Despite the private jet, the elite golf membership, and God knew how many private villas he had in about eight countries, the man was surprisingly down-to-earth.
Jarod also was an exceptional golfer, and yesterday, Kennedy’s game had been on point. He’d beaten Matt and Ian and come within a respectable four shots of Jarod. Today was a different story.
“Stupid sport,” Kennedy muttered.
“That it is,” Jarod said, taking a sip of the expensive bottled water from the cart. “One day you’re on top of your game, then one little thing gets out of alignment, and it all goes to hell.”
“Is it your back, old man?” asked Matt, who, at twenty-nine, liked to pretend he had the youthful vigor of a college kid while the rest of them hobbled around on walkers.
“Oh, the body’s rarely the problem,” Jarod told Matt. He tapped his temple. “It’s up here. A work stress gets in your head, a woman . . .” He spread his fingers wide and made a bomb noise.
Kennedy rolled his eyes and walked around to the back of the cart he and Ian were sharing, dropping his club into his bag. “Whose shot?”
“Mine,” Ian said, pointing at a ball fifty or so yards up on the fairway. Then he looked back. “No rush, though. No one’s behind us. Plenty of time.”
“Absolutely. We’ve got all day to discuss what’s got you flubbing every other shot,” Jarod agreed, grinning at Kennedy.
“Could be that you guys won’t shut up,” Kennedy supplied.
“Could be that Avetna crashed on Friday,” Matt suggested.
“Nah, we’d all be screwed on that one,” Ian said, referring to the stock that had plummeted unexpectedly a few days earlier, causing a mini shock wave on the NYSE floor.
“So a woman, then,” Jarod said to Kennedy. “I hear your woman had an ice sculpture made in your likeness for your birthday party. Sorry I was out of town and missed it.”
“It was extremely majestic,” Matt said.
“That’s what’s on your mind, Dawson? PTSD from your party?” Ian asked.
“I don’t have anything on my mind!” Kennedy looked around. He really needed that drink cart.
“Not even the fact that your brother and our assistant are dating?”
Kennedy’s gaze swung back around to Matt, who was innocently studying a tee. “They’re not dating.”
“Not what I heard,” Ian said.
Jarod pretended to settle into the leather seat of the golf cart. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
“What did you hear?” Kennedy said, laser-focused on Ian.
Ian’s light-blue eyes flicked to Matt before coming back to Kennedy. “Just that Jack and Kate went out to dinner last week. Twice.”
“Lara told you that?”
“Kate did.”
Kennedy felt a surge of frustration that Kate had mentioned to Ian she was going out with Jack, but not him. Though, Kennedy had suspected what was going on. After the party, Jack had asked him for her number, and as Kate had requested, Kennedy had handed it over. Reluctantly.
He’d reminded himself that it wasn’t his business who Kate dated. Jack may have been the bane of his existence when they were teens, but they were close now. He was a good guy. A serial dater, sure, but no more than Kennedy or any of the other guys used to be.
“You guys get in a fight?” Matt asked.
“My brother and I are fine.”
“Not you and Jack, you and Kate. You two have been more impatient with each other than usual the past week.”
“Ever since you disappeared together at your party,” Ian added.
“We didn’t disappear. We just went to play chess. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“You’ve never asked me to play chess,” Matt said.
“Do you play?”
“Yes, and I’m excellent.”
“Which means you’re a heinous opponent.”
“He is,” Jarod agreed. “He acts like it’s a mathlete competition.”
“Which I always won.”
“Hey, you know what you should do?” Jarod said, turning to Matt excitedly as though he just had a great idea. “Record yourself talking about your mathletics, then play it for Sabrina. See if she still chooses you.”
“She will,” Matt said smugly. “You lost, man, fair and square.”
“I didn’t fully put myself in the game,” Jarod said. “And is that any way to talk to your fairy godmother?”
Kennedy couldn’t help but smirk at Jarod’s self-appointed nickname. Late last year, Jarod had shown a brief interest in Sabrina, realized that she was entirely hung up on Matt, and switched allegiances, getting all up in their business to bring them together.
“The point is,” Matt said, looking back toward Kennedy, “we need to help Kennedy come to grips with Jack and Kate’s relationship so his golf game can get back on track.”
“Two dates is not a relationship. And if it were, I wouldn’t care. I’m happy for them.”
“And?” Ian prompted when Kennedy said nothing more.
“And what?” Kennedy grabbed a bottle of water.
“I know this will upset your carefully built walls, but we know you, man. What’s on your mind?”
Kennedy exhaled and looked around at the vast amount of green, realizing, though it galled him to do so, that maybe he did need to talk it out.
“What do you guys think about Claudia?”
“She’s nice,” Ian said automatically.
Nice. There was that word again, the same one Kate had used the night of the party.
“Never met her,” Jarod said, holding up his hands when Kennedy looked his way.
Kennedy shifted his gaze to Matt, who gave an indifferent shrug. “Yeah, she’s nice.”
Damn it. He knew they meant it. Just as Kate had meant it. Because Claudia was nice. And beautiful. Smart. Generous. So why the hell did the people closest to him sound so bored when her name was mentioned?
Worse, why did Kennedy feel bored?
“Are things getting serious between you guys?” Jarod asked.
“It’s only been a couple months,” Kennedy said automatically.
“So?” All three of the guys asked it at the same time.
Kennedy gave them an incredulous look. “So people do not get serious after two months.”
“I did,” Ian said matter-of-factly.
Matt nodded in agreement. “I think I knew Sabrina was it for me the second I met her. It just took me a couple years to figure it out, a couple more to convince her . . .”
“I convinced her,” Jarod said.
“Shut up, man,” Matt said.
“Guys.” Ian nodded at Kennedy. “Focus.”
“Right,” Matt said. “Okay, so you and Claudia are just casual for now, and yet you look awfully serious.”
“That’s just my face,” Kennedy said.
Ian laughed. “True. But you do seem extra pensive. And not just about your golf game.”
Kennedy squinted up at the sky, not quite sure how to explain himself. Not even sure why he wanted to explain himself. He was hardly prone to talking about what was on his mind, and he definitely wasn’t inclined to share feelings. But something had been brewing deep inside him lately, and he figured if he didn’t get it out with these guys, he never would. “You guys ever think it’s weird that both of you are getting married before me?” He didn’t include Jarod, but he knew the other man well enough to know he wouldn’t mind being left out—he was new to their group.