Page 41 of Flowers Near Me

“Okay, but how does a golf date sell a flower app? Because I’ve never played so you’ll have a lot on your hands trying to teach me.”

“You know, I’m delighted to hear you’re thinking about yourself and my hands.”

Persephone’s cheeks heated and with a subtle eye roll, she turned her head away towards the window.

Hades said, “It’s a chance for us to get to know one another better. It’ll just be the two of us on a practice course.”

Being comfortable with one another would help their fake dates look more believable. And it wasn’t as if she had anything else to do but wait until the marketing team finalized the ads’ scripts. She tried to keep herself busy, but she also wasn’t trying to help out Hades too much either.

“Have you swung a club before?” Hades asked.

“Never.” She held her breath, nervous about trying a new sport. Artemis’ Estate crested through their view. She’d attended events there before, but she’d no clue it had a golf course.

Once they arrived, an attentive pro-shop employee helped fit Persephone with proper shoes and clubs. She then joined Hades, who patted the seat next to him as he sat halfway in the golf cart, one long leg stretched outside, touching the gravel path.

Cozied next to him in the cart—made smaller by Hades’ large form—they whirred down the bending road, weaving through a scattering of towering cypress trees. Metal clapped together as their golf bags jostled. Apple green lawns lay before them like pressed bed linens across the expanse of the course.

Unbelted, Persephone bumped in her seat, hitting the side of Hades’ leg with hers.

“Sorry,” she said as she braced herself.

“Don’t be. Hold onto me.”

One side of his mouth quirked up as he lifted his elbow. She placed her hand in the crook of his arm, mesmerized by its steadiness as the golf cart dipped, jostled, and turned.

Past more cypress trees a lazy, rolling field of sage green grass. They pulled up to a driving range. Hades parked their cart and gathered the golf bags. Meanwhile, Persephone took in the rolling field before them.

Hades grinned as he set down their clubs. It was no surprise that the weight of two hulking golf bags proved to be no problem for him. Gods had unimaginable strength, but this display of raw power and slight twist of broad shoulders made her head spin. Fates, she needed to get serious about dating after all this was over. Just watching him had her almost drooling and that was simply not okay. This was thelastbeing she should be lusting after, no matter how incredible he looked.

Persephone pushed hard into her shoe’s sole, adjusting to their hug on her feet, trying to distract herself from her traitorous thoughts.

“Here you go.” He handed her a glove.

She slid her hand into the glove with a strong tug to stretch out her fingers. “I hope you’re a patient god.”

This was not gardening which allowed for imprecision. Nature could always course correct when it needed to. Golf demanded control and focus—and adept hand-eye coordination. Things Persephone grappled with in the best of circumstances.

Hades chuckled, putting on his glove, then grabbed a club from each of their bags. He handed her the driver and gestured with his towards the driving range.

“We’ll take it slow. Just focus on making contact with the ball.”

She muttered, “That’s what I’m most worried about.”

“You’ll do great.” Hades positioned his feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, facing Persephone. “For a driver, you’ll use a wider stance than the other clubs. You’re trying to give the head as much range of motion as you can while powering your hit with the strength of your hips and core. But remember, no matter your size or athletic ability, anyone with training can still drive a ball far. Focus on proper form and strike quality and don’t try to swing the club as hard as possible.”

Half of those terms made sense. The other half sounded naughty. “So… don’t swing it like a baseball bat.”

He smirked. “Right. You could get lucky but more likely, you’ll miss the ball or smack your club off the ground. The club is designed to propel the ball forward with the range of the head’s path. Focus first on getting your form right and making contact.”

“Alright.”

“See how my feet are positioned with my lead foot turned just a bit. Grip the club with your dominant hand’s pinky interlocking with your other hand’s pointer finger. We can mark your gloves so you can line your grip correctly with the shaft.” Persephone’s eyes jumped from his hands to his face, expecting a smirk or wink, but he continued with a straight face and calm tone.

“I’ll bring back the club with my lead arm straight and my back one at an angle, like this.” Hades demonstrated the motion with his eyes fixed on the ball on a tee. Persephone couldn’t help noticing the way his shirt strained across his muscled torso, emphasizing his broad shoulders and the sleek taper of his waist. He truly looked like a god.

With impossible speed, Hades brought the club into a full swing and ended with his back foot twisted yet stable under him and his arms and club nearly wrapped around his back. There was a distinctthwapsound,then the ball sailed, disappearing against the bright sky then descending onto a trimmed green patch far down the course.

“I thought you said don’t swing it as hard as possible.”

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