Page 125 of Hale Damage
I chuckle. “That’s one of Captain Dubois’s little jokes. She thinks she’s funny.”
“She has a great personality. I guess I expected a pilot to be more solemn or something.”
Taking down our small suitcases, I set them on the cabin floor. “Don’t let that fool you. Eliora Dubois is a bona fide badass. She was a highly-decorated Air Force captain before retiring.” I lift the handle of Mindy’s suitcase and slide it toward her. “You can go change first if you want.”
“Thanks,” she replies, heading off with her hot-pink case dragging behind her. Her larger matching suitcase is stored below. She told me earlier the entire set was a Christmas gift from her aunt since luggage was one of the things she no longer owned after leaving her idiot husband.
Well, ex-husband now since her divorce went through a couple weeks ago.
Mindy returns a few minutes later looking like a goddamn dream in a short white skirt, teal polo, and pristine white sneakers with her red hair pulled up into a thick ponytail at the crown of her head.
“This is okay for the golf course, right?” she asks, startling me from thoughts of wrapping those locks around my fist while I pull her head back to give my mouth access to her neck.
I clear the gravel from my throat. “Yep, looks great.”
By the time the plane descends, I’ve also changed into a navy collared shirt, khaki golf shorts, and a blue Ping cap. “So you’re just playing a practice round today?” she asks from the seat beside me.
“Yes, Chandler, Auburn, and Cesar are meeting us there.” I cast her a sidelong look. “You don’t have to come today if you don’t want to. We have some work to do this evening, so Antonio can drive you to the hotel if you want to just relax during the day.”
She shakes her head, bouncing her ponytail around her shoulders. “No, I’d like to come watch you. I’ll bring my laptop and check emails or whatever.”
As soon as the plane touches down, I turn on my phone, surprised to see multiple texts from Auburn and Cesar. Checking the first one, my heart sinks.
“What’s wrong?” Antonio asks, on high alert across from me.
“There’s a snowstorm in the Northeast, and Bouvier’s plane can’ttake off,” I answer miserably. “They’re predicting it won’t be until tomorrow.”
“But the tournament starts tomorrow,” Mindy frets.
I blow out an aggrieved sigh and flip through Cesar’s messages. “Yeah, I know. Cesar is trying to find a replacement player at the last minute.”
“What about Simmons?” Antonio asks, unbuckling his seat belt.
“He tore his Achilles playing pickleball,” I reply. “Just had surgery a couple weeks ago.”
“No, the other Simmons.”
I shake my head. “He’s in Italy for his anniversary.”
While the crew unloads our baggage and places it into the sleek black SUV I rented from a private company, I scroll through the contacts in my phone, texting no fewer than fifteen people who could possibly fill in for the fashion tycoon.
The majority of them are still on extended holiday vacations at various places in the world, none of which happen to be Florida. “Shit, this is a nightmare,” I mumble as the SUV rumbles out of the hangar.
“What about Antonio?” Mindy suggests, and my driver lets out a bellowing laugh from the driver’s seat.
“Oh, lass, he’d do better to get a chimpanzee to fill in. I’m a terrible golfer.”
“He is,” I agree. “I’ve tried to teach him, but he’s hopeless. He shot a 149 the last time I got him on the links.”
Mindy covers her mouth with her hand but is unable to hide her giggle. “That is bad. Maybe we can stop by the zoo on the way and check out their chimp selection.”
He winks at her in the rearview, not the least bit offended by her teasing, and I smile a little at the interaction. Antonio is quite taken by Mindy, not in a sexual way… more like a fatherly vibe, though he’s not quite old enough to be her father.
I message and call more guys I know, even those who aren’t the best golfers because I’m feeling desperate at this point. Absolutely no one is available.
Cesar and Chandler meet us at the front door to the country clubwhen we arrive. I put my disappointment on the backburner for now and introduce myself to the famous golfer.
“So pleased to meet you. I’ve been watching your career since you were in college. I’m a huge fan.”
