Part 4 of 4

Mini golf. Nice, safe, mini golf. Nice, located on the ground mini golf.

Her ball bounced off the wall and back two or three feet towards her. Stupid mini golf.

“Hey, try hitting it like this.” He showed her with a smooth, gentle motion. “Just tap it. We aren’t in the Opens.”

She mumbled obscenities under her breath and tried it again. Again, it slapped into the back wall and bounced back. “Mother fucker.”

“Here.” He came over behind her and held her arms in position as he ran through the motions. “Just tap.” His breath was hot on her ear. “Just…tap…” Their arms swung together a few more times, then he stepped back.

Irritation drained out of her body, she actually did tap it, as opposed to cracking it at short range like she had been. It went straight in and she turned to him with a grin, only to find him giving her an odd look.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just thinking.”

She retrieved her ball and followed him to the next hole. “About what?”

“You told me not to talk about it.”

“Oh, fantastic.” She huffed, setting the ball down and trying to tap it like he showed her, but slamming again.

“You have rage issues. It’s just a game.”

“You try sucking this bad at something.”

“I suck at all kinds of things.”

She sniggered.

“You have a mind in the gutter.”

“Yours can’t be far off that you knew what I was laughing about.”

He half grinned, then went back to the odd sober expression as he set his ball down and knocked it into the hole.

“Seriously, what’s got you looking like someone shot your dog?”

Jason looked irritated and kicked the side wall before answering. “He asked you to call if you were going to be coming home early?”

“Oh gods, not this again.” She tossed a hand in the air, encumbered by the stupid plastic golf club on the other hand.

“See? That’s why I didn’t say anything. You don’t want to hear it.”

“I don’t get what the big deal is supposed to be anyway.”

“Really? You don’t? Then why are you so damn touchy about it?” He waved the golf club at her. “I think you know exactly what I’m getting it and that’s why it pisses you off so much.”

“Even if I did know, what right does that give you?”

“The right of someone who cares about you!”

There was an embarrassed cough from the tee pad. They turned to see a woman and three children staring at them.

“I’m…ah…sorry, but we’re up to this hole.” She made a helpless gesture towards the kids.

“Were you going to hit her with that?” one of the little boys asked, wide-eyed.

“What?” Jason suddenly realized he was still brandishing the golf club and put it down. “No, of course not.”

“That’s a double negative.” Said an older girl, popping her gum. “That means he was going to hit her. Maybe he was even trying to kill her.”

“Don’t be stupid, Britty. He wouldn’t kill her where people could see him do it.”

“He might. It’s called being devious.”

Blushing to the roots of her hair by this point, Ninette moved on to the next hole with Jason close behind. They had played three more holes and were well away from the smaller group before either of them spoke again.

“I wasn’t going to kill you, you know.”

“Reassuring,” she responded drily.