he looked directly at her. When their gazes met, the world fell away, the crowd’s noise turning to an indistinct hum. She heard nothing but the rush of blood in her ears, saw nothing but his smile.
She touched her hand to her heart. Although she knew he couldn’t hear her, she said, “I am so proud of you,” moving her lips distinctly as she spoke from the heart.
He seemed to understand. His grin widened and his gaze held hers as he brought the golf ball to his lips and kissed it, just as Beau Murdoch missed his putt.
chapter 44
“Some say it was a love match,” said the ESPN commentator during that night’s national broadcast wrap-up. “A contender came out of nowhere to capture the hearts and minds of golf fans everywhere….”
The TV in the clubhouse bar suddenly commanded everyone’s attention. Lily sat with Sean as the clips showed his progress, hole by hole. After all the post-game hoopla, Red had taken charge of the kids while Sean and Lily went to the bar for a drink—and for more hoopla, of course. Lily didn’t mind. She felt as though she was among friends tonight. So did Sean, laughing at the good-natured ribbing of the other players. He looked relaxed and natural, a man in his element. “This was a big win for Maguire,” one of the commentators said. “He played so well, it makes you wonder why he stayed away so long.”
“Well, Chad,” the female commentator said with phony sincerity, “as you know, Sean Maguire has endured a major upheaval in his personal life. The sudden death of his brother, top-rated champion Derek Holloway, has dovetailed with Maguire’s comeback.”
Lily touched Sean’s arm. “Let’s go.”
He shook his head and focused on the TV. People nearby shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
“Jan, I’m sure there’ll be a lot of speculation about Maguire’s performance in the wake of a tragedy,” said the commentator called Chad. “There was so much riding on his performance and he dealt with enormous pressure. Some will wonder if this is a fluke, or if he’s really back in the game.”
“And just why it is he didn’t show up on the radar until after his brother was out of the picture.” Jan gave her colleague a smarmily knowing look.
“I’ve heard enough,” Lily said, imagining steam coming out her ears.
“Take it easy,” Sean advised her. “You have to treat this stuff like a fart in church. Hold your breath for a few minutes and the stink goes away.”
Sure enough, the recap shifted back to more replays of the action, and she felt Sean let out his breath. There was an endearing close-up of Cameron’s face as he and Sean conferred about a shot. It felt slightly surreal, seeing them on the screen.
“You look wonderful together,” she said.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” he replied, directing her attention back to the wide-screen TV.
“Oh, God,” she whispered. “Please, no.”
Red and the sponsor’s media coach had warned them all to assume they were in the camera’s eye every moment. At the very end of the round, she had completely forgotten the warning.
The camera focused tightly on her so that she looked larger than life. Every gesture and nuance seemed impossibly dramatic. The hand coming up to her heart. The words meant only for Sean: I am so proud of you.
Then the picture cut to Sean, looking at her and then kissing the ball.
“…with that kind of devotion, can love be far behind?” the commentator concluded with a sly inflection and a completely straight face.
“All right,” Lily said, her cheeks flaming as she pushed back from the bar. “I have to go now.”
“Where?” asked Sean.
“I have to go hide under a rock, okay?”
She felt every eye in the bar on her as she stumbled, blind with humiliation, for the exit. She was horrified. The camera hadn’t lied. It had told the truth she’d been running from ever since they had left Comfort, Oregon, in her sister’s Winnebago.
Any fool could see that she was completely and ill-advisedly in love with this man. It was too embarrassing. How could she face the world now?
“Lily, wait.” Sean caught up with her on the patio of the clubhouse. “Where are you going?”
She offered a slightly bitter laugh. “I don’t have a lot of options here.” It was painfully true. She couldn’t drive off by herself, couldn’t hide out at home with a pint of Cherry Garcia, couldn’t escape a situation that terrified her even though her instincts screamed at her to