Page 94 of Tequila Tuesdays

The marshal sighed. “I hate groups like that. Yeah, it’s probably better if I approach them.”

A couple of minutes later we saw him ride his cart over to the group. We watched as he talked to them, and one of the men started waving his hands around and shouting.

The marshal pointed a finger in his face and the other three men stepped in and pulled their irate golf partner back. A couple of minutes later, the marshal rode over to us. “Play on through. I’m going to have the next two groups do the same.” He looked back at the culprits. “Just ignore them if they say anything to you.”

So we played through. When I stepped up to putt, I heard the man who’d been giving the marshal a hard time call me a “stupid bitch” under his breath.

It was a relatively long putt, and I was about to hit the ball when I heard him. I narrowed my eyes, breathed out, and focused. I was using my go-to chicken stick club, and I felt good about the shot. Maybe Ava’s golf meditation wasn’t such a waste of time after all. As soon as I hit the ball, both Ava and Olivia started walking toward me. We all knew it was probably going to drop.

“Lovely shot,” Ava praised.

“Nice putt,” Olivia added as my ball rolled into the hole.

“Thanks, ladies.” I turned slowly and stared down the man who’d called me a stupid bitch. I looked him up and down. Then I noticed one of his golf buddies smile and give me a quick thumbs up. My lip twitched, and I nodded briefly at him. Okay, they weren’t all assholes.

The holes ahead of us were empty thanks to the men behind us, and the rest of our round went smoothly. When we finished up, we loaded our clubs and headed home. All in all, it had been a nice afternoon.

We prepared Christmas dinner at Ava’s house. Olivia had put seasoned red potatoes and garlic chicken in a slow cooker and left it cooking while we golfed. I’d brought a salad and a loaf of fresh bread, and Ava pulled out a bottle of white wine.

“It smells so good,” Olivia moaned as we set the table. “I’m getting used to all this delicious food. It’s going to be tough when I get back to school.”

Shaking my head, I glanced at her. “You can cook for yourself.”

“Says the woman who only grills,” Olivia shot back.

I smirked. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

We finished putting the food on the table, then sat down and devoured the meal. Golfing must have made us all hungry. While we ate, we talked about Dad and past Christmases.

“Do you remember that Christmas we went to the beach after we opened our presents? And Dad put up the volleyball net in the sand?” I asked.

Olivia nodded. “Yeah. That was a fun day.”

Ava pointed at me. “WhatIremember is your father wrenching his back when he dove after one of your spikes. Hudson was in pain for a week afterward.”

My lips curved into a satisfied smirk. “Yeah. And he missed it.”

Ava looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

We watched a feel-good Christmas movie after dinner, then I said goodnight and headed home. As I walked toward my house and spied my Christmas tree twinkling through the curtains, I remembered Damien saying he wanted to fuck me under my tree. My stomach dipped, and I wondered what he was doing with his brother and dad.

Then I thought about my own dad and brother and tried to guess what we would have been doing tonight if they’d both lived. I also worried about Shanda and Bertie, and I wondered how they’d spent Christmas Eve.

As I walked into my house, my phone buzzed in my back pocket, and I pulled it out.

Damien: Merry Xmas. How about dinner at my place tomorrow night?

Ava and Olivia had invited Sheila and Grace over for Christmas day dinner. I’d bowed out, hoping Damien and I would be getting together.

Me: I hope Santa finds you. Dinner sounds nice.

Damien: Santa already gave me my present––you in my bed, the spa, and my bed again. And let’s not forget the shower.

Me: You’re making me all hot and bothered. Go be with your family. I’m going to take a cold shower.

Damien: Now I need a cold shower too. Good night, Legs. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

His text caused my vagina to spasm a little. I missed him, his mouth, and his hands on my body. My house suddenly felt too small, and I wandered into my backyard. Gary followed me outside and watched me pace. I was restless and charged. We’d only been together for a short time, and I already missed Damien when he wasn’t around. I worried about the fallout if things went south.

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