Worth the Drive (8 page)

She leaned into him, her head as far forward as his. Her set-up identical to his, but instead of gripping an imaginary club, she gripped his arms. Her forehead swayed forward and was stopped
by his. She felt feverish against him.

“Did you know?” she began again. “That when you’re on the course, and you are over a shot, just like this.” She stopped.
Darío
waited, not wanting to break the spell she was putting him under. “That your arms…your arms…are just about the sexiest thing I think I’ve ever seen.”

He waited for her to say more. He wanted her to say more. When she didn’t, he realized she must be waiting for h
im to say something. He couldn’
t. He absolutely could not think of any response to what she’d just said.

All thought of wanting Katie completely sober before taking her to bed flew out of his mind. She obviously wanted him. So she was a little drunk? She had been attracted to him on the course, well before she began drinking.

Just as he was about to break her hold on his arms by putting them around her, he heard a noise coming from her.

A snore. A soft, lady-like snore, but a snore none-the-less.

She had literally passed out on him.

Chapter Five

I’m playing the best golf I’ve ever played right now,

e
xcept for when I was playing better
.

-Fred Couples,
professional
golfer

She was blind. All she could see was white. Just a blaring, flash of white.

“Katie? Hey, Kat? You really need to get up.”

Lizzie had opened the drapes. That was the blinding flash. “Lizard, close the drapes,” she whispered.

“It’s nearly eleven.
I let you sleep as late as I could. I’ve already taken Chad to pick up his car.You need to get up and get going. We should be leaving for the course in an hour.” Lizzie’s voice sounded like a cannon in Katie’s muddled head.

“An hour? It only takes me a half hour to get ready.” She pulled the pillow over her head in an attempt to block out the sunlight. And Lizzie’s voice. And the monumental hangover she was suffering from.

“I have a feeling it’s going to be slow going for you today, KitKat,” Lizzie said, a touch of sympathy in her voice. “Come on, now. Step one, take the pillow from your head. Step two, open your eyes.”

Not budging, Katie asked, “What’s step three?”

Lizzie chuckled. “A shower. But I didn’t think you could handle hearing beyond one and two just yet.”

“Very intuitive,” Katie said, as she slowly removed the pillow from her head. Tentatively she raised her eyelids. They seemed so heavy, as if something were weighing them down. Sleep crust mixed with dried on mascara.

Taking the bull by the horns, she rubbed her eyes open, threw the blankets from the bed and started to get up.

Big mistake.

“Oh God, Lizard, I think I’m dying,” she moaned. Even that caused her head to ache. She sat on the edge of the bed holding her head in her hands.

Lizzie sat next to her on the bed and began gently rubbing her neck. “You’re not dying, Kat, but you’re probably going to wish you had. Here, hold this to your forehead and eyes.” She handed a cool, damp washcloth to Katie, which she immediately administered to her aching head.

“Thanks
,
that helps.” Lizzie began massaging the back of Katie’s neck and shoulders. “Oooh, that helps too.
”
She was quiet a moment, letting her friend’s soft touch work its magic. “And thanks for no ‘I told you to stop drinking’, too.” Her voice mimicked a nagging shrew and Lizzie softly swatted Katie.

“First, I wouldn’t say ‘I told you so’, and second, if I did, I would certainly never use that tone of voice. I’ve only been a stepmother three months, I haven’t perfected that tone yet.” She paused. “But both Stevie and Annie have certainly got me working on it. It’ll be no time at all before I’m a pro at being a nag. Then, watch out.”

After a few moments, Lizzie pried the washcloth from Katie and walked to the bathroom, presumably to run fresh cold water on it. Katie hoped so, because she thought that the cloth may
be the only thing saving her from running into the bathroom and doing a little praying to the porcelain god.

She hadn’t thought of that phrase in years. Probably since college and the last time she, or any of her friends had drunk so much that being bowed before the toilet on a Sunday morning was the only form of worship that happened that day.

Her thoughts quickly returned from the past, before they could turn to Ron. Instead, she tried to remember last night, and the events that put her in this sorry state.

Images blew past her. The Armadillo. Her new best friend, Blanche. Chad being in his glory amongst his hometown buds. Lizzie looking out for her potential new client, just as she looked out for all those in her close circle
.
Binky tempting her to another Margarita. Binky?

Darío
.

“Ah, Lizard? How did I get to the hotel room last night?” Lizzie was back at her side, handing her the fresh cloth. She sat down in a chair across from the bed, facing Katie.

She put her feet up on the bed, next to Katie’s behind
,
nudging her. “I don’t know, KitKat. How
did
you get back to the hotel room last night?” There was a wicked smile on Lizzie’s face.

Katie looked around the room, taking in everything. “I don’t remember, but I know you undressed me and put me to bed.”

Lizzie looked surprised. “How do you know that?”

Katie shrugged her shoulders. Even that hurt. “Because my clothes, which undoubtedly reek from that bar, are neatly folded on the dresser. Only you would do that, Lizard.”

“Busted. So, you figured that out. What do you actually remember?”

Katie sunk her head back down into her hands and the cool dampness of the washcloth. “Um, I remember you leaving to bring Chad back here. Did that go okay?” She realized for the first time that there were other people on her little adventure last night other than herself. And
Darío
. She felt guilty about not asking Lizzie about Chad sooner.

Lizzie waved her hand, dismissing Katie’s guilt. “Fine. It was a little tense in the parking lot when he realized I had no intention of letting him drive. But, I won out.”

Like you always do, Katie thought to herself.

“When I took him to get his car he invited me to his parents’ home for dinner this evening. I think he wants to close the deal.”

Katie raised her head and smiled at her friend. “That’s great. Congratulations. Though I’m not surprised. Lizzie Hampton always gets her man. Oops, I mean Robbins.”

Lizzie smiled back at Katie. “Hardly. About always getting my man that is.”

“You did in the end, though, Lizard, that’s what counts.”

She was speaking about Chad, but by the dreamy look on Lizzie’s face, Katie guessed her friend had her husband in mind when she nodded and said, “Yes. In the end, I got him.”

“
Wait.
You got ready and left and came back and I didn’t hear it?” The thought of not hearing the commotion made Katie realize j
ust how dead to the world she’
d been. That thought led back to how she’d come to be in that position.

“I remember staying on with Binky and
Darío
. Binky and I played a few drinking games…”

“What kind of games did you play with
Darío
?” Lizzie asked, once again nudging Katie’s hip with her foot.

She was about to say none, but she stopped herself. She searched her memory. Images of
Darío
’s hand reaching to her mouth flashed through her mind. She decided to ignore her friend’s last comment. “We left. We took Binky to his hotel and dropped him off.” The memories were
becoming sharper now, more in focus. She didn’t feel the need to tell Lizzie about falling asleep, nor about her near hysterics as she told
Darío
about her marriage breaking up. She would just keep that bit of embarrassing information to herself.

“We came here. Took the elevator.” She stopped. She didn’t remember anything after that, but another flash, this one of
Darío
’s strong arms reaching for her, went through her mind. He had brought her straight here, hadn’t he? There had been no pit stop to his room, had there? Though the idea of sleeping with
Darío
Luna
was not at all displeasing to her, she’d
like to be able to remember it.

“And then I took over,” Lizzie said. She sounded disappointed that there wasn’t more to the story. “And here you are with a hangover. God, it’s been so long since I’ve had a hangover. Are they as bad as I remember?”

“Worse. What do you mean then you took over?”

“From
Darío
.” Katie gave Lizzie a questioning look. “When he brought you here. God, you were a sight, KitKat, thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, completely passe
d out. He was good enough to put you
on the bed before he left. If you’d passed out on me in an elevator, I’d had probably left you there.”

The fuzzy feeling rushed from Katie’s head, replaced with pure mortification. “Oh no. I passed out in the elevator? He had to carry me here?” As Lizzie nodded, Katie closed her eyes and moaned.

Lizzie’s snicker was interrupted by a knock at the door. Good thing, or Katie probably would have kicked her.

“That’s probably housekeeping. I put the Do Not Disturb sign on, but it’s getting so late they probably think we’re dead in here,” Lizzie said as she got up to cross the room.

“Who’s to say we aren’t.”

The nightmare continued for Katie as she looked up and saw
Darío
standing at the door holding a glass
filled with
green goop.

Lizzie waved him in while Katie said a silent prayer of thanks that Lizzie had dressed her in a huge t-shirt last night. At least she was covered in all the important places. Except for her pride. That was naked and shivering.

Darío
didn’t seem to notice. He said a quick hello to Lizzie and moved past her to stand in front of Katie.

“Ah, the Kat is more of a kitten this morning, eh? No roar left?” He smiled at Katie, his voice teasing.

She forced a weak smile. “No more roar. If fact, I feel like I may cough up a hair ball at any minute.”

He laughed, a deep, throaty chuckle that should have made Katie’s head ache more, but somehow it didn’t. She didn’t make any move to leave the bed, wasn’t sure she could stand up even if she wanted to - which she didn’t. She waved him to sit in the seat that Lizzie had just vacated, which he did. She eyed the glass he held in his hands. “Why do I think you come bearing gifts?” she asked, gesturing to the glass.

“Ah, yes. I am correct in assuming that you two ladies will
be following my – Chad and my
– pairing this afternoon?”

Katie was about to say no, that she couldn’t possibly walk the course in the blazing afternoon sun, but Lizzie piped in. “Of course.”

Darío
nodded. “Then I thought that perhaps Katie may need some…uh fortification before
the round begins.” He held the glass out to her with both hands.

Something about the way he held the glass. With both hands, arms extended, almost like he was holding a golf club. Something about that seemed so familiar to Katie. She looked from the glass to his hands, his arms and then to his face. He had a sly smile that Katie figured was some sort of private joke that she was supposed to know the punch line to. She didn’t, so she ignored his look. “What’s in that…fortification?” she asked, pointing to the glass of goop.

“I think it best if you don’
t know,” he said. “I called Binky this morning to ask him what he uses. He gave me the recipe. The staff in the kitchen was kind enough to prepare this for me. For you.”

If the man was thoughtful enough to call Binky then get the hotel kitchen to whip this junk up for her, then she’d have to toughen up and drink it. Taking a deep breath, she took the glass from his hands and drank the concoction in one, long drink. She waited a moment to see if she’d need to make a mad dash to the bathroom after all, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it stayed down.

“Thank you. That was very considerate of you,” she said, meeting his soft, brown eyes.

“It is nothing,” he said as he rose to leave. “I will see you both later this afternoon.” With a quick nod to Lizzie he was out the door.

Lizzie came back and sat across from Katie. She said nothing, only raised an eyebrow to Katie.

“What?” Katie said.

“What? What? That’s my question. Exactly what happened last night?” Lizzie asked, a mischievous smile on her face.

“I told you everything that happened.”

“Well maybe you left something out, ‘cause he’s definitely smitten, Kat.”