Page 138 of Hale Damage
“I have no idea,” I muse, opening the SUV’s door and helping Mindy out before approaching my mother. Who’s apparently in Florida.
“Mom, hi,” I say, kissing her cheek. “You look fantastic.” She’s dressed in what she calls smart-casual with tailored chinos and a whitecollared shirt with a navy cardigan. Her feet are covered by canvas navy loafers.
“Thank you, darling,” she says sweetly before her eyes drop to my hand… which is still entwined with Mindy’s. The look of triumph on my mother’s face makes me chuckle.
“Mom, you remember Mindy,” I say, tugging her forward.
Mom takes my girlfriend’s shoulders and smacks a big kiss on the side of her face. “Hello, beautiful girl. I’m so happy,” she says in a low voice before stepping back, her sparkling brown eyes darting between us as her smile grows wider.
“We’re happy too,” Mindy replies, and my goddamn heart swells. She saidwe. I’ve never been awewith a woman before, and I think it’s my new favorite word.
“It’s really good to see you, Mom, but I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I wanted to come watch you play.” She turns her attention to Mindy. “Antonio tells me you’re playing too. That is fantastic, sweetheart. He said you’re quite skilled.”
Mindy shrugs. “I guess. It’s been a while since I’ve played, but it seems I’m not completely hopeless.”
“She’s wonderful,” I breathe out, looking down at my girl with what I’m assuming is a goofy, man-in-complete-love look on my face. Then something Mom said hits me. “Wait. Antonio?”
I swivel my head to see the man striding away from the black SUV he just parked. He blocks out most of the morning sun with his big frame dressed in black pants and a tan quarter-zip. He’s also wearing the cap Mindy bought for him.
Mom’s voice pulls my attention back to her. “Yes, when he drove me home after you and I had lunch a couple weeks ago, I told him I wished I could come to the tournament.” She pops one perfectly plucked eyebrow at me. “So we started scheming.”
“She’s the chief schemer,” Antonio says in his thick Irish accent as he approaches. “I’m merely the assistant schemer.” Then he nods at my mother. “Morning, Ophelia. Did you rest well?”
“Oh, well, yes. The accommodations were very nice,” she replies,straightening her cardigan with nervous fingers. Is she afraid I’m angry that she’s here?
I dispel that notion immediately. “I’m so glad you were able to come, Mom. It means a lot to me.”
She flushes a pretty pink and waves a hand at me. “I’ve always loved watching you play, Remi.”
“Where are you staying?”
“At the Avancé, same as you,” she replies. “Antonio picked me up from the airport last night.”
“I’m not sure what our dinner plans are…” I say, leaving the sentence hanging as I look down at Mindy and meet her eyes. While we were cuddling in the bed last night, she’d shared some of the details of her former marriage and how that dumbass Roger never prioritized her. He was a horrible, disrespectful partner to her, and I will never bethat guy.
“We should all have dinner together,” she suggests, her words accompanied by an enthusiastic head nod that tells me she’s not simply being polite, though I’ll check with her again when we’re alone to make sure.
“Mom, this is such a happy surprise,” I say, squeezing her dainty bicep. “Thank you again for coming. Mindy and I need to go get ready, hit a few balls and maybe practice our putts, but there’s a beautiful restaurant here if you’d like to get breakfast or have a mimosa.”
“Yes to both,” she says with a wink.
“Do you need me with you or should I stay with your mum?” Antonio asks.
I shake my head. “Security is pretty tight here, so you can go with Mom. I have an account here, so just charge everything to me.” I chuckle. “And don’t let her have more than three mimosas.”
Antonio gives my mother a playful glare. “I’ll do my best to keep the wild woman under control.”
It’s hard as hell keeping my hands to myself today, but I’m cognizant of all the TV cameras surrounding us. This is a huge event, and the press is swarming.
But when Mindy has a bad chip on the tenth hole, overshooting the green, the look of devastation on her face makes me want to pull her into my arms and hold her until she melts against my chest.
“It’s all right,” I say instead, patting her chastely between the shoulders. “Shake it off, Espinoza.”
“Yeah,” Cesar adds with a self-deprecating scowl as we stand a few feet from the green. “I fucking three-putted on the last hole.”
Chandler gives Mindy an encouraging nod. “You got this, girl. You’re still one under par, so just chip it up there and then nail the putt, and you’re back on track.”
