Page 46 of Chasing the Sun

“Morning, Dr. Bradshaw,” said a young guy behind the counter.

“Good morning, Dustin. We need a bucket of balls for the range and a set of rental clubs for my…friend Chloe.”

“Sure thing.” Dustin set a bucket of balls on the counter and then turned to Chloe and said, “Step over here so we can get you set up.”

She felt like a stranger in a strange land as she eyed all the equipment to the right of the counter. There were clubs, shoes, towels, balls, tees, and other things she couldn’t name.

Bryce stood nearby while Dustin held up various clubs in front of her. Finally, he said, “These look like the right size.”

They all looked the same to her.

“What about shoes?” Dustin asked, deferring to Bryce. “She can rent a pair for twenty bucks or buy a pair for thirty. We’re having a sale today.”

“We might as well buy them in case she wants to come again.”

Come again? Really?

“What size shoe do you wear?” Dustin asked.

“Size seven.”

“Be right back.”

He disappeared through a curtain, and she sat down on a little brown bench and started taking off her sneakers.

“Don’t worry about the cost. It’s my treat,” Bryce said as he sat down beside her.

Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh. No. You don’t have to do that.”

“It was my idea, so I’m paying.”

With him sitting so close, she wasn’t in the frame of mind to argue. She just wanted to breathe him in. “What brand of cologne do you wear?”

He shifted on the bench and stared at her with surprise. “Why? Do you like it?”

“It smells nice.”

“Here we are. I have a couple of different styles,” Dustin said, holding two boxes.

She brought her attention back to the task at hand and tried to stop inhaling Bryce’s intoxicating scent.

Both men watched as she put a different shoe on each foot and stood up in them. She paced across the small area a few times and then pointed to the shoe on her left foot. “This one is the most comfortable.”

“Great. Can I get you two anything else?”

A private hotel suite would be nice.

“After we hit some balls, we might want to get out on the par-three course.”

“Sure thing. I’ll put you down for an hour from now. You can always cancel the reservation if you change your mind.”

“Okay with you, Chloe?” Bryce asked.

She nodded because, the more time she got to spend with him, the better. She wasn’t even considering she might not like to golf. What could be so bad about it? The weather was awesome, the course was gorgeous, and everyone seemed so nice. Plus, she liked how neat and crisp everyone looked in their golf attire, especially Bryce.

She hadn’t been sure what to wear, so she’d chosen a short-sleeved chambray blouse and khaki shorts, thinking that might be more appropriate than some of her other summer clothes. Now that she had golf shoes, she fit right in.

They stepped up to the counter so Bryce could pay, and she tried not to react when Dustin told him the total. Bryce didn’t flinch and simply whipped out his credit card.