in abundance. They looked absolutely delighted to be photographed.
Lily couldn’t tell whether or not her apprehension would show in the photographs. Even as the flashes went off, her mind was somewhere else. She knew that today’s tournament wasn’t a make-or-break moment in Sean’s career. Golf didn’t have that. There were too many chances to succeed—or fail. But today was huge, his reentry into the highest ranks of the PGA.
After the photo shoot, they spotted him and Cameron in the distance, warming up. Lily sensed that all eyes were on him, some to watch him fail, others hoping for a triumph. It was a bloodless sport but one that brought crowds of an amazing size and density.
Take it easy, Lily told herself. This was what this summer was supposed to be about. It was the goal of the whole cross-country odyssey they had endured.
“They look good,” Charlie said, practically bouncing up and down with excitement. “I feel proud of them.”
“Me, too.” Lily picked up the baby and had her wave from behind the gallery ropes. Sean and Cameron both spotted them, and Sean responded with a blown kiss. Lily wanted to close the moment into her heart, because it was one of those rare times that made her believe this family was going to be all right. Over the summer, she’d watched the broken pieces turn into a flawed-and-fractured whole. It wasn’t the same sort of family they’d had when Crystal and Derek were alive, but it was unmistakably a family. And even though she hadn’t planned it, Lily was a part of them. It wasn’t what she had set out to find this summer, it had found her.
Each day she woke up thinking of them and made choices with them in mind. She didn’t put herself first. But what scared her the most was that this family didn’t belong to her. Depending on the outcome of the match, Sean could be called to move away from Comfort, to take the children lord-knew-where as he battled his way through the ranks of the PGA. It almost made more sense for her to hope for his defeat, but she didn’t, of course. This family was an immensely bigger concern.
chapter 43
Hours later, Lily stood at the eighteenth hole, her heart in her throat as she watched Sean finish the round. Charlie stood in front of her, chest against the gallery rope. Beside her was Red, chomping on his third piece of nicotine gum. They had left Ashley at the clubhouse with sitters provided by the country club. Golfers, it turned out, were a prolific lot and there were plenty of other toddlers for her to play with.
When Lily saw Sean and Cameron coming up the fairway, it was all she could do to keep from letting her hands turn into claws, clutching at Charlie’s shoulders. Sean was only two strokes off the score of the leader, Wyatt Allen. Red assured her that on a course of this degree of difficulty, anything could happen. The leader could stumble. A contender could catch up. An unknown could come out of the blue and dominate the field.
Lily found being a spectator rather enjoyable. Relaxing, even. There was a sort of old-fashioned grace about a golf match. She liked the mannered way people moved en masse along the course, the polite applause, the instant hush, like an indrawn breath, that went out when the marshals lifted their Quiet signs.
She wasn’t relaxed now. Neither was Charlie. Lily could feel the little girl quivering with excitement. School problems notwithstanding, Charlie was gifted when it came to understanding tournament play.
She caught Red looking at her. “What?”
“Take it easy. Our boy is doing great.”
Charlie turned to gaze up at him. “This is a really important hole, Red. Uncle Sean is lying one or two strokes away, depending how he plays it. If he birdies it, he could push into second position going into tomorrow’s round.”
“Who’s that, young lady?” asked a man who had overheard her.
“My uncle Sean, Sean Maguire, that’s who,” Charlie said.
The Quiet signs went up. Her braids whipped like chopper blades as she spun back to watch.
The second-place challenger was Murdoch himself, who seemed not the least bit worried about his ability to capture the lead from Allen. It was just a matter of time. He hit the perfect shot, a layup that landed him next to the water. His next shot would take him onto the green and then he would putt for birdie, claiming the championship. Unless