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“We’ll see,” he smiled knowingly and pulled out my golf bag. “Here you go.” He handed me the green and white bag and I slung it over my shoulder. It was practically brand new; I only golfed with my dad at these sorts of events. He ensured we had everything branded with Aspen Ridge logos and colors, like our matching forest green polo shirts.
“Hey, great to see you guys!” Zach’s voice, warm and familiar, reached my ears.
I looked up to see him approaching us from the clubhouse, wearing white pants with a baby blue Snowshoe-branded polo and a matching cap. He was tall and lean, sporting the same sparkling blue eyes and all-American smile I fell for in the first place. My heart gave a little lurch as a wave of nostalgia hit me.
“Hey there, sport!” My dad greeted him with a half-hug, and I waited for the male bonding to finish.
“Hi Ellie. Great to see you.” Zach’s smile turned sweeter, and I let him pull me in for a hug.
“Hey Zach. How’ve you been?”
“I can’t complain. We’ve been busy here getting things in motion for the season. We built a new luxury condo complex over by Aspen Creek and added a footpath into the village. It’s already half booked for this winter.”
“That’s great Zach. I’m happy for you.”
“Wait ’til I tell you about our improvements.” Dad threw an arm around Zach’s shoulders and steered him toward the sign-in table. They chatted happily while we checked in and got the keys to our carts. I waited impatiently for the torturous awkwardness to be over. Once we teed off, I wouldn’t have to see Zach again until the dinner.
“We’re paired up with Zach and Brian,” Dad announced gleefully, but I could easily read through his feigned surprise.
“Dad, it’s supposed to be random, so we get to know a new business owner in the area. That’s the whole point. They always pair the bigger resorts with smaller businesses.”
“Well, I may have pulled a few strings.” He winked at Zach, who grinned back, obviously in on this plot.
“That goes completely against the spirit of this event.” I knew I sounded like a petulant child, but I had not expected to be spending the entire day with my ex.
“Oh, come on honey, it’s just about raising money for charity. It doesn’t really matter who we’re paired up with. I just thought it would be nice to catch up with our old friends. Why don’t you two share a cart, and I’ll ride with Brian. We have a lot to talk about.”
I may be blonde, but I knew a plot when I saw one. This entire charity event had turned into a setup that everyone was in on except for me. I hoped I wouldn’t be fielding pressure from Zach about his merger idea all day.
As if on cue, Brian drove up in a golf cart sporting both his and Zach’s clubs, in matching Snowshoe-branded bags, naturally. Brian was good-looking for an older man. Zach was practically a younger, carbon-copy of his father, down to the lean build and blue eyes.
“Ellie, so good to see you. It’s been ages!” I couldn’t help the warm rush of feelings as I hugged Brian; he’d always treated me like family.
“Nice to see you too, Brian. I hope you old-timers are ready to get your butts handed to you.”
“Pah, why are you trash-talking us? We’re on the same team, Izzy.” Dad greeted Brian, then set about swapping his clubs for Zach’s.
“I’m not trash-talking, just trying to remind you of reality. Zach and I don’t live on the fairway like you two.”
“You may be surprised,” Brian grinned. “Zach’s been working on his game a lot this summer.”
I turned to my ex, stunned. “Seriously? I thought you hated golf, like me.”
He had the grace to look sheepish. “Well, what can I say? A lot of deals get made on the course. You have to go where the money goes, Ellie.”
If I’d been surprised at his plans to absorb Aspen Ridge, I was now utterly shocked. “Who are you, and what have you done with Zach?”
The three men guffawed, and I stewed internally. They were all in on it, all three of them. Previously, it was Zach and me against the dads, but now I was alone, since Zach had obviously switched teams.
After grabbing both our bags, Zach scooped up the cart keys. “Come on, we’re parked over here.” We agreed to meet our fathers for tee off, and I followed him with my arms crossed to the cart parking.
Zach left me nothing to do but claim my seat, so I sat and waited in silence while he stowed our gear.
When we were driving slowly toward the first tee, he spoke.
“It really is nice to see you again, Ellie. You look good.”
“Thanks,” I replied stiffly. “It’s been awhile.”
