It was my day on the drink cart and if I didn’t show up then Bethy would have to do the whole course by herself on a Friday. That would be cruel. I couldn’t.

              “I have to work today. They’re expecting me,” I explained.

              He nodded and stepped back, “I know. Run Blaire. Run your cute little ass down stairs and get ready. I can’t promise you I will let you go if you stand here looking like that much longer.”

              Giggling, I ran past him and down the stairs. The amused laughter I left behind was perfect. Rush was perfect.

              The heat was only getting worse. I really wished Darla would let me wear my hair up. I was ready to take a bottle of that ice water and pour it over my head. I’d dry in seconds out here in this heat. Why were men golfing in this weather? Were they crazy?

              Pulling the drink cart to back to the first hole I noticed the dark head of hair that belonged to Woods. Great. Not who I was in the mood for today. Jace was probably wanting to wait on Bethy to make her rounds anyway. I could probably skip them. Woods turned and looked back at me and a smile touched his lips.

              “Back on the cart today. As much as I like having you inside this makes golfing a helluva lot more fun,” Woods said in a teasing tone as I pulled the cart up beside them.

              I wasn’t going to encourage his flirting. But he was my boss so I couldn’t make him mad either.

              “Back off, Woods. That’s a little too close,” Rush’s voice came from behind me and I spun around to see him walking toward us with a pair of dark blue shorts and a white polo shirt. Was he playing golf?

              “So she’s why you suddenly wanted to play with us today?” Woods asked.

              I didn’t look away from Rush as he walked toward me.  He was here for me. At least I was pretty sure he was. He’d asked me where I was working today during breakfast.

              His hand slipped around my waist. He pulled me up against his side and bent his head to whisper in my ear, “Are you sore?”

              He’d been worried about me being sore today and having to work on my feet all day. I’d told him I was fine. I just felt stretched. Apparently he was still concerned.

              “I’m fine,” I replied quietly.

              He pressed a kiss to my ear. “Do you feel stretched? Can you tell I’ve been inside you?”

              I nodded, feeling my knees go a little weak from the tone in his voice.

              “Good. I like knowing you can feel where I’ve been,” he said then pulled away from me and leveled his eyes on Woods.

              “I figured this was gonna happen,” Woods said in an annoyed tone.

              “Nan know it yet?” Jace asked. Blondie hit him in the arm and scowled at him.

              Why did Nan always come up? Would I ever know?

              “This isn’t Nan’s business. Or yours,” Rush replied glaring at Jace.

              “I came here to golf. Let’s not talk about this out here. Blaire, why don’t you get everyone’s drinks and head on to the next hole,” Woods said.

              Rush tensed beside me. Woods was testing us. He wanted to see if I was going to act differently now that Rush was making some claim on me publicly. I was here to work. Just because I had slept with Rush didn’t change my place in the grand scheme of things. I knew that.

              I stepped out of Rush’s arms to open the cooler and started handing out everyone’s choice of drinks. My tips weren’t as high as they used to be with this group. Except, of course, for Woods. I figured that would change today too.

              I could see the hundred dollar bill that Woods put in my hands and I was sure Rush did too. I quickly closed my hand and shoved it into my pocket. I’d deal with him later when Rush wasn’t watching. Rush walked up and stuck his payment in my pocket. He kissed me softly and then winked at me before he walked over to get a golf club from the caddy.

              I didn’t give Woods a reason to correct me. I quickly got back on the cart and headed for the next hole. The phone in my pocket buzzed startling me. Rush had tucked it in my pocket before I left this morning. I was having a hard time remembering I had it.

              I stopped the cart and pulled it out.

              Rush: I’m sorry about Woods.

              Why was he sorry? He had no reason to be sorry.

              Me: I’m fine. Woods is my boss. No big deal.

              I slipped the phone back into my pocket and headed to my next stop.

Chapter Twenty

              A driveway full of cars was not something I expected when I pulled into Rush’s after work. The golf course had gotten so busy that I’d only stopped to give them drinks one more time on the sixteenth hole. He hadn’t texted me again all day. My stomach knotted up nervously. Was this it? Had his brief moment of sweetness after taking my virginity faded away so soon?

              I had to park out on the edge of the road. Closing my truck door, I started the trek to the door.

              “You don’t want to go in there,” Grant’s familiar voice said in the darkness. I looked around and saw a small orange glow fall to the ground then get put out under a boot before Grant stepped out of his hiding spot.

              “Do you come to these parties to hang around outside?” I asked, since this was the second time I’d arrived at a party here to find Grant outside alone.

              “I can’t seem to quit smoking. Rush thinks I’ve stopped. So I hide out here when I need a smoke,” he explained.

              “Smoking will kill you,” I told him, remembering all the smokers that I’d watched slowly dying when I took my mother to chemo treatments.

              “That’s what they tell me,” he replied with a sigh.

              I looked back at the house and heard the music pouring out of it. “I didn’t know there was a party tonight,” I said, hoping the disappointment in my voice didn’t come through.

              Grant laughed and leaned a hip against a Volvo. “Isn’t there always a party here?”

              No, there wasn’t. After last night I thought Rush would have called me or texted me. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting it.”

              “I don’t think Rush was either. This is a Nan party. She sprung it on him. The girl has always managed to get away with murder where Rush is concerned. I got my ass kicked by Rush more than once growing up because I didn’t fall for her wounded puppy shit.”

              I walked over to lean against the Volvo beside him and crossed my arms. “So you grew up with Nan, too?” I needed something. Any kind of explanation.

              Grant cut his eyes at me. “Yeah. Of course.  Georgianna is her momma. Only parent she’s got. Well…” Grant pushed off from the Volvo and shook his head. “Nope. You almost had me. I can’t tell you shit, Blaire. Honestly when someone does I don’t want to be anywhere around.”

              Grant stalked back toward the house.

              I watched him until he was back inside before I made my way to the house. I prayed no one was in my room. If they were I was going to the pantry. I was not in the mood for Nan. Or the secrets surrounding Nan that everyone but me was allowed to know. I sure wasn’t in the mood for Rush.

              I opened the door and was glad that no one was standing around to see me arrive. I headed straight for the stairs. Laughter and voices filled the house. I didn’t fit in with them. There was no use in going down there and acting like I did.