Page 103 of Fangirl Down

When she took a sip of water instead of answering him right away, his palms started to turn clammy. “Two to three weeks,” she said, searching his eyes. “The hurricane created such a need for rebuilding that they doubled the size of their crew. That should get us through the Masters, at the very least.”

He couldn’t be expected to speak when his throat was completely dry. “Yeah,” he managed.Two to three weeks?“The Masters.”

Something extremely worrisome was occurring to Wells.

A doubt that had been loitering in the back of his mind but with this revelation was making its way to the forefront, where it could no longer be ignored.

Could he even competewithoutJosephine?

When she left, who was going to talk him down off the ledge when he wanted to give up? Who was going to drop wisdom on him at the exact moment he needed it, in the perfect dose? No one, that’s who. There was no one else who had Josephine’s magic.

No one in the world.

When she left, where would that leave him? Sinking back down the leaderboard?

Would she want to maintain a relationship with someone who spent four out of every seven days on the road? Maybe she’d meet someone local. Another golfer, probably, since she worked at a pro shop. Andthisguy would benice!

Dear God, he needed a distraction. Anything to keep him from begging this woman to stay with him on the tour, like a selfish prick, instead of realizing her own dreams. Thankfully, the waitress chose that moment to drop the bill in the center of the table and sail away.

Wells stood, ripping his wallet out of his back pocket, credit cards spilling out. “Let’s go see that golf swing, belle. The fact that I haven’t yet is bullshit.”

“Ooh!” Evelyn patted her hair. “Now that’s some language.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” Wells muttered.

Josephine hooted a laugh.

“No, no! I’m paying!” Jim half shouted.

“Yes. We insist!” Evelyn chimed in.

Wells and Jim lunged at the same time, proceeding to rip the check in half.

Evelyn buried her face in her napkin. “Lord have mercy on us all!”

“You can pay next time,” Jim blustered.

“I can payeverytime!”

“Oh, like hell you will!”

Josephine burst into a laughing fit, falling back in her chair. With sparkling eyes, she looked over at him. “Are you sure you want a next time?”

“Yes, belle,” Wells growled, finally giving in to the unrelenting impulse to grab the leg of her chair and pull Josephine as close as possible, planting a firm kiss in the center of her forehead. “I want all of your next times.”

And he was dangerously close to asking her to remain his caddie indefinitely.

As in, forever. Through the Masters and beyond.

Apparently he was more selfish than he realized.

“Don’t think about the timeline,” she whispered.

“Impossible. But I’m going to try like hell for you.”Don’t kiss her mouth in front of her parents. You’ll never be able to stop.“Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” She brought her lips to his ears and whispered, “Happy birthdays, Wells.”

And there was nothing else to grab onto. Nothing to anchor his feet or keep him from slipping down the embankment into love. Total and complete worship of Josephine Doyle. He landed hard and didn’t even bother trying to get up.

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