The late afternoon sun sat low over the driving range, painting the grass in gold. Alexandra rolled her shoulders, steadying her breath as she fixed her gaze on the ball. For a brief moment, the world narrowed to posture, grip, and follow-through—nothing else mattered.
Then her phone buzzed in her pocket just as she was lining up her swing.
She groaned. "If this is another spam call about car insurance—"
But the moment she saw the name on the screen, her lips twitched into a smile.
"Hello, Sam," she said, brushing a few loose strands of hair from her face.
"Hey, Alex," came Sam's familiar voice—crisp, calm, and, as always, bossy in the most unintentionally attractive way. "Just reminding you about the reunion tomorrow. Please don't be late. I won't be able to pick you up—I still have duties at the venue. Do you want me to send someone for you?"
Alexandra grinned, glancing at the girls down the green—Stacy pretending to golf, Zoe sunbathing instead of swinging, and Lesley sipping iced coffee like it was a sport.
"No need. I can manage. I'll be there," she said, trying to sound cool despite her smile practically leaking through the phone.
"Alright," Sam replied, the faintest sigh of relief threading through her words. "See you tomorrow."
"See you. Bye." Alexandra hung up, sliding her phone into her pocket. The leather strap of her glove creaked as she flexed her hand—but before she could even exhale, she felt it.
Three pairs of eyes. Staring.
"What?" she asked suspiciously.
"Who's Sam?" Lesley asked immediately, all innocent curiosity and zero chill.
Alexandra blinked. "No one."
"'No one,'" Stacy repeated, mimicking her voice dramatically. "You said that like someone who's been caught texting her situationship."
Zoe snorted. "Correction—that's not 'situationship energy.' That's full-on 'I like her voice so much I replay her voicemail' energy."
"Shut up!" Alexandra laughed, swinging her club halfheartedly in their direction. "You're all delusional."
"Oh, come on," Stacy said, stepping closer with a grin that could rival the sun. "You've been glowing, Alex. And not your usual I-just-bought-a-new-handbag glow. This is different. This is woman-in-love glow."
Alexandra rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth betrayed her. "It's just... complicated."
Lesley gasped. "Aha! Complicated means juicy!"
Zoe squinted playfully. "So, who is she? Another CEO? A secret agent? Your golf coach?"
Alexandra raised a brow. "A secret agent? Really?"
"Could happen," Zoe said, shrugging. "You look like the kind of woman who'd accidentally date someone undercover."
"Enough!" Alexandra said, laughing so hard she nearly dropped her club. "You're all insane."
"Admit it, Alex," Stacy said, sing-songing. "You like her."
Alexandra paused mid-laugh. The teasing melted into a small, helpless smile. "Yeah... maybe I do."
Her friends collectively awwwwed, and Zoe pretended to dab her eyes. "Our baby's growing up."
"Okay, first of all, I'm older than all of you," Alexandra said, half glaring, half giggling. "And second—she's just... different. I'll tell you everything when the time's right."
Lesley leaned on her club, grinning. "Fine, but when the 'time's right,' we want the full movie version."
"Noted," Alexandra said, chuckling as she took her next swing. The ball soared cleanly across the green, landing neatly near the flag.
Her friends cheered, but Alexandra barely heard them. Her mind was still on Sam's voice—smooth, controlled, and somehow the calm in her otherwise unpredictable world.
She bit back another smile, whispering under her breath, "See you tomorrow, bossy pants."
Behind her, Stacy cupped her hands around her mouth. "You're smiling again!"
Alexandra swung her club without turning around. "And you're about to lose teeth!"
Their laughter echoed across the fairway, sunlight spilling across the grass—and even with her friends' relentless teasing, Alexandra couldn't wipe the grin from her face. Because, yeah... maybe she was glowing.