Page 40 of Putting Out
“Then I’ll leave this note with you, sir. It’s a thank you for dinner and the company.”
Pop took the folded paper and smiled. “A thank you on paper, she’ll like that.”
Luke walked over to Reilly. “I’ve got to go. Pebble Beach awaits.”
“We wouldn’t want you to be late for T.V.” Reilly beamed.
“No, it’s rather embarrassing when that happens. Too much silence and people will realize how boring golf is.”
Luke leaned into the living room. Kenny was standing and stretching his hand out.
The two men shook. “I’ll call. I’ll want to follow up on her progress.”
“Uh, doesn’t that mean you’ll have to call me since it’s my progress?”
Luke shrugged. “I’ll get more objectivity from Kenny. Speaking of which, you should listen toPop and call Odie. He may be a character, but he’s one of the best and he already understands the mechanics of your swing. There are new things out there that can help you. Things you haven’t had to avail yourself of because of your natural ability. New practice techniques, new dieting, new…”
“Please don’t say it,” Reilly urged.
“Tech-nah-logy,” Luke finished.
“You don’t say it half as twangy as he does,” Reilly pointed out.
Luke smiled. He shook Pop’s hand and walked to the door. Reilly followed him out to the porch then stopped him with a tug on his arm.
“What am I going to do if this all gets to be too much?”
She bit her lip in a sudden burst of nerves and wondered if Luke wouldn’t laugh himself silly. He’d never seen her like this. Never seen her this uncertain. She doubted he would know what to make of it, so the easiest answer would be for him to make a joke of it.
Please don’t make a joke, she thought.
“You’ll call me.”
Not realizing she had closed her eyes, she opened them to look at him. He didn’t seem amused.
“Really? Anytime?”
“Anytime.”
“Even in the middle of the night? What will your girlfriend think?”
“She’ll think I’m needed. She won’t be wrong. Besides, we’re not exactly living together yet. Not sure how that’s going to work out.”
A shimmer of happiness rippled through Reilly at the news.
“From a two-time divorcee to a three-time divorcee, you might want to take this one slow.”
“You know, I think you’re right. Slow is the way to go.” He turned to leave, then stopped. “You’ll watch me this week? I’m trying out some new suits. I’m going to need someone’s opinion.”
She snorted. “As if I would tune in specifically to watch you on TV.”
“You’ll watch. And you’ll call.”
“I’ll call. I won’t watch.”
He turned and left then with a negligent wave over his head. “You’ll watch!”
Before she could respond, he was already around the side of the house. Typical. He was so competitive, it was a contest to see who could get the last word in. She was half tempted to follow him, but then she heard the engine of his car come to life and figured it wasn’t worth the effort.
