Games We Play (26 page)

“What are you having this morning? It’s on the house, of course. Briana made me promise,” Portia said, smiling from her spot on the other side of the counter, breaking into Kendall’s thoughts.

“Briana is yours, I’ve heard. A good little golfer,” Kendall said.

“It’s all she talks about. Golf this, golf that. She says you’re a pretty good golfer yourself, and more importantly, she said that Cooper thinks you’re good. And now you’re here in town, attracting the attention of her hero, Cooper. She wants to be you. Briana loves her some Cooper,” she said, smiling as she pulled out her pencil and pad.

“I’ll have an egg-white-and-cheese omelet, with coffee, black,” Kendall said, ordering her breakfast.

“Be right back,” Portia said.

Kendall continued her survey of the place. It was quiet here, with only a handful of customers this morning.

“So how long have you lived here? And what makes Cooper a hero?” Kendall asked upon Portia’s return.

“We made three years at the end of April. We moved here from Houston, wanting to give the girls a different life than we had, less big city. It was important to us for them to grow up knowing a sense of community, and we were lucky enough to find the Diner. I’m a chef by trade, and Alicia, my partner, works in Austin, financial consulting. She makes the drive up three times a week, and works from home the other days, Mondays and Fridays, which makes it easy for her to focus on our family.”

“You like it here?”

“Absolutely love it.”

“The town sure has changed a lot since it early days,” Kendall said.

“And I’m living proof of that. African American and gay, partnered with a Hispanic woman. We probably would have been driven out of town in the old days or strung up by our toes,” she said, laughing.

“Hard to believe that’s all gone. Too ingrained to be gone for good, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t say it was all gone. Nope. Myra and Cooper helped us get started, otherwise we might not be here. I’m a huge fan of the Cooper-and-Myra duo.”

“Really, so it’s a duo? I wasn’t sure.”

“Of course it is. No one comes right out and says it, but we’re not dumb—at least, I’m not. He and your aunt are behind the transformation this town has undergone, but it’s still a work in progress. No, it’s not done by a long shot. Not everyone who lives here is drinking the Kool-Aid, trust me. We get our shares of stares and hate, but we can live with that, since our lives and livelihood aren’t in jeopardy. A few people have been willing to get to know us. Living with people goes a long way toward dispelling the myths we have about each other,” Portia said.

“Amen,” Kendall said.

“Myra and Cooper have been good to this town, and Briana thinks anyone who plays golf like Cooper is hero material. He’s handsome too. I’m sure you haven’t missed that.”

“No, I haven’t,” Kendall said, grinning. “I didn’t know Cooper helped my aunt, though. I suspected as much, and I even asked him. He denied it.”

“As he should. Myra’s still the face of their giving, and most people believe her husband left her enough to do it all,” she said.

“But you don’t?”

“No, I don’t.”

“He’s quite a nice guy,” Kendall said.

“I think so,” she said, smiling.

“Why so secretive then?” Kendall asked.

“Women…well,
people
would be here lined up, hands out, and you know it. They are anyway. I’ve seen plenty of people show up at the pub, hoping to reel that one in. That will be hard to do, though. Cooper has some serious trust issues,” she said.

Kendall laughed, and spotting Destiny standing at the door, waved her over. She turned to face Portia, who suddenly had a huge grin on her face, like she had a secret.

“What?” Kendall asked.

“You do know that the women in this town are pulling for you in the tournament.”

“I’m just an amateur who loves to play.”

“Same as Cooper,” Portia said.

“You like him?”

“Love him, and if I played for the other side, I’d give you a run for your money.”

Kendall laughed. “I’m just here for the summer,” she said.

“You keep on believing that, girlfriend,” Portia responded, smiling as she walked over to the checkout counter, where a couple stood waiting to pay.

Friday night

“Kendall, your sister and your father are here,” Myra called out over her shoulder as she made her way to the front door. The door stood open, and she could see them through the screen door.

“Oh, you are just a pretty as your older sister,” Myra said, opening the screen door before pulling Lark into a hug. She caught Butch’s eyes and smiled. He looked the same, and had aged gracefully. She extended her hand out to him. He squeezed it and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“This is a wonderful surprise! I’m so glad you made it.”

“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Butch said, stepping into the house.

“Hey, sis,” Kendall said, pulling Lark in for a hug. Lark was the same height as Kendall, slimmer—really, more like skinny—and she wore her hair shorn short. She said it came in handy when working with cars.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, responding to all the attention, but there was a smile on her face.

“Come in. Have you all eaten?” Myra asked.

“No, not yet, but we thought we’d go by the pub and get something there.”

“You’ll do no such thing. I’m going to put together something for us, it won’t take but a minute. Come on into the kitchen,” Myra said, leading them down the hall.

“Butch, how was the drive?” she asked, looking over shoulder at him. He was handsome, with his short Afro, almost completely grey now. He was tall, like Vivian,
model
tall, and he’d managed to stay in shape, she thought.

“It was fine,” he said.

“What can I do to help?” Kendall asked, and Myra smiled before setting the sisters to work, while Butch took a seat at the kitchen table and looked on, talking and laughing, getting reacquainted with his former sister-in-law.

“You ready?” Butch asked the following morning from the passenger seat of Kendall’s SUV. They were on their way to the golf course. It was about six fifteen. She’d left home early, wanting to get in a few practice putts before the play got started, needing something to calm herself. Her nerves had been all over the place when she’d awakened this morning.

“I am,” she said, meeting her father’s eyes. She smiled in pleasure, happy to have him here, eager to see what the day would bring. She’d gotten up to find Aunt Myra and Butch sitting in the kitchen, a carafe of coffee between them, talking. Her dad was dressed in a pink polo shirt that matched the outfit that Myra had ordered for her. The dress was a perfect fit. It clung to her like a second skin, and she felt great in it. She smiled, picturing what she hoped Barnabus’s reaction would be.

Today would be a win-win, she’d decided. She was happy. Happy to be here, spending time with her family, playing in this crazy tournament. And regardless of the outcome, she’d spend the summer getting to know Cooper, at least in the biblical sense, and maybe a good friend would be the outcome. She could always use those.

“Do you feel comfortable with the course? Do you feel like you’ve gotten enough practice?” Butch asked.

“I do.”

“Mind if your old man caddies for you?” he asked.

“I would love that. Thanks again for coming down. It’s crazy that Aunt Myra has gotten so into this, that the town has gotten so into it, and I can’t help but get caught up in the drama of today too.”

“Lark says you’re a pretty good golfer.”

“I’m not bad, depending on the day,” Kendall said, chuckling.

“Well, this is the most fun I’ve had in years. It’s how I would have spent my time if I’d had access to you girls growing up. And Myra and George were never able to have children of their own, so I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to Myra to have you here. Meeting Lark was icing on the cake.”

“She told you that?” Kendall asked as she glanced over at him.

“She did.”

Kendall pulled into the parking lot, surprised again to see it was semi-filled with cars and trucks this early. She spotted Cooper’s truck parked near the clubhouse, and he stood outside of it, talking to the group of men that surrounded him. She recognized more than a few in the crowd of men, marveling at how at far she’d come since arriving in town a few weeks ago.

Cooper was decked out in a green polo shirt this morning, paired with darker, almost black shorts. He had those old beat-up golf shoes on his feet. Most of the men were wearing the same type of green shirt. A show of support, she guessed; and okay, maybe this whole thing was going to be fun.

She parked in the second row of cars since the spaces closest to the front had been taken. She glanced over at her father, who smiled at her. She was so happy he’d come.

“Is that the young man you’re playing against this morning?” he asked, eyeing Cooper, who was looking in their direction now.

“That’s him,” she said. He looked great, smiling all cocky. He even had the nerve to wink at her.
Be careful
, she thought to herself. It was a silent warning to protect her heart.

“Let’s go kick some ass, baby girl,” Butch said, holding his fist out to her. She smiled and knocked her fist to his.

Someone knocked on Kendall’s door window. It was Briana, the little girl golfer who loved her some Cooper. Kendall lowered her window.

“Hi, Briana,” she said.

“I thought you might need a caddie,” the girl said, smiling shyly. “I’m a pretty good caddie. I’ve looped for Cooper lots of times. We all have. I know the greens here better than anyone, almost as well as Cooper. I could help you beat him,” she said, serious as an attorney laying out his case to the jury.

Kendall smiled and glanced over at her father.

“That’s a great idea,” Butch said, smiling at the little girl.

“We women have to stick together,” Briana said, serious again, and pointing to her shirt. “Your aunt told my mom you were wearing pink, so I wore this to match you, and I’ve already checked out a cart for us. Do you need me to get one for you, sir?” Briana asked, looking past Kendall to her father.

“No, I have time. I’ll get my own. I’m Butch,” he said, extending his hand across for Briana to shake. “Kendall’s father.” Then he stepped out of the car.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Briana said.

“Think you can grab my bag from the back?” Kendall asked.

“Sure, I’ll put it in the cart for you,” Briana said.

“Thank you. I’m going to go check in first, and then I’ll meet you and the cart near the door. Will that work?” Kendall said.

“Yes, ma’am,” Briana said.

Kendall smiled, pleased to see a little girl so sincere and maybe even innocent. Kids like that were hard to come by these days.

Kendall met her dad at the front of her car. “I wish I could have had you when you were Briana’s age,” he said. “I would have loved to have introduced you to the game.”

“Me too. But we’ll make the best of what we have now,” she said.

“Agreed,” he said, and leaned over to place a kiss on her forehead.

She looked around at the sky, the sun starting to break through the clouds. It would be a gorgeous summer day.
Could life get any better than this?
she thought. Her dad stood beside her, his ever-present grin on his face, and her new caddie would be waiting for her in the cart in a minute.

“He won’t stand a chance against you in that outfit. You look so much like your mother,” Butch said before he looked away. “The prettiest girl around, she was.” He turned and started toward the clubhouse, Kendall by his side.

Cooper stood still, watching her make her way to them, to him. He’d been in the process of sipping his coffee when she’d stepped out of the car, and he’d almost choked. It was a crime to look that good, smooth brown skin against the pink of a dress that hugged her body liked he wanted to, as he
would
as soon as this was over. He wiped his mouth, almost laughing; one of the men near him had choked too, and a few others had cleared their throats. Luis turned to look at him, lifting his eyebrows in question.

“Would you take a look at that,” his friend said, smiling, eyes glued to Cooper, judging his reaction.

Cooper had pulled it together by the time Kendall stood in front of him. Seeing her here, dressed as she was, made winning this thing so much more compelling. If he succeeded, he’d have her for the entire summer, and that thought felt like a balm, soothing and surprisingly hopeful.

“Professor,” he said.

“Barnabus,” she replied, and smiled.

“You ready?”

“I am.”

“I see you have one of the best caddying for you today.”

“Hey, Coop,” Briana said, waving. She’d driven the cart over and sat waiting in it.

“Hey,” Cooper said, smiling at her. “You’d better check in,” he said to Kendall, stepping aside.

“Barnabus, this is my father, Butch Edwards,” Kendall said.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Edwards. Feel free to call me Cooper. I prefer it, actually,” Cooper said, and winked at Kendall.

“Nice to meet you, son,” Butch said, shaking Cooper’s hand.

“These are all friends of mine, citizens of Coopersville,” Cooper said, introducing the men who were standing around him, calling out each of their names. They were all on his side today, his support. She shook her head at that, and when she caught Cooper’s face, she thought she caught a similar expression there. An ain’t-this-a-funny-story look.

“See you at hole one in about forty-five minutes,” he said. She nodded. A few of the gathered men wished her luck, and then she and Butch made their way up the steps of the clubhouse.

Where have all these people come from?
Kendall thought, looking at the gallery that had noticeably grown in size as the match and the morning progressed. They’d started out with about ten people at the first hole. Aunt Myra had arrived with her buddies, all on her side, dressed in pink. A shirt, a pink ribbon tied around a hat, something that identified their allegiance to her to balance out the men who had come out to support Cooper. She had just shaken her head and teed off.