36 - Haley
36
Haley
After the Worthington interview, I was able to turn my attention—and my anxiety—toward my date with Lucas tonight. I left work early so I could spend an hour trying on different outfits, eventually settling on a bright summer dress that was snug through the waist and complimented my cleavage better than anything else in my wardrobe.
There was no baseball practice today thanks to a softball tournament being held at the park, so Bran dutifully sat on the bed and helped me get ready. Which mostly consisted of him making car noises while playing with his toys. He’d been obsessed with cars since Lucas had babysat, dethroning his previous obsession with dinosaurs.
Lucas pulled up to the house for our date promptly at five-thirty. He got out of the car and walked up to the porch before I could leave my sister’s house.
“I’m surprised you wanted to meet so early,” I said. “Are we getting dinner with all the seventy-year-olds?”
“Dinner is later,” he said. “First, we’re taking Bran somewhere fun.”
I blinked. “We are?”
“You are?” Bran squealed.
Behind me, Sara giggled. “I knew all about it. He called to make sure Bran was ready to go.” She held out a pair of his shoes. “Have fun, you three!”
I glared at her. It was obvious what she was doing.
But I couldn’t be mad as we got into Lucas’s car and drove away together. This felt strange… but it was nice, too. Bran was bouncing with excitement in the back seat, demanding to know where we were going.
He lost his mind when we pulled into the Putt Putt parking lot.
“You have no idea what you’ve done,” I said with a laugh. “He’s been begging me to bring him here for months since this place opened.”
“It’s possible that he mentioned it while we were playing with cars last week,” Lucas admitted.
I got in line to buy our tickets, but Lucas put an arm out to stop me. “Already got them online.”
I snorted. “I was supposed to be paying for this evening, as a thank-you for your help with Bran.”
Lucas held up a finger. “You said you’re paying for dinner, which is after mini-golf. This part of the date is on me.”
“You were always good at arguing technicalities. I guess that’s one thing that hasn’t changed since high school.”
“You knew each other in school?” Bran asked.
“We sure did,” Lucas replied, putting a hand on his back and leading him toward the equipment counter. “Let’s get our putters and golf balls. What’s your favorite color?”
“Blue!”
Lucas gasped. “That’s my favorite color!”
I felt like I was lighter than air as the three of us started playing. Lucas was like a loving father, giving Bran pointers and encouragement. They also had a friendly rivalry going to see who could do the best—and Lucas was magnanimous enough to let Bran win half the time, keeping the competition close.
By the time we reached the eighteenth hole, the two of them were tied. It was the stereotypical gimmicky design with a rotating windmill at the end, and a tunnel that shot the ball down to a lower level where the hole was. I went first, timing my shot poorly and hitting the arm of the windmill. Bran and Lucas giggled together like children, but covered their mouths and pretended to be concerned.
“Ouch, tough break,” Lucas said.
I rolled my eyes at them, but secretly I wasn’t offended. I was happy the two of them were bonding so well together, even if it was over my poor performance.
Lucas went next. He timed his shot well, launching his ball into the tunnel. We looked over the railing at the lower level—the ball emerged from the tunnel, heading straight for the hole. But it was moving too fast, and bounced off the rim before rolling a foot away.
“Ouch, tough break!” Bran said.
He glanced at me.
“You have to be careful what you say around him,” I warned. “He’s like a sponge.”
“Apparently.” Lucas leaned on his putter like a cane. “That’s a tap-in for me. No pressure, little man.”
Bran frowned in concentration as he stood over his ball. He watched the windmill rotate for a long time, then pulled back the putter and swung. The ball rolled past the moving obstacles and into the tunnel. Once again, all three of us went to the railing to watch the ball emerge below.
It seemed to stay within the hidden tunnels for an exceedingly long time. Bran’s eyes were the size of saucers as he waited. Finally, the ball appeared. It rolled slower than Lucas’s, but it was heading right toward the hole.
“Come on,” Bran whispered. “Keep going!”
The ball rolled right up to the lip, pausing on the last dimple for two long heartbeats. Just when we thought it would stay there, it plunged into the hole.
“YES!” Lucas shouted.
A sign above the hole flashed brightly, and there was a fanfare of celebratory music. Bran whirled around and looked at me, then at Lucas. “Did it really go in?”
“You bet it did!” Lucas said.
An employee emerged from the nearby building. “A hole-in-one on the eighteenth hole means you win a free round of golf. Congratulations.”
Lucas hoisted Bran up onto his shoulders, then ran around the pathway shouting excitedly. I had never seen my son so happy, giggling and grinning like he’d won a major golf tournament.
As I watched them celebrate, my heart sang .