Chapter 4

Michael

Mortimer Harrington and I have a bit of adjustment to do. It seems that Mortimer has regained his footing as a gentlemen’s gentlemen, and he has taken it upon himself to make decisions on my behalf. He believes his decisions are well-informed and intended to benefit me—to make my life easier. On the other hand, while I do need a secretary, and I do believe that Mort has what it takes, he has to learn that there are some boundaries. The first of which is my private life.

“Mort, I appreciate that you have met some ladies and would like me to double date with you, but I believe your private life needs to remain private and separate from our interaction. I also believe I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I’ve had some unfortunate luck when it comes to relationships. For that reason, I intend to concentrate on business for the time being. I expect that from here on out you will respect that and stop trying to push me.”

“Sir, I apologize, sir. I do have the advantage of seeing how hard you work, and I believe that it’s necessary to have balance in all things. That is the basis for my encouraging you to have the occasional encounter with a female companion. Nothing more is meant by it than that. However, as you will see, I’m respecting your wishes and will no longer bring up the topic.”

“I appreciate that.” Mort has a habit of being quite wordy, and I’m busy and in demand.

I don’t mean this to sound condescending, but Mort often reminds me of a new puppy—filled with enthusiasm, aptitude, and ability, but not yet seasoned enough to be objective. I know he’ll catch on, and I’m glad that I’ve run into him.

I decide to share the basics of my past with Mort, and he is sympathetic. “Do you mean to say that you lost both her parents at the same time?” he asked.

“They loved to sail and perhaps thought their skill level could overcome adverse weather. They were sailing back to Florida along the east coast when they got caught in a sudden storm off Hatteras Island. Their sailboat went down, and they were never recovered. I don’t have any siblings, and my father’s fortune was the inheritance upon which I’ve built my own assets.”

“So sorry to hear this, sir.”

I shrug. “Things happen, Mort. I don’t need to convince you of that. It’s not something I like to speak about so let’s not bring it up again.”

But Mort is not to be discouraged so quickly. “And the young lady? The one who hurt you so badly?”

I sigh deeply, indicating my displeasure with the conversation. I know I have to tell him, or I’ll never hear the end of it. “Her name was Monica. I met her just after she finished college. We were introduced by a mutual friend, and we hit it off immediately. She was very comfortable to be with, and she understood the world of business so you can see it was a natural fit. I had, by then, received my inheritance and was well on the way to increasing it when she brought up the topic of marriage. I was all for it, naturally. I wanted a family, just as she did. But I wanted something she didn’t—a prenuptial.”

“I see, sir. I take it the lady did not agree?” His eyes were sympathetic, but I heard the cynical tone of his voice. Mort is deeper than most people realize. He’s been around a little more than he wants to let on, not that it matters to me.

“No, she didn’t agree. In fact, she decided without talking with me first that maybe we weren’t as well matched as originally thought. She found herself another gentleman and moved on. And me? I’ve learned that business comes first in my life, and I’m not interested in the legalities of marriage. That’s not to say I don’t want a long-term, committed relationship, but it doesn’t need to include an exchange of rings.”

“Under the circumstances, sir, I can understand your resistance. I respect your attitude, and you’ll get no interference from me.”

“Promise?”

“Indeed, sir. I promise.”

“Good. Then let’s not have this conversation again.”

“So, what is on the agenda for today, sir?” His voice snaps me to the present.

“I thought today we might drive over to the projected condominium development I’m interested in. I would like you to ride along and to familiarize yourself with the details of the project. There may be times when I will ask you to represent me and make informed decisions on my behalf. Would you have a problem doing that?”

“No, sir, I don’t believe I would. If I feel as though I’m not in possession of all the details, I will ask your guidance before committing you.”

I have to chuckle inside. “That would be convenient, indeed, Mort.”

Mort and I dress for the excursion, wearing casual clothing as the development is not an ideal job site as of yet. I generally carry a spare set of clothes with me for just these sorts of occasions.

“When we get done at the building site, I’ve got a short and casual meeting with some potential business partners. It’s not really a big deal, in fact, we’re going to meet at the golf course.”

“I see, sir. Is this common, to have business meetings on a golf course?”

“Sometimes.” I shrug and look at some papers I’ve brought with me. “Do you golf, Mort?”

“No, sir.”

“I thought you Brits started the game?”

“No, sir. That would be the Scots. Even so, it’s a game that has been out of my budget, you might say.”

“Well, you are living here now. Maybe you want to give it a try. If not, you can wait for me in the lounge at the country club.”

“Truthfully, sir, that sounds far more pleasing to me.”

“I thought it might.”

We arrive at the country club, and Mort immediately hurries off to the clubhouse. I find my party just as they are preparing to tee off. “Looks like if I’d been five minutes later, I’d have been left behind,” I comment, a little disappointed.

“We’d lose our tee off time. Sorry about that,” answers Dave, a local banker with whom I’d developed a pretty fair relationship. He is married and has three kids, which doesn’t make for much recreation time, and is another reason that we meet on the golf course.

My caddy brings up my cart with my clubs, and I tee off last. Dave’s game is about the same as mine, so we walk together and talk about the new development. We are a group of six, almost too large as it’s taking us considerable time to clear a hole. This is becoming more obvious when I notice a couple waiting on the rise behind us. I say to Dave, “Don’t you think we should let them play through?”

Dave turns and agrees. He texts the others in our party, and they take a break, as Dave motions to the waiting couple. They approach, and Dave suddenly breaks into a big smile. “Well, Doug, I didn’t recognize you from this distance.” He tips his hat to the woman. “Elizabeth, how are you?”

His voice in greeting Elizabeth has a conciliatory tone, almost as you would greet someone who had recently had a death in their family. She gives a half smile and nods. “We are picking up the pieces,” she says softly, and her words confirm my initial opinion.

“I’d like to introduce you to Doug and Elizabeth Duncan, Michael. Michael here is an up-and-coming real estate investor. Perhaps the four of us could play a foursome sometime?”

Doug speaks up. “That would be nice. Thanks for letting us play through,” he concludes, and they go on up to the tee and are soon out of sight.

Mike still keeps his voice low as he says, “Their daughter was supposed to be married last weekend. You might say it was the social event of the season, but it didn’t go off as planned.”

“Oh, no?”

“Let’s just say, the groom changed his mind and didn’t RSVP.”

“Shit. That had to be a lousy day.”

“Well, the guests made the best of it. They went ahead and had the party, but I think Mac, the bride, probably isn’t doing much celebrating. Let me get this ball off the tee, and you’ll be up next,” he finished and went on ahead.

I think about the young bride for a few moments. I had almost the identical situation, except my mate hadn’t waited until the wedding to desert me. I feel for the girl. I turn my attention to the scorecard and the map of this hole, forgetting everything else.