Page 102 of Love is a Game

“I meangolf swing, darling,” Raquel clarifies, though the smirk on her lips suggests otherwise. “I was on a European golf tour—purely as a spectator, of course—but I had averyhands-on tutor.” She winks.

Violet swirls her champagne. “Definehands-on.”

“He wasveryinvested in my form,” Raquel purrs. “And let’s just say…I picked up more than just tips on my backswing.”

Susan gasps. “Youseducedyour golf instructor?”

“Oh, Sweetheart.” Raquel flicks a hand. “That man had legs like a goddamn gazelle, I didn’tseducehim, I justlet nature take its course.”

Violet raises an eyebrow. “And…where exactly did nature take you?”

Raquel grins. “The thirteenth hole.”

Mia slaps a hand over her face. “Mother.No.”

“Ohyes, Darling,” Raquel continues, clearly delighted. “An open green, the scent of freshly cut grass in the air, my dress hiked up over my hips while he—”

“Okay, okay!” Vivian holds up a hand, laughing. “Wegetthe visual.”

“Do you?” Raquel teases. “Because there I was—legs wrapped around him, my bare ass pressed into the green, when…”

Mia groans. “Please don’t say the sprinklers came on.”

“Oh no.” Raquel winks. “But your father sure as hell did.”

A collective gasp ripples through the group.

“No.” Susan breathes.

“Yes,” Raquel says proudly. “Caught red-handed. Or should I say,bare-assed.” She pauses for dramatic effect, then continues. “Bennett waswildlyjealous. At that stage, we’d only met a handful of times. His father was sponsoring the event, we’d flirted…”

Mia eyes her mother suspiciously. “Mom. Did you initiate sex with the golf instructor just to make Dad jealous?”

“What?” Raquel feigns innocence. “I hadno ideaBennett was so captivated by me that he’d go after the poor guy. That it would turn into a full-blown brawl. A crowd gathered. Police were called. And then…Bennett swept me away on his yacht.” She sighs theatrically. “The rest is history.”

She takes a gulp of champagne. “Including our divorce a decade and a half later,” she adds drily, “when he—” She looks at Mia, then waves a hand. “Well. That’s a whole other story.”

“Thanks, Mom, for at least keeping some semblance of privacy,” Mia mutters.

Raquel takes a contemplative sip of champagne, then sighs. “I never did learn how to golf.”

I lift my glass for a refill and adjust my shoulders against one of the water jets.

Then I realize everyone’s following my movement.

It suddenly dawns on me that I’m next.

“Um…well.” I laugh nervously. “Suddenly, I wish I had a golf story.”

Chapter 31

Tuck

I should have known this wouldn’t be simple.

When my mother called for a pick-up, I foolishly assumed that meant they’d be waiting. Like ready to go. Instead, I’m idling outside the resort’s grand entrance, staring at the empty curb like a clueless Uber driver ghosted by his passengers.

I check my phone. No updates.

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