Page 25 of Saving the CEO

She rolled her eyes. “It only works when it’s a genuine compliment.”

“That was genuine. I do think you’re a good teacher, especially for having to deal with a student like me. I know I can be hard-headed sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” She clamped her lips together before she got into more trouble. “I mean, aren’t we all? I’ll admit I have a bit of a stubborn streak myself.”

“I know.” He grinned widely. “I appreciate you owning up to it.”

Scarlett balked. She had no words. She’d lost her train of thought as soon as he laughed. It was the most genuine smile she’d seen on him, complete with crinkles at the corners of his ocean-blue eyes. His deep, rich laugh did something to her insides that she couldn’t control or ignore. Before she could react, Devin began walking toward the advanced course, the one farthest from them.

He turned around and waved. “Are you coming or are you going to forfeit the game?”

“Not a chance! Only losers forfeit!” She shuffled her feet, moving as fast as possible with her mismatched shoes. Hopefully her game would be more on point than her footwear because she was determined to win. As soon as she stepped up to the first hole, however, an unsettled feeling tugged at her heart.

What was she doing?

She was supposed to prepare Devin for his date, not put him in his place, no matter how much she wanted to. This was no time to play games—other than golf. She needed to put her pride aside and remember her purpose—to get her client matched and married. Thankfully, that wouldn’t be much harder to accomplish than winning at golf.

Scarlett was coming to see that Devin Kendall had his strong suits. Sure, he came off a little rough around the edges, but the more time they spent together, the more she appreciated about him. He was hardworking and quick-witted, and he had a good sense of humor. And somewhere deep, deep, deep inside of him was a heart that actually cared. The way he watched out for his siblings and made it a point to treat women with respect proved he had a soft side. It didn’t hurt that he was very easy on the eyes, especially when he smiled.

He really was the whole package. Which meant she had no excuse to fail at this assignment.

“Change of plans!” she exclaimed. “We’re both going to forfeit the game.”

“Excuse me?” His brows drew together as he frowned. “You were the one who told me to bring my A game, and now you want me to lose?”

“Let me explain. What I want is for both of us to win. I would be doing you a great disservice if I focused more on the game than on helping you prepare for your date, which is exactly what I didn’t want you to be doing. It’s time for a course correction. We’re going to focus more on talking and less on playing.”

“What was the point of coming to a golf course then?”

“So you and your date won’t be glued to your phones.”

“I wasn’t the one on the phone last night.”

“Touché. I meant so your date won’t be tempted to be on her phone.”

He grinned. “That’s more like it. So, I’m not supposed to win at golf, but I should win at the game of communication.”

“Yes, exactly! That way she’ll see what an amazing person you are and fall madly in love with you and want to marry you and have your babies. And one day, when those babies are older, you can bring them here and tell them all about the time you met their mom at Golfland and how you impressed her with your swings and, more importantly, with your awesome conversational skills. That’ll be some story to tell, won’t it?”

“You left out the most important part.”

“What’s that?”

Squinting against the sunshine, she glanced up, expecting him to make some kind of smart-alecky comment. Instead, he placed his hand next to her forehead to shield her from the sun’s rays. The gesture was surprisingly thoughtful and sweet. Despite the shadow that fell over her, she felt a warmth flood her chest. She could look into his face with ease now, but the tender expression she saw there made it hard to breathe.

“You forgot to mention yourself.”

CHAPTER13

Devin

Maybe he had said too much?

Devin dropped his hand, shocked at the truth of his words. In the most inexplicable, unexpected way, Scarlett Hayes had become an important part of this journey.

Perhaps even his life.

Emotions he’d never experienced before swelled in his chest. He couldn’t look at her without feeling hope and—dare he say it—joy. She was the most interesting woman he’d ever met. No other person could make him roll his eyes and laugh in the same breath. No one else made him feel so alive.

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