIA GOT A TWELVE ON THE FIRST HOLEand a nine on the second. By the time we got to the third hole, she was ready to call it a day.

“I’m just going to watch you,” she said as she sipped the iced tea I’d gotten from the beverage cart before we even started. I’d tipped the girl running the cart two hundred bucks to makeregular returns because I knew Olivia was going to be bored. It was money well spent in my book.

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