Page 66 of Keep My Heart
‘Nick, wait!’ I race to catch up to him, almost grabbing his hand, but then realizing I can’t. He doesn’t want that.
We get to the building and see it’s all boarded up.
‘I think the owner retired a few years ago,’ I say. ‘Nobody bought it, so now it just sits here.’
‘Why wouldn’t anyone buy it? People used to love this place. They’d still go if it was open.’
I smile as I look out at it. ‘My dad used to take us here. I’d always hit the ball off the course and it’d land in that little pond that used to be there.’ I point to it. ‘My dad would get his shoes wet trying to get it. And one time he fell and got his pants wet.’ I laugh, thinking about it.
‘But didn’t you end up getting a free game?’
‘I did. The owner felt bad and gave us a free game. How’d you know that?’
‘You told me during one of our study sessions.’
‘I can’t believe you remembered that.’
‘Good memory.’ Nick taps his head. ‘Worked out great during law school. They make you memorize a lot.’ He walks around the building.
‘Where are you going?’
‘Ha! I knew it!’ He comes back holding two rusty golf clubs and two balls, one orange and one blue.
‘Where’d you get that?’
‘Side of the building. There’s a sign saying anyone can play for free and to have fun.’ He smiles. ‘Ready to have fun?’
I glance back at the course. It looks terrible. The concrete paths are cracked and pushing up from the ground. The redwindmill has a blade broken off. The clown at the end has an eye missing and a mustache that someone drew on with a marker.
‘Come on.’ Nick holds onto my arm and pulls on me to follow him.
‘Are you sure it’s okay to do this? We’re not trespassing?’
‘If we were, you really think anyone would care? Look at this place. The gnome over there doesn’t even have a head.’
I laugh. ‘I’m pretty sure that used to be a squirrel, not a gnome. See the tail?’
‘Here.’ He hands me a club and the orange ball. Orange is my favorite color. I wonder if he remembered that. ‘You want to go first?’
‘You go. I haven’t golfed in a while. I need to warm up.’
He eyes me like he’s not sure if I’m kidding, then gives me a slight smile before focusing back on the course. He’s still wearing what he had on at the party; black dress pants and a light blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looks really hot, and of course, he’s wearing that great cologne I love. I’m getting that tingly feeling again and he’s not even touching me. Why am I having all these feelings for him? I mean, yes, we’ve spent almost every moment together since he got here, but that shouldn’t be enough time to get all crazy about him. Is Diane right and my feelings for him in high school were more than I thought? Maybe I just wouldn’t admit to myself how much I liked him back then because I was with Chris.
‘I gotta think of a strategy here,’ Nick says, kicking the ball in place with his foot. He swings the club back a little, then does it again, like pro golfers on TV do before taking a shot.
‘You’re taking this very seriously,’ I kid.
‘Miniature golf is a serious sport. You’ve got obstacles to get past. Water traps. Volcanos. Psychotic clowns.’
I laugh. ‘You’re right. I didn’t think about that. I’ll be quiet so you can concentrate.’
‘You can make noise. I don’t mind. Play some music if you want.’
As he’s lining up his shot, I get out my phone and find a song that was popular when we were in high school.
‘Good song,’ he says as he follows his ball to the other side of the hill that leads to the hole. ‘Holy shit, I got it on the first try.’
‘Really?’ I race over to see and there it is, in the cup. ‘Nick, that’s great!’ I hug him without even thinking. But friends can hug, right? It doesn’t have to mean anything.
