An hour later, with Andrew behind the wheel of their golf cart, they arrived on the golf course pretending they hadn’t broken every courtesy rule to get to the third hole behind Reed and two other men.
She and Andrew exited their vehicle and each pulled a golf club from the bag they’d rented. Andrew looked golf-ready in plaid pants and a white golf shirt he’d bought in the pro shop. She looked decidedly less prepared in her shorts, T-shirt, and white sneakers. They weren’t anywhere near the right spot on the course to be in, but they were in close proximity to her target.
Reed settled into position to putt. He’d golfed from a young age, so she had no doubt he’d make the shot. While he did so, Kennedy took a few practice swings with her club. Not that she knew anything about swinging a golf club. Besides miniature golf as a teen, she’d never played the game.
On the first swing, the golf club accidentally flew out of her hands. It spun through the air and almost hit Reed in the head before landing on the green.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” She covered her mouth and nose with her hand.
“Kennedy?” Reed said, responding to her not-so-subtle entrance. He looked at the men with him. “Give me a minute.” He picked up her ill-behaved club and walked it back to her. “Hey.”
“Hi. Sorry to interrupt.”
“No, you’re not.” Reed smiled at her. “Hey, Andrew.”
“Hi, Reed. I’ll just be over…” He trailed off, stepping away to give them some privacy.
“Sorry I haven’t texted,” Reed said. “I haven’t had a chance.”
“No worries. Crashing your golf game to have a minute to talk is like a normal Tuesday for me.”
He winced. “I wish you didn’t have to crash anything.”
“Me too. But, since I’m here, I need to make sure you want to get married. Because if you don’t, I can help.”
Reed let out a slow breath. “I know what I said the other night, but I was hoping I’d slurred it or something and you’d misunderstood.”
“There was a little extra emphasis on the vowels, but I heard it clearly.” She glanced back and forth between his eyes, trying to get a good read on him. “It’s a problem if you even thought it, Reed.”
“I know. I guess that night, I felt like she didn’t trust me, and the truth is…” He swallowed. “I’m not sure I want to go through with it.”
Her stomach knotted. “What do you need in order to be sure?”
He stared off somewhere behind her. While he contemplated his answer, she recalled his short attention span with women over the past several years. His revolving door of dates and the trail of half-broken hearts he left behind. Reed was smart and focused and dedicated to his profession. Before he’d gotten engaged, she would have bet money on him staying married to his career. Elle had changed that.
“I don’t know.” He ran the back of his hand along his jawline. “A conversation with Elle for sure. We’ve just been so busy, and she’s so excited. Our friends and family are here, and I don’t want to be the bad guy. I don’t want to hurt her.”
“An honest conversation is always a good idea,” she said.
“I do love her, but trust is essential, and sometimes she’s…” His eyes searched the grass like the answer to his doubt hid in the blades.
“How many times over the years have we said that medicine isn’t an exact science?”
“I don’t know. A hundred?”
“Love isn’t an exact science, either. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith.” Trusting their instincts was something they’d talked about often over late-night study sessions and long residency hours. She noticed the scar on his arm from the knife wound he’d received when he’d come to her rescue in the ER. Now it was her turn to save him if he needed it.
He nodded. “I’ll talk to Elle and then touch base with you.”
“Reed! You ready?” one of his golf mates said.
“Yeah,” he called back, then squeezed her arm in thanks. “Stand by?”
“You know I will.”
“Thanks.” He handed over her golf club. “Maybe wait until we’ve cleared the area before swinging again.”
“What? Like I’d do that again? I needed your attention and I got it.”
“Riiight.” He walked away, she hoped feeling more confident than he had before she arrived.
Andrew moseyed back over to her, his attention on Reed. “That man has one fine—”
“Hey, eyes over here,” she motioned to herself. “We should hurry out of here. Come on.” She climbed into the golf cart, glad to have had a minute with Reed and cautiously optimistic that clarity would come to him soon. She knew from her experience with Trevor how important and fragile trust was.
“Sucks having doubt,” Andrew said on the drive back to the clubhouse.
“You heard all that?”
“Of course. Someone’s got to have your back.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
They returned the golf cart and clubs and drove back to the inn. They were barely out of the car when Bethany approached.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said. She wore cute black capri pants and a white polo shirt with Owens House Inn printed on the breast pocket. “Doc called, and he was hoping you could help him out at his office.”
Kennedy’s heart started beating a little bit faster. “Did something happen?”
“His nurse is home sick with a fever and he’s got his hands full, I guess, including a head injury.”
Kennedy didn’t need to know anything further. “Of course I’ll help. Let me just change clothes really quick.”
“Great. I’ll drive you when you’re ready. His office is just in town.”
Ten minutes later, she walked through Doc Choi’s office door. A thirty-something woman wearing funky eyeglasses that matched the color of her red hair greeted her.
“Dr. Martin, right? I’m Georgie, Doc’s office manager. Thank you for coming so quickly. We haven’t been in a predicament like this in a long time and appreciate the assist.”
“My pleasure. What can I do?”
“Follow me.” She led Kennedy through a main door and down a hallway to an exam room, lifting a chart out of a file holder on the wall. “Leah arrived fifteen minutes ago. She—”