Page 19 of Fore Better or Worse
As if I didn’t know that already.
I glance over at Sean and Nicole, still wrapped up in each other like they’re the only two people on the planet, and heave a sigh. She knows about Leah. About the pact. It’s not something I would keep from the woman who sacrificed so much for me. “I was going to invite Leah here this weekend.”
“But you didn’t?”
“No.”
Her eyebrows lift. “The Hays I know has always chased what he wants full throttle. No matter the consequences.”
“Then you’ll be glad to hear I’ve been learning patience lately. Not by choice.”
“Words I never thought I’d hear coming from your mouth.”
“Aren’t I full of surprises?” I say, wryly.
She smiles then pauses, her head falling to the side. “But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”
I shrug, unable to put words to what I’m feeling. We’re both quiet for a moment. When she speaks again, her voice is soft. “Any chance you’re jealous?”
“Of Sean?” I scoff, the suggestion laughable. “No. No way. That’s fucked up.”
“Language, Hays Michael,” she chides.
“Sorry. It’s messed up. I’m thrilled for them, really…” I trail off, because as I was standing up for Sean today while he vowed to have and to hold Nicole forever, all I could think about was how badly I want that, too.
“But watching your little brother get his happily ever after when you’re still waiting for yours—”
“Still trying to earn mine,” I correct, bitterness creeping into my voice.
“I thought you said Leah was right to insist you focus on golf. That you needed to win for yourself, not for her.”
“She is. It’s just… Sometimes, I wish that wasn’t the case.”
“When you’ve been chasing a single goal for most of your life, you can’t expect your priorities to change overnight, honey.”
She’s right, of course. She always is. We dance in comfortable silence for a few beats while I look off toward the ocean.
“If you ask me, I’d say Leah read you like a book.”
My gaze snaps back to my mom. “What do you mean?”
“The no-contact rule? Making you wait? She knew exactly what she was doing.”
“No, I—”
“Despite your talent, you’ve had to work at golf. Earn every win. Even if you tried to make it look effortless. You’ve never had to do that with women. They’ve been fawning all over you since you hit that growth spurt at fifteen and suddenly started flashing those dimples that make every girl within fifty miles lose her mind.”
I want to argue, but she’s not wrong. Golf has been hard work, but even my worst seasons on tour have been better than many players’ best years. But women? They’ve always come easy. Until Leah. “I hate that she saw right through me. Right from the jump.”
“Smart women don’t suffer fools.”
“And I’m the fool in this scenario?”
“Of course.” She squeezes my hand. “But the kind worth rooting for.”
The song changes again, something more upbeat, but we keep swaying. I catch sight of Sean lifting Nicole off her feet, and that familiar pang hits my chest.
“It seems to me you’re putting so much pressure on yourself that you’re forgetting why you fell in love with golf in the first place. When’s the last time you played just for the joy of it?”
