play golf , he guessed.
Rod realized the trip had changed him as he walked toward the golf course to help Junior rake sand traps. He’d had a little taste of what he wanted a lot more of. Washington felt right, felt good, and he wasn’t overwhelmed by being in a senator’s office. Maybe a little when he shook hands with the President. He wasn’t too shocked at seeing the President with another woman who wasn’t his wife at the pool. He’d read a column in a Dallas Herald left in the club dining room that reported rumors of his womanizing.
Growing up in the Flats, he had seen a lot. Life was different from the double standard of the pious and wealthy blue bloods of Bois D’Arc, especially those who lived at the Hilltop Estates, affectionately named after the Hilltop on the SMU’s campus. The Worthingtons and some of their selected rich friends, SMU alumni, lived on property old man Worthington had developed, a hundred acres on the south side of town toward Dallas, subdivided into family estates large enough for stables and riding trails. But there was an unwritten rule that no A&M graduates were allowed to own property there.
“Rod . . . Rod?” the soft, lilting voice belonged to Cassandra Worthington and brought his attention back from his mechanical raking motion that had dug a hole in the sand trap. He and Junior were supposed to be giving the golf course a major spruce-up for the Labor Day Weekend tournament.
“Hey, Cass, how was France?” Rod replied casually, trying not to show his surprise that she’d come home without telling him. Before she’d left, they’d argued about her being gone most of the summer.
“Aren’t you the cool one? I heard all about your trip to Washington with Mr. Workman.” Cass beamed coyly at Rod. “Guess you already had an earful about it,” she said to Junior.
“Yeah, more than I wanted to hear.” He turned to Rod. “I’m done here, man, you can finish up. I’ll see you later. Bye, Cass.”
“What’s the matter with him?”
“He’s just a little jealous of the attention Jack shows me,” Rod responded. “By the way, who told you about the trip? I was hoping to tell you myself when you got back. Maybe if you could come out later for a swim or something, I’ll tell you all about it. I’ll be through with my jobs for Mr. Gardner by seven. Your granddaddy will have had his nightly toddy, watched The Lawrence Welk Show , and gone to bed so you can sneak out without him knowing. I don’t know how you and your family can stand living with him, even if it is the biggest house in Bois D’Arc.”
“Don’t be mean. Beneath all that thick skin he wants everybody to think he has, there really is a kind old man. He honestly respects your abilities. He just doesn’t like any boy who wants to date me,” Cass added with a smile. “See you around eight.”
She turned toward the clubhouse, took a few steps, stopped, and pivoted to face Rod again, who was still leaning on his rake. “I’ve missed you this summer. Gramps sent me to France so we couldn’t be together out here. I . . . just want you to know I didn’t enjoy one minute of it and I’m sorry we argued.” She whirled quickly and ran toward the clubhouse.
“Yeah, me, too,” Rod said softly, watching her until she was out of sight.
Chapter 13
All Rod could think about during his long cool shower after raking sand traps in the hot sun all day was what Cass said about missing him this summer and not enjoying the time she was away in Paris.
“Hey, Rod, you’re going to turn into a prune if you don’t get out of that shower.” Jack Workman stuck his head into the employees’ locker-room door. “Heard Mr. Gardner has been on your back ever since our trip to Washington. Sorry about that, and I’ll talk to him. Been kind of busy, but I’ve got everything pretty much ready for the government inspection. How’ve you been? Sorry, I haven’t been free to play golf lately. Hurry up and get dressed,
Rod realized the trip had changed him as he walked toward the golf course to help Junior rake sand traps. He’d had a little taste of what he wanted a lot more of. Washington felt right, felt good, and he wasn’t overwhelmed by being in a senator’s office. Maybe a little when he shook hands with the President. He wasn’t too shocked at seeing the President with another woman who wasn’t his wife at the pool. He’d read a column in a Dallas Herald left in the club dining room that reported rumors of his womanizing.
Growing up in the Flats, he had seen a lot. Life was different from the double standard of the pious and wealthy blue bloods of Bois D’Arc, especially those who lived at the Hilltop Estates, affectionately named after the Hilltop on the SMU’s campus. The Worthingtons and some of their selected rich friends, SMU alumni, lived on property old man Worthington had developed, a hundred acres on the south side of town toward Dallas, subdivided into family estates large enough for stables and riding trails. But there was an unwritten rule that no A&M graduates were allowed to own property there.
“Rod . . . Rod?” the soft, lilting voice belonged to Cassandra Worthington and brought his attention back from his mechanical raking motion that had dug a hole in the sand trap. He and Junior were supposed to be giving the golf course a major spruce-up for the Labor Day Weekend tournament.
“Hey, Cass, how was France?” Rod replied casually, trying not to show his surprise that she’d come home without telling him. Before she’d left, they’d argued about her being gone most of the summer.
“Aren’t you the cool one? I heard all about your trip to Washington with Mr. Workman.” Cass beamed coyly at Rod. “Guess you already had an earful about it,” she said to Junior.
“Yeah, more than I wanted to hear.” He turned to Rod. “I’m done here, man, you can finish up. I’ll see you later. Bye, Cass.”
“What’s the matter with him?”
“He’s just a little jealous of the attention Jack shows me,” Rod responded. “By the way, who told you about the trip? I was hoping to tell you myself when you got back. Maybe if you could come out later for a swim or something, I’ll tell you all about it. I’ll be through with my jobs for Mr. Gardner by seven. Your granddaddy will have had his nightly toddy, watched The Lawrence Welk Show , and gone to bed so you can sneak out without him knowing. I don’t know how you and your family can stand living with him, even if it is the biggest house in Bois D’Arc.”
“Don’t be mean. Beneath all that thick skin he wants everybody to think he has, there really is a kind old man. He honestly respects your abilities. He just doesn’t like any boy who wants to date me,” Cass added with a smile. “See you around eight.”
She turned toward the clubhouse, took a few steps, stopped, and pivoted to face Rod again, who was still leaning on his rake. “I’ve missed you this summer. Gramps sent me to France so we couldn’t be together out here. I . . . just want you to know I didn’t enjoy one minute of it and I’m sorry we argued.” She whirled quickly and ran toward the clubhouse.
“Yeah, me, too,” Rod said softly, watching her until she was out of sight.
Chapter 13
All Rod could think about during his long cool shower after raking sand traps in the hot sun all day was what Cass said about missing him this summer and not enjoying the time she was away in Paris.
“Hey, Rod, you’re going to turn into a prune if you don’t get out of that shower.” Jack Workman stuck his head into the employees’ locker-room door. “Heard Mr. Gardner has been on your back ever since our trip to Washington. Sorry about that, and I’ll talk to him. Been kind of busy, but I’ve got everything pretty much ready for the government inspection. How’ve you been? Sorry, I haven’t been free to play golf lately. Hurry up and get dressed,