Caught and Bowled Prequel to Bowled Over: Sweet Spot

By Vida Li Sik

Gina Elliot wasn't looking for romance when she attended a cricket match. After all, she plans to finish her studies before embarking on a brilliant writing career. Yet, star player Storm Jones is hard to ignore or resist.
Storm has time for a summer fling before taking up a lucrative professional contract in England. Gina fits the bill.
But, as the African summer draws to a close, both have tough choices to make. What will they choose?

 

Caught and Bowled is a prequel to Bowled Over (a sweet second-chance sports romance).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vida Li Sik
• Release date: Sep 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393512233

Vida Li Sik

Vida Li Sik is a wife, mother, award-winning journalist and multi-genre author. She grew up in a small town, Nigel, in sunny South Africa. Together with her family, she is actively involved in a youth and family ministry in Johannesburg, the City of Gold. She has no pets and has yet to find a weird and wonderful hobby. In the meantime, she loves to write about people, real ones and imagined.  For updates, contact Vida through her website: https://www.vidalisik.com/ or on social media. She would love to hear from you. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vidalswriter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vidalisik Twitter: https://twitter.com/vidalisik

Book preview

Chapter One

Girls’ outings are fun—a time to let loose and relax. This shouldn’t be any different for two young female sports reporters in the City of Gold. Right? After all, in just a short while, they’d find themselves surrounded by hunky men of all shapes and sizes—sheer happiness.

Why the long face? Lesley asked, as she slid into Gina Elliot’s compact little car parked outside her suburban townhouse in Johannesburg. She pulled down the visor and inspected her face in the mirror. Her new blond hairstyle suited her round face, and she swiped a last layer of strawberry gloss over her lips as she gave her friend a side glance. We’re going to a cricket match—not a funeral. Or am I mistaken?

It took an effort from Gina to stop frowning and loosen her tight grip on the steering wheel. She brushed a strand of long, dark, curly hair behind her ear, and her hazel eyes clouded as she gathered her thoughts.

Of course. It’s just that... Her voice trailed off. The engine stalled, and she stared down at the gear lever as if it was at fault. Her fingers shook as she restarted the car and expelled a shaky breath as she slid into the busy traffic.

Her perceptive friend had picked up on Gina’s mood. It did not match that of a doting daughter returning from her weekly Saturday breakfast with her parents.

What happened? You didn’t like what your mum served for breakfast? Lesley’s mischievous blue eyes sparkled, and her voice held a teasing tone to lighten the atmosphere. She furrowed her brow when it failed to raise the expected smile. Is everything okay at home?

Gina shrugged. Yes. At least I hope it is. There was a weird vibe between my parents. Tense. My dad barely uttered two sentences. Mum also said little. She just banged dishes around the sink afterwards. That’s so unusual.

Hmm! That is unlike them. Your dad seldom says much, anyway, but for your chatty mum to do the same is out of character. Lesley Payne had spent lots of time in the Elliot household as she and Gina grew up together, and she knew her friend’s parents, Philip and Rebecca well. As bosom buddies, their love for sports united them even more now as adults.

Gina stopped at a traffic light. She sighed as a bundle of loose clothes straightened up and revealed a beggar on the pavement next to the driver’s door. Bending down, she rummaged in the coffee holder and turned down her window. Her five rand coin clinked against the loose change at the bottom of the plastic cup held out by the gap-toothed blind beggar. Gina’s lips curved into a smile as the grateful man tossed a cheery Siyabonga in her direction before he shuffled off with the help of his young companion.

While she waited for the light to change, she smoothed out the red summer dress she paired with platform sneakers. The argument between her parents dampened her desire to attend a cricket match at a high-brow venue. It seemed trivial compared to a rift between her parents. But she shrugged off the worry that clawed at her heart. Why spoil the day for her friend? Anyway, enough of them. Let’s focus on our outing.

While Gina freelanced as a cricket reporter at a weekend newspaper, Lesley worked as a soccer and golf reporter for a different publication. Her bestie quickly agreed, and her voice rose in excitement.

Can I say that I’m super excited about going to today’s charity match? Thanks again, for the free tickets from your office.

Lesley’s voice turned wistful. How nice to be a member of the Sterling family. You have your own private cricket oval and get the crème de la crème of society to grace your birthday bash. Her deft fingers touched up her coral lipstick, and then she grinned. If it’s going to be as fancy as you claimed, then I should’ve become a cricket reporter!

Gina took her eyes off the road and grinned back, before she exited onto the off-ramp that lead to the cricket ground set in idyllic surroundings. Don’t exaggerate. You get to do the same at golf events.

Ha! That’s only when our senior writer lets me tag along to write ‘colour’ pieces. She clicked her tongue in exasperation. Like Gina, Lesley was about to start her final year in a bachelor of Communications degree. Her second major was psychology, while Gina took business as hers. In their spare time, they freelanced as sports reporters.

Gina laughed at Lesley’s outrage as she slowed down and searched for a parking space. She breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted one, and with a nifty manoeuvre sandwiched her little Nissan Micra between a Merc and a Ford Ranger.

She retrieved her bag from underneath her seat and opened it to double-check she had everything she needed.

With an impish grin, she patted Lesley’s arm. Don’t worry, our time will come. Let’s enjoy today for what it is. It’s such a change from the usual ‘business-execs-in-training’ at university. She