I try to forget about everything else around us and focus only on Keira, which isn’t really that difficult. Any hope I had that my fascination could be easily expelled by setting things right is shattered when I see her in action again. Everything about the way she moves with a golf club excites me.
It takes maybe two minutes to record her swing from every angle and upload it to my laptop so I can show her. In that time, her coach has disappeared, and her teammates have gathered back around.
I play her video as she sits in the chair on the other side of the table.
“You have a good swing . . . really good, actually. Nice and smooth. A few tweaks, and you’ll be hitting greens all day long.”
Her lips curve up as she laces her fingers together in her lap.
I freeze the video and then turn the screen so I can show her. “Right here, see how you’re extending early? You’re shifting your swing plane. I’ve seen much worse cases, but I think it’s where your inconsistency comes from. It also looks as if you’re holding back a little in a few of these.”
“I’ve had issues in the past with opening my hips too quickly. Coach Potter doesn’t want me swinging as hard as I can because I’m not consistent enough to control it.”
I grind my teeth a little and bite my tongue. “Yeah, it’s all related. But you have power, and you should use it. Let me show you something.”
Standing, I come around the table and walk her through a drill I use on clients with the same issue. She watches, brown eyes following my every move with interest.
“You wanna try it?” I ask when I’m done.
Silently, she stands and gets into position with her club.
“Do a few without the club first to get a feel for it. Bring it back to the basics. Changing motor functions requires breaking it down to the simplest movements.”
She tosses her club to the ground, and I step in front of her and get in position. Sometimes people are self-conscious, so doing the training with them helps remove barriers.
We move together, her mirroring me. I’m so close I can smell the fruity scent of her hair and a hint of sunscreen with each gust of wind.
“Nice, there you go. Can you feel the urge to push off that right leg?”
“Yeah, I really can.” She does it again, mouth set in a determined line and the tip of her tongue between her teeth.
“Do that about a thousand times and then add in your arms.” I extend my hands out in front of me and do the same motion. “And then you can add the club back to your swing.”
She nods again, but this time, it’s with a lot more enthusiasm. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t say anything any guy with a Golf Channel subscription couldn’t have.” I wink and grab a business card off the table. “I’d love to hear how it works for you or if you have any questions. You really do have a beautiful swing. Best I’ve seen in a long time. If I had a swing like that, they’d be fitting me for a green jacket.”
The tips of her fingers brush mine as she reaches for my card. Neither of us makes a move to break the contact right away, and her pale skin dots with pink on her neck and cheeks. “Thanks, Lincoln.”
She pulls away, tucking the card into her pocket and grabbing her club. As she walks backward out of the tent, I find myself holding her gaze. I can’t seem to look away. With the flip of her ponytail, she’s gone and the next girl steps through.
6
Keira
By the time I shower and scarf down a Pop-Tart, I have to sprint across campus to make it to my evening physical chemistry lab. I slip into my chair with only seconds to spare.
Professor Teague lifts a brow and glances at the clock. The head of the department is a huge stickler for attendance and being on time.
I catch my breath and hurriedly drink my Red Bull while he goes over the syllabus and then gives a brief lecture for today’s lab. He removes his glasses and holds them in front of him as he says, “You may get started.”
I swivel in my chair to face Keith. He’s a chemistry major like I am, and we’ve been partners for nearly every lab since freshmen year. He’s big on following the rules and does so to the point of basically brown nosing. Our friendship causes him great anxiety, I’m sure.
“Are you trying to get on his bad side on the first day?” he asks as he shakes his head. “You know he’ll dock us points if you’re late.”
“Relax, I made it.”
“I’m gonna get an ulcer if you cut it that close every week.”
“Practice ran late.”
“Oh, I heard,” he says as he sets up.
I skim over the instructions and the questions we’ll need to answer as we go along. “You heard what?”
“That you caused a scene after practice,” Keith says, tosses me a disapproving smirk, and then tries to read the handout upside down. “Tell me, do you try to make waves everywhere you go, or is it just a special gift?”
I know he’s mostly teasing, but I still bristle. “Coach Potter is a jerk. There is no reason we shouldn’t get the same extra resources you guys do. How’d you hear about it already anyway?”
“Everyone was talking about it at the house before I left.”
Keith lives in an off-campus house with Smith and Chapman. I’m pretty sure I have Abby to thank for Keith knowing, not that it wouldn’t have gotten out anyway. But, screw it, I stand by my actions. I learned a lot from Lincoln, so it was well worth whatever punishment Coach plans on doling out.
“Look, I don’t blame you. Lincoln Reeves is the best there is. I don’t know if I’d have gone against my coach’s wishes and made a scene like you did, but I get it.”
“Your coach would never do that to you.”
He shrugs and we start on the lab, easily falling into sync. We’ve worked together enough that we don’t waste time deciding who does what, we both jump in and do what’s necessary.
“What do you mean, he’s the best there is?” I ask a few minutes later.
He looks up, the protective goggles on his face making it hard to tell he’s raising his brows in question.
“Lincoln Reeves,” I explain. “You said he was the best there is.”
“Oh, right.” He scribbles something on our paper before continuing, “You don’t know who he is?”
“Just that he’s a swing coach. Abby said he was a big deal.” I lift one shoulder and let it fall. “He seems to know his stuff.”
“Lincoln Reeves is going to be a legend. Reeves Sports, his online coaching website, is still new, but it’s already one of the best out there. It has every sport you can imagine. Baseball, football, lacrosse, rugby, pickle ball, curling. And the athletes he has coaching?” Keith raises his goggles so they rest on the top of his wavy, brown hair. His blue eyes widen with excitement, and there’s a faint outline from the goggles making him look funny. “He has pro-level coaches answering questions, providing tutorials, and creating training plans. When you sign up, you’re getting the best of the best as your personal coach. If I had the funds, I’d totally sign up.”
“Is it expensive?”