Page 14 of Last Second Chance

It was well-known that being coordinated wasn’t really my thing, and the game just highlighted that problem. I was lucky if I could even hit the ball with a club, much less get it anywhere near a hole.

It was a good thing that Summer sucked too. We played because everyone else was, but we didn’t take the game too seriously. We were more focused on conversation.

It was a nice day, and the golf course was so different from the part of the island where our hotel was located. We couldn’t see the beach from here. It was all lush green grass and cloudless blue sky. There were clusters of trees on the golf course, as well as a small pond that I was sure was full of little white golf balls.

“Are youaimingfor the sand trap?” Summer’s dad asked her after she hit her golf ball into one for the second time, and I snickered.

“Hey, don’t you laugh,” Summer said, pointing at me with narrowed eyes. “You’re no better than I am.”

I shrugged. “I have other strengths.”

Summer’s parents went on to the next hole. I knew that we were slowing them down, but they didn’t seem to mind. Everyone had started out on the course, but most of them had already finished and were heading to the club house.

“What made you decide to come today?” Summer asked when it was my turn.

I stepped up to the golf tee, where my ball was waiting. “Just looking to get away from the hotel for a bit.”

Looking to get away from Scott.But I wasn’t going to tell her that. I didn’t want someone else to tell me to give the guy a second chance. Both of our brothers were already singing that tune, and I didn’t know if they’d gotten her on their side or not.

I returned my attention to the game, ready to take my shot. I knew there was a technique to doing this right, but I was the type to just go with my instincts. Pulling the club back, I looked toward the hole as I swung forward.

Grass went flying as my club dug into the ground, and the damn ball stayed in place right beside it. Summer let out a loud laugh and I turned to her with a playful glare.

“Don’t you know you’re supposed to be quiet when someone is golfing?” I asked.

Summer’s neck craned as she looked across the green to where her parents were taking their shots at the next hole.

“Maybe we should just head to the clubhouse?” she suggested. “This game isn’t exactly going well for either of us.”

I smiled. “Now that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

We collected our balls and dragged our clubs to the golf cart. Abandoning the game early might not have been in the best spirit of competition, but we weren’t interested in that anyway.

When we arrived at the clubhouse and turned over the keys to the golf cart, we were taken to the bar. Most of the members of our group were already here, but Summer and I grabbed an empty table instead of joining the others. There was some kind of tension between her and her brother Michael today. I didn’t know what it was about, but I noticed that she was avoiding interacting with him as much as possible, despite the fact that this was a family-themed outing.

“You know, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something,” she said when we sat down.

A waitress came over to get our drink orders, and I stuck with an iced tea instead of alcohol. I was supposed to leave in about an hour to meet Ben for dinner. He’d texted me during the golf game.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked when the waitress left us alone.

“I was wondering if you’d let me set you up with someone.”

My eyebrows popped. I wasn’t expecting that at all. I guessed that she wasn’t on Scott’s side after all.

“You want me to go on a blind date with someone? Who?”

Before she answered, my mind conjured up a pair of kind hazel eyes. I shouldn’t have been thinking of Scott at this moment. It made no sense. He was ancient history.

Unbidden, the memory of him on the beach this afternoon floated to the forefront of my mind. He told me he wanted to get back together and while the idea of that scared me, I was surprised to find that I also felt reluctant about officially moving on from him.

As terrified as I was to open my heart to Scott again, I realized that a small part of me wanted to give it a shot. It was so stupid after what he’d done, but that didn’t make it untrue. I’d never felt more conflicted in my life. My love life was stuck in limbo.

“He’s a guy at my gym,” Summer said, redirecting my focus. “Very nice, a total hunk.”

“But not good enough for you to date yourself?” I had to ask.

Summer bit her lip through a smile. “I’ve considered it, but I don’t know...it seems like you guys might hit it off. He’s a physical therapist and I figured there might be some crossover with your acupuncture stuff.”

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