The Short Game

By J. L. Campbell

One forbidden encounter between two friends changes three relationships.

When an accident puts Garth Chu in the hospital, his life spirals into disarray.

His family is determined to marry him off to a woman of their ethnicity, but his heart says no.

One forbidden interlude with his best friend cements that decision.

Anna-Lise discovers feelings she's never admitted to having and Garth can't remember when she went from sister-friend to soul mate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Writer's Suite
• Release date: Jun 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9789768307316

Book preview

Chapter 1

Anna-Lise

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My best friend's disapproving stare alerted me to the savage expression I wore.

I toned it down, but wondered why Ayisha expected anything different when Garth had just ruined our foursome by bringing along his latest girlfriend, Nadine—or Naydeen as she insisted on being called.

She was pretty—a blend of African and Chinese ancestry—with a mane of black hair that highlighted her creamy, yellow-brown skin. Her makeup accentuated deep-set, almond-shaped eyes and a plump cupid's bow that represented her mouth. We stood at the same height, making her tall for someone who had so much Chinese blood.

I dragged my gaze away from them, thinking they made a good-looking couple. Garth shared the same ethnicity as Nadine and like her, was of above-average height. His skin was a darker hue because of his parentage and many hours spent in the sun, which made him a delicious shade of toffee.

Sucking my teeth, I tuned in to my other playing partners’ conversation, but my concentration was shot and all I could seem to wrap my head around was Garth and his guest.

Nadine could have been Garth's sister, they were that well-matched, but I was uncomfortably aware she wasn't related to him.

I craned my neck past Ayisha, watching Nadine strangling Garth's arm as they walked down the steps at the side of the clubhouse and toward the path where we sat in the golf cart.

You're gonna walk or ride? I asked Vance, who hung on to the roof of the cart where Ayisha and I sat.

I'm walking, he said, pulling down the cap over his forehead. No sense wasting money on another cart.

Garth helped Nadine into the cart in front and got in beside her. Her jeans fit like a second skin and I wondered if Garth, or good sense, hadn't told her the golf course wasn't a place for high heels, wedges or not. When they pecked each other on the lips, I tried not to retch while keeping a serene expression in place.

Garth spared Vance an apologetic glance as he started the cart and pulled away, raising a shrill cry from Nadine, who reared and then held on to one of the rails. With her other hand, she grabbed Garth's shirtsleeve.

That raised an eye roll from me. The next four hours would be hellish.

When we got to the first hole, we waited by the ladies' tee for the men to hit.

Garth got on the tee first, as he had the honor from the last game and the running bet he had with Vance.

The course spread out before us, a combination of closely-mown grass, majestic trees and out-of-bound areas where even the taller grass seemed to have been manicured into submission.

Garth got on with his pre-shot routine, stretching and then waggling his driver behind the ball a couple of times before hitting it. His finish was perfect, as usual, and the ball sailed over the massive guango tree, past the dogleg and into the fairway beyond.

After a signal from the caddie, who stood to one side of the fairway, Garth put his driver in his bag that he'd strapped on the cart and got inside.

Nadine cuddled up to him, tittering in her high-pitched voice.

This wasn't the first time Garth had brought one of his women along with us for a round, but this was Nadine's fourth visit and on each occasion, her presence was more of an irritant than the last time.

After his pre-shot ritual, Vance—dark skinned, wiry, and powerful—put his drive down the middle of the fairway, a few yards behind Garth's ball. His caddie signaled to him, letting him know he was going to walk ahead to the green.

The shortfall resulted in Garth teasing Vance about not being up to scratch. While they ribbed each other, Ayisha got into position to play her shot. She struck the ball, a decent but low drive that landed to the left of the fairway.

All the while, Nadine hadn't stopped yakking.

It shouldn't have bothered me, since over the years I'd gotten used to the hum of conversation between Garth, Vance and Bryan—our other playing partner—when teeing off, even though the etiquette of the game required them to shut up while we were hitting our shots.

A shrill burst of laughter just before I struck the ball startled me and I sucked my teeth watching the little white globe sailing into the rough after going barely fifty yards.

My game went downhill from there and by the time we got to the ninth hole, I was ready to give up and go home—not that I could have. They'd only have called me a spoilsport and teased me forever about not being able to manage a bad round.

We didn't do more than use the washroom and buy a round of drinks before leaving the rest-stop-cum-bar and continuing the other nine holes.

The afternoon yawned ahead of us as I waited several times in the shade while Garth gave Nadine lessons on hitting the ball. Standing behind her, his body spooned into hers, Garth demonstrated the proper grip and showed her a few pitching shots.

Of course, that brought on a host of sour thoughts. He wasn't the best person to demonstrate short game shots since he wasn't that accurate around the greens when it came to getting the ball in the hole. Give him the long shots every time and he'd put them down the middle at mind-boggling distances.

Ages later, we paid our caddies, put away our clubs and climbed the steps of the clubhouse.

I was morose over the 95 I'd racked up. I wasn't a championship golfer by any means, but I was steady and kept my score in the high seventies and low eighties.

When we sat tallying our scores, Ayisha sent me a sympathetic glance. She knew how I hated scoring badly.

Bryan, the manager of the Midlands Golf Club and our friend, dragged out a chair and lowered his strapping frame into the seat. He didn't play with us every week, but was part of our group. He sent a grin my way. I can tell from the hangdog look that you had an awful round.

I chugged a mouthful of CranWATA and then nodded. Yeah, I should have stayed home.

And miss the wonderful sunshine and excellent company?

Right. I couldn't help the spite that crept into my voice. With these two yakking all the way around the course, it's a wonder I didn't shoot a hundred.

Don't blame your bad shots on other people, Vance said, snickering. A poor sportsman will blame everybody but himself for his failures.

Whatever, it's not like you had such a good score.

Eighty is a long way from ninety-five, my sweet, he said, smirking into his glass.

I cut my eyes at him and Ayisha, who snorted behind her glass of lime squash. She ran a hand into her unruly curls and stifled laughter behind her other hand, which was propped on the table.

I sent her a glare, shaking my head. I don't know why you're even laughing, since your score isn’t all that great either.

Unable to hold back her amusement any more, she let it go. When she finished laughing, she said, You should see your face, Anna-Lise. You're like the Grinch.

That brought on a reality check. Yes, I'd had a bad round and I didn't like playing worse than my usual level, but it was only a game. I needed to remember that.

Garth, who was sitting across the table, winked at me.

Inexplicably, his gesture made me feel better.

His smile widened into a grin. Don't let them get you down, Lise. You know I have your back.

Nodding, I picked up my flavored water. I know, even if you helped with the chatting out there today.

I was trying to make you feel better and you turned on me. Garth's eyes widened and he put a hand to his chest, acting as if I'd wounded him. You're an ungrateful woman.

Whatever. I drank more CranWATA, uncomfortable with the way Nadine chuckled with my friends as if she were part of our circle.

Ayisha picked up our shared scorecard off the wrought iron table, signed and passed it to me.

I scribbled my signature, collected the card Garth and Vance had used, and got up.

A walk to the drop box to put the card inside would help cool my temper.

Inside the air-conditioned pro-shop, I chatted with the attendant for a few minutes and let her know I was leaving a couple of scorecards. I didn't look around the shop floor, because I'd be tempted to buy something I could do without.

Although I played golf, I wasn't rich, so I avoided purchasing equipment and other items I didn't need. My male friends could afford this stuff, Ayisha and I weren't that fortunate, so we helped each other stay vigilant.

Instead of going straight back to the table, I made a detour to the washroom.

Nadine was on her way out and we exchanged a smile that neither of us was feeling.

I didn't have anything against her. Well, nothing I could pinpoint, but I hadn't warmed to her. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't liked any of Garth's girlfriends and there had been many through the years.

I frowned, staring at the line between my brows in the plate-glass mirror over the basin. I'd never analyzed why I hadn't taken to any of Garth's girls. Maybe it was because they all seemed to be the same type—women who were from a particular segment of Jamaican society. They lacked nothing and didn't have to work if they didn’t choose to hold a job.

I shrugged and decided I'd stop boggling my brain. Garth had grown up around these women, so it was only natural that he'd be attracted to that kind of female. Our paths never would have crossed were it not for a joint high school golf program I'd been introduced to just before I turned fifteen.

Taking up golf had put me in Garth's orbit, and we'd clicked since meeting that first day on the range. I'd been struggling and he'd helped me with my grip, which had straightened out my swing.

Bryan, Vance and he were already friends, as Ayisha, Kathy and I were, so naturally we became a group. Garth's parents had a social membership at the club where we practiced and through his persuasiveness, somehow all of us would end up at the club on a Saturday morning outside of our weekly school sessions. From that time on, we'd been inseparable and had gone on to meet and become part of each other’s' families.

And now, here we were.

After soaping my hands and shoving them under the chrome tap, the water came on. While my mind did its own thing and wrapped around Garth, I dried my hands and wiped my face with a soft, disposable towel.

Over the sink, I couldn't help comparing the woman in the mirror to the one who'd just left the elegant space in which I was standing.

I had my father's height and my mother's looks. My high cheekbones that had been the bane of my life in high school had one day melded to fit my oval face, giving me what people said was an exotic look. Combined with my deep cinnamon complexion, healthy head of hair, and full lips, I held my own in the beauty department.

Not that being well put together every minute of the day was on my priority list. I was all about getting ahead, and Ayisha and I had done well enough in our business partnership and were still carving a niche in the world of custom broking.

On a personal level, my relationship with Jason Williams was what it was. Static.

Circling my head to get rid of the tension at the base of my neck, I breathed deeply, dropped the hand towel in the bin and then left the ladies room.

At the end of the corridor, leading into the foyer, Garth and Nadine stood side-by-side. She held a shopping bag with the club's colors and logo. Garth was generous, so like all the other times she'd come with him, he'd probably gotten her something she didn't need from the pro shop.

Garth said something to her and they continued walking. Then she tugged his arm before they entered the landing that opened on to the patio where we'd been sitting.

He tipped his head down to Nadine's and her arms went around his neck.

I stopped, not wanting to interrupt their kiss, but it didn't seem as if they'd be done any time soon. Nadine held Garth by both sides of the head as if she didn't want him to stop what he was doing.

He raised his head, whispered in her ear, and they both laughed. Then she moved her hips in a circle, delicately grinding against him. In turn, he kissed her neck, chuckled and stepped back.

I wished there was another exit to take me to the patio, but no such luck.

Hoping they'd be finished by the time I got to where they stood, I continued walking as if I hadn't seen them carrying on ahead of me.

Over Nadine's shoulder, Garth caught my movement.

It was too late to pretend I didn't know what they'd been doing, so I wriggled my eyebrows despite the burning in my stomach.

I don't know what Garth saw in my eyes, but when his gaze went back to Nadine, not only did I think he'd seen through me, I also felt naked.

Chapter 2

Garth

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Across the crowded dancefloor, I was sure I spotted Anna-Lise. It was weird that she hadn't told me she was coming here tonight when we'd been together today, but then we hadn't had much of an opportunity to talk while on the course.

I squinted through the haze, unsure of what I was seeing. Anna-Lise was with Jace and it looked as if they were arguing. She stood with her arms propped at her sides, her face angled toward his. In turn, he seemed to be shouting. A heartbeat later, Anna-Lise spun away from Jace and he grabbed her arm.

Hands out, I got ready to cut through the crowd, but Nadine held on to my shirt.

I'd forgotten we were dancing.

While Chronixx's latest hit pounded around us, she shouted in my ear. Where are you going?

I tipped my chin toward the bar. Be back in a minute.

I'm coming, she said and tightened her grip on my arm.

With one aim in view, I plowed through the crowd to where I'd seen Anna-Lise—just beyond the bar.

Jace stood with his back to me, and I brushed by him to stand near Anna-Lise, who was pouting and had both hands fisted around the ends of her shawl.

I nodded to Jace, and he tipped his head in return. Tall and dark, he was Anna-Lise's flavor of the moment. Now, he wore a scowl that matched his all-black outfit.

Leaning to speak in her ear, I asked. Is everything okay?

She flicked a glance at Nadine, before asking, Why wouldn't it be?

You didn’t look okay from where I was a minute ago.

She turned her head toward me and her hair, which she'd caught at the back of her head in a loose arrangement, tickled my lips. Trust me. I'm fine, she said.

If you say so. I took a half-step away from her. I'm around if you need me.

She folded her arms over her chest, emphasizing her cleavage in the sleeveless, black dress that could be compared to a strip of sticking plaster. I wanted to pull the sheer shawl together over her chest, but didn’t dare because she'd have slapped my hands away.

Her get-up reminded me of the impy-skimpy clothing the women wore in the music videos I shot daily. In my line of work, I saw a lot more female flesh than I had a taste for and maybe that's why I was having this reaction to seeing Anna-Lise's breasts and legs exposed to the entire club.

I tried not to look at her with the disapproval I felt because she had a right to wear what she chose and she was with her man. When she refused to respond to my words, I sucked my teeth and walked away.

Nadine held on to my upper arm, which reminded me that I should have been minding my own business. Although she wasn't a relative, I considered Anna-Lise my responsibility. She'd been in my life for the last fifteen years—a little less than half my lifetime. Whether she liked it or not, if I thought she was in trouble, I'd be right there with her. As it was, I'd be keeping an eye on her during the time I had left in the club.

Suddenly, I'd had enough of the crowd and the noise, but I couldn't leave. After a stop at the bar to get drinks for Nadine and myself, I moved up a set of carpeted steps and got us a table.

The Pyramid had been open for a year and was still a hotspot in Kingston, but I hadn't been back much since the first couple of times the gang and I had been inside. Considering what I did for a living—watching women gyrate in front of the camera to a range of reggae music—sometimes the club scene got old.

My core group of friends still hung out together socially and that suited me fine. A year ago, Bryan had taken the job of managing the golf course, which ate into his time. Kathy and he were living together and since Kathy was now pregnant, she had all but given up golf. We'd slowed things down since then and I was fine with taking life easy.

The music dipped and my gaze went to Nadine, who sipped from her glass of red wine, staring at me over the rim.

You sure you're all right?

I hoped my curt nod would deter her from trying to hold a conversation in next-to-impossible conditions, but it was hoping for too much.

She inched forward and spoke next to my ear. To look at you, I wouldn't think so.

I took a drag from the Red Stripe beer and tried not to sigh. Trust me, I'm good.

She continued sipping the Carmin de Puermo she liked and a moment later, licked her lips.

I knew the look in her eyes and hoped she wouldn't start anything. Aside from being attractive, Nadine was compliant—something my mother kept telling me I needed in a wife. Not that marriage was anywhere on the horizon for me.

I spun the beer bottle on the table and then stared at Nadine in the muted light, wondering where that streak of compliance I'd just been thinking about had gone. Lately, Nadine had grown clingy and demanding. She'd also been dropping hints about hitting the big three-oh and wanting to put her life in order before she got 'too old'.

I wasn't in a hurry to marry and didn't understand the need she had to tie herself to a man she'd only known for a year and a half—and on and off at that. Of course, Nadine was perfectly acceptable to my mother, who wanted to see me married and settled.

From where we sat, we had a view of the floor below us. I scanned the crowd, trying to get a fix on Anna-Lise, frowning when I didn't see her immediately.

The air next to me warmed as Nadine leaned closer. When you're done looking for whatever it is that's distracting you, we should leave.

Something wrong with you? I asked, meeting her eyes.

After a few seconds, she lowered her gaze and fiddled with the stem of the glass.

Another moment went by with me panning the dance floor before I gave up trying to spot Anna-Lise. I got to my feet, holding out a hand to Nadine.

Anna-Lise knew she could call if she needed me.

We left the club and were seated inside my Prado within five minutes. I let the CD in the slot play, hoping the soothing instrumental would prevent us from getting into an unnecessary argument. Without looking across at her, I knew Nadine was in that kind of mood.

In my mind, I debated whether to drive to her apartment or go straight home. I'd just decided to drop her off when she spoke. We could go to your place since it's so late.

Shrugging, I said, Okay.

We both knew that although she lived a half-hour away from me, it wouldn't have been a hardship to take her home because it wasn't as late as she was making it out to be. We'd been in the club until the wee hours and I'd taken her home on those occasions. It wasn't worth making a big