Chapter 9 #2
Who was he kidding? He hated the idea of one visiting her period.
But if he knew what was good for him, he’d keep his big trap shut.
While Liv clearly enjoyed spending time with him, Matt wasn’t sure how invested she was in their relationship yet.
And the last thing he wanted was to send her running in the opposite direction because she thought he was a jealous asshole who tried to control who his girlfriend spent time with.
And, yes, although he hadn’t come to town looking for a relationship, he thought of Liv in those terms. Most of the time, he sensed his feelings were reciprocated.
Every once in a while, though, Liv sent him some confusing messages.
If that continued to happen, he’d address it with her, but for now, he was going to enjoy spending time with her and getting to know her better.
He’d passed by the recreational complex located about twenty minutes outside of town several times, but he’d never been.
But during a conversation earlier in the week, Liv mentioned how much she enjoyed mini golf, and a visit to Smugglers’ Cove seemed like a great start to their day.
In addition to mini golf, the complex also offered guests batting cages, boats that could be rented for a relaxing trip around the lake, go-carts, and a ropes course.
While he’d only planned for them to play mini golf, if Liv wanted to hit some baseballs or complete the ropes course before moving on to his second surprise of the day, he wouldn’t object.
“Smugglers’ Cove,” Liv said when he turned into the parking lot. “How did you know I like it here?”
“The other night you said you loved mini golf.”
“I did?”
“We were talking about things we loved to do when it’s nice outside. And based on the reviews, this place has the best course in the state.”
“The reviews are not wrong. When I was younger, I used to come all the time with my friends. It’s been well over a year since I was here.”
Matt navigated his way through the crowded parking lot. It appeared as though they weren’t the only ones taking advantage of the gorgeous weather.
“Are we just playing mini golf while we’re here?”
“I’ll leave that up to you, but I do have plans for us later this evening, so we can’t spend all day here.” He took her hand as they moved away from his car.
“They sell Heavenly Ice Cream here, which is out of this world. And since I know your little secret, I think we should get some.”
“You had me at ice cream. Consider it done.”
Based on the complex’s website, the facility actually consisted of three separate courses.
The one labeled bronze was a basic, family-friendly nine-hole course with silly, cartoonlike animals placed throughout it.
The second one, labeled the silver course, consisted of eighteen holes, and according to the website, the shots were more challenging yet not impossible.
The gold course sounded the best to him, however, and it was the one he’d opt for today if left up to him.
The website’s description said the course’s twenty-four holes were spread out through a maze of trees and flowers.
In the pictures, a small stream flowed past several of the holes and sometimes even through many of the greens.
He imagined more than one player had their ball land in the water instead of where they’d intended.
A teenager chewing gum and wearing far too much makeup looked up from her cell phone, a look of pure annoyance on her face when Matt greeted her. “Bronze, silver….” The teen’s voice trailed off, and as her eyes doubled in size, he knew what was coming next before she continued.
“Oh. My. God. I know you!” The teen hopped to her feet and covered her mouth with her hands. “You’re Matt Sherbrooke, the lead singer of Eclipse.”
He’d never been so happy that no one was around.
Today was the first time they’d ventured out in public together.
While he’d suggested outings before, Liv always insisted she’d rather either stay at her house or his.
He didn’t want their first outing in public to turn into a spectacle.
But if the teen didn’t turn the volume down a few notches, people were going to get curious.
“I love your music. I’ve seen you in concert three times. Is the band going to release any new songs soon?”
Matt glanced at the teen’s name tag. “I don’t know, Kirsten.”
“Can I get your autograph and a picture? My friends are never going to believe you were here.” Even before he answered, the teen slapped a piece of paper and a pen in front of him.
Nodding, he pasted on a smile. The sooner he gave the fan what she wanted, the sooner they could be on their way. “Sure.”
Four pictures and an autograph later, Kirsten remembered she was there to work, not fawn over customers. “Do you want tickets for the bronze, silver, or gold course?”
“What do you think, Liv?” he asked as several more people got in line behind them.
“The gold course is my favorite.”
“Gold it is, then.” He handed over his credit card.
Kirsten gave Matt a scorecard as she ran the credit card. “The balls and clubs are behind you. Return them here when you’re done.” Smiling, the teen handed him back his credit card and then grabbed her buzzing cell phone.
At the equipment rack, Matt reached for the red ball, and his fingertips landed on it just as Liv’s did.
“If you want this one, I’ll take another color,” she said, moving away.
He didn’t much care what color he used. They all did the same job. “Doesn’t matter to me. I just thought you’d go for the pink or yellow one.”
Liv selected a purple one instead before removing a red ball and handing it to him. “Purple and red are my favorite colors. They always have been. Certain shades of blue and green, I like. Yellow, I hate, and pink ranks down near the bottom, unless we’re talking about nail polish.”
Matt made a mental note of the details. A guy never knew when it might be useful to know his girlfriend’s favorite colors.
Somehow, they managed to make it through the whole course without losing a ball in the water.
After, they both attempted the final extra shot of the course.
The shot was beyond difficult, and if a customer made it, they received a gift card for five free visits.
He’d watched the group ahead of them try the shot, and they’d all missed.
He’d assumed the same would be the case for him and Liv.
It wasn’t.
While his ball missed the hole as he’d expected, Liv’s didn’t.
Instead, she hit the ball, sending it up the ramp and through the narrow opening. Then it landed in the hole instead of the gap surrounding it, which was where most players’ balls ended up—his included.
“I’m shocked that you made that last hole,” he commented as they waited in line for ice cream. “Are you a mini-golf pro or something?”
Not only had Liv made the impossible shot at the end, but she had made all but three holes under par. Kirsten, the employee at the customer service booth, told them Liv’s score was the second-best ever for the course and added their scorecard to the Wall of Stars.
“Is that even a thing?”
In his peripheral vision, he saw the trio of young women walking toward them and somehow knew they weren’t coming over to get in line for ice cream.
“I have no idea.” Matt momentarily considered getting out of line and heading in the opposite direction, but he dismissed the idea almost immediately.
The group had seen him, and if they were determined to talk to him, they wouldn’t care if he got out of line.
Instead, they would follow them, possibly creating an even bigger scene than if he stayed where he was and talked to them.
“I knew it was you,” the tallest of the group said when they reached him. “Nadine said I was crazy and that you’d never be here, but I knew she was wrong.” The twentysomething nodded toward the dark-haired woman standing next to her.
“Sara didn’t believe you either,” Nadine replied.
“We’re, like, your biggest fans, Mr. Sherbrooke,” the first woman said.
As he’d expected, thanks to the trio, other people were turning their attention toward him and Liv.
“Lyndsey is right. We even flew to Oregon once to see you because your concerts in Boston and Portland were sold out,” Sara said. “Can we get your autograph and some pictures with you?”
What he wanted was to get some ice cream and then enjoy it while taking a walk with Liv along the path they’d passed on their way over here. Any other day, he would’ve agreed without blinking an eye. He wasn’t alone, though.
“I can get our orders while you do that,” Liv said before he could ask if she minded.
“Are you sure?”
Most of the women he’d dated didn’t like it when random fans interrupted them while they were out.
“Yeah, just tell me what you want.”
“Surprise me. You know what I like.” Matt kissed her cheek before stepping out of line.
As often happened, once people saw him with other fans, they decided to approach him too. Not only did he take photos with the trio who’d first spoken to him, but he also posed with ten other fans.
Before anyone else decided ice cream was a good idea and recognized him, he headed for the picnic table where Liv was waiting for him.
Matt kissed her cheek before sitting next to her. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault, and I don’t really blame them. Last summer, if I’d been about to get in line for ice cream and I saw you standing there, I would’ve done the same thing.”
Something between a laugh and a snort escaped him. He’d gone into the restaurant more times than he could count in the past, and she’d never asked him for anything more than his lunch order. “No, you wouldn’t have.”
Liv raised a spoonful of ice cream toward her mouth. “Yeah, you’re right. I wouldn’t have done that to you. But if it were Jordan Mead or Travis Hart, I would’ve been just like your fans earlier. I am, like, their biggest fan,” she said, altering her tone to match the young woman’s.
“And all this time I thought I was the member of Eclipse you liked the best.” Sighing, Matt shook his head. “I can’t do it today, but I promise I’ll introduce you to Jordan or Travis so you can get their autographs and some pictures.”
Although he knew Liv was being silly, he did want her to meet his friends and his family, which was something that rarely happened with the women he dated.
In fact, the last girlfriend he’d introduced to his family had been Juniper Stanley.
Seven years ago, she’d been an up-and-coming actress with a recurring role on a popular sitcom.
Thanks to her acting ability and the attention she garnered from being with him, she was now a household name with four blockbusters under her belt and another being released this fall.
Before her rise to movie dominance, he’d thought she might be the one.
After her first film catapulted her to the top, however, she’d changed—and not for the better.
Now, he occasionally saw her at charity events and awards shows, but otherwise, he had no contact with her.
“I can’t wait.” Liv pushed his bowl toward him before taking another spoonful of her own. “I almost got you a banana split, but the ice cream here is so good it should be against the law to put toppings on it.”
Matt scooped up a large spoonful of pistachio ice cream. “The jury is out on that. I happen to be a connoisseur of ice cream.”
“I’ve heard of wine connoisseurs, but ice cream? I think you’re making that up.”
A few of the people in the line for ice cream kept looking in his direction and then talking to each other before glancing his way again. Before they came over, interrupting his time with Liv again, maybe they should take the walk they originally intended.
Standing, Matt reached for her hand. “If we’re going to get in that walk before we leave, we should go now.”
Liv didn’t argue, and with their ice cream in hand, they headed toward the path that started to their right.
Thankfully, the path that took them through wooded areas and around the lake was empty, but it also led them past the entrances to the go-carts and the ropes course. Today, both were crowded with people of all ages.
“The last time I was here, they were still working on that area.” Liv pointed to the ropes course. “But I wouldn’t mind trying it sometime.”
“I’ve done a few. We’ll have to come back and do it.”
“You snowboard, ski, surf, and do things like that.” Liv pointed toward the course. “Sounds like you’re a bit of an adrenaline junkie.”
She wouldn’t be the first person to accuse him of that. “Did I forget to tell you that I enjoy skydiving?”
“Uh, yeah. Why would anyone be willing to jump out of a perfectly good plane?”
“Funny, my mom has asked me the same thing.”
“Seriously, do you have something against sitting still?”
“No, but while I love getting lost in a good book, life’s too short to spend all your time cooped up inside. Honestly, I can’t think of an activity I won’t try at least once.”
“I think you’d get along well with my cousin Andrew. If it’s labeled dangerous or, in some cases, stupid, he’ll do it without batting an eye.”
So far, Matt had only made one emergency room visit in his life. “The worst injury I’ve ever had was a broken ankle, and I got that running track in high school.”
The path rounded a corner, leading them past the north entrance of the mini golf course and then back into the woods.
“So, Mr. Connoisseur of Ice Cream, what’s your verdict on Heavenly’s pistachio?” Liv pointed at the remaining ice cream in his bowl.
Rather than answer immediately, he ate the last spoonful. “It’s really good,” he admitted. “But I’ve had better.”
“Where?”
“Two places immediately come to mind. Pirate’s Cove in Newport, Rhode Island, and Vanilla Moon in Healdsburg, California.”
“I’ve never been to Newport or Healdsburg, and I don’t see myself getting there anytime soon, so I’ll settle for ice cream from Heavenly.”
“California might be out for a long weekend trip, but Newport’s only about a five-and-a-half-hour drive from here. If we fly, we’d be there even quicker. Just name the week and I’ll make us reservations.” He had cousins in the area, but she might be more comfortable at a hotel.
“I’ll get back to you. We have a lot of weekend events we’re catering this summer.”