Page 13 of Broken
Disappointment flashed in his eyes. “Okaaaay.”
She kissed his cheek. “Love you, Daddy.”
The next four hours turned out to be a lot of fun. Focusing on hitting a small, white ball was the perfect distraction from the constant frustration that hounded her on a daily basis.
After the game, she rode home with her dad.
“Thanks for trying to fix me up,” she said. “I—”
“It was all Ted.” Her dad pulled onto the main road. “He saw your picture in my office and asked about you. I’ve golfed with him, so I figured it would be okay to include him as our fourth. Do you remember that time it was just the three of us and the starter added that guy? I still see him around the club. What was his name?”
“Frank. His golf horror stories are permanently inked on my brain.”
Her dad laughed. “I don’t remember them.”
Jacqueline stared at him. “Seriously? The story about the spectator at a tournament who got hit in the head with a golf ball. Then he followed up with the story about the golfer who decided that stopping the cart with hislegwas a smart move.”
“Right, and his leg tore… or did it become dislocated at the hip?”
Jacqueline shuddered. “It pretty much got ripped out or something, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman who got hit in the head—”
“Wasn’t there more to that story?”
“Yes!” Jacqueline exclaimed. “Her eyeball popped out of the socket!”
“Ew, that’s right.” After a brief pause, he said, “So, maybe Ted wasn’t such a bad choice after all.”
“For golfing, Dad. Not for dating.”
“Have you gotten settled into your job?” he asked.
“It’s okay. I loved working in Winchester. Being able to pop home on the weekends and see everyone was perfect. Then, everything went to hell… and here we are.”
He offered a fatherly smile as he pulled into the garage. “It’ll all work out. You’ll see.” He cut the engine.
She thought of Janey, and her heart stuttered. “You always say that, Dad, but sometimes it doesn’t.”
“I know, dear, but it’s good to be positive, right?”
The guilt swirled around her, but she forced a smile. “Absolutely.”
After pulling her golf bag from her mom’s SUV, she hugged them both.
“You aren’t coming in?” her mom asked.
“I heard back from Leslie and I want to spend some time with her before I have dinner with Keith and Naomi, plus I kinda need my puppy fix. Talk about addictive.”
“Your brother or the dogs?” her dad asked.
She laughed while her mom shook her head at him. “So corny, honey.”
Jacqueline hugged them, again. “Love you guys. Thanks for golf. It’s the best therapy.”
“I love you,” her mom replied. “I’ve missed you a lot, Jaqueline.”
Her heart ached. Maybe coming home had been a bad idea. It only churned up how much they’d missed each other.
“Why don’t you visit me?” she asked as she headed toward Naomi’s Jeep.
