under that crisp, buttoned-up Peter Pan collar. A sexy bra or plain white cotton? What would that scraped-back hair feel like falling between his fingers? And those lips, what did they taste like, what would they feel like against his?
He made himself quit with the schoolteacher fantasies. Maybe it was because of his situation, maybe he wanted a woman in his life because of the kids. Except that wasn’t true. He didn’t want a woman in his life. He wanted Lily Robinson.
You’re in trouble, buddy, he told himself. You’re in big trouble. He emptied his mind and drove in stolid, mindless focus, frowning when he spotted a rental car parked in front of the house. Inside, Red Corliss sat in the living room.
“Hey,” Sean said, “where are the kids?”
“Cameron’s got them upstairs.”
Puzzled, Sean shook hands with him. “What’s up?”
Red grinned and his eyes sparkled. “I’ve got news,” he said. “Big news.” He held out a familiar-looking legal-length set of papers, stapled together.
Sean frowned as he took them. “You’re setting me up with a sponsor? I’m not even playing.”
Red grinned. “You will be. Am I good or what?”
Just for a moment, Sean’s hopes soared. This was what he was truly about, playing a game that had given his life its shape and meaning. A sponsor meant somebody believed in you.
“Wonder Bread?” he asked, his hopes heading back toward earth. Not Nike or Chevrolet, but Wonder Bread. “Is this a joke?” he asked.
“Hey, don’t knock it. I stuck my neck out to get this. They’re prepared to back you in a major tournament. You won’t need your PGA card because they bought you an exemption, Sean.”
His stomach flip-flopped. It was a huge gesture. When a player didn’t qualify for a tournament through the usual channels, a sponsor had the power to buy him a spot in the game. It often meant a vanity entry for someone who could never qualify on his own. But sometimes, every once in a while, it was a way to give a long shot a chance.
“What tournament?”
“The Colonial Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina. There’s a million dollars at stake.”
Sean felt a lurch of excitement. Then he ground it out and lay the contract on the coffee table. “I have to turn this down, Red.”
The agent laughed loudly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just heard something hilarious. I heard you turn down a lucrative sponsorship and a shot at the majors.”
“You heard right.”
“I heard bullshit. I put my damned reputation on the line to get you this deal. What am I supposed to do now, tell the sponsor their dog won’t hunt?” He took out a cigar and a lighter.
“You can’t smoke in the house, Red,” Sean told him.
“Well, excuse me, Sister Mary Maguire.”
“Hey, I’m looking out for the kids. That’s what this is about, Red. The kids. I can’t take off for a tournament now that I’m in charge of three kids.” Something struck him as he said it. He wouldn’t want to take off. He’d miss them too much.
“Don’t do this, Sean. You need this deal. Derek made a ton of money, and they spent a ton and a half. After probate, you get nothing but a mortgage on this house.”
Sean felt an acid discomfort in his gut, the one that had been keeping him awake at night. “I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
“Well, fiddle-dee-dee, Miz Scarlett. You need to make a living. I’m offering you a way to do that. You’d better think twice before turning this deal down.”
“I’m thinking,” he said.
“Sit down, Sean,” Red said. “Read the damned contract.”
“I’ve seen contracts before.” He probably still had a couple of them as keepsakes. A six-figure deal with Bausch & Lomb, a Banc One contract with bonus escalators based on his performance. He kept them around to remind himself that he used to be somebody in this game, somebody other than a disgrace. “Red, thanks for trying, but my life is complicated now. It’s the wrong time to start playing golf again. I’ve got Derek’s kids to think of.”
“You think I didn’t consider Derek’s kids? What the hell do you take me for, anyway?”
Sean didn’t think he wanted an answer so he waited for him to go on.
“I saw your face when you saw it was Wonder Bread. They’re sponsoring all of you, Sean. It’s a package deal. You and all three kids, get it? You’re the new family-man icon in golf.”
Sean looked around the cluttered room. Kids’ toys and schoolbooks, dishes someone forgot