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Fore!(Play)
Chapter 7
Follow-through
Follow-through: This is just as important as the backswing and is that part of the swing that occurs after impact with the ball.
I'm still reeling from the shock of Jasper's last words when my phone buzzes in my pocket. When I pull it out, I see a message from Edward.
Turfman: Knock, knock
Shaking my head, I decide to play along with him.
Me: Who's there?
Turfman: Bella
Me: What the hell, Edward?
Turfman: Come on, boss lady. You're supposed to say "Bella Who."
Me: Okay, but this had better be good. Bella who?
Turfman: Bella not-a work, so I knock-a on de door.
He gives me just enough time to read the message before he knocks twice on the door. With a jerk, I pull it open to find him waiting in the hallway. "Everything okay?" he asks after seeing my face.
I can't decide whether to hug him or hit him, to laugh or to cry. Once again, the big lug has rescued me from my emotions with his crazy jokes.
"Did someone drop you on your head when you were a baby?"
He grins at me. "Maybe, but I'm too hard-headed for it to have done any damage."
"You're crazy, Edward."
"I know"—he laughs— "but at least you don't look like someone stole your puppy anymore. Was it pretty bad in there?"
"Yeah." I nod with a sigh. "Jasper agreed though, so that's good news."
"So … just like we planned?"
"Yes, let's do this."
Edward precedes me down the hallway. The plan is for him to enter my office looking for me. He'll excuse himself when he realizes it's being used, but then he'll recognize Jasper and gush about how excited he is to hear he might be working for Swan Creek. We're hoping it will put Jasper in a better mood before I appear.
With a quick knock, Edward opens the door to my office. "Miss Dwyer, are you … Oh, excuse me, I didn't realize anyone was using the office. Sorry, I'll just … Hey, aren't you? Oh man, Jasper Whitlock. Jasper Whitlock! It is you!"
Out in the hallway, I chuckle at Edward's enthusiastic performance. He's playing his part well. "Boss lady said you might be coming to work here at Swan Creek," he continues. "I've read your articles on new practices for fertilizing and weed control. We've started implementing some of those ideas here, but I could really use your help."
Jasper says something that I can't quite understand, and then Edward begins talking again.
"Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm Edward Cullen. Miss Dwyer hired me a few months ago as the head groundskeeper. You know I was just a kid when you left, but you were always kind of my hero. It's really great to see you again, Mr. Whitlock."
The two men are shaking hands when I slip through the door. Jasper's face is a bit flushed, and he's smiling. He looks happier than when I left. "You'll let me know if I can help move you in or anything," he tells Jasper before he turns to me. "Hey, boss lady."
"Did you need me for anything, Mr. Cullen?"
"Nothing important. I'll get with you later." He winks at me as he leaves.
Shaking my head at his grinning smirk, I settle into my desk chair. The contract papers have been picked up off the floor and are on my desk. "Have you made a decision, Mr. Whitlock?" I ask Jasper, who is seated once more.
"Yes. I'd like to accept the offer of employment at Swann Creek Golf Course."
"Excellent." Pulling out a fresh copy, I sign the contract, then hand it to Jasper. Emmett serves as our witness. Both of them are given a copy, then I hand Jasper a set of keys. "These are the keys to the Pro Shop, the cart barn, and the bottom floor of the club house. And these," I add as I give him another set, "are the keys to your townhouse. Yours is number fourteen Pacific Dunes Circle. I've marked it here on the map."
"Pacific Dunes?"
"Yes." I smile. "We've continued the tradition Mr. Swann started by naming all the streets after famous golf courses. I'd like for you to start on Tuesday, if you think that will give you enough time to get settled in with your things." When Jasper nods, I stand and offer my hand. "Thank you for joining us, Mr. Whitlock. I look forward to working with you. I'll see you Tuesday morning at 8:30."
Jasper shakes my hand and takes the packet of information I've prepared for him, then turns to Emmett. He extends his hand, but Emmett pulls him into one of those one-armed guy hugs. "Don't be a stranger, Jasper. Rose would love to see you, and you won't believe how much the kids have grown. Take this," he continues, handing Jasper a small envelope. "You'll know what to do when you open it."
Jasper nods at both of us. "Thanks," he finally says before leaving.
Emmett moves to one of the side windows that overlooks the parking lot. When I join him, we watch Jasper walk slowly to his car. Leaving the door open, he sits in the driver's seat and opens the packet I gave him.
"At least he still has his car."
"Good thing," Emmett replies. "He slept in it last night."
"What? How do you know?"
"One of the county deputies spotted him at a roadside park and called me. I asked them to keep an eye on him."
"Shit. I didn't know it was so bad."
Emmett grins down at me. "Yes, you did."
I don't answer, just shake my head and continue watching Jasper. He's set aside the map and information packet I prepared for him and is opening the envelope. When he pulls out a piece of paper, a key falls to the ground. He bends, picks it up, but doesn't rise. Instead, he sits there resting his head in his hands. I can see his shoulders shaking.
"Oh, God," I whisper and turn away.
"Bella."
I shake my head, refusing to look at Emmett. He wraps one arm around my shoulders and pulls me back beside him.
"That key Jasper just dropped is to the storage unit where his belongings are stored. It showed up at my office a few weeks ago." When I don't respond, he continues. "Did you buy both the houses?"
"Yes," I whisper.
"Did you put them back in his name?"
I shake my head. "No," I finally manage to answer. "I was afraid to. I thought maybe if this year gets him back on his feet, I might transfer them, but he can't know, Emmett. You can't tell him. He's going to hate me enough when this is all over."
"Bells." A strangled sob escapes me when he uses my childhood nickname. "You were right. Jasper is worth saving. Whatever happens, this is a good thing you're doing."
I can't speak, only nod as we both watch Jasper drive away.
././././
I spend the rest of the day locked in my office, immersed in work. Every detail of every plan gets scrutinized and reviewed. I make notes of people to call, questions to ask, and ideas to consider. My to-do list gets longer and longer. The course is closed, and it's long past dark when I finally go home.
Too keyed up to cook or prepare food, I finally throw together a sandwich and grab a glass of water. It's a fairly nice evening for the middle of March, so I sit on my back patio admiring the view. My townhome backs up to the green on number nine. I chose it because nine has always been my favorite hole and because the cart path runs fairly close to my backyard. I can cut over to it and be at the clubhouse without using the street or anyone seeing me coming or going.
Beyond the green is a small lake with a lighted fountain in the center. At night, the water jets sparkle and glisten as they spray into the air and then fall, splashing back into dark pool beneath them. Watching them is relaxing and a bit mesmerizing and never fails to calm me after a stressful day. The moon is bright enough that I can see the fairway beyond the lake. It rises sharply to the tee boxes at the top of the tallest hill on the course. From there, you can see most of the course spread out below and even to the town beyond. As a child, I used to spend hours sitting in a treehouse dad had built for me at the top of the hill, just reading or watching the clouds pass overhead.
Tonight, I'm content to sit on my patio and watch the stars come out one by one. When the temperature begins to drop, I light the small fire pit and pull my chair a little closer to its warmth. Knowing I can't put it off any longer, I pick up my phone and call my mother.
"Bella, dear, how did it go today? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine. It was a bit stressful and a little emotional, but we got through it, and everything is signed and ready to go."
"Jasper showed up, I guess."
"Yes."
She waits for me to continue, then interrupts my silence. "Was he drunk, sweetie?"
"A little," I finally concede.
"Oh, Bella, are you sure you want to continue with this crazy plan of yours?"
"Mom, we've discussed this and discussed this. And, yes, I want to continue. It's too late to back out now even if I wanted to. Jasper signed the contract, and everything has started."
"Did he recognize you?"
"No, I don't think so. At least he didn't act like he did."
"Well, I guess that's good, but it had to be a little hard on you to—"
"Don't, Mom. I don't want to talk about it, okay?"
She doesn't say anything. Then with a loud sigh, finally breaks the silence. "You know I worry about you. Do you have any social life at all? Do you have any girlfriends you go out to eat or go to the movies with? How long has it been since you went on a date?"
"Mother, don't!"
Ignoring me, she continues. "Do you remember that young man you dated for a while in college? Ronnie or Robert or something like that."
"Riley. His name was Riley."
"Yes. Such a nice person and always so well dressed. Your wardrobe certainly improved when you two were dating. Do you ever hear from him? Maybe you should get in touch again."
"Mom." Although I try, I can't hide the frustration in my voice. "Riley is gay. I know I've told you this before."
"You did, but I thought maybe there was something more between the two of you."
"Riley and I had fun together. You're right. He was a nice guy, and he did have great fashion sense, but kissing him was like kissing a brother. We were friends, nothing more."
"What about the young man you hired to be the groundskeeper? I remember he was always a sweet boy when we still lived there, and his parents were nice people."
"You mean Edward?"
"Yes, Eddie Cullen. He was a cute kid. I bet he grew up to be a handsome thing."
"Mother. Stop, please, no more matchmaking. First of all, Edward is my employee, and it would be inappropriate to have any kind of personal relationship with him. And second, he's younger than me by several years."
"And Phil is ten years my junior," she replies, referring to our financial advisor and her on-again, off-again boyfriend. "Let me tell you, Bella, there's something to be said for younger men."
"Ugh." I groan. "I don't want to hear it."
She laughs at me, but then is silent for a beat too long. "Mom, are you still there?"
"Yes. He, uh … he asked me to marry him."
"Again?" I chuckle. He's begged my mom to marry him so many times it's become our little joke. When she doesn't join in my laughter, I know something's different this time.
"Mom?"
"I think I'm going to say yes, Bella. I just didn't know how to tell you, and I want you to be happy about it. You know how much I loved your dad, but I don't like being single."
"Oh, Mom, that's wonderful. I like Phil; you know that. After all, I'm using his last name right now," I add with a laugh. "I'm sure you'll make each other very happy." Before I can say more, my phone buzzes. "I have a message I have to take, Mom. I'll call you in a day or two, and you can tell me your plans."
"Okay, sweetie. Love you, Bells."
"Love you, too, Mom," I whisper back, then pull my phone away to read the message.
Turfman: Knock, knock
Me: We already did this today, Edward.
He sends me a gif of giant rolling eyes.
Me: Okay. Who's there?
Turfman: Ben
Me: Ben who?
Turfman: Ben knocking for 10 minutes
Me: On my door? I'm on the back patio.
A moment later, Edward rounds the corner of my house, a large bag in one hand and two beers in the other. He sets them on the small table beside me, and then plops down in the chair on the other side.
"What are you …" I start to say before I'm hit with the most amazing aroma. "Oh, my God, what is that smell?"
"Food," he says with a grin. "I thought you might be hungry after today's drama."
"I already …" I start to say before Edward pokes at the remains of my mostly uneaten sandwich.
"Stale bread, a thin slice of cheese, no mayo, no mustard, no tomato, no lettuce. You call that eating? You need to eat more than that, boss lady. You're getting way too thin."
"What did you—" I start, but I'm interrupted by Edward's shocked face.
"Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Miss Dwyer. That was way out of line. It's just … Well, my mom saw you the other day at the nursing home when you were visiting Mrs. Whitlock, and she mentioned that you looked stressed and wondered if you'd been eating and taking care of yourself, and well, I thought maybe I'd bring you some of her nachos because they're really good, and maybe we could share some and …" Edward finally stops when he runs out of breath. His cheeks are pink, his eyes still wide. I'm suddenly reminded of the cute ten-year-old boy he once was.
"I should probably go," he says after a moment or two.
"Did you say nachos?"
"Yeah." He grins, then takes two covered, plastic containers from the bag. I open one to find tortilla chips topped with beans and spicy shredded beef covered in chopped tomatoes, lettuce, and melted cheese. Slices of fresh avocado and minced cilantro are sprinkled across the top.
The smell hits me again, and my stomach growls. Suddenly, I'm famished. I help myself to several oversized bites, moaning in pleasure when the flavors hit my tongue. Edward hands me a beer to wash them down.
"Your mom made these?"
"Well, it's her recipe." I glance toward Edward to find him staring at me, his unopened container still on the small table between us. I wonder why he isn't eating.
"Knock, knock," I say, grinning at his very confused face.
"Ah … Who's there," he finally answers.
"Edward."
"What?"
"Not what. Who," I tell him.
He chuckles, then plays along. "Okay. Edward who?"
"Edward be nice if you'd eat your nachos, too."
He stares at me in shocked silence before doubling over in laughter. Watching him laugh makes me giggle, and soon, we're both laughing so hard we can barely catch our breath. When we finally calm down, Edward picks up his beer bottle and clinks it with mine. "Well done, boss lady." He chuckles. "Well done."
The splash of the water fountain keeps us company while we finish our nachos and beer.
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AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing. Many thanks to Sally for her editing skills. I've purposely stayed vague about the pairing in this story. I'm hoping part of the fun will be figuring out who Bella will eventually end up with. However, if you have reservations about pairings and really want to know, just PM me and I'll be glad to tell you.