by Jen Silver
“Oh, yes, thanks. No problem. I’m Sam.”
The smile Sam gave her seemed genuine. As they shook hands, Jordan noted the hazel eyes and hints of grey in her hair. She’s either ageing prematurely or is older than she looks. A fairly stocky build, but not overweight. If she had a reasonable degree of flexibility, Jordan was sure she could turn out to be a decent golfer.
She realised that Sam was examining her as well. Any further inspection was interrupted by the arrival of more students coming downstairs and in from the front entrance.
Jordan smiled at them all and said, “Follow me.” Feeling like the pied piper, she led the way towards the dining room with the excited chatter of a dozen oversized children behind her.
Sam and a few others clattered into her when she stopped near the doorway. Was it her imagination or did it look like Andi Mihajlovic was about to kiss Lady Temperley? Jordan glanced over her shoulder to apologise to the others for her abrupt stop.
“Sorry, ladies. The dining room is through here. Please go in.” When she looked back at the doorway, Andi was still leaning against the frame but Lady T had disappeared.
†
Sam was the first guest to reach the dining room, passing Andi in the doorway, who gave her a friendly smile and waved her through towards the buffet table. It was a sumptuous looking spread—she’d been expecting Cornish pasties and cider. Instead there was an array of fresh-looking salads, prawns, smoked salmon, and another fish dish that she thought might be pilchards. There was a nod to the national dish with some delicate pastry items which probably contained meat. A selection of homemade breads, cheeses, and fruit adorned the far end of the table. Overall, healthy looking choices.
A woman standing by the table greeted Sam brightly. “I don’t believe we’ve met. Welcome to Temperley Cliffs.”
“Sam Wade.”
She didn’t offer her own name and Sam wondered if she were another staff member, although she wasn’t wearing the uniform and didn’t have a local accent.
“Where are you from, Sam?”
“Yorkshire.” This far south in the country there wasn’t much likelihood anyone would know Hebden Bridge.
“Oh, I love Yorkshire. Whereabouts?”
“You probably won’t know it, a small town midway between Manchester and Leeds.”
“Halifax?”
“Good guess. Hebden Bridge, actually.”
The blue eyes twinkled. “Ah yes. I have heard of Hebden Bridge.”
Another of the guests interrupted. “The food looks magnificent, Lady Temperley.”
Sam glanced back at the small blonde woman. Of course. She should have recognised her from the photos she’d seen.
“All local produce, including the cheeses. Please, help yourselves.” Lady Temperley moved away from the buffet to greet other women as they arrived.
Finding herself at the head of the queue, Sam picked up a plate and started to fill it. She looked around at the seating arrangement, three round tables of eight. She chose the one nearest the window and sat facing the view. There were more bottles of Cornish Spring water on the table, both still and sparkling. Maybe at the evening meal they would be treated to Cornish wines, if there were such a thing.
“Great food. We’re going to have to play a lot of golf if we’re going to be fed like this for two weeks.” The speaker sat down opposite Sam. “Hi, I’m Tammy. And this is my partner, Liz.” A second woman was just seating herself.
“Sam. Have you played before?”
“I learned at school but haven’t played since then. And that’s a long time ago now.”
It wasn’t polite to ask, but Sam guessed she was about forty.
“Well, I’m a complete novice.”
“So am I,” added Liz.
Sam was tempted to ask more questions but she didn’t want to come across as nosy. She guessed they would all have to introduce themselves at the induction session after lunch and say why they had decided to take the course.
The level of noise increased as more people came in, filled up their plates, and found places to sit. Sam tried one of the prawns and was amazed by the freshness. It was the best prawn she had ever eaten. If she’d known, she would have taken more than two.
†
Beth stopped in the hallway, out of breath from sprinting the final hundred yards. She had spotted Tammy and Liz passing her chalet and didn’t want to be the last to arrive. When she had recovered, she looked up to see Rosemary gazing at her.
“Are you all right, dear?”
“Yes. Just a bit out of shape.”
“Me too. But I’m hoping after these two weeks, I’ll be feeling fitter. Just going up and down these stairs is good exercise.”
“Have you played before?”
“No. My husband was a keen golfer though.”
“Oh, didn’t he want you to learn?”
Rosemary shook her head. “He told me I wouldn’t be any good at it. And, of course, I didn’t have the time to spend all day at the golf course on a Saturday or Sunday.”
“All day?”
“Yes. He was always complaining about slow play. Some rounds would take seven hours.”
“Really.” Beth didn’t know a whole lot about golf, but she did know it didn’t take that long. The selfish bastard probably spent a good three hours in the clubhouse bar.
“And where’s your husband now?”
“He died, a year ago. Very sad. He had just retired and was looking forward to playing more golf. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all his golf stuff. One of his friends has offered me thirty pounds for his set of clubs, but I think they’re worth more than that. They were almost brand new.”
So not as clueless as she seemed. Beth thought this course might be a revelation for Rosemary in many ways.
“Come along, ladies, you don’t want to miss out on lunch. I hear there’s fresh pilchards today.” Roger appeared from the other end of the hall and guided them towards the dining room. They were the last to arrive, but there seemed to still be a few empty places at the tables.
Roger led the way to the buffet but let them go ahead of him.
After filling her plate with food, Beth looked around for a place to sit. There was an empty seat at the table near the window but as she made a move towards it, Rosemary said, “Oh look, there’s two seats here.”
Beth didn’t feel she had a choice. Having talked to the woman it would have been rude to say she wanted to sit somewhere else.
†
“Oh, those two were on the bus with us. I thought they would team up.” The young woman who had just sat down next to Sam nodded towards the table behind them.
Tammy had her mouth full but looked like she wanted to say something. Liz took the cue and said, “That’s Beth and Rosemary. I’m trying to remember everyone’s names. Beth’s in one of the chalets, too.”
Sam turned her head to look and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It was Beth, her Beth, sitting near the door. She scanned the rest of the people at the table. No sign of Lydia. What was Beth doing here? She had never expressed an interest in golf in all the time she had known her? Maybe Lydia was a golfer.
She turned back to the table and stared down at her plate numbly. Suddenly the food seemed less appetising.
“Anyone sitting here?”
“Not unless they’re invisible.” Tammy had finally swallowed her miniature Cornish pasty.
Sam looked up to find Andi grinning down at her. “No. Please join us.”
The conversation carried on around the table as the introductions were made and the two youngest women, Anya and Freddie, plied Andi with questions. They were obviously up on who was who on the women’s golf tour.
“So, why do you have a male caddy?” Tammy asked. She’d eaten everything on her plate and there was a lull in the questions from the other two.
It was a question that had crossed Sam’s mind while she was watching the tournament on Sunday afternoon. Not only did the women
have men carrying their golf bags for them, they seemed to defer to them for advice on which club to use and how to line up their putts. One of the commentators had commented on the amount of time this took, especially with the putting.
“The bag’s very heavy.”
“Okay. But some women would be able to manage that. Nick Faldo had a female caddy for a long time.”
“You have to have someone you can work with. For a lot of the girls that means bringing along their husbands, boyfriends, or dads.”
Tammy persisted. “Why not girlfriends, or sisters, or mums?”
“Like I said, it’s whatever works best. There’s a lot of travel involved, a lot of hanging around, as well as five days of toting the bag around the course.”
Sam felt Andi was either deliberately misunderstanding the question or she didn’t want to answer it.
“Why have a caddy at all? If you play golf for a living, surely you don’t need someone to tell you which club to use. You must know how far you can hit the ball. And you can have a GPS wristwatch to give you the distances.” This came from someone who hadn’t spoken up before. Sam thought her name was Charlotte.
Lady Temperley joined them, saving Andi from having to answer more questions.
“Everything okay here?”
“Yes. Just giving Andi a grilling.” This from the irrepressible Tammy.
“Oh, I think you’d better let her eat her lunch. She’ll need to keep her strength up for this afternoon’s activities.”
Sam was sure she saw Andi’s tan take on a darker hue. Was she blushing? There had to be something going on between these two.
“Hey, Sammy, you going to eat that pasty, or what?” Tammy’s voice cut through her thoughts.
“No. And you can have it if you promise not to call me ‘Sammy’ again.”
“Okay. Deal.”
Sam passed her plate over.
“Please help yourselves to more food. There’s plenty left and you must try the local cheese. The Cornish Blue is my favourite.” Lady Temperley smiled at them all.
Anya and Freddie immediately got up and Tammy wasn’t far behind. Sam would have liked to try the cheese but she didn’t want to find herself face to face with Beth just yet. Certainly not in a room full of strangers.
“Are you not hungry? The cheese is really good.” Andi spoke to her quietly.
“Um, yes. No, maybe later.” Great going, Sam. Now she’ll think you’re a total idiot.
“Well, I’m going to get some. I’ll bring you back a few tasters. See if I can’t tempt you.”
“Thank you.” Sam hoped Lady Temperley hadn’t caught this exchange. She didn’t want to get caught in the middle if these two were lovers. Andi probably wasn’t flirting with her though, just being thoughtful. Sam needed to keep her imagination in check if she was to survive the next two weeks surrounded by gorgeous women.
†
Jordan was the last to arrive in the dining room. After helping herself to some salads and fruit, she sat down in the empty seat nearest the door. Counting heads, she noted that everyone was there apart from the two still driving through Bodmin Moor and the mysterious Lydia. There were only three of the students at her table, with Tony and Lord Temperley helping to make up the numbers. The woman on her left she recognised as Beth Travers.
“Hi, Beth. Do you know when Lydia Carmichael will be arriving? She’s sharing your chalet, isn’t she?” Jordan decided she might as well try to find out.
“Oh, um, yes. Sorry, I should have let you know. She had to attend a conference and won’t be arriving until Wednesday.”
“That’s a shame. She’ll miss out on some of the basic instruction.”
“I know, but she’s a quick learner. And she said she has done pitch and putt before on holiday.”
How many times were they going to hear that this week? Jordan knew from experience that people who thought they could play the game because they had hit the ball around the Crazy Golf putting green at their local park were the hardest to teach.
†
All Sam really wanted after lunch was a nap. But she was going to have to pay attention at the induction session. This was the business end of the deal. She wasn’t being paid to comment on the quality of the food and the facilities.
When she stood with the others to leave the table, the two bottles of Cornish Spring water she had consumed made themselves known.
“Where’s the nearest loo?”
Tammy answered. “Just past the Library.” She grinned at Sam. “We’ll save you a seat.”
Sam trailed after the others, hanging back so she wouldn’t bump into Beth. She didn’t feel ready for the inevitable confrontation. But when would she ever be?
There were two enclosed stalls in the bathroom and she quickly entered the unoccupied one. She hoped the person next door couldn’t hear the cascade of urine as her bladder emptied itself noisily. With any luck they would be gone by the time she finished.
She waited a few moments after she’d pulled her shorts back up, but there was no sound of the outer door opening and closing. Sam knew she couldn’t delay too long or she would miss the start of the meeting. Maybe it would be one of the staff anyway. Opening the door, she walked over to the sink to wash her hands and looking up met Beth’s shocked gaze in the mirror.
“What are you doing here?” Beth hissed.
“I could ask you the same. I’m working.” Sam looked around for the towel dispenser.
“You don’t play golf.”
“It’s a research job.” Sam dried her hands and dropped the paper towel in the bin before turning to face her wife. “Is Lydia here?”
“She will be on Wednesday.”
“Does she play?”
“No. That’s why we’re here. To learn.”
Beth’s hands were still wet. Sam ripped off a few pieces of towel and handed them to her. She took a deep breath, unsure what to say next. They were still staring at each other like two feral cats waiting for the other to pounce when the door opened. Tammy poked her head in.
“You guys done in here. We’re all ready to start so I said I would chase you up.”
“Yeah, we’re done.” Beth threw the wadded up towels at Sam and stalked out.
Tammy watched her go and looked back at Sam. “Was it something you said?”
“I guess.” Sam shrugged. She dumped the damp towels and followed Tammy out into the hallway. It was going to be a long two weeks.
Chapter Six
Andi sat on a rock and watched the waves as they crashed against the shore. The wind had picked up but the rock where she was sitting was sheltered. It was the first time she had been alone all afternoon. If the rest of her time here was going to be like this, she would be going back on tour for a rest.
The hours spent with Freya while the others were having their induction session and doing the rounds of the golf facilities had been exhausting. Exhilarating, but even with her level of fitness, she found it hard to keep up with her lover’s demands. The months apart only increased Freya’s ardour as if making up for all those absent hours.
Andi had no shortage of choice for female company on tour, something Freya was all too aware of. She never asked though. Either she didn’t want to know or she had liaisons of her own that she didn’t want to reveal.
Taking one last look at the towering waves, Andi made her way up the steep path to the top of the cliff. She came out onto the thirteenth green and turned around to admire the view and catch her breath. Only then did she see that she wasn’t alone. Another figure was standing a few feet away.
“Hi.” She recognised Sam Wade. “Lovely view, isn’t it?”
“Breathtaking.”
When Sam turned to look at her, Andi could see she’d been crying.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, if you want to be alone.”
“I saw you down there. Is it a hard climb?”
“Hard on the knees going down and the lungs coming back up. But it’s worth it
if you really do want to get away from everyone.”
Andi felt awkward intruding on the other woman’s obvious sadness, but she didn’t want to just walk away. Although they had only met briefly, she sensed a bond between them. Nothing sexual, just a kind of kinship. And she hoped Sam wasn’t thinking of throwing herself off the cliff. She didn’t want that on her conscience.
“Um, look if there’s something you want to talk about, I’m here. Sometimes it’s easier to unburden yourself to a stranger.”
Sam gave her the flicker of a smile. “This is a job for me. I’m getting paid to do this. But I don’t know if I can now that she’s here.”
This sounded intriguing.
“You’re getting paid to learn how to play golf?”
“Yes. I do in-depth research, usually for film or television companies. Sourcing locations, providing historical and cultural background as required. This job is for a writer who either can’t, or doesn’t want to, play golf herself. But she wants to sound knowledgeable when writing about it.”
“Couldn’t she get that from watching golf or reading magazines? And there’s loads of instruction videos on YouTube.”
“I know. But she wanted more than that. Maybe trying to understand why people do it, why they are so passionate about it.”
“That’s a tough one. But not easy for non-golfers to fathom.”
They stood together looking out over the ocean. The wind was starting to cut through the light jacket Andi was wearing.
“You said you didn’t think you could do this now, because…?” Andi wasn’t sure Sam would answer as she had gone quiet again.
With a heavy sigh, Sam finally spoke. “Because my ex is here. I didn’t know she was even interested in golf.”
“Ah.”
“Yes, ah. And her new girlfriend is joining her later this week.” Sam spat out the word “girlfriend” as if it left a bad taste.
“How long were you together?”
“Fourteen years. We got married two years ago in April.”