Sweet Harmonies (26 page)

Ryan nodded decisively, “Sounds Good. I'm
in.”

At that moment, Kyle Austen Reed jogged up,
glowing with happiness over his victory, and the chance to
glad-hand with his fans.

“
Did I hear mini-golf?” he enthused,
throwing one arm around Justin's shoulder and the other over
Ryan's, “I'm in! I played a pro golfer in Two Under Par, and I've
been a true golf enthusiast since then. Of course, that golf wasn't
of the miniature variety, but I feel that a nice windmill or two
should only add to the experience, don't you agree?”

“
Uh...sure...” Justin said, leaning his
head back to again mouth the word 'sorry' to Ryan.

Ryan shrugged. He had made up his mind to
enjoy this evening of group fun regardless of what happened or who
was there. He was done trying to orchestrate things, and being
disappointed when they didn't work out precisely as planned. He was
going to go with the flow, come hell or high water or Kyle Austen
Reed.

Chapter 17

Karina woke from a deep 12-hour sleep to the
pealing of her front doorbell. She waited to see if it was going to
repeat before taking action. Since Sam's early morning visits had
commenced, there had been a couple of occasions where she had
awoken in the middle of the night to the sound of her front
doorbell ringing, only to realize after investigation that it had
actually been a nightmare, and no one was at her front door.

As the bells trilled again, however, she
resigned herself to the fact that this was, indeed, happening in
reality – Dammit, someone was at her front door, and she was
willing to bet that that person was five foot two with auburn hair
and running shoes.

Karina padded down the stairs and opened the
door, mumbling, “Well, I was a third right,” as Sam, Amanda, and
Lauren stepped into the entryway.

“
What?” Lauren asked.

“
Nothing,” Karina sighed, “What are you
guys doing here?”

Sam eyed Karina up and down, taking in the
boxers and tank top she wore, and the disheveled hair, “You're not
wearing that, right?”

Karina glanced down, “Well, it seems that I
actually am wearing it.”

Amanda said, “She means not wearing it to
Putt N Stuff, smart ass.”

Karina shook her head to clear it, “OK, am I
still dreaming? What are you talking about?”

Lauren interjected, “We're going to Putt N
Stuff, didn't Sam text you?”

Sam said, “I thought Amanda was texting
her!”

“
I don't know why you thought that, I
never said I was going to text her,” Amanda shot back.

Lauren said reasonably, “Well, we're telling
her now. Karina, jump in the shower. We're going to Putt N
Stuff.”

Karina shuffled back up the stairs, heading
for her master bathroom and grumbling, “Well, OK then, since you
asked so nicely...”

“
Hey, wash off your grumpy attitude
while you're in there!” Sam called cheerfully after her.

Karina's only response was to hold up her
hand, middle finger extended, as she continued up the stairs, her
stride unbroken.

When they heard Karina's door close, the
three of them huddled up.

“
We should have told her Ryan was going
to be there,” Amanda said worriedly.

“
I was thinking we should have told her
Kyle Austen Reed was going to be there,” Lauren responded
dryly.

“
Well, I was thinking we should have
told her....shoot, I don't have one,” Sam finished,
frustrated.

Lauren smiled a small, wry smile, “Well,
she's a big girl. I think she can handle unexpectedly seeing two
gorgeous, talented men who both happen to be tripping over
themselves for her attention without forewarning.”

Amanda still looked worried, “Either that, or
the three of us are dead.”

Lauren chuckled a bit, “Either way, I think
it's going to be fun to see how this plays out.”

At that, Amanda and Sam punched lightly in
her respective shoulders, and she said, “Ow! What was that
for?”

Sam smiled, “No handy couch cushions to hit
you with!”

--- ~ ---

As they pulled up in the parking lot of Putt
N Stuff and climbed out of the car, Karina asked, “So, ladies, what
is up with this sudden nostalgic need for a girl's night at Putt N
Stuff, anyway?”

The other three looked at each other
uncomfortably, which made the hair on the back of Karina's neck
stand up.

“
Alright, what aren't you telling me?”
she asked, stopping to stand stock still in the middle of the
parking lot, “We're not going any further until you come
clean.”

Amanda, pulling her along by the arm, said,
“No, it's nothing. Nothing worth getting hit by a car over, to be
sure. It's just that it's not a girl's night. Justin's meeting us
here with the guys.”

Karina narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “The
guys?”

Amanda nodded, “Yup.”

“
What do you mean by 'the guys'
exactly?” Karina pressed.

“
The people with penises,” Amanda
sassily shot back.

“
Precisely which penised
people?”

“
Oh, you know...” Amanda said vaguely,
“Just the guys that happened to be around and playing basketball.
Except Jake, he had a shift. But Justin, and Eric. And, ya
know...Ryan.”

Karina sighed, “There it is.”

Amanda mumbled,
“AndmaybeKyleAustenReed...”

Karina stopped again and stared at her,
“Amanda Jacobs, you say that again right now, and this time in a
normal voice!” she demanded.

Amanda sighed, “And maybe Kyle Austen Reed,”
she admitted.

Karina shook her head, and then slapped her
palm to her forehead, “Do you mean to tell me that I'm about to hit
tiny balls into whimsical wooden structures for the next two hours
with both Ryan Perkins and Kyle Austen Reed?”

“
And you thought Kafka had mined all
the bizarre scenarios there were to be had,” Lauren
joked.

“
Franz Kafka never met Kyle Austen
Reed,” Karina groaned.

“
Come on, guys,” said Amanda, “I see
Justin waving at us from the window. No more discussion, it's time
to go in.”

Karina closed her eyes, clenched her teeth,
and forced her feet to step one in front of the other via sheer
force of will. Also, through sheer force of will, she plastered on
her bright, happy smile when she walked into the lobby and saw Kyle
Austen Reed and Ryan Perkins both turn to her and smile, pretty
much simultaneously.

Karina, who prided herself on being confident
and self-possessed with the press, with fans, with collaborators,
with executives – in all types of situations, and under tremendous
amounts of pressure – was at a complete loss as to what to say or
do next.

Luckily, Amanda jumped and saved Karina from
a truly awkward situation.

“
So, since we have an even number,
let's pair up, shall we?” she asked, and then, barreling ahead
before anyone had a chance to respond, she continued, “I figure we
should pair the pro with the pro, here – since Kyle Austen Reed
played a golf pro in Two Under Par, and Sam has the undisputed Putt
N Stuff all-star score, never been beat – the two of you should be
together. Eric and Lauren, Ryan and Karina, and Justin and me. Any
questions? No? Good.”

“
Wow, Amanda, I think that was one
breath,” said Sam, impressed.

“
Off we go!” was Amanda's only
response.

The group approached the counter, bought
their tickets, selected their putters, and got in line to begin the
course.

Kyle Austen Reed and Sam were the first of
the four pairs to begin the course, by mutual agreement.

“
No one wants to get in Sam's way when
it comes to something competitive,” Karina had observed, and
everyone agreed.

Amanda continued, with a wink to Karina, “So,
then Lauren and Eric can go, and then Justin and me, and last but
not least, Karina and Ryan.”

Karina felt a little embarrassed about the
seemingly obvious (to her, at least) machinations of her friends,
but overall she was just relieved to put as much space as possible
between herself and Kyle Austen Reed while spending time with
Ryan.

When it was finally Karina and Ryan's turn to
to play, Ryan gestured grandly ahead of him, “Ladies first!”

She smiled and stepped ahead of him, bending
down to position the bright red golf ball she had chosen before
taking her swing. She tapped the ball and it went flying toward the
green, bouncing around the wooden bumpers several times before
coming to rest just inches from the round hole in the center.

Justin threw his head back and laughed
heartily, “Well, as I can attest from several other situations,
your approach is far from traditional, but it is highly
enthusiastic and ultimately successful.”

Karina laughed, “My motto is always go big or
go home!”

As Karina and Ryan played through the various
holes, putting their way through wooden castles and windmills,
through tunnels and bridges, they chatted and laughed. From time to
time, they would look up and wave to Amanda and Justin through the
trees, or occasionally to Lauren and Eric. Karina thanked her lucky
stars that Kyle Austen Reed and Sam seemed to be far enough ahead
that she never caught a glimpse of them, or vice versa. She felt
comfortable forgetting about the fact that Kyle was even here and
just relaxing with Ryan.

As they talked and laughed, Karina glowed
with the normalcy of it all. This was a real date. Only her second
ever real date. It wasn't something she had ever thought she would
get to experience; she just figured it wasn't in the cards for her.
But now, look...here it was, happening. She looked up at Ryan and a
feeling began welling up inside of her that she couldn’t quite put
her finger on. Ryan was making it happen. Although it scared her
half to death to even allow herself to start entertaining the
possibility of relying on another human being, she began to
imagine, in spite of herself, a future with Ryan, one that was as
blissfully normal as this mini golf date was.

Could it be possible? She knew that other
people were able to have it, but could she really be that lucky?
Was there a possible future scenario where she lived here in Hope
Falls, with Ryan, like a normal couple? She knew there was a reason
why she ordinarily wouldn't allow herself to indulge in such
fantasies, but, she was having a hard time holding herself
back.

When Ryan placed his hand on her lower back
to guide her to the next hole, it felt right. When Ryan took her
hand in his and escorted her up or down a step, or over a little
bridge, it felt right. When Ryan smiled at her and called her
'sweetheart' with an affectionate gleam in his eye, it felt
right.

She sighed to herself happily. Everything
about her and Ryan felt right.

The best part about the evening, though? She
realized that she was truly relaxed around him for the first time.
Oh, sure, the spark was there. The sexual tension. But she didn't
feel like this idiotic Karina-bot person that she had felt like
around him in the past.

She was completely being herself. She was
cracking jokes, and making wry observations, and he was laughing at
them! Best of all, he was returning her volleys at an equally
quick-witted pace.

As they walked out of the end of the course,
Ryan impetuously threw down his club, whisked Karina into his arms,
and spun her around. When he sat her back down on her feet, he
planted a passionate kiss on her lips, drawing his face back when
he was done and brushing her hair back gently from her face.

“
Wow,” she commented breathlessly,
“That was pretty inspired. What got into you?”

He smiled, “I don't know. I'm just having a
really good time with you. I feel like we're really getting to know
each other, you know? I'm loving talking with you, and joking, and
laughing. I mean, I already knew I could spend the rest of my life
looking at you and never get tired of the view. Now I'm realizing
that I could spend the rest of my life talking to you, as well, and
never get tired of the conversation. It's a good feeling. It's
like...”

“
Intellectual intercourse,” she popped
in, “Forebrain foreplay.”

“
Ha! Exactly!” he laughed, kissing her
again.

She took his hand in hers, “Come on, we
should probably go in. They're probably waiting for us.”

He looked at the building in the direction
that she was gesturing.

“
Cool, OK. What's in there?”

“
Oh, you know. Food court. Arcade. The
'stuff' part of Putt N Stuff. We'll probably all get pizza or
something.”

“
Sounds good, let's go!” Ryan said
enthusiastically, heading toward the door without letting go of her
hand.

The thought of Kyle Austen Reed didn't occur
to her until they were almost to the front door, and she had a
sinking, twisting sensation in her gut.

She realized that she and Ryan had not
actually had a conversation about what exactly her relationship
with Kyle was. Hell, she and Kyle had never actually had that
conversation. Not that he'd hear anything she had to say. But she
didn't want things inside to be any more awkward than they had to
be.

Right before they entered the door, she
pulled Ryan to the side, and around the corner of the building.

Ryan looked down at her pinched and worried
face and said, “What's wrong? Did something just happen?”

Karina shook her head, “No, no, nothing like
that. It's just something that just occurred to me. It's about Kyle
Austen Reed.”

Ryan smirked repeating, “Kyle Austen
Reed.”