The Long Game

By J. L. Campbell

He’s all she’s ever wanted. She’s all he’ll ever need.

Aside from a brief stint of madness during their teen years, Vance and Ayisha are not each other's idea of relationship material. Vance is preoccupied with getting his fill of women. Yet, all it takes to turn his world upside down is one remark from Ayisha about his lifestyle.

Suddenly, his focus shifts and he's spending his days trying to prove he can be the man she needs. While he’s intent on leaving his player days behind, an unseen enemy is determined to ruin his career as a financial analyst.

Ayisha is a go-getter who knows what she's about—a successful business, a lifetime with the man of her dreams, and children to complete the picture. Vance is an expert at romance, but with Ayisha it's all or nothing. She's waited years for him to stop chasing the wind in pursuit of what's already in front of him. Now that he's set his heart on having her, will she accept his love?

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Writer's Suite
• Release date: Aug 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9789768307293

Book preview

Chapter 1

Vance

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Garth stopped the golf cart, braking hard enough to throw me off the seat. He met my gaze, his narrow eyes sober. Stop looking at Ayisha as if you hate her.

I looked across at him, wondering why he was interrupting our game and trying to get inside my head. The sun was fierce enough without him making our round more miserable.

I'm not lying, he continued. I keep thinking you're either going to slap her or storm off the course.

I got out of the cart, reaching for one of my clubs. You know how I feel about hitting women.

That means you'll be storming off at any minute. Garth grinned, turning his eyes to slits. But not before you pay on that bet you owe me.

The game's not over yet, I said, scowling at my five iron.

Well, with that attitude, I can safely say I'm taking home your money. He drove the cart across the fairway and positioned himself to watch my shot.

Guess again, I muttered, before settling over the ball. If I had anything to do with it—and I had plenty—Garth, my best friend, wouldn't be walking away with any winnings. My ability to compartmentalize my thoughts and activities was part of the reason I was a successful financial analyst. One of the best in Jamaica. I put Ayisha out of my mind and concentrated on winning.

Shot! Garth said, when the ball flew over the dogleg. It’s on the green, he added.

It was a fitting recovery from the foul-up I'd had off the tee. Thanks to Ayisha.

The thought of her made my head ache, but when had that ever been different? We'd moved in the same tight circle of friends for over fifteen years, ignoring that thing we'd explored briefly when we were teenagers. Our stint as lovers had been hot and disastrous and we hadn't gone there since. Now, with one statement, she had spoiled my whole day.

If you frown any more, you won't be able to unknot your eyebrows, Garth teased.

I said something so vile he raised both brows and smirked, but didn't respond. After we’d gone a few yards in the cart I spoke, staring through the transparent plastic shield. Look man, I'm sorry. You know it had nothing to do with you.

We're cool, he said, chuckling. It's Ayisha you have to get out of your craw.

It's all well and good for you to skin and grin as if nothing happened. You're not the one she insulted.

He shot me a glance. And what did she say that she hasn't told you a hundred times before?

She could have some respect though.

His tone was dry when he said, I guess she couldn't find a way to dress up the fact that at thirty-two you're living as if you're twenty-two.

"Not you too?"

I'm not going to lie and say you're doing right, when you're not.

I focused on the flag pin, wondering why I felt defensive. I'm not asking you to do that.

So how different is what Ayisha told you from what I'm telling you?

Maybe all of you should let me live my life without getting your underwear in a knot over my business.

He stared straight ahead as the breeze ruffled his spiky hair. Whatever man, but when some woman messes you up bad, don't come crying to me.

Shaking my head, I snorted. Since you and Anna-Lise decided to do the thing, you've turned into an altar boy.

His amusement returned full force. That's what the love of a good woman does to you.

Good for you. I'm going to be playing until the life is sucked right out of me. Life is too short to have one woman holding me down.

Garth parked the cart, got out, and pulled a club from his bag. Before he walked to his ball, he spoke over his shoulder. "At the rate you go through women, your life will be short. Period."

After hitting a perfect shot that landed on the green next to the hole, he cleaned the grass from his club and got behind the wheel.

I didn't think his comment deserved the energy it would take to respond, so I ignored him and watched Ayisha take her stance over the ball. She went still, took her backstroke and hit a smooth shot. Her finishing position was elegant, I grudgingly admitted, but her smart mouth took away from my admiration. I could just bet she and Anna-Lise had been talking about me and my personal business. Then again, my exploits weren't a secret. They wouldn't spend time talking about what they already knew.

She had no right to suggest there was something wrong with the way I lived. I was doing what I chose to do and there was nothing in my past which caused me not to want to settle down. Although my mother and father were married for many years, that wasn't in my future. I was all about living it up and that's what I planned to do as long as I had breath left in my body.

While Anna-Lise took her shot, I shuffled my feet on the floor of the cart, wondering why I couldn't let Ayisha's words go. I had a date this evening and that's where my focus should have been.

She was a fine one to talk anyway. Ayisha didn't have a man, nor did she have a life. If anybody was qualified to talk about relationships and how they worked, it wasn't her. The last time she had a man was roughly two years ago.

That stopped my mind from running.

I studied her, lean and toned in a long-sleeved golf shirt and a skort that left most of her honey-gold legs on display. From experience, I knew her inky-black hair was silky-smooth to the touch and her lips were soft and …

That's more like it, Garth said, breaking into my thoughts. At least you're not looking like you want to skewer her.

Why I was thinking about Ayisha as if she were dating material, I didn't know. I'd been there and done that and it wasn't pretty. She was the sort of woman guys like me stayed away from. Ayisha was demanding and full of unsolicited opinions. On the other hand, she was amusing, intelligent, and gave as good as she got.

It's not like she doesn't deserve it, I grumbled.

Simply because she stated what is?

So now you're on her side?

Slapping me on the shoulder, Garth laughed. I'm not on anybody's side. Come on, man. You're taking this way too seriously. She's said much worse things to you and you never took them this badly. So what if you're not meant to settle down and can't be the kind of man sane women admire?

His paraphrase of Ayisha's words tickled his funny bone, because he chuckled again.

I didn’t see the joke. Now you're beginning to annoy me, I said.

You're getting upset for nothing.

My irritation was getting out of hand. I clenched my jaw, then ground out, Just stop.

You're the one who always takes a joke too far and now it seems you can't take a bit of truth from a hundred-and-forty-pound female. Garth laughed as if I’d given him a joke. Lise would give you hell if she knew.

Don't you dare tell her, I said, hanging on to the side rail. The two of you are to blame for this anyhow.

He frowned and looked across at me. How on earth did we get involved?

Well, if you weren't making love over the saltfish fritters instead of eating, Ayisha wouldn't have been thinking about everything she doesn't have, which led to her taking out her frustration on me.

Garth shook his head. You're full of crap, you know that?

It's the truth though, I yelled over the roar of the cart.

So what you're saying is that A has a case of sour grapes?

Satisfaction settled over me. You said it, not me.

If that were the case, she wouldn't still be friends with you. That woman has the patience of Job to feel the way she does about you and still be hanging around with you.

I put on a tight smile as Anna-Lise and Ayisha shot past us on their cart. Then I frowned. Hold up, what d'you mean the way she feels about me?

Vance, not even you can be that dumb. Anybody with two eyes in their head can see she still has a thing for you.

Running a hand over my goatee, I followed the girls' cart with my eyes.

But that was—

Years ago, yes, but we can't choose who we love, so while you've been whoring …

Garth droned on, but I was stuck at the part where he thought Ayisha was feeling something for me. We'd hooked up briefly, but our personalities were too similar for us to survive as a couple. Since then, I'd worked my way through countless women, while she'd been a fixture in my life.

It was hard to believe what Garth was saying, but if I thought about it, Ayisha was more than a friend to me. We spent a lot of time together on the golf course, and not so much off since I kept company elsewhere.

Despite that, she counted as one of the most important people in my life. Bryan, Garth, Kathy, Anna-Lise, Ayisha, and I had been a team since high school and though we had many disagreements and some hardships, nothing had separated us up until now.

Garth usually made sense, but this time I had to conclude he was way off base. Yet, I couldn't help wondering if there was one grain of truth to what he said. If he was right, I didn't want to think about how my actions must have affected her all this time. She was a strong woman, but still ...

Ayisha let her gaze skim past me as if she hadn't done anything to upset me. Her don’t care attitude teed me off, but if she wanted to act as if nothing happened, then I'd do the same. We'd come off the course a half-hour ago, freshened up and ordered some food. While she was as cool as ever, I was in a state, pretending I wasn't upset. That, in itself, was getting on my nerves.

The windy patio overlooked the golf course and the panoramic view took my mind off Ayisha for a minute.

You played exceptionally well today, she said, dipping a French fry into the gob of ketchup on her plate.

Yeah, I kept it together out there, I mumbled, not looking directly at her. If I did, she'd know I was angry.

The resentment bubbling in my belly made me feel foolish, but I still hadn't given it up. Ayisha owed me an apology, but her casual attitude said she didn't plan to give me one, which in turn made me even more annoyed.

I looked up from my beer in time to see Garth stifling a grin. After shooting him a glare meant to keep him quiet, I bit into my club sandwich, proud that despite how upset I'd been, my game hadn't suffered. It wasn't every day I shot 72, so that was something special.

While taking our things off the cart, Garth hinted that maybe Ayisha had done me a favor. I'd shut him up that time with a glare too, but he'd clearly forgotten I didn't want to talk about her.

Our snack after the game was a regular habit and usually, we'd talk about our round and catch up with each other.

Anna-Lise fed Garth a chicken wing, stuffing it further into his mouth than necessary.

When he protested, she wiped his lips with a napkin and made a remark, which had everybody laughing. Since I didn't hear what she said, I sank my face into my mug and sipped more beer.

Six months ago, Anna-Lise and Garth decided to go from friends to lovers and now they were engaged. Bryan, our friend, and the manager of the Midlands Golf Club where we had our membership, had fathered Kathy's baby.

I don't know what had shifted, but over the past month or so, I felt pressured. It wasn't anything said or done by any of my friends. We were cool. The problem lay with my parents, my mother in particular. The birth of Kathy and Bryan's daughter had triggered a longing for grandkids I wasn't ready to supply.

Mama figured I was too old to not be a father, considering that in Jamaica most men had several kids by the time they got to my age. Of course, my mother was also grateful I hadn't gotten any children, since I wasn't married or in a serious relationship, but I struggled under the weight of my parents’ expectation. They wanted me to stop playing, get married, and have children, in that order.

My friends laughed again, and I sat up and paid attention. I was always ragging them, so it wouldn't be too long before they wondered why I was so quiet and then I'd be in for some teasing.

My eyes met Ayisha's, and she frowned. I don't know what she saw, but she gave me a second, longer stare. Too late, I realized my hostility was evident.

She cocked her brow, which forced me to rearrange my expression into something more pleasant.

You okay? she asked and then nibbled at a chicken wing.

I nodded and shifted my gaze, which put me eye-to-eye with Garth. His grin fueled my irritation and I sucked my teeth.

Now I know you're not okay, Ayisha said. Are you still upset with me?

I opened my mouth, but the lie got stuck on the way out.

First, amusement crossed Ayisha's face, next came puzzlement, then annoyance.

So you wanted me to lie to you? she asked.

Her question needed no introduction or point of reference. We both knew exactly what she was talking about.

I'm not saying that.

You could have fooled me. She tipped her head to the side. I don't know why, at this stage, you think I'm going to lie to soothe your ego.

Keeping my voice even, I said, Did I ask you anything?

No, but you're sitting there like some spoilt child about to have a tantrum.

I picked up the beer mug and took my time sipping from it. Instead of lashing out at her, I kept a cool head and said nothing. She was out of order to speak to me that way, but I'd also been rude to her a minute ago.

We glowered at each other over the table until it occurred to me how stupid I was acting over something all of us had accepted as part of my character. I stopped staring her down and shifted my gaze to the fairway below us.

Our friends continued talking while I filled my lungs and exhaled.

This wouldn't be the last time she'd say something to upset me and I was making a mountain out of a pile of ash. Seeing how I’d overreacted, I swallowed my resentment and pretended everything was as it had been before she started criticizing me.

Chapter 2

Ayisha

---

W hy didn't you show up yesterday? Anna-Lise asked. We missed you on the course.

I didn't feel like it. I sat in her office and threw my handbag in the chair next to me. I told Garth I was going to spend the afternoon with Mom and Dad.

He told me. I just didn't have time to call you in the evening.

Smirking, I said, I wonder why.

None of your business, Anna-Lise said, laughing.

She'd been more open and cheerful since getting engaged to Garth. They'd loved each other for eons, but it also took them that long to get together.

D'you plan to avoid Vance forever, or just until you get over your snit with him?

He got on my nerves on Saturday, whining as if there's anybody else to blame for the things that happen to him.

She pushed her diary to the side. I don't think he was whining, he was simply saying—

Stop defending him, Lise. Vance needs to grow up and stop chasing so much tail. Then he wouldn't have a reason to complain when these women become a nuisance.

The man simply put down his phone and made a comment. She met my eyes. Then you jumped all over him, as if he committed a crime.

Peeking at her through my fingers, I asked, You think I overreacted?

She nodded. You were harsh.

With one shoulder, I shrugged, It's nothing more than he deserves.

Whatever, but for a moment there, you forgot you weren't his mother.

I pictured him—tall, good-looking, deep-brown skin, and that goatee. His behavior on Saturday made me giggle. You would have thought I was, and had punished him, by the way he was stomping around and trying not to bash the ball.

I doubt he's still upset with you. He seemed a lot easier yesterday. Most of the time anyway.

What did he shoot?

Ninety.

I stared at Anna-Lise. From his regular seventies to ninety and you're telling me he wasn't upset?

If he was anything, it was distracted.

Now, I squinted at her. How d'you mean?

Just that his mind didn't seem to be on the game.

Concern made me ask, Wonder if something happened to him?

Who knows? Vance is such a joker, half the time you can't tell whether he's serious or not.

So how are Mom and Dad? Anna-Lise asked.

Great, I said, They asked for you, and once your name came up you know what came next.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it up, peering at the display. She smiled one of those smiles which told me Garth had sent her a text. After she tapped the screen for half a minute typing a message, she raised her head.

I wouldn't want to be you, she said. My mother is already dropping hints about babies and Garth and I haven't even decided on a date for the wedding.

Mom claims that at nearly thirty-one, I'm already long in the tooth. I crossed one leg over the other, staring at my leather boots. In unguarded moments, I was a little envious of what Anna-Lise had with Garth, but not in a bad way. They were good friends and made a great couple, which had my thoughts settling on Vance.

We'd been an item when we were young and giddy, but that barely lasted three months. Vance was like a wild stallion and I was what my dad used to call a headstrong filly. We did not make for a good combination. Since that time, I had dialed down the drama and was mostly even-tempered. In the intervening years, Vance had been through so many women I'd lost count.

You can't take that seriously, Anna-Lise said, pushing some loose strands of hair out of her face. You have time on your side, but it has been a while since O'dane.

Yeah, Mr. Preoccupied.

That had to be the oddest relationship I'd ever been in. Both of us were pre-occupied with different things. O'dane claimed my work and golf meant everything to me and I thought he had an unhealthy attachment to his Shih-Tzu and his parents. We said goodbye nearly two years ago and I hadn't missed him one bit.

I got to my feet and picked up my bag. Later, chica.

I'll show you those promotional samples when they come in today, Anna-Lise said. Before you know it, December will be on us and we won't have time to do anything.

Fine by me.

Anna-Lise nodded, pulled her laptop front and center and tapped the keyboard. Her forté was marketing and mine was organizing our staff and getting the inbound and outbound shipments organized.

Didn't matter what Anna-Lise came up with. I'd go along with it because I trusted her judgement. Our custom broking business was going strong after several years of operating it as a partnership.

It worked for us partly due to our mutual respect for what we each did. My father had taught me the business inside out and Anna-Lise knew what I knew, plus she brought all her marketing experience to the table and that had taken us from a modest family operation to a highly-visible, competitive business.

I pulled the door closed behind me, ending our ritual. Most mornings I popped in to chat with her before work.

My office was set up differently from Anna-Lise's. Where she had blinds and pictures, my space reflected a feng shui philosophy. I liked open spaces, paintings and good energy. Too bad I didn't have a lot of it these days, but I wasn't one to focus on negativity. My work kept me happy and I believed in being