“Well, well, who’s in the lead now, big guy?” He slaps me on the back as we put our clubs away and climb into the golf cart.
The next hole goes to Dad, too. He gets a bogey, I double-bogey, and I start to sweat a little, wondering if I’ll be spending the next two months of this beautiful summer cooped up in a law office filing documents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In triplicate.
He interrupts my thoughts. “So, Aspen. I haven’t seen her in a while. The last time I did, though, she looked just like her mom when she was her age.” He winks at me and says playfully, “You know what they say… if you want to know what your future wife looks like, check out her mother.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen her mom a few times at the bistro, but I haven’t really met her yet.”
I try to concentrate, but on the next hole, we both get a bogey. We’re close to finishing our round. At the next tee box, his eyebrows high, he asks, “So, what’s the story? Are you and Aspen dating?”
“Well, that’s the problem. I need your advice. I don’t even know her that well, but I feel like I do. She’s all I think about, and fuck, Dad, she’s so beautiful.” I playfully slap my hand over my heart like I’m in pain. “She’s whip-smart. And determined…” and then I mutter to myself, “and stubborn as a mule.”
“OK, and?” he asks.
As we drive the cart to the next hole, I fill him in on her attempts to buy the historic Rose Hotel, and her dream to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast, how her investor fell through, and how she wouldn’t let me invest.
“So, you tried to buy your way into her heart?” He shakes his head.
“Ouch. It sounds terrible when you say it that way. But I didn’t think about it that way. I just have all this money. Why not help? It’s not like I was giving it to her; I would have invested it, just like the guy before had planned to.”
“Son, there are a lot of women out there who see dollar signs when they look at you. And then there are a few who don’t give a shit about your money. It might even be a strike against you, for some of them. After what Gabby’s been through with her marriages…” He gives me a tight smile. “I know a little about her divorces, because an associate in our firm handled one of them…” and then he cuts himself off. “I can’t discuss it, of course. But what I can say is that…” he pauses, “well, let’s just say, Aspen has probably learned from her mom’s experience to be very cautious when it comes to men and money.”
Over the next few holes, I think about some of the things Aspen has said to me, and he’s right. And I’m beginning to rethink whether my strategy has been the best way to win her over.
My dad and I both score a par on the next hole. As we drive to the next tee box, we eat the sandwiches we grabbed back at the halfway house. Dad starts telling me more about work and what’s been going on in the office the past couple of months. Another few holes later, he’s still in the lead, and I can’t stop thinking about Aspen.
“Well, I might have made a big mistake,” I say, and I proceed to tell him how I bought her Popster’s house as a backdoor way to help her buy the hotel.
My dad whistles through his teeth, shaking his head, and then for more effect, he smacks his palm to his forehead. “Good lord, what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that she wanted this hotel, and that it was her Popster’s idea,” I say, as I step up to the tee box.
“Ryker, he’s family. She’ll forgive him. She can blame it on him losing his marbles, for Christ’s sake,” he laughs. “Can’t say the same for you, I’m afraid.”
I could try it. Plead insanity… Insane for her.
We’re finally on the last hole, and Dad is still ahead by two strokes. My game is way off, given my mental state about Aspen.
Shit. If I thought it was an uphill climb to Aspen’s heart before, I might as well add blizzard conditions and black ice to the situation now.
“Ryker, you are in one sticky situation. My best advice? Tell her now. Get it over with. Plead insanity, and hope she doesn’t send you to the chair.”
He sinks his last putt, putting him three strokes ahead. His short game practice has paid off. There’s no way I can catch up.
“At least if she kicks your ass to the curb, it won’t matter. Because I’ll keep you busy in the office. See you tomorrow morning, 9:00 a.m. sharp!”
13
Aspen
My phone rings, and I see it’s Charlie from the real estate office. It’s 1:30 p.m., almost closing time at the bistro, and a smile stretches across my mouth. I’ve been waiting for this call!
I answer. “Hi, Charlie! Got good news?”
“Yes, ma’am. Everything is signed, and once the inspection is done, provided it passes inspection, which I’m sure it will… The Rose Hotel will be yours.”
“YES!” I scream, and Mom drops her wooden spoon on the floor, “Shits and stones, Aspen! You scared the hell out of me.”
I grab two quarters from my apron and throw them into her swear jar. “Thanks, Charlie. I’ll call the inspector and get him there as soon as possible.”
I hang up and run over to Popster and give him a hug. “Looks like you’ll have a new home soon!” I sit in the booth across from him, and Mom joins us.
“I’ll call the inspector today,” I say, and type some notes into my phone. “Mom, can you make sure we equip
