Sunday Sample - The Hole in One

Here's a sample from the The Hole in One ... I hope you enjoy. 

The conversation among the guys last night had upset Kathy and without sending another glance her way, I knew she was still sore. 

After the gang left, I played with Brianna while Kathy cleaned up. When she finished in the kitchen, she took Brianna from me and went to bedroom. Knowing I was in the doghouse, I made sure to leave the living room tidy.

I didn’t exactly dread going to bed, but with Kathy in a mood, I was wary. Once I stepped into the bedroom, I knew what kind of night it would be. Brianna was going to be sleeping with us and since she wasn't ill, it meant one thing: Kathy was mad as hell.

No matter how I felt, touching her tonight wouldn't be an option. She wasn't aiming, interested, or in the mood to make love with me. Nor did she want me in touching distance.

To cement her message, if I was dense enough not to get it, once the baby was asleep, Kathy surrounded her on both sides with soft pillows and turned away from me. It was childish, but in her mind she'd fulfilled her need to send me a message.

After a while, I slept but I was uneasy because Kathy had been restless for a while now.

Brianna squealed, as though needing my attention and her cry brought me back to the kitchen. I sent her air kisses, which made her giggle and when I looked away from her I realized Kathy was watching me.

"What did I do?"

The question slipped out before I could pull it back. I had more than an inkling of what had gone wrong, but I wasn't ready to face the music.

She took her time sipping coffee and met my gaze when she was good and ready. "You didn't do anything."

"So, what's the problem?"

I tickled Brianna with one finger, delighting in her squeal, but kept my eyes on Kathy.

"The fact that you can't even acknowledge what's wrong."

I swallowed a mouthful of coffee, analyzing her over the rim, and giving myself time to form the right words. "You know I don't play guessing games. If you don't tell me what's wrong, how can I know?"

She sucked her teeth, which surprised me. She knew I didn't like it when she did that because we both understood it was her way of telling me she was done talking. True to form, she pushed the chair away from the table and got up. Shaking her head as if I was hopeless, she picked up my plate, although I wasn't finished eating.

Though I knew she wasn't in a receptive mood, I held on to her wrist and looked up at her. "Talk to me, Kay."

She glanced at the clock over the doorway to the kitchen before turning back to me. "Frankly, I'm tired of talking."

I didn’t know what to say because it was clear she wasn't in a good mood. To my surprise, her eyes softened. "Now isn't a good time, since you have to be at work."

"It's Saturday, remember? I don't have to be there early." I slipped my arm around my waist and pulled her to me. "Plus, I won't be able to concentrate if I know you're upset with me."

She rested her arm behind my shoulder and locked her gaze with mine. "I'm trying to be patient while you do your thing, but sometime I just … "

When the words wouldn't come, I asked, "Are you coming to the course later?"

She shook her head and pulled out of my hold. "No, I'm going to see Mom."

I didn't like the way she said it, but didn't want to start a fight over nothing so I released her. She walked away, and I let her go because there was nothing I could say to make things better.