AllFreeNovel
Share Us
All of us exchange a look and then turn our backs to her to make her swing in peace.
“Anyway,” Dad says with a swig of his beer. “You’ve been busy then, son, hm?”
“Must be given the way he disappears during his own engagement celebration,” my other uncle, Tripp, says with a lascivious laugh.
I cringe. “Jude wasn’t feeling well.”
“Of course, son.” Dad pats my shoulder. “That’s what I would say too.”
“Judith is a fine young lady in more ways than one. No one is blaming you.”
I throw a glare at Wendell. My bachelorized uncles don’t seem to know how to hold back their thoughts on any young woman who walks through their line of vision. Even one engaged to their nephew apparently.
“Hush, you two,” my father says. Thank God he has a little bit of decorum left in him. “We’re all very excited for you son.”
“Thank you,” I say without much of a smile.
“Yeesh, you’d think he’s planning for his own funeral with a look like that.”
I sigh. Things might be up in the air with Jude, but I have to keep up appearances or else word might get back to Gram that this is all some sort of hoax. “I just don’t like other men talking about her like that.”
“Good man. As you shouldn’t,” Tripp says, patting my back.
“Fore!”
We hear the cut of Caroline’s club through the air and the hollow click of the ball.
“Can we turn around, honey pie?” Dad yells out.
“Suppose you can.”
We all turn to find Caroline propped up against her club, head held high, proud as can be. “You missed an amazing shot.”
“Well, whose fault is that?” I retort.
She sniffs at me and bounds back toward us. “What are you talking about?”
“Uhm –”
“Just checking in with the groom-to-be here about any cold feet!” Wendell grins.
“What?!” I gasp. “That wasn’t what we were talking about at all.”
Caroline twists her lips to the side and eyes me. “You have been a little off today. Everything okay?”
I freeze. “What’s with the third degree?”
“You think this is a third degree? Please…” Caroline says with a roll of her eyes. “Are things alright?”
I chew on my lower lip. “They’re fine, I just –”
“You messed things up already, didn’t you?”
“Caroline!” I shout.
“Caroline, honey, let the man talk,” Dad interjects.
“The men always talk,” she grumbles.
