Page 70 of Second Chance Vacation

Liam jerks his head from left to right, only to fix on me.

“Dude—they aren’t even near us. Stop being paranoid.”

As I said, it only takes once.

One rogue ball and it’s over.

“You’re up, man.” I turn to Gabe, urging him to take his turn.

The absolutely massive redhead steps in front of me to hit the ball. Despite standing at nearly 6'7, Gabe is quite possibly the kindest dude I’ve ever met. A bit stocky, he reminds me of a linebacker, his shoulders directly in line with my eyesight as his frame swallows my sight.

Unsurprisingly, his ball overshoots mine by a long shot, landing just inches from the hole. I enjoy golf, but I’ve never been known for being good at it. Wes is out here a lot, but me? Not so much. My jaw drops as I watch his ball skate into the hole with ease. He slides his club back into his bag with little fuss. We actually might win the tournament, and I know it isn’t because Wes, Liam, or I are stellar at it.

“Where’d you learn to golf?” I ask, my jaw still unhinged.

“My dad was a golf pro, he’s retired now, but—I spent most of my childhood on the green.”

Well, that makes sense. I would’ve thought his dad was a football player, or hockey—or John Cena, but I’d suppose golf makes sense. It’s a sport, at least.

“Don’t give him more of an ego than he already has, Jackson.” Liam appears, slapping his hand on Gabe’s shoulder. The two chuckle to one another with an unspoken joke between them.

I can’t help but pull my phone out of my pocket, only to find no new notifications.

Of course.

We play a few more holes, and I'm relieved when I see the beverage cart barreling toward us. The sun bounces off of the silver hood, hitting me straight in the eye. I squint as I look off into the distance as it comes closer.

I’m surprised when I see Sage at the wheel. I didn't know she worked here.

Sage’s tight curls are piled in a bun on top of her head, with what appears to be the remnants of last night's makeup smudged below her eyes. Her thin athletic build is hidden behind the golf course-provided powder blue polo with the logo on it, with what appears to be a mustard stain smack dab in the middle.

“Oh, come on!” Wes complains as Sage jumps off the golf cart. “Why are you here?”

“I think it's pretty clear why I'm here. I'm working.”

“At a golf course? You knownothingabout golf. You've never even been here, probably. How did you even get this job?”

“Oh, don't be so patronizing…I got it how most people get their jobs. I saw a listing online and applied.”

Sage shrugs but doesn’t let up the death glare she is shooting Wes.

“You thought, hey, I should get a job at the one golf course that my brother frequents with his friends?”

“Believe it or not, Wesley, not everything's about you. You didn't impact my decision-making whatsoever.”

Wes looks like his head might explode. The moment I notice this, it appears Sage does, too. Her demeanor instantly perks up, a new pep in her step. Sage hops out of the cart and reaches into the back compartment. The cooled compartment is lined with options, some of which I’ve never heard of.

“What do you want?” she asks, not a shred of pleasantry in her voice as she turns to me, her new pleasant attitude lost on contact.

“Damn, Sage, just because Wes was a dick doesn't mean you need to be mean to the rest of us,” I respond, earning me a death glare. She lets out a sigh before turning to me with an overdramatized look of joy on her face.

“Jax, what would you like?” She grins from ear to ear, but it doesn’t meet her eyes.

“I’m Liam.” Liam leans over the cart, attempting to charm Sage. Despite her fixed gaze on me, he doesn’t relent. He leans in toward me to worm his way into her line of view, trying to shift her gaze to no avail. I’ve seen similar things happen before when guys hit on Sage. I know it's not going to fly, but I look forward to him crashing and burning with her.

Sage’s eyes look to Liam with a look of disgust, but it appears to roll off his back with little concern. He continues rambling on and on for what feels like minutes, trying to fill the silence that she leaves him with, but at no point does he appear to take the L.

“It’s not gonna happen, man.” Wes laughs before turning to his sister, cutting off Liam’s constant jabbering.

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