JD looked around, unconsciously wrinkling his nose at the permeating smell of sweat and shifted nervously before refocusing on Wilmington. Buck lay on the bench in front of him, repeatedly pressing a weighted bar upwards.
�I told you to relax, JD.� Buck grunted between presses. �You�ll do fine.�
Dunne shook his head. �I don�t know, Buck. I�ve never played before.�
�So what?� Buck grinned as he set the weights back on the frame and pulled himself up. He straddled the bench and reached for the towel JD handed him. Dabbing at his face and bare chest he continued, �Josiah�s played for years�and he sucks. He�s still part of the team.�
JD laughed and ducked to avoid the towel coming at him. �That�s gross.� He shoved Buck, but fell in line beside the larger man as they headed toward the locker room. �Seriously though, the last three years I�ve had to miss the thing for one reason or another. I could handle softball or football and I could even hold my own with basketball but what if I choke at this? What if we lose?�
Buck burst out laughing and stopped. �Kid, when have we won?�
JD thought for a minute then grinned. �Good point.�
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�Have a good work out?� Nathan asked when JD and Buck joined the others for an early lunch at Inez�s Saloon.
�Yup.� Buck flexed. �Got to stay in shape to impress the ladies.� He smiled, ignoring the scoffs.
�Let�s get this strategy session started,� Josiah interrupted signaling to one of the new lunch waitresses that they were ready to order.
�Strategy, Mr. Sanchez?� Ezra raised an eyebrow. �It is not a game of chess, but rather a mix of skill and calculation,� he paused before adding, �along with a healthy dose of good fortune.�
�Thought you didn�t believe in luck, Ezra,� Vin commented from across the table.
�I don�t�which is why I detest this particular game. First of all, it�s played outdoors in the heat of the day. Secondly��
�Save it, Ezra,� Chris interrupted. �We�ve heard it all before and you�re still playing.�
�Fine.� Ezra flopped back in his chair and made a face when Larabee turned to place his order.
�I see that,� Chris growled teasingly causing Ezra to jump and the others to chuckle.
�Uh oh.� Buck signaled over his shoulder to the group of men approaching. �Team One.�
�Boys,� Roy Carter greeted contemptuously. �Ready for another humiliating defeat this afternoon?�
�Yeah, I hear you�re playing this year, Dunne.� John Simon, Team one�s sharpshooter, added, �You any better than the rest of these jokers?�
�I...� JD started to answer but Buck cut him off.
�You�ll just have to wait and see, Simon. Your ass is going down today.�
�Oh really?� one of the other men questioned.
�Oh yeah!� Nathan uncharacteristically piped up. �Your reign is over.�
As Team One moved away, the others looked at Jackson with questioning expressions.
�What? I�m sick of their gloating. It�s time someone puts them in their place.�
�Nathan?� Vin asked. �Have you seen the way we play?�
�We�re not all that bad,� Josiah defended gaining six �get serious� expressions. �Okay, so we stink but occasionally we�ve made halfway decent attempts.�
�If Ezra can get a hold of their�� Nathan waved a fork in Standish�s direction.
�We�re not cheating,� Chris stopped him. �Besides, we tried that two years ago and still lost.�
Collectively the group sighed.
�So what do we do then?� JD asked finally, leaning to the side to let the waitress set his meal in front of him.
�Do your best,� Josiah told him.
�Try to have fun,� Vin added.
�Pray for a miracle.� Buck nodded.
�Plot revenge.� Ezra smiled evilly.
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The afternoon sun was bright, and it didn�t take long before everyone in the game and watching was sweating. Team Seven was struggling, but to their surprise and satisfaction so were the other teams; so much so that they actually had a chance to win for the first time in four years. The seven were handling it well, years of losing taught the hard lesson that things could change in an instant and they were too afraid of jinxing things to actually gloat. Team One was livid. The angrier they got, the worse they played, thus opening more opportunities for Larabee�s men.
They were down to the last play and it was up to JD. The pressure was huge and he wasn�t sure he could handle it. Pleadingly, he looked at Ezra. �What do I do?� he whispered trying not to let the other team�s men see his nervousness.
Ezra paused, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. He glanced over JD�s head at Josiah, seeking guidance, but the older man just shrugged. Standish scowled at him and refocused on Dunne.
�I don�t think I can do it, Ez. It�s got to be impossible. What are the odds?�
Ezra cleared his throat. �Mr. Dunne, this is one of the rare occasions when you will hear me say�screw the odds.�
JD�s eyes widened.
�Come on, Dunne! Let�s get this over with so we can go celebrate!� Simon yelled and taunted.
JD took a deep breath and turned to face his challenge. He�d played okay so far�compared to Josiah at least, but that wasn�t saying much. Wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans he tried to block out the comments coming from the other players as he stepped forward. He eyed his target, adjusted his stance, took a deep breath and swung. His club connected with the neon orange ball and he knew immediately he�d hit it too hard. Around him players instinctively ducked, as the ball became air born.
�Shit,� he cursed as it flew in the opposite direction he�d intended.
The ball sailed upwards; over the border of hole 18 and into 16 surprising everyone as it hit the Arch de Triumph and flew to the right. At 15 it bounced hard off the Eiffel tower into 14, ricocheting between the Sphinx and the Statue of Liberty in 17 before landing back on the right hole with a splash at the top of Niagara Falls. It bobbed casually over the falls landing in one of the three designated shoots that rolled it back onto the lower green. Easily it rolled across the framed patch of artificial turf and landed with a definitive plop into the hole.
The crowd and participants were silent for a total of five seconds, mouths hanging in open in shock before everyone erupted, shouting and talking at once.
Two hours later, the party was still going strong at the Saloon. The ATF�s Annual Charity mini-golf tournament had been a success, raising their goal amount and more. And, for the first time in history, the trophy had gone to Team Seven.
�You know, this was just one of those days,� JD told Vin, the buzz of his third celebratory drink kicking in. The other members of their team were spread out in the bar, mixing with other teams� members.
�Yeah.�
�Beginner�s luck or something�we still suck at the game.�
�Yup,� Vin agreed.
�We�ll probably lose again next year.� JD slumped back in his chair, but couldn�t stop grinning. He still couldn�t believe he�d made the hole in one that�d won the game.
�Probably.� Vin nodded.
�Think we should practice or something?�
Vin looked at him doubtfully. �Us? Mini-golf?�
JD thought for a second. �Yeah, eventually Chris�d shoot something.� His gaze drifted to Ezra who looked like he getting Roy Carter involved in a bet. �Or someone.�
�A-huh� Vin finished his beer and fumbled drunkenly to set the empty bottle on the table. It tipped over and he started at it with disgust, but didn�t right it.
�Ah well,� JD sighed and closed his eyes, contentedly starting to drift off despite the raucous noise level. �We can�t be great at everything.�
