Chapter Nineteen
Daniel
“I ’ m guessing you have to work tomorrow?” I looked at Wren over the rim of my mug of coffee while at brunch at the Four Seasons. Valentine’s brunch, but we were not allowed to make mention of it.
We’d spent a glorious night in her bed—so I wasn’t going to argue. Then, as promised, I went to get my stuff from the hotel.
“Yes, some of us have to work.”
I felt the smile on my face lift. “I work. Mostly…”
“I’m kidding. You gave your whole life to golf and made it big. I don’t begrudge you.”
Unable to take the compliment, I said, “Speaking of golf, I spoke to Peter earlier and we can go to The Country Club this afternoon if you want… I can help you. You know, be the one standing behind you, correcting your stroke.”
“Is that so?”
“It sure is.”
“Can you gallivant into any club you want?” She took a bite of her apple pancakes, a droplet of gooey syrup holding space in the corner of her mouth. I couldn’t resist reaching my thumb over and swiping it off. “Better?” she asked me.
“I would have liked to lick it off…”
“Shhh, back to the club. Can you go anywhere? Is that how it works?”
I felt my head nod. “If I want. There is usually someone I know connected with the place, but I play at home these days. Occasionally, one of my buddies asks me to go to Scotland…to Bandon. We could go if you get your swing right.”
She giggled, swiping her mouth with a napkin. “I hardly think I’m Bandon material. The club was a stretch, but I had to go where I had connections.”
“I forgot to say…your partner? Another golf friend for me to be jealous over.”
I was joking. After the night we had, I was feeling confident I was the only man occupying Wren’s fantasies.
Much later at the course, to be absolutely certain, with my arms wrapped around Wren, her ass tucked in my groin (a little deeper than necessary but I wasn’t complaining), I said, “Hope you don’t plan to sleep a lot tonight.”
She shanked the shot. “No fair, you sabotaged me,” she said, turning and kissing my cheek.
I’d never played golf and felt so flirty at the same time, except for a few times in college. I loved the way my passion was coming together with Wren. “Oh shit, do you have surgeries tomorrow?” I asked, gathering Wren close.
“No, but I do see patients and will need some rest. So hurry up the golf lesson, lover boy.”
“That’s a threat I can handle.”
She was already back in her stance, black pants and royal blue long-sleeved golf shirt tucked in, a vest over it, looking the part very much. It was a mild day, and we were able to utilize the outdoor range. I didn’t ask where her seemingly newfound golf wardrobe came from…telling myself she’d bought it while thinking about me.
“So, what are you doing tomorrow?” Wren asked me as we made our way back inside the clubhouse.
“I actually have to go back to Los Angeles. Since this was a last-minute trip,” I said with a wink, “I have a meeting scheduled with one of the studios on Tuesday morning.”
“Are you getting into acting?”
“Not exactly. They’re discussing a remake of a movie…the hero is a deadbeat golfer and the heroine is his savior. And they want to discuss my interest. Either as the lead or a cameo.”
“Wow! So, you are acting?”
“Ryan actually suggested me for the part. That’s how La La Land works. She’s all about who you know and being in the right place at the wrong or very right time.”
“So if I invited you back to visit, you might not be able to come?” She stopped us and tucked herself into my side, looking up at me.
“Oh no. I make my own terms. I would come…”
Another wink from me, and a Shhhh from my lady.
“How did it go?” Ryan yelled into the phone.
“Dude, where are you?” I asked, setting my phone on speaker next to my chair.
“Vegas. Belated Valentine’s thing with Lady Gaga. Except there is some sort of party in my suite.”
“Only you.” I laughed.
“Hey, when Gaga invites you, you don’t say no.”
“Never.” I took a slug of scotch. It had been a long day, mostly filled with wondering what I’d agreed to and what that meant for Wren and me.
“Well?”
“I’m in, I guess. They made it hard to say no, especially since you’re producing it…a minor detail you forgot to include, yeah?”
“Ha!” I heard Ryan slam his hand down. “They told you? I wanted you to say yes regardless of me.”
“I guess now we’ll never know. I am apparently the next big star of the big screen, playing your broken yet redeemable washed-up golfer in a remake of an eighties blockbuster.”
“It’s not biographical…”
“Damn straight. Now I have to explain to Wren you have been secretly wooing me, pulling puppet strings. Some friend you are.”
Ryan laughed. He knew I was kidding. We had been friends for a long time. We’d caused our fair share of Hollywood trouble, and had enough steak dinners followed by cigars together to know one another’s buttons.
“How is Little Miss Birdie?”
“Wren to you, tough guy.”
“Oh, so things are progressing? I promise you we are not going to be filming for long, plus there is an East Coast portion. We are thinking of filming on-site.”
“Yeah, call Peter at The Country Club. He owes me a favor or ten.” I couldn’t help but throw the prick under the bus, and he for sure would be obligated to make it work after he’d thought he had a chance with my girl.
“I will make a note, but it’s time for me to go have fun.”
“I bet.”
“When Gaga asks…”
“Yeah, yeah. See you back here soon.”
I disconnected the call and decided to act like a twentysomething, snapping a pic of myself outside and sending it to Wren.
I captioned it, Looking for a Birdie .
I proceeded to wait like a man twenty years younger, and then felt like an Adonis when she replied.
My favorite place. Company isn’t that bad either.
I inhaled and thought about what my next move was. Call, text, volunteer the information…
How was the meeting? Am I texting with an actor now? Do I need to sign an NDA?
Quite possibly , was my response.
I wasn’t sure how I went from not having Wren in my life to feeling as if I was about to let her down, yet the easy banter between us always put me at ease.
I couldn’t dwell on it because my phone rang, and there she was, hooting and hollering.
“I’m at the office, doing some charts, but I want to hear everything.” Her high pitch did little to conceal her excitement.
I gave a quick report of how enticing the offer was—the money, the potential endorsements, and of course, Ryan being behind the entire thing.
“So, his first time producing. He must’ve had you in mind when picking the project.”
I hadn’t thought about it that way. “You know, you’re so smart. I’m also guessing by now you’ve caught on that I’m no longer basking in peddling golf lessons.”
Wren cleared her throat, and when she spoke, it was soft enough for just me. “Danny,” she said my nickname, “you are making a movie. It’s exciting, and something maybe you’ve always wanted to do and didn’t know it. I know better than anyone that we shouldn’t waste any dreams.”
“I will visit. Maybe you’ll come back and see the set?”
“I will. And I still need more golf lessons from the multiple majors winner turned actor, Daniel Campbell.”
I felt myself sigh and breathe out relief.
“I have to go. Genie is still here, working late with me, and I want to let her go. But talk soon?”
“Wouldn’t miss talking to you ever, Birdie.”
She disconnected the call without anything further. And I had no idea what the warm feeling in my chest was, but it was there, pulsing and breathing life into me.
Maybe it was the scotch?