Cole peered through the curtains in the motel room window into the parking lot. Sam’s car was gone from its usual spot. Good. He was looking forward to a day of golfing with his dad, without the interference of Sam and her mother.
“I think your imagination is working overtime.” His sister, Audrey’s, voice sounded amused on the other end of the phone. “Deena is perfectly nice and makes Dad happy. He deserves to be happy.”
“I want Dad to be happy, but I’m telling you this Deena lady is up to something.” Cole was sure of it.
“Seriously?” His sister sounded exasperated. “Do you have some proof of that?”
“She has him making chocolates, and I think he’s considering buying expensive equipment for the business.” Cole frowned at his own words. That didn’t seem like very much proof.
“Let me remind you that Dad is a grown man and can make his own decisions. I highly doubt he’s going to appreciate you butting in, and besides, you’re damaged from your job. Maybe you aren’t assessing the situation correctly. Just enjoy the vacation. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to follow Dad’s lead and meet a woman too.”
Visions of Sam immediately sprang to mind, and Cole’s frown deepened. He’d sworn off women after the last breakup, but the truth was he was kind of lonely. He wanted someone to share his life with. Not Sam, though. Even though she was attractive, she was clearly shady.
He turned his mind back to saving his father. “But Dad is so nice and easily taken advantage of. Plus, he has a lot of money, which makes him a target.”
“He can handle himself. Besides, it gives him joy to help people. Remember how he helped our old cleaning lady, Mrs. Newcomb, establish her new business?”
Cole pulled a golf shirt out of the closet and laid it on the bed. “Yeah, but he invested money in that and got a good return. That was a business deal. And he wasn’t all googly-eyed over Mrs. Newcomb. He’s not getting any money back from Saltwater Sweets, and I doubt there’s any kind of contract there.”
“But Dad didn’t help Mrs. Newcomb for the money. He did it to help a nice person succeed. The money was only a byproduct, and if Dad wants to just help Deena, then we should let him. It’s his money, not ours.”
“I suppose.” Audrey did have a point. His father was a grown man and could make his own decisions about how he spent his money. Cole wasn’t expecting any inheritance. Quite the opposite. He wanted his dad to enjoy his money while he could. And Cole certainly hadn’t liked it when his dad had butted into his life.
“All I’m saying is just try to give her the benefit of the doubt. If you relax and enjoy yourself, you might find you have a good time. You’re not exactly in a good frame of mind to be making judgements on people right now.” Audrey’s voice held a tinge of worry, and Cole felt bad that his sister might be worrying about him. “I’m coming out in a few weeks to see for myself. I’m sure Deena is delightful.”
Cole snorted. Despite what Audrey said about his frame of mind, Cole trusted his own judgement, and if he had anything to say about it, Deena would be out of the picture long before Audrey came out to visit their dad.
* * *
Cole planted his feet shoulder width apart and lined his club up against the golf ball. He pulled back then swung forward and watched the ball sail through the blue sky.
He shaded his eyes. Come on… a little more to the left. But the ball kept going to the right. His shoulders slumped as it started to drop.
Splash!Right into the pond.
“You seem a little distracted, son,” Chuck said. “Is it about your job?”
Cole hadn’t told his father the details of what had happened on his job. His dad knew that he worked undercover for the FBI on kidnapping cases and the job was emotionally intense. Saving victims of kidnapping crimes didn’t always have a good result. This last case had involved twins, one of whom hadn’t made it, and it weighed heavily on Cole. But that wasn’t something he liked to burden anyone else with, least of all his father.
“No, things are fine. I’m feeling a lot better about it.”
Chuck stared at him for a while. “It’s Deena, then. I noticed that you haven’t warmed to her.”
The disappointment in his father’s voice stung and made him feel like a jerk. But also, he couldn’t just let his dad be taken advantage of, though he knew he needed to tread carefully on that subject.
He remained silent while his dad took his shot.
“Nice one!” Cole said. Unlike his own shot, Chuck’s had landed within feet of the hole. It would be an easy putt in.
“I’m sure Deena is very nice, but maybe you are rushing into things.”
“At our age, we can’t take too long. Besides, when you know someone is right, you know.” Chuck started toward the hole.
“Still, she has you doing a lot at the candy store. I thought you liked being retired.”
“I like being with Deena, and if that means working in the candy store, I’m happy to do it.” Chuck nodded toward the edge of the green where Cole’s ball had crossed into the pond. “You can drop a ball and take your shot.”
Cole took the shot, this time getting right up to the hole. It was a one-stroke penalty anyway, and his dad was so far ahead he’d never win. But this game wasn’t about winning, to Cole. It was about making his dad see Deena a little differently.
