Page 18 of Of Pucking Course

“I appreciate that.”

“Oh, by the way, she’s dying to have you over for dinner to thank you for letting me move in with you.”

I met Del and Dakota’s mom, Nancy, a handful of years ago. My family lived out of state at the time, so she always had me over for family dinners and holidays. Whenever she packed leftovers for Del and Dakota to take home after cooking a big dinner for us, she’d always make sure to pack some for me, too. She sends me birthday cards and texts me encouraging messages when I play well. She’s such a sweet and loving person. She feels more like an aunt than my friend’s mom.

“Yeah, I’d love to come over for dinner,” I say.

“She loves having you. Especially because you always bring her flowers when you come over. You charmer.”

I shrug. “I can’t show up empty-handed. That would be rude.”

Dakota chuckles. This feels good, us joking and laughing like normal. The awkwardness from earlier, when I saw her in a towel, fades away completely.

Just then, her phone, which is on the counter, starts toring. She turns around and peers at the screen. Her smile fades instantly.

Concern flashes through me. “Is everything okay?”

She sighs and shakes her head. “It’s Jake. He’s been calling and texting me every day since I broke things off.”

That concern morphs into protectiveness. “That must be really upsetting,” I say, trying to keep my tone even.

“It is.” She’s quiet as she drops the veggies into the hot pan. She stirs them around as they sizzle and pop in the oil. “He’s going to try and convince me to get back together with him. I know he is.”

Dread settles in my gut at the thought of her getting back together with that douchebag.

Dakota looks up at me. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to.”

“Good. You deserve way, way better than him, Dakota.”

She flashes a sad smile. “I just don’t want to deal with him right now. I know I’ll need to communicate with him when we go through the divorce or annulment. But until then, I don’t want to talk to him. It’s only been a couple of days since we split. I need space.”

“That’s perfectly okay,” I say, holding back. I want to tell her that she doesn’t owe that piece of shit another minute of her attention. But she doesn’t need me to tell her that. She knows.

All she needs is a supportive friend. And that’s exactly what I want to be for Dakota.

“You’re handling this amazingly, by the way,” I say. “Not that you need me to tell you that. I just hope you know what a badass you are.”

She lets out a sad laugh. “I don’t feel like one.”

“You are.”

She’s quiet as she glances at her bare feet. “A badass wouldn’t have done what I did,” she says quietly.

“What do you mean?”

She looks up at me. Sadness flashes in her big, brown eyes. “I wanted a wedding, Sam. A big wedding in the fall at a romantic venue with all my family and friends. But Jake didn’t. So I eloped to make him happy. And when we planned the reception, I wanted to do it at Tinsley’s Tea Room, that fancy place that serves high tea in Uptown. But Jake said it was too pretentious. So we had the reception at that brewery because that’s what he wanted.”

She fiddles with the zipper of her hoodie before looking up at me. “I’m more of a doormat than a badass. A true badass wouldn’t have given in as much as I did.”

“Hey.” I step forward. “You’re not a doormat, Dakota. You did all that because you cared about Jake. And if he truly cared about you, he wouldn’t have been so selfish. He would have prioritized what you wanted, too.”

She nods, but I can tell by the defeated look on her face that she doesn’t believe me.

“Dakota, when it mattered most, you stood up for yourself. When it mattered most, you were brave.”

She starts to shake her head, but I keep going. “I’m serious. At the reception, you were so damn brave. You refused to go along with Jake because being with him after what he did to you didn’t feel right. Not everyone would have the courage to do what you did. That’s something to be proud of.”

Her expression is warm as she looks at me. “I guess I didn’t think of it that way.”

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