Mulligans

14. Other Interests

When Tyler and his father arrived home from the Red Barn, Tyler noticed their neighbors had already begun to gather in the backyard, a stunning craggy hillside broken up by manicured gardens tended to by Stacey's meticulous horticultural thumb. Birdy was blowing bubbles as a couple of boys around her age chased each other around the yard with water guns. Stacey was busy serving drinks to the guests around the table on the patio. Marty, the owner of the golf course, and his grandson, Felix, had taken up residence close to the barbecue, no doubt anxious to talk shop with Nathan. Neighbors Jim and Jacky sat side by side at the table, already sipping on a beer and a long island iced tea respectively. Nathan and Stacey had been friends with Jim and Jacky for nearly as long as they had owned the lake house. Tyler had practically grown up with their son, Jarod, in the summers.

Tyler greeted the family friends and pulled up a chair beside Bre, who held a stem of white wine and seemed to be enjoying the comfortable banter between cottagers. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as he settled in.

"So, you play a round today, Nathan?" Jim asked as Nathan flipped open the barbecue lid and bent down to light it.

"We're not going to talk about golf tonight, Jim. We're going to talk about other interests," Nathan informed his friend with a wry smile.

"Bad game?" Marty and Felix suggested simultaneously.

"No. New family policy. Stacey introduced it this morning," Nathan explained with a little look over his shoulder at Stacey, who was setting a tray of cut vegetables on the table.

"I was only pointing out that sometimes it's nice to include other people in the conversation. People like Birdy and me, who don't play golf."

"Maybe you two should take it up," Marty chimed in, always on the lookout for new club members.

"I know exactly what you mean," Jacky complained, tapping her glass to signal Stacey she was ready for her next martini. "In our house it's football. Football twenty-four seven. I may as well live in a dugout."

"Sidelines. You may as well live on the sidelines. There are no dugouts in football." Jim laughed.

"Either way, I agree with Stacey. There are other things to talk about besides sports. When's the last time you asked me about my interests?" Jacky asked her husband, raising an eyebrow accusingly.

"I'll start asking about your interests when you take an interest in football," Jim offered.

Stacey interrupted the impending argument by shaking the martini mixer loudly and taking Jacky's glass. "Well, today Birdy started tennis lessons."

"That's great!" Jacky exclaimed, although the excitement may well have been more about her refilled glass.

"Maybe," Stacey stated flatly, sitting for the first time with her own martini.

"Maybe?" Tyler asked, Bre hanging on his arm as he grabbed a carrot stick from the veggie tray.

"She seems to have a fascination with her coach. I don't know if it's healthy."

"I'm sure he's harmless. It's probably just a little crush." Jacky said, pushing away any concern with a flip of her hand in the air.

"She looks harmless, but that's all Birdy can talk about since the lesson. Jenna this and Jenna that," Stacey explained, looking pointedly at Jacky across the table.

Tyler just laughed. The last thing he could imagine was his little sister being gay, though after the revelation with Chase, anything seemed possible. "Oh, come on, Mom. I have a man crush on Brad Pitt, doesn't mean I'm gay." As he said it, Tyler noticed Chase and Jarod standing a few feet away, within earshot of this entire conversation.