Page 74 of Love Lessons
“Don’t mention it,” she sniffs. “You know how much I enjoy proving you wrong. You and everyone else, I guess.”
I take her face in both hands. “Then I’m glad I could provide you with this opportunity.”
When she finally smiles, I kiss her.
TWENTY-FIVE
Is This Golf Day? Or Team Shrink Day?
IAN
I squintup the fairway toward the hole, wondering how to handle this next shot. My golf game is not very graceful. I can move the ball—just not always where I want it to go.
“So, is this going anywhere?” Neil asks me.
“Let’s hope so. Which club should I use?” Neil knows golf better than I ever will.
“Here.” He hands me an iron from my bag of rented clubs. “But I wasn’t talking about the twelfth hole. I was talking about Vera.”
“Oh.” That wasn’t the question I expected. “No, man. She has some big date coming up when we go back. An old flame. Long term was never our plan.” I square the club’s head with the little white ball. I set my shoulders the way you’re supposed to, and then I draw back and whack it.
The ball flies through the blue Italian sky before landing a good ten yards past its destination.
“Too much heat,” Castro says.
“Yeah, yeah.” We pick up our golf bags and head toward the green.
“You two would be good together, though,” Neil says. “Long term.”
“You’re the only one who thinks so.” I laugh. “We have exactly nothing in common, except for sexual chemistry.”
“That’s a good start,” he says. “But I bet you’re wrong. Having stuff in common is more than golf versus shopping. It’s how you look at life. Vera is a really good person. Loyal to the core. Willing to do anything for her friends. You’re kind of the same, but with a side of trust issues.”
“Is this golf day? Or team shrink day? And I do not have trust issues.”
“Uh-huh,” says Castro, who’s known me even longer than Neil has. “I was there when your ex hopped into bed with her new man about ten minutes after you joined the team. You gave a big speech on the jet about how relationships were for suckers. Women just exist to fuck with you—that’s a quote. And how you would never again trust one of them. Then you got that massive tattoo on your chest because your ex hated tattoos. And Massey talked you out of adding ‘NEVER AGAIN’ in giant letters, too.”
“That wasyearsago,” I scoff.
“Exactly,” Castro says. “And you never dated anyone since.” He lines up his shot and chips the damn ball right into the hole.
“Nice shot,” I say, trying to change the subject. “What are we doing for lunch later?”
But Neil isn’t ready to let it go. “Isn’t your ex’s wedding coming up?”
I never should have told my guys about that damn wedding. “Sure. So what?”
Neil dusts off his putter. “You should take Vera. You’d have more fun, and she could meet some wealthy social climbers who buy dresses and designer shoes.”
“My ex’s wedding? That’snota woman’s dream date. Not to mention that she would have to meet my parents. My mother would assume that Vera and I were dating, and then I’d have to answer questions about that.” Worst idea ever.
“It was just a thought,” Neil says, lining up a perfect putt.
But now he’s got me thinking about it. The truth is, I’m starting to really enjoy Vera’s company. Neil is right that matching hobbies isn’t everything. Not that I’ll admit it to his face.
Besides, having Vera along at the wedding to dance with me and critique everybody’s outfit would actually make the whole thing much more entertaining.
It’s tempting. But then my mother would get big ideas…
