Page 111 of Summer Ever After
She squares her shoulders as if she means business. “Okay, back to the lesson. I waggled, and now I have the perfect grip. Am I ready to hit the ball?”
“Those are just the first steps.” I move her body with mine as I show her how to pull back and shift her weight. “Let the club do the work. Don’t guide it. If your body isn’t working well, you’re going to get too armsy.”
She glances over her shoulder with a smile. “Is that what you tell all the girls when you teach them?”
“No.” I press a quick peck to her lips. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever taught before.”
“I find that hard to believe.” Jane’s grin grows, and then she snaps her eyes around, making sure no one saw our kiss.
“Alright, now try it on your own.” I reluctantly take a step back so she can hit the ball.
“That’s it? That’s all the instruction I get?”
“I’m not giving you every lesson at once. If you get too good, you won’t need my arms around you to demonstrate anymore.”
Jane rolls her eyes before lining up with the ball again. She takes her time, focusing on the few things I taught her. She swings the driver back and then forward, extending her arms through the target line, sending the ball shooting through the air.
“Get in the hole! Get in the hole!” she yells, turning to me with a captivating smile. “They say that on TV.”
“Yes, I know.” She’s absolutely adorable. I’m smiling so big I’ll need a plastic surgeon to get it off my face at the end of the night. “That’s a really good shot for your first time.”
She chucks the club at me, barely giving me time to react. “It’s your turn.”
“Okay.” I line up to the ball and glance ahead at my target, then pull back.
“Good luck!” Jane says behind me, causing me to drop my arms mid-shot.
I turn to her. “You’re not supposed to talk in the back swing.”
“That’s the worst part about golf. Everybody is quiet.” She folds her arms. “It’s boring.”
“It’s sophisticated.” My eyes squint to a playful glare. “Now, do you mind if I take my drive?”
She holds her hands up innocently, as if she plans to keep her mouth shut this time.
I begin my process again, lining up my body. The driver's head connects with the ball and sails into the palm trees on the right side of the fairway.
“Oh, boy.” Jane frowns. “Looks like silence didn’t help.”
“I meant to do that.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Why would you purposely put your ball in the trees? Are you just trying to let me win?”
“No.” I walk toward her, fixing my gaze on her brown eyes. “I plan on kissing you behind that big palm tree right there.” I point the golf club to where my ball landed. “So, the way I see it, that was the perfect shot.” I put the driver away and throw the bag over my shoulder as I head toward the trees. I glance back at her. “You coming?”
“Yes.” She stumbles after me.
I trudge ahead, suppressing my smirk.
Being on the course with Jane suddenly brings back all the things I love about golf. The excitement of shooting your first big shot. The complete control you have when you nail your mechanics. The excitement of never knowing where your ball is going to land. The challenge of playing against yourself. But the thing I love most is the game—just playing it for the fun of it.
Jane makes playing golf fun again.
Jane
